Posts Made By: Anthony Lutton

We just had a lenghty discussion on my astro club's forums about this. The scope most people deemed "best" for tossing in a car and having it for whenever was none other than an Edmunds Scientific Astroscan. Really. 4" of aperture, sturdy, mount is included, smaller than comparable dobs...

I had a 13mm T6 for awhile and now I have an older style (no eyecup) 14mm UWA. I really like the 14mm except for the weight. In my LX200 and my ED80, it is my most used eyepiece by far. They are so close in performance I'd suggest getting the one you can get the cheapest

BTW, I have no experience with the SW eyepiece line, so I can't comment on those.

Great clarity and color, what equipment? I unfortunately had to work until just a bit ago and I'm beat. I was hoping to do some shots with the ED80+Nikon 4500 combo.

I have done quite a few REALLY cold observing sessions where I was the only one to stay out all night (everyone else in the club wimped out). Here are some of the things I do:

Clothing:
-Thermal underwear ... get a good pair, they make a huge difference against your skin.
-Sweat pants... these hold a nice warm pocket of air in the cotton
-Skiing pants (or heavy wind pants)... duh, they stop the wind and keep your warm air in

-2 layers of medium weight socks. 1 heavy layer isn't as effective for me.
-GOOD BOOTS. I laugh when people show up in tennis shoes... if your feet get cold, you get cold.

-Thermal underwear top
-Extra long t-shirt (short sleeved) ... this one baffled a few people until I explained it. I don't like all the layers binding my arms up, I feel like the kid in A Christmas Story that can't move his arms! But I tuck the thermal underwear top into the thermal bottoms, and the long t-shirt into the sweatpants. This gives me 2 layers that are tucked in and really help keep those drafts from moving in/out at my waist when I bend/move around.
- Sweat shirt
- Good heavy ski coat (stop wind and wetness)

-A pair of those light cotton or neoprene gloves
-A heavy pair of ski gloves or mittens (my favorite). That way I can take my hands out o the mittens for changing eyepieces and things and not expose my hands to the air. Everything else I can do with the mittens on, and mittens keep your hands warmer than gloves by not isolating your fingers.

-Hat, Hat, Hat, Hat, Hat... if you don't have a thick cotton hat on, you might as well go home. Your head, neck, face, and brain have more blood vessels and muscles per inch than anywhere else in your body... they use and lose a LOT of heat. Cover them well.
- Scarf, tuck this into your jacket and when you are just standing around you can pull it up onto your face/nose and it'll make a huge difference. An alternative is a face mask hat, but I don't like those myself.
- If your coat has a hood, pull it up! This will block the wind on your neck and ears and also blocks some light!!



Other stuff:
-Big thermos with hot chocolate/coffee
-One of those portable cooler/heaters that run off a 12v battery to keep food warm. I take hot ham and cheese sandwiches, warm bread and maybe left over pizza or something. Those heaters keep the food hot and a warm snack is wonderful

- Park your car upwind and setup behind the cover of it, or use a tree/shrub line to block wind. Plan your observing to look the other way.

- Get one of those "fire blankets" that are sold for emergencies. They have a fabric insulation with a plastic wind blocking layer. I keep this near my chair and while I'm sitting down, I wrap up with it. If I sit for 5 minutes with this, I barely feel the outside!!


Last but not least, when you are not looking at something, move around! Do a few jumping jacks, some high knee lifts or a short walk. Walking around a bit for 3 minutes lifting my legs high really gets my blood moving and also kind of wakes me up a bit.


Sorry for it being so long, but I am able to stay out all night in pretty much any weather condition for observing and haven't really been cold. I've been chilly, but not ever to a point where I was cold and miserable.

Congratulations! I had my Orion ED80 delivered this summer and I was dancing around the house when it came. My wife just laughed at me and asked if I was ready to be a big boy yet...

Interestingly enough, I got to use the scope for 3 nights after delivery. I have a 14" dob being built right now, and I REALLY hope that same luck comes to me when it is here!!!

I have one being built now, 14" Swayze with the 18pt mirror cell substituted. I also grabbed a Feathertouch focuser and 9x50 RACI finder and secondary dew heater.

Ed will put just about anything in any combination on for you, just ask. I've seen 3 of his telescopes and when I decided to go for a big dob, he was my first choice.

I visited a guy near me with one recently. He had the ArgoNavis/Servocat upgrades along with the Moonlight CR2 focuser and the scope was beautiful. The motions are as good as any of the large dobs in our club, and the weight is actually lighter than most of them.

I plan to write an extensive review in February/March when I receive mine...

IMO, forget the little refractor and buy a decent set of 8x42 or 10x50 binocs. I have a great set of 8x42 Carton Adlerblick and Nikon Action Extreme 10x50 binos and they are wonderful for everything you listed. I also have a monopod that I keep in my car, helps steady out the views for long time birding

I had VISX done 3 years ago and would recommend it to anyone after the proper research.

CAUTION, age plays a very big role in success rate. I was 22 yrs old and my vision is now incredible. My brother had it done this year after his 21st birthday, perfect. My mother had it done this year after turning "29" and she had great success also. Her right eye isn't quite perfect, but she doesn't need glasses except for driving (before she couldn't see ANYTHING clearly).

Gary, the Columbus (Ohio) Astronomy Society has lots of members (330 or so) and tons of telescopes. I personally have an 80mm refractor, 8" SCT (and a 14" dobsonian on the way).

If you'd like to visit the club, contact me via PM and I'd gladly meet up with you there. I moved from an ETX90 to an 8" dobsonian a few years ago and LOVED it... there isn't much comparison really.

Ken B., check your private messages here on Astromart.