Free Astronomy Magazine March-April 2020

12 MARCH-APRIL 2020 OUR EXPERIENCES C NY Observers Larry Slosberg (left) and Bob Piekiel (standing at right) at a joint solar observing session, Baltimore Woods Nature Center in Marcellus, NY. T he author’s solution to the problem of winter observing in Central New York. exceed the quality of those used throughout the history of amateur astronomy. The purists among us would argue that the only thing an amateur as- tronomer should have on their screen is red acetate. At arm’s length, our smartphones cover five degrees of sky, yet can account for all of our attention. Bright screens are not only a star party annoyance, but have be- come invasive enough that nomo- phobia, fear of being without/losing a mobile device (as in “no-mo”bile phone), is being considered for addi- tion into the Diagnostic and Statisti- cal Manual of Mental Disorders. Those who have ever run a public observing session know how some attendees would rather spend time taking saturated pictures of the Moon through an eyepiece than sim- ply giving the Moon a look.