Posts Made By: Larry Seguin

I find myself reaching for the "Night Sky Obsever's Guide" more often than not these days. Helpful finder charts, descriptions of the objects as seen in a variety of telescope apertures, and the editor's 1-5 star ratings to help guide you to the more interesting objects.

Hi Inge,

FWIW, I have a T-scope 14 with Obsidian optics, and it does everything I bought it for very well. If you decide to go that way, my experience indicates that you will be in for a rather loooooooooooongish wait with very little communication while you wait. One of the things I've come to see is that if there's a line forming, and lots of positive feedback, it's probably a worthwhile product. Read that to mean Starmaster, Obsession, and the like.

Not on the Orion, but on something similar. I had another version (can't recall the maker's name, now) that I purchased because it appeared a little better made. It did seem to allow for a somewhat finer focus, but in turning the whole eyepiece/focuser assembly it imparted enough wobble to the telescope at high powers that it also made it harder to achieve that exact focus. And this was on a stable dobsonian mount! Was it worth it? Well, I sold mine, but if you have a very stable mount and a steady hand, it might improve your focusing ability. Personally, I think you would be better served by upgrading to a two speed focuser, if you can afford it. Hope that's helpful to you.
Larry

Interesting how different our tastes all are! For my part, I've spent a lot of my time getting to know the Messier's, and also have enjoyed Mars, Saturn, Jupiter, and the moon. Pretty standard fare, I guess. Currently working my way through the Herschel 400, hoping to put together my own list of the top 100 or so M and H objects for future reference. Never much cared for double stars, but I'm investigating some of the best based on recent articles in S&T, and Astronomy. We'll see what develops!
Larry

Some really great insights here on WHY some of you have selected your ep collections! I think, for the time being, I have settled on the scopes I'll be using--a 14" truss dob, an 8" solid tube dob, and a short tube 80 refractor. I agree with the comment that I'd rather have one good set of eypieces than a whole lot of inferior ones, as well as with the remark that I'd rather have a set of ep's that would with all my scopes than a set for every scope. For that reason I have wittled down my collection considerably. Comfort IS important to me (why not?) so for the most part I have gotten rid of my plossls and orthos that have insufficient eye relief, I ony keep three longer focal length pairs of Antares Elites for my bv's, where they work quite well. I might start the evenings observing with a low power finder ep, something like the 35 Panoptic. Jumping in mag from the low end of the pool, I generally like to double the power, so I might choose something like a 17 Nagler next. After that I like the comfortable eyerelief and sharp views of the Pentax line, so I may take out a 10.5 XL, or the lovely 7 XW. I tossed in a lightweight, compact 19 Pan for my wide-field refractor, and I've got pretty much what I need!
Larry

Hi Paul, and welcome here! Galaxies are, by nature, notoriously hard to see detail in. This is especially true in smaller apertures, as you've discovered. Have you tried M-101, or M-33 yet? With the right skies,these two can be fun. While not presenting a spiral aspect, M-104 is visible right now, and a great sight! There are also a few NGC objects that show spiral structiure, but they escape me right now, and I'm not near my charts. Anybody else have those NGC's at their fingertips?
Larry

Hi Floyd,
You mentioned using a contrast filter on Jupiter. Baader lists two filters: contrast and sky/moonglow, with most of the planetary press going to the sky/moonglow. Which one were you using?
Larry

Dave,
There are lots of good ep's out there, and you've already heard a lot of good recommendations. If cost is a consideration for you, here's another thought. It's hard to beat a good set of plossls for their combination of sharp views and low cost. It's true that the afov is only 50* or so, but with a bv that will seem larger. Antares makes a set of plossls called "Elite" that I have found to be as good as TV's or the Ultima's, for about 25% less new. Available used they really are a good deal. And you can always upgrade later as funds become available. I'm using Antares 25, 20, and 15 mm ep's on my bv with a Siebert oca, and I've had some of the best views of the planets anyone could ask for. Hope that's helpful.
Larry

Great information, Curt, thanks! I've been catching Jupiter in the late evenings the past few nights, and really enjoying the views. Didn't realize we were that close to opposition, though. Very helpful!
Larry

Hey Joe,
I don't really use color filters, or polarizers or anything with Jupiter anymore. I got my hands on Baader's contrast booster filter, and what a difference that made. Slightly tones down the brightness, slightly imparts a yellow tint, MAJORLY brings out detail the other filters can't. It's my primary filter for the Moon and Jupiter now. When Mars comes around, I'll let ya know, but I hear it's the best there too!
Larry