Posts Made By: Hugh Bartlett

Okay; I'll jump into the fire! I'll omit GC's per your request, and leave Double Stars for the smaller aperture scopes.

First, the obvious ones: M42, M57, M8, M51, & M11

Then a couple double objects from the Messier list: M81/M82, and M46 with the Planetary Nebula (NGC 2438) in the foreground.

The Eastern Veil, NGC 6992-6995

Then a couple more obscure personal favorites because you get two objects in one view (I'm lazy!):
NGC 6939 (OC) with NGC 6946 (SG) at the Cyg/Cep border; and NGC 6520 (OC) with B86 (DN) in Sgr.

Hugh Bartlett

Like a few others, I'd highly recommend SkyAtlas 2000 2nd ed. (Deluxe Version).

But a book I think you'll find more useful than Turn Left at Orion is Star Watch by Phil Harrington. He has star hops for over 125 objects, and a good set of maps arranged by season. It's a bargain at about $17.

Hugh Bartlett

The worst thing you can do is scratch the coatings by inadvertently rubbing a speck of dust around on the lens, and a lens pen might do that if there is a small dirt particle clinging to the lens. Having said that, a lens pen is not a bad eyepiece cleaning accessory, but I use mine sparingly to clean up around the edges.

What seems to work best for me on fingerprints is a little acetone on a Q-tip, but only after first blowing off any dust particles with a bulb blower. I then use a 50/50 solution of alcohol and distilled water for a final rinse. That is where the lens pen comes in handy for cleaning up any smears around the edges.

Hugh Bartlett

Coma Berenices is pretty high right now. A favorite double of mine for its contrasting color (Albeiro-like)is 24 Com. It takes a bit of practice finding, but if you can imagine a couple of kite asterisms below the left leg of the upside-down "Y", it is the tail star in the second and larger kite.

Hugh Bartlett

Hugh

Generally, not needed. They are for enhancing details on planets, namely Jupiter and Mars. The only one I've found very useful is a red filter for Mars, which is now so far that all it does is change a yellow dot to a red dot. When Mars is closer, the red filter does help accentuate the dark albedo features on Mars.

Hugh Bartlett

I'd make my own with a chunk of 1/2" thick white plastic (or hardwood). Countersink the four screws holding the block to the scope. Then, fashion the top to fit one of those Orion/Synta dovetail bases (available from scopestuff.com for $8). Drill two holes for the screws holding the base plate to your adapter block, and you are set!

For the finder, I believe scopestuff also sells one of those 50mm brackets with the two adjustment screws working against a spring loaded plunger, or use Orion's 8x50 RACI finder.

Hugh Bartlett

Going from a 5" scope to one with a 10" aperture, regarless of light pollution, the benefits will be enormous! But the cost of mounting a scope adequately to do serious astro-photography also become astronomical!

A 5" is barely adequate to see many Messier objects from a light polluted location, whereas a 10" scope will at least show you something most of the time. It is very frustrating to try to find an object in a smaller aperture scope, when after twenty minutes of examining the charts you know you must be right on it, but still cannot see it. Those incidents happen a lot when you are fighting light pollution, but occur much less frequently with a larger aperture scope. A 10" scope has 4x the light gathering ability of a 5". Contrary to the popular myth, the gain in being able to see objects is not offset by a loss in contrast due to light pollution. More aperture is just as valuable from a light polluted location as it is from a dark sky site.

A great many amatuers enter the telescope market thinking they want to do astrophotography. For your first scope, I would advise against even considering that as a factor. Astrophotography is not a trivial exercise, and requires an expensive tracking mount (unless you are just taking quick exposures of the Moon).

If you are a beginner (my assumption based on where you posted this messsage), instead, buy a good pair of binoculars and get to know the sky first; go to star parties and look through a lot of different scopes; and join an astronomy club and borrow one of their loaner scopes. Then you will have a better idea of what the difference between 5" and 10" is, and which is right for you.

Hugh Bartlett

Stargazer Steve makes a handsome 6" f/5 that would look nice in the livingroom and be quite capable of giving good views also. You might try googling the name to get to his website.

Hugh Bartlett

I've done this on a couple of eyepieces. I guess the answer is "carefully!" The first trick is to find some really thin wire. The best I've found came from an Astromart contact, and he got it from a tiny transformer like those found in a microphone. Others have suggested using human hair (or even spider webs!), but I opted for the more conventional copper wire solution.

The next trick is to find the right depth in the barrel to mount the cross hairs. It should be at the field stop if you have one. If not, try moving a bent toothpick in and out to see where it focuses when you look through the eyepiece.

I then used a circle template to make little pencil marks at 90 degree intervals. Using Crazy glue, anchor one end of the wire to the field stop at one of the pencil marks and let it dry overnight. Then stretch the wire across the barrel to the other side with a scrap of cardboard, and glue it. Repeat for the crossing wire, and you have it!

The 25mm Kellner is a pretty standard finder eyepiece. If you want to double your field of view, you might try a 32mm plossl instead to get the maximum field of view in a 1.25" barrel. I saw one on Astromart yesterday for only $16!

Hugh Bartlett

I've been down this road many times. Once in a while, I can give my wife some notice after I have my heart is set on a piece of astro-gear, but usually, it is just not possible with opportunities I see on Astromart. Like the guy said, a man's gotta do what a man's gotta do. Then you just have to take it like a man when she finds out.

It sounds like you have a bad case of aperture fever. If I can offer some encouragement, it is that I found contentment in a 12" scope four years ago, and hope you can do likewise. For others, however, it keeps going until the scope gets too cumbersome, and they start trading down.

Not that aperture cures the spending curse. Big purchases are likely to continue (e.g., tracking platforms, an apo this or that, H-alpha filtered solar scopes, an image intensifying eyepiece, etc.). I think I finally have it licked, but who knows. At least I'm still married!

One last suggestion is to sell some stuff on Astromart when you buy a new expensive toy. It may not balance the checkbook, but your soul will feel better!

Hugh Bartlett