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Posts Made By: Hugh Bartlett

February 14, 2006 10:38 PM Forum: Equipment Talk

MisAl Optics Broadband Nebula / LPR Filter?

Posted By Hugh Bartlett
I have no experience with this brand, but, IMHO, broadband nebula filters are a waste of money. They dim everything just about equally, making the view without the filter better.

Instead, I'd look at getting a narrowband filter. I believe Orion has their UltraBlock on sale now, which would be a much better buy.

Hugh Bartlett

February 14, 2006 10:46 PM Forum: Beginning Astronomy?

Need help teaching children

Posted By Hugh Bartlett
Do you have access to a kitchen? I teach a class to 4th and 5th graders, and everyone's favorite is making constellation cookies. I use multi-color star sprinkles and a couple of those frozen cookie dough rolls. It gets messy, but is a lot of fun!

Hugh Bartlett

February 16, 2006 03:48 AM Forum: Beginning Astronomy?

Are 8" Dobs hard to track with?

Posted By Hugh Bartlett
Nope; not at all hard to track. An 8" dob is a great blend of performance, price, and portability. The medium f/ratio gives a nice fov, while not being too hard on inexpensive ep's. The XT8 takes power well, and can give spectactular views of planets- and DSO's from a dark sky site.

Hugh Bartlett

February 16, 2006 04:06 AM Forum: Beginning Astronomy?

Kitchen floor experiment. Looking for the fp

Posted By Hugh Bartlett
Okay; I think I've got it. Your image was 1,500 mm (750mm + 750mm) from the primary mirror. The reason it was so far was that the object you were focusing on was extremely close to the mirror. For stars, or other distant objects, the focal plane would be at 910 mm.

Hugh Bartlett

February 17, 2006 04:42 PM Forum: AstroMart FAQ

How would you handle this?

Posted By Hugh Bartlett
I probably need to know more about the ad and responses he made, but I can see logical reasons for him doing all three things that have irked you.

On the first one, it sounds like he may have checked a lot of payment options, and forgot to mention his policy about PayPal. If that was his only or preferred method of receiving payment, then he definitely is guilty of an oversight.

On the second one, Astromart charges an extra fee for persons using a free email service such as yahoo (something about people creating bogus account information too easily), so it is understandable that he is using another (probably seldom used) email account for Astromart.

On the third issue, I am sure he has a legitimate reason for preferring an alternate mode of shipping. As someone else mentioned, he could want tracking, or maybe the shipper is more convenient to him. You should not be offended by his request unless he was rude to you in his responses.

Again, I think I need to know more about the transaction from both sides to make a judgement, but it sounds like the communication could have been better on both sides.

Hugh Bartlett

February 23, 2006 04:41 PM Forum: Equipment Talk

Large search light from McDonalds

Posted By Hugh Bartlett
Probably even more annoying is that they picked this week because there would be no Moon to interfere with the visibility of their searchlight!

You might find out at what hour they turn that sucker off, and take a nap until then. The seeing will be better later, and there will be less illumination from other sources of light pollution later also. In the meantime, take solice in that it will probably only be a short term promotion (over as soon as the waxing crescent Moon starts impacting their show!).

Hugh Bartlett

February 23, 2006 09:28 PM Forum: Deep Sky Observing

Large search light from McDonalds

Posted By Hugh Bartlett
Probably even more annoying is that they waited until there was no Moon so their searchlight would be more visible!

You might find out at what hour they turn that sucker off, and take a nap until then. The seeing will be better in the early morning hours, and there will be fewer other sources of light pollution also.

Hugh Bartlett

March 2, 2006 05:03 PM Forum: Beginning Astronomy?

What magnification do you use the most?

Posted By Hugh Bartlett
Of course, that is entirely dependent on the object. In general, however, I enjoy wide sharp views the most. Therefore, the most used eyepiece in my collection is the 24mm Panoptic, which produces the largest true field in a 1.25" focuser.

As a second choice for higher magnification, calculate the magnification for the eyepiece that will produce a 2mm exit pupil (ep focal length divided by telescope's focal ratio). Many feel that this gives the best combination of image scale, clarity, and brightness for a given telescope.

Hugh Bartlett

March 4, 2006 05:57 AM Forum: Beginning Astronomy?

can a 4.5 114mm by 910 be upgraded?

Posted By Hugh Bartlett
I've looked through a few Orion 4.5" XT's (same mirror specs) and been very impressed. Once collimated, they put up super star tests. I suspect your optics are fine, and that what you need is to collimate them and improve the stability of your mount. Other than that, consider upgrading to an 8" Dob if you want more light gathering ability, which, sooner or later, you will if you stick with the hobby. Until then, enjoy what you've got. It's likely pretty good once you have everything aligned and steady.

Hugh Bartlett

March 5, 2006 05:25 PM Forum: Equipment Talk

Re: Tasco Focuser

Posted By Hugh Bartlett
Right now, Orion has a hybrid diagonal on the clearance center on their web site (under accessories after you click on "clearance") for $20. With shipping, that would be below his price point.

Hugh Bartlett

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