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Wednesday, January 13, 2010

Telescopes


Astronomy has always interested me. When I was a kid, I would take my little Golden Guide to the Stars and my flashlight to the back yard and gaze up at the constellations. Winter or summer, and winter in New England is pretty cold, on most clear nights I would go outside and look at the stars. Back then, I didn’t have a telescope, or even binoculars. When I was in college I received a small telescope as a gift. I still have it buried in the basement, but I haven't used it in years.

Maybe my childhood interest in the stars had something to do with the astronomy theme in Lady of the Stars, my Regency time travel novella (buy link here). I'm still not sure how the idea came about. Anyway, the telescope the hero, Richard, owns is a real one. I looked up antique telescopes on the web and found this Pallant: http://www.antiquetelescopes.org/19thc.html

This telescope is ideal for my story. It's a real, 19th century English telescope, perfect for Richard to own. The telescope is also small, less than a foot long, so Richard or Caroline, the heroine, could easily carry it to an observation position. It figures in Caroline’s and Richard’s courtship, as well as providing a link between past and present.

I rarely look at the stars now. Too many lights and too many trees obscure my view. I still remember most of the constellations’ names, and I always stay up and watch any lunar eclipses that are visible in my area. But, as Lady of the Stars shows, I haven’t completely forgotten my childhood interest. Maybe art does imitate life.

Thank you all,
Linda

6 comments:

Heather Snow said...

Linda,

How interesting! The book sounds fabulous...I am first a historical fan, but I do admit, I LOVE time travel.

I, too, love astronomy (I've written a YA centered around it) and still have a telescope that I keep at the lake. Down there, little light pollution gets in the way of the stars. There's nothing like looking up on a clear night and feeling overwhelmed by their sheer number and brilliance.

I look forward to "Lady of the Stars" Lovely post.

Zequeatta Jaques said...

I have always gazed up into the night sky and wondered what could be out there in that huge vastness. I enjoy reading time-travel stories and I wish you the best of luck with your "Lady of the Stars" novella.

Linda Banche said...

Hi Heather, I agree, when you go far away from the city lights, the stars are fantastic, even without a telescope.

And, if you're really interested, and you're a time travel nut, LADY OF THE STARS is already available at http://www.thewildrosepress.com/lady-of-the-stars-p-1111.html

Hi Zequeatta, I agree, the night sky is vast and humbling. And thank you for you kind words.

Lindsay Townsend said...

I love astronomy, too, Linda, and I really admire the way you've worked the subject into your 'Lady of the Stars' - so original!

A fascinating blog on a fascinating topic.

Kaye Manro said...

Nice post, Linda!

Linda Banche said...

Lindsay, thank you so much.

Kaye, thanks, and thanks for coming over.