Posts Made By: K. Michael Malolepszy

I saw the dust lane of M104 with direct vision easily in a used $400 10" newt (Meade Ds-10), from a not so dark site. Actually, what happened was that I was looking at something else in Virgo and a satellite entered my field, so I tracked it for a while and the Sombrero came into view. I let out a yelp as I recognized it right away.

Spiral structure in M51 - saw it directly with a 8" SCT

Spiral arms of M81 - hmmm....I'll have to think about that one. I can say that I do see it in my 20".

Spiral structure of M33 - I cannot say that I saw this directly until I got my 20". I've seen hints of spiral structure in my 9.25 SCT these days...but it's not right "there".


KMM

I have a friend that has a dob 16". He's happy with it. Keep in mind that it is a budget scope, more of a "project" in some people's view. Some may be happy with the scope out of the box, but it seems most people I know that have one eventually do at least *some* mods to it, if not major ones. I have a Meade 16" dob and was considering getting a truss assembly built for it, but I found a great deal on a used 20", so I never got around to it.

I've personally only heard of one that had bad optics. From what I've read I get the impression that the primary is usually pretty decent. I've gotten to do a little observing with a couple examples of them and found it to give nice bright images, provided collimation is half way decent.

There is a yahoo group for this scope:

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Starfinder16

I bought my Meade 16" dob back in 1996 and never got around to assembling it (our club had a 20" Obsession). I also have a used EQ mount for it. I'm gonna sell the scope and mount when I get around to it, but I'd rather do it locally. I really don't want to ship it - it is BIG! ( I live in Missouri).

K. Michael M.

Thanks everyone for the advice!

It looks like Airborne Express Ground gets a lot of good comments. Thanks again!

K. Michael M.

Hey Mike,

What did Jupiter look like in the MK91? Ever get seeing good enough to resolve teh Galilean moons as different sized disks?

KMM

You need to get a 40 inch then.

If that doesn't do it for you, stay home and watch TV.

Ted,

Collimation has to right on...get someone to help you with that if you are unfamiliar with the process and results. Bob's Knobs help immensely.

Also, the scope has to be at thermal equilibrium. Give it plenty of time to reach ambient temperature.

A blackened, extended dew shield will make a noticeable difference, too. All that ambient light, even from a dark site, can cut down on contrast. You can make one yourself.

What kind of diagonal are you using? My old 10" SCT came with a cheap prism diagonal and when I replaced it with a good mirror Televue, it was like having a new scope when it came to planets.

Eyepieces are the next thing you might want to upgrade. Get a decent 10mm plossl, even a generic one might be better than the SMA that come with some SCTs. For planets, get the best eyepiece you can afford. Tak LEs, Pentax XLs, Radians are pricey, but all that light your scope gathers has to go through the eyepiece before it reaches your eyes. Cheap oculars will scatter light, reducing contrast.

After you've done all that, you will still notice a difference between SCT and say, refractor performance in planetary work that demands good contrast.

If you decide you really love planets, you'll eventually ditch the SCT or supplant it with a scope that has better contrast characteristics, like an APO or something with a small central obstruction. I've had just about every kind of scope there is - refractors, SCTs, Maks, Newts, MakNewts and a big (20") dob - and my MN56 and 4" APO are consistently the best at making low contrast planet features apparent. For example, they are the only 2 scopes (excluding the 20") in which an absolute beginner will be able to spot Jupiter's GRS without prompting from anyone.

KMM

There's almost no difference between atheists in christians that I can see. Atheists just believe in one fewer god(s) than christians do.



KMM

That shiny object is most likely Spirit's heat shield. It was spotted on MGS images well before Spirit reached Bonneville's rim. You can see it in this image:

http://marsrovers.jpl.nasa.gov/gallery/press/spirit/20040123a/3-labeled_640-A20R1_br.jpg

That image is from this January 23, 2004 press release which has a lot of cool stuff, including animations of Spirit's descent:

http://marsrovers.jpl.nasa.gov/gallery/press/spirit/20040123a.html

That was a shame. I didn't like INXS much when they were at their height, but started to listen to them after I came across a cheap copy of the "Welcome to Where Ever You Are" CD (which totally rocks) a few years before he comitted suicide. There's an interview with one of his bandmates who thinks that it might have been antidepressant related, i.e., one of the known side effects of certain such drugs in some people:

http://www.thei.aust.com/music3/negus1.html

"Tim: There's just one thing I do wanna say and this is that I think the world should be very careful about taking anti-depressants - that's all I think. I think the whole thing is a very grey area and people should respect when they're putting things like that into their bodies just exactly what they're doing.

George: Do you feel that played a big part?

Tim: I don't know. I know there's been a lot of recent things, things like anti-depressants and alcohol mixed together making people suicidal and I think the world's got to take a deeper look at it and make sure that you know, we're not giving these people who need ... [who] have a chemical imbalance in their brain emotionally the wrong things. It's a sickness, it's not a decision they make with a clear head - it's a chemical imbalance, it's a disease just like you don't hold someone responsible for dying of cancer - you know it's the same sort of thing - that's the way I see it. I can't be angry at Michael because if he did take his own life - I feel he was sick."


From the coroner's report at:

http://www.thei.aust.com/music98/hutchcor.html

"...An analysis report of the deceased's blood indicates the presence of alcohol, cocaine, Prozac and other prescription drugs. On consideration of the entirety of the evidence gathered I am satisfied that the deceased was in a severe depressed state on the morning of the 22nd November, 1997, due to a number of factors, including the relationship with Paula Yates and the pressure of the on-going dispute with Sir Robert Geldof, combined with the effects of the substances that he had ingested at that time. As indicated I am satisfied that the deceased intended and did take his own life.
...."

How many people does it take to set up that C14?