(many of them have no answer!!!)

01.  What are the maximum and minimum magnitudes of the sun’s corona?

02.  What are the maximum and minimum magnitudes of the ash-grey light of the Moon (the Earth light)?
       A.: Around -3, slightly variable.

03.  What is the magnitude of the night sky? 
       A.: the magnitude is of -8.5.

03a. Should it be understood with or without planets?
        A.: I think without planets. Could that be? 

03b. Should it be understood as a complete sphere of 41,252.16 square degrees or only the average of the 
       visible sky?

04.  If the ash-grey light of the Moon is at its maximum at the moment of the new moon, why is it so difficult to 
      take pictures of the seas of the Moon at the moment of a total Sun eclipse? 
      I tried this in Iguazú on November 3, 1994 (that is why I used the Ektar 1000), with no results at all.
      In 1998, 4 years later, amateur Christian Viladrich attained it by chance, while working on his computer 
      with the photo of the eclipse in Guadalupa (I do not say this to play down his merit!) to make clear the most 
      possible quantity of details in the corona.

05. Why all magazines, when they publish stereoscopic photos, make them in two colors to 
     see them with red glasses, what brings about the loss of color?
     Why photos are not published at full color, placing them in inverted position? (the right at the left and vice 
     versa), providing the reader with the possibility of seeing them in full color by means of crossed-vision?

07. What happed in Rome on Friday October 5 of 1582? And in Paris on Sunday December 10 ?
     A.: NOTHING! Because those days did not exist, they were deleted from the calendar when the reform was
          made.

09. Why are there telescope manufacturers that use to silver-plate mirrors instead of  aluminizing them, when it
     is well-known that a plate surface does not reflect the ultraviolet light, so useful for astronomic work?
     A.: For commercial reasons! Because a silver-plated surface reflects a bit more than aluminum in the visible
          light, and the lie that the telescope is more luminous seems credible! but, what a foolish thing!!
          And I ask myself if it would not be possible to combine both. Who can answer my question?

10. Is it preferable to fill the telescope’s tube with forming gas?
      A.:I think it is, because it is a dry gas and avoids the problems caused by humidity.

11. Why all windows of domes are at a plane section and not triangular, as mine, with better 
      hydro -  and aerodynamic characteristics, besides the aesthetic ones?

A.: Because there are still a lot of people who prefer what is cheaper than what is better and are not able to
     understand that finally, it results being more expensive.

12. Is there anybody who has tried to take photos of the analema australis?

13.Why is it so much talked about (and with certainty) about the Space-Telescope, and so 
     little about Keck telescope and its twin, of 10 meters diameter and with adaptive optics?
     In the end, which one is the most powerful?

14.  How many amateurs are currently dealing with radio astronomy?

15.  Is there any group of amateurs that has tried to develop an interferometer?

16.  How many amateurs have tried to see the Moon and the planets with a non-aluminized mirror? 
      Do you know which the advantage is?
      A.: Aluminized material is never perfect and diffuses light ("scattering").
      Non-aluminized glass has better contrast and definition, and the loss of brightness is not serious when
      observing luminous objects such as the Moon, Venus, etc.

17.  Why the reflector is less fit than the refractor to make a coronograph?
       A.: For the same reason as in question 16.

17a. Is it possible that a simple lens be better than an achromatic or apochromatic objective?
       A.: In the case of the coronograph it is, for obvious reasons. 
       Corollary: it is silly to make an achromatic coronograph!!!
       Same words apply to special telescopes for the observation of the sun’s protuberances.

18. Why the best color photos of the sky are obtained with black and white films?
     A.: Because they are taken with three filters with the exact colors, while color pictures are  
     always made with a compromise solution, that is good for any type of work but are not ideal for none!!

19. Did you know that the first cameras for color pictures (the so called "Farb-Kameras", manufactured in Berlin
     in an artisan way in year 1925, applied the principle explained in question n.18 ?

20.  Why photographs of the Moon with a color film do not come up in black and white, if the true color of the 
      Moon is this one?! (true-color photo taken with a Reflex Digital Nikon D- 70).
      And why if we take a Picture of the Moon with 10 different films, each has a different  color?!
      (see answer for question 18.)

21. Did you know that Galileo never understood how his telescope worked?
     And did you know that Galileo, in fact, did not invent any telescope? (an Italian is saying this!!!).
     What he did (not playing down his merit)  was only to point it on the Stars.

22.  Which is the only comet that does not take the name of his discoverer?  
      A.: The Halley comet, of which only its orbit was calculated.

23.Why everybody says that spring (in Argentina) starts on September 21, if it has never and nowhere started on
     that day?
     A.: For the same reason that in Argentina we use to eat nuts and dried figs!!!
     In other words: because of the (malefic) influence specially of us, the Italians, as in Italy Spring starts on 
     March 21, and most Argentineans conclude that all seasons start on day 21, as they do not know that each
     season has a different duration.
     And when they are told that this is wrong, they do not pay attention to this, and everybody has to accept that
     the date is September 21.

24.Why most people confuses the microscope with the telescope, astronomy with astrology, and frequently 
     even with meteorology?
    ("Dante, you that are an astrologist, tell me, is it going to rain tomorrow"?)
    ( A.: ...... !!! )

25. What did Galileo want Kepler to be told, when he discovered the phases of Venus? 
     And when did he realize that Saturn was seen triple? 
     And what did Kepler answer? (answers)

26. Why Dante’s dome has that phrase written in its ring?
   A.: Because it is a palindrome, and its meaning is:
        "we go round and round in the night and are consumed by fire"
        That was referred to butterflies that get burnt turning around the torches, it can also be referred to stars.
        For more information, look for this phrase on the Internet.

27. Why Mr. Milton Humason is little known?
     A.: Because he was a poor milkman that took milk with mules to Mt. Palomar.
          He afterwards started to work in the observatory, and discovered the expansion of the Universe.
          And his boss, Edwin Hubble, did what ... most bosses do!

28. Why the Italian Region of Piamonte is called like that?
    A.: Because it is at PIA' DEL MONTE (!!! - ( Monte Bianco, 4810 meters high ).

29. Why Cerdeña Island takes that name ?
     A: Because it is the island of "cerdos" (pigs) Sardinians have nothing to do!! !! !! 
         (And what does the Real Academy do? It stays still with no action! ) 

30. Why the Soviet VE-GA space probe is called like that?
     A.: Because it went to VEnus Plant and to the Halley comet, that in Russian it is said GAlley.

32. What is it special about VEGA star (Alfa Lirae) ?
     A.: See "Mira Lirae"

34. What is it special about Centaur constellation?
    A.: - The biggest radio source CentaurusA
         - The closest star PróximaCentauri
         - The most luminous globular cluster OmegaCentauri.

35. Why on photographs of the sky Beta Centauri seems more luminous than Alfa?
     A.: Because it is a hotter star and has more quantity of short wave and high frequency radiations, to which
          films "by their nature" are more sensitive.

36. Why planets have the names they have?
      A.: Mercury: for being the quickest (with wings on its feet, messenger of the Gods)
           Venus: because it is the most beautiful
           Mars: because it is red, bloodthirsty (God of War)
           Jupiter: because it moves with a majestic slowness (Father of Gods)
           Saturn (in Greek: Crónos): because it needs a lot of time to turn around the Sun.
           ("Cronos" in Greek is the time)
           Uranus: because it is in the last of the skies ( "Uranos" in Greek is the sky)
           Neptune and Pluto: to go on with names of Gods.

37. Why many Anglo-Saxons last names start with von or end in sohn ?
      A.: Because in those languages, von means of, and Sohn means "son"

38. Why the most popular newspapers in Moscow are called Pravda and Isvestia?
      A.: Because Pravda is the truth and Isvestia is the news.
           Though Russians use to say that in Pravda there is no Isvestia ... and in Isvestia there is no Pravda !!

39. What other things can be done with a scanner, apart from the ones we all know?
      Look!  Calistemo , Shells  (photographs taken without using a camera).