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Years ago I argued on Abusenet with those who suggested viewing the night sky via the new-fangled "night vision" cameras fixed to telescopes. Far too "secondhand" I felt at the time. I was only interested in pressing the MK1 eyeball to the eyepiece for its "immediacy" and direct connection to the universe. Via the intervening optics of course.
Later on I started taking SLR film 'snaps' of the moon at the eyepiece. Just as a [poor] record. Later again, I started taking lots of afocal snaps using P&S digital cameras. A vast improvement over film and cheap as chips to take literally hundreds of trial exposures. Now I had something I could share online.
Later still, I captured videos via a webcam. Or slightly more sophisticated astro cam and software. Had you told me, years ago, how fascinating it is to watch a computer screen with a razor sharp "live" image I simply would not have believed you.
That said, I am sitting comfortably beside my own pier and soaking up the ambience of my own, observatory dome. My telescopes soar overhead and I can pretend I have some [probably imaginary] historical association with a long line of past, amateur astronomers.
Can I make the psychological jump to watching a "live" image from some other, more distant [remote] telescope? Or is it one too many steps removed from visual? And one step too near to everyday TV watching?
Who knows what rapid advances imaging and screen technology will offer just down the road? A much bigger, 4k/8k screen in place of my present 15.6" 4k, to provide much greater immersion, might just tempt me to go "remote" on lunar and solar. If only now and then. The image quality and seeing would have to be truly exceptional though. Better than anything I can possibly manage alone.
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