December 2003 - Utah-Astronomy - mailman.xmission.com

Merry Christmas
by Richard Tenney 24 Dec '03

24 Dec '03

Just wanted to take a second and wish all of you a Merry Christmas and a prosperous and healthy new year, full of clear skies from 3rd quarter to new moon. :o) Thanks to all of you for keeping a part of my life interesting and fun... stellar even! Rich __________________________________ Do you Yahoo!? New Yahoo! Photos - easier uploading and sharing. http://photos.yahoo.com/

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C-14 "exploded" view
by Patrick Wiggins 24 Dec '03

24 Dec '03

As some here know I've been working on getting my ancient C-14 (circa 1984) to produce nice round star images in long, unguided CCD exposures. Much of this has been chronicled at http://planet.state.ut.us/slas/patrickw/PATRICKW03.HTML . I've just added a few more pictures (#s 142 to 146). 142 shows a C-5 OTA mounted on the Paramount. It was only on there for one night while I double checked to see that the problem was with the C-14 OTA and not the mount. Happily the mount checked out fine but I had to get the picture as it struck me as funny to have such a tiny, inexpensive scope on a Paramount which is neither tiny nor inexpensive. The other pictures show the C-14 in many pieces (first time I've ever had it apart) with close ups of a few key pieces. Note in image 144 there are 4 set screws sticking out the side of the center tube. I drilled and tapped the holes for those screws tonight and am hopeful that once I get everything back together I'll be able to tighten those screws down to stop the infamous "mirror flop" common to SCTs. Disassembly turned out to be much easier than I thought with the only tools required being a couple of screwdrivers, socket wrench, sledge hammer, regular hammer and a few hex wrenches. I need to pick up some special vacuum grease for the baffle tube (happily Josephine Grahn has a tube I can borrow later today) and I got some flocking paper for the inside of the tube that I still need to apply. With luck I'll have everything back together tonight. Then all I'll need will be some clear skies so I can check and see if my modifications work. Patrick

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Laser Pointer
by Jim Gibson 24 Dec '03

24 Dec '03

Chuck Thanks for the laser pointer. I have been using it with my star projection system to learn the constellations. I go into my computer room and turn out the lights and turn on my Edmund's Scientific star projector ($25). I was thinking of giving it to my grandson for Christmas but after trying it out I decided he's too young for it ( he's 5). It's just my speed (60). I really need something like this. With my memory and with the cloud cover we have had for the last month or more, I just about forgot everything I learned las summer. The quality it about $25 worth, nothing supper, but I use it everyday. My grandson will probably end up with it anyway. I plan on taking it to his house and laying on the floor with him and using your laser pointer to teach him everything I know. That will take about 10 minutes if I go slow. That's my insurance, because when I forget the names and shapes of the constellations, I can ask him. Thanks Jim --------------------------------- Do you Yahoo!? Yahoo! Photos - Get your photo on the big screen in Times Square

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Re: [Utah-astronomy] Re: 15x70mm binos
by UTAHDEB＠aol.com 23 Dec '03

23 Dec '03

Chuck, Do you know where the Celestron 15 X 70 binos are made? Also, what is the difference between the Celestron 15 X 70 and the Oberwerk 15 X 70 binos? There is about a $50 price difference between the two. Debbie

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Enjoying the weather?
by Patrick Wiggins 23 Dec '03

23 Dec '03

I do hope everyone is enjoying tonight's crystal clear skies. I'm sure the change from last night's storms to tonight's clear skies is due to my telescope's current state of being in several pieces as I wait for the freshly applied sealant to cure. Interestingly, that curing will take another 36 hours followed by a few hours reassembly and collimation which just happens to coincide with the predicted arrival of the next storm... Happy solstice to all and to all a clear night! Patrick

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RTMC 2004
by UTAHDEB＠aol.com 23 Dec '03

23 Dec '03

Is anybody going to RTMC this year? Sounds like a good way to spend Memorial weekend. Thanks, Debbie

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Re: [Utah-astronomy] C-14 "exploded" view
by Michael Carnes 23 Dec '03

23 Dec '03

Hi Joe You're very likely to find some carefully-placed shims around the corrector. In addition to the corrector needing to be replaced at the right axial position, this spacing also needs to be maintained. The potential nightmare of losing a shim or not making a proper note of its position is what keeps me out of my SCT. Michael --- Joe Bauman <bau(a)desnews.com> wrote: > Very interesting and informative, Patrick. What I'm > wondering is, > when you put the corrector plate back on, does it > have to be aligned > any particular way to the mirror? That is, is there > a 12 o'clock that > has to line up with an equivalent 12 o'clock on the > mirror? Or can > you put it on in any orientation? __________________________________ Do you Yahoo!? New Yahoo! Photos - easier uploading and sharing. http://photos.yahoo.com/ _______________________________________________ Utah-Astronomy mailing list Utah-Astronomy(a)mailman.xmission.com http://mailman.xmission.com/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/utah-astronomy Visit the Photo Gallery: http://www.utahastronomy.com

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Now you can own a piece of the Moon
by Patrick Wiggins 23 Dec '03

23 Dec '03

Apologies to those who are subscribed to my newsletter as this is in the current issue but this is rather funny and I thought non-subscribers here might enjoy reading it. BTW, it's a space related (well, sort of <grin>) D-News article but it's not by our own Joe Bauman. I guess Joe doesn't get all the fun stories. http://deseretnews.com/dn/view/0,1249,575038506,00.html Carpe noctem! Patrick :-)

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Inexpensive bino nebula filters
by Chuck Hards 22 Dec '03

22 Dec '03

Some of you have seen my 7x50mm binocular with internal broadband LPR filters. These are simply Orion .965" broadband filters screwed right onto the plastic eyepiece field stops of the eyepieces. The size match was perfect on this binocular. I paid about $30 for the binocular some years ago, and $20 each for the Orion filters, on-sale at the time. Total investment of $70 for a bino with nebula filters. Orion has these on-sale again for $18.88 each. Go to http://www.telescope.com/ and click on "site map". From there click on "clearance", from there "accessories". You'll see it on the first or second page. #05661. I checked the fit on my 10x50mm binos and here some shimming with Teflon tape would be needed, but the install would still work. I haven't taken the eyepieces out of a pair of 15x70mm yet but am sorely tempted! BTW you can remove the eyepieces from just about any center focus, porro prism binocular without affecting collimation by removing the rear hinge screw and simply lifting them off in sequence. Reassemble the same way. Collimation will be the same as before disassembly. A clever individual could devise a way to hold the filters in the eyeguard, perhaps with a foam-rubber adapter ring. The views with the 7x50mm binos + filters are neat, but the magnification is really too low for most objects. We'll see how big a bino I can talk myself into attempting the "graft" with. There is a slight loss of field on the 7x50mm, if it is excessive on a larger bino then perhaps the outside mounting method is the best after all. C. __________________________________ Do you Yahoo!? New Yahoo! Photos - easier uploading and sharing. http://photos.yahoo.com/

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ISS Moved
by Patrick Wiggins 19 Dec '03

19 Dec '03

Looks like ISS's orbit have changed slightly so the original plan for observing it would need to be reworked. However, in communicating with others that watch ISS transits, we've pretty much agreed that a transit that low in the sky (rendering ISS far away and very small) is probably a waste of time. Better to wait for one that happens much higher in the sky. So, I'll not be trying for Sunday's pass but will will let y'all know when a better one comes along. Personally, I'd love to see an illuminated (so you can see it coming) ISS pass in front of the Moon (no filters required) in the 60 to 90 degree altitude range (closer and bigger) at a public star party (so lots could see it) at SPOC (easy to video). Do you think I'm being too picky? :-) Patrick :-)

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