April 2004 - Utah-Astronomy - mailman.xmission.com

FS: Meade ETX-90EX w/ Autostar
by Paul Witte 29 Apr '04

29 Apr '04

Although it holds some sentimental value, I have finally decided to part with my Meade ETX-90 telescope. It includes an Autostar controller as well as several other accessories including: Tripod, Solar Filter, Rigel Quickfinder. I'm asking $450 OBO for everything. I have made a web page with more details and pictures: http://www.uvaa.org/etx.html Thanks, --Paul

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Re: [Utah-astronomy] Re: Autoguiders
by UTAHDEB＠aol.com 29 Apr '04

29 Apr '04

Thanks Chuck, Patrick, and Rob. I have a couple of questions. 1. I found some slide film that I bought from Lumicon in '97. Will this film still work? It is Kodak P1600 film. 2. When you guys say a "long exposure", is this longer than 10 minutes? I doubt that I will be making exposures longer than 10 or 15 minutes. Debbie

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Re: [Utah-astronomy] Autoguiders
by UTAHDEB＠aol.com 28 Apr '04

28 Apr '04

Chuck, I have a 135mm Zuiko lens. I thought I'd try and experiment with both lenses. How many minutes should I keep the shutter open? Will 5 minutes be long enough or should I try 2 or 3 minute exposures or a combination of exposures? I don't have a 200mm lens yet but I guess I'd have to learn hand guiding for anything above 135mm, right? Debbie

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Re: [Utah-astronomy] Autoguiders
by UTAHDEB＠aol.com 28 Apr '04

28 Apr '04

Thanks Barney. I've heard of Starlight Express and they do have a nifty method of autoguiding. But for me, autoguiders are a bit down the road. My intention of my thread was to try to learn how to do a polar alignment so I can go west of town in May and shoot a picture of the comet NEAT. I thought I would use my OM-2N film camera with a 50mm lens. Debbie

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Re: [Utah-astronomy] Autoguiders
by UTAHDEB＠aol.com 28 Apr '04

28 Apr '04

Chuck, It does make sense. The only thing that I found at the Orion website was a 5mm Ultrascopic Illiminated eyepiece. Orion Telescopes and Binoculars - Ultrascopic Illuminated Eyepieces Debbie

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vote
by John F Forsman 28 Apr '04

28 Apr '04

I vote NO!!!! I'm one of the new guys. But, I still value the knowledge that "OLD" astronomers like you guys have. It's a resource for "dummies" like me to learn from. And I hope, that I can have at least half the knowledge you have that I can someday call my own. John F

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Polar Alignment
by Barney B. 28 Apr '04

28 Apr '04

Perfect polar alignment requires a perfectly level mount. This is very difficult to do with a tripod, especially under field conditions. Just my .02 Barney

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RE: [Utah-astronomy] email
by Kim Hyatt 28 Apr '04

28 Apr '04

The industry is indeed improving. I simply haven't fit in at this office. BTW, if anyone needs professional architectural services, feel free to call my home number - 581.1209. -----Original Message----- From: Chuck Hards [mailto:chuckhards@yahoo.com] Sent: Tuesday, April 27, 2004 12:11 PM To: Utah Astronomy Subject: RE: [Utah-astronomy] email Kim, I have no doubt that you'll land on your feet. But I'm stunned, isn't there a "building boom" going on now, with interest rates being so low? Good luck, and thanks for the encouragement on staying tobacco-free. C. --- Kim Hyatt <khyatt(a)smithlayton.com> wrote: > Thanks, but no concern. I'll be OK. > > -----Original Message----- > From: Joe Bauman [mailto:bau@desnews.com] > Sent: Tuesday, April 27, 2004 12:05 PM > To: Utah Astronomy > Subject: Re: [Utah-astronomy] email > > > Oh let's hope not, Kim. -- Joe > > _______________________________________________ > 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 > > _______________________________________________ > 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 __________________________________ Do you Yahoo!? Win a $20,000 Career Makeover at Yahoo! HotJobs http://hotjobs.sweepstakes.yahoo.com/careermakeover _______________________________________________ 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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Autoguiders
by Barney B. 28 Apr '04

28 Apr '04

Joe and Debbie, if you're looking at purchasing an autoguider, I suggest you investigate a British company called Starlight Xpress. I have been seriously thinking about getting one of these systems but boy are they expensive. The nifty thing about Starlight's method is that it uses one side of the video interlace for guiding and the other half for the photo. Thus, it can using the entire image as the guide star and can make adjustments in both Alt and Dec at the same time. The disadvantage is that it takes twice as long to take a photo, but who cares, the computer is running the show. Stuff like this will drive Chuck crazy, but for me it's great. Barney

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Re: [Utah-astronomy] Polar Alignment
by UTAHDEB＠aol.com 28 Apr '04

28 Apr '04

I was thinking what Rich was thinking. It would be nice to image on one telescope and visually observe with another. But I don't think it works that way. It seems that the CCD imagers are always at their computers. One thing that I worry about is with astrophotography a person can easily become bogged down with technical details and miss the beauty of the night sky. Isn't it true with astrophotography that one has to master finding objects, focusing, tracking, and guiding? The learning curve is steep from what I have heard. That is why I'm going to try piggy-back astrophotography first and try to learn some of the basics. I too like to see an ocasional meteor or just look up at the Milky Way at a star party. I try to make sure I keep the hobby fun. Debbie

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