Image of the day

Captured by
Craig Bobchin

Coathanger CR 399

About Astromart

My Account

New to Astromart?

Register an account...

Need Help?

Posts Made By: Lorne Johnson

January 20, 2004 02:25 AM Forum: Eyepieces

2" premium ep

Posted By Lorne Johnson
I've been using the Siebert 36mm Observatory eyepiece very happily. 40mm field stop (light by your standards though)compares well with the 35mm panoptic in my f 5.7 dob, and costs $200. Never seen one listed used. It is certainly worth looking into.

I will be interested to see what happens with the UO MK80.

January 27, 2004 02:23 PM Forum: Equipment Talk

10" Discovery DHQ or 9" TMB APO?

Posted By Lorne Johnson
The TMB will have a higher resale value.

February 10, 2004 02:24 PM Forum: Maksutovs

Collimation - star test or Cheshire?

Posted By Lorne Johnson
I've had exactly the same problem with my MN 56. Once the star test is good, move the focuser so that the Cheshire dot is centered where it should be (Do this without moving the primary or the secondary, I shimmed one side of my focuser for the best result). Mike Palmerti told me that is an inherent problem with the Rusiian focuser, and it is.

February 16, 2004 01:51 AM Forum: Chinese Optics Imports

What's Really Up?

Posted By Lorne Johnson
James, you pose a very good question. But, I would not assume that there is necessarily a conspiracy against Bill Burgess. I haven't posted on this forum, and I must be watching it more for its soap-opera value than for any real purpose. I personally believe that there is a good product in there somewhere.

But, this is something of a textbook case in how not to start up a company. Over-hype followed by a lack ofcommunication and results. Recently the forums have turned up a number of newcomers asking about the Burgess eyepieces with wide fields and low prices. I tend to stay out of these things, but if a really live personal friend asked me about Burgess off line, I'd say "Wait until they get their act together and and some independent reviews come out before even thinking about it."

February 16, 2004 07:30 PM Forum: Beginning Astronomy?

What are some easy objects to find ??

Posted By Lorne Johnson
The suggestions above are quite good. Open clusters are a good place to start looking. They are usually bright enough to see. The Behive cluster is up at this time of year. So are M 35 36 37 38 (in and about Auriga), and the mid 40's messiers (Around Canis Minor). If you are having trouble finding those, it may well be your true field of view. (Dark skies, knowing what you are looking for, and of course practice do help a lot). It would be worth knowing what your lowest power eyepiece is and its apparent field of view, focal length of the scope, and whether you have a 1.25 or 2 inch focuser.

February 20, 2004 07:36 PM Forum: Eyepieces

My first 2"

Posted By Lorne Johnson
The Konig will not perform well at f/4, and not very well at f/6.

The Televue panoptic mention here, is a good choice (apart from being pricey), although the 26mm Nagler would be even better (apart from being even more expensive).

At fast focal lengths wide field options (and even narrow field options) are likely to be expensive.

March 1, 2004 07:15 PM Forum: Equipment Talk

Best place to purchase mirrors

Posted By Lorne Johnson
As far as places to buy good mirrors goes. Discovery sells mirrors separately and they are good mirrors. University optics also sells good mirrors, and they are generally believed to be made by Discovery.
At 8" Mark Harry is a very good choice (and buy) for a custom mirror.

It is worth being sure that something is wrong with the mirror that you have before upgrading. How does the star test look? Can you get it tested? Can you compare it to a known mirror?

March 4, 2004 02:52 PM Forum: Equipment Talk

Anybody try the TMB Monocentrics or Pentax XO's?

Posted By Lorne Johnson
The Mono centrics are sharper and have more contrast than anything I have used. They resolve more stars in globulars, are better on double stars, and low contrast planetary detail. Detail and natural sense on lunar, and say Saturn is also better (but more subtle). Before buying any consider how much time you spend counting resolved stars in globular clusters, because if you aren't counting the stars you probably won't notice the difference between the UO ortho (or Nagler T6) and the Mono.

The Nagler type 6 is an incredibly good all around eyepiece (not cheap of course), and the TV Plossl and UO orthos (at least at f/6 and above) offer a lot of bang for the buck. The Nagler gives you comparable sharpness and contrast at 82 degrees for about 4 or 5 times the cost.

March 5, 2004 01:29 PM Forum: Refractors

Achromats

Posted By Lorne Johnson
I have used an f/12 D&G 5", and it is a very fine lens, both on planetary and deep sky. They specialize in making what you want. The TMB's are, as I remember, of lower focal ratios, but should also be very well made. Bob Royce also makes 6' f/12 and f/15 doublets, they would be very good as well. They are big scopes and require considerable mounts.

March 16, 2004 01:52 AM Forum: Deep Sky Observing

No galaxies yet, but I found open clusters!

Posted By Lorne Johnson
"I actually spent more time looking at the sky with my naked eyes than with the scope. . . ." Thatis the beauty of astronomy. One simply sees more--with or without a telescope. (Once you "find" that first galaxy visually, they will start to jump out at you.)

Funding Member

Sponsors


View all sponsors

Search