Posts Made By: Steve House

Hi all,
I thought I'd test a newly acquired Sears Discoverer 60mm lens last evening.

But first- when cleaning it last week, I found that the two elements in the lens had no spacers of any kind. That seemed peculiar based on all the 60mm lenses I used to take apart, but then you never know. I put the cleaned glass back together- glass on glass.

So last evening I saw a nicely focused Saturn surrounded by a defocused "ghost" disc of light about 5 times the dia. of the planet. The ghost disc would focus or defocus. At only one place in the FOV would the focused Saturn be centered in the disc, (and it wasn't in the center).

Am I correct that the ghost is a result of not having the two elements properly spaced? Is that spaceing critical? Any suggestions as to what I should use? Thanks!

Greetings,
I'm wanting to attach my 80mm Onyx refractor to a larger scope, probably my 6" f/12 D&G refractor. It has the Vixen dovetail. I'm not finding any original or after-market mounts or bases that would receive and hold this dovetail. Presumably, I would want a "Vixen-style" base to put on the larger scope, that would hold the dovetail of the 80mm refractor. Would someone be able to steer me to such a product?

Thanks!

Hi All,
I have a challenge that would benefit from your experience and knowledge. I've come into a home-built "Steampunk" refractor from the 1940's, with a home-fabricated 82mm clear aperature f/17 objective. This lens is about 63 years old! The views are exquisite, with very clean detail on planets and nicely split doubles, and text-book excellent airy discs that will make grown men cry. My only complaint is the large haze that surrounds bright objects. It really isn't a "ghost" in the sense of displaying a small replica of the object being viewed- this is a large haze. The moon doesn't show a sharp limb, but rather a haze that extends quite a bit beyond the limb. This kills contrast, obviously.

The lens is oil-spaced (no spacers), and has a strange (to me) seal of unknown substance around the circumfrence.

My questions: Is the haze a result of the oil "going bad" and needing to be replaced? Is it possible for a reasonably capable ATMer to do this, or would this require professional service? What resources would you recommend for me to learn how to re-oil the lens? What professional services might you recommend?


Any thoughts or advice you might have on this subject would be greatly welcomed. Thanks in advance!

-Steve

Hi all,
I have a 12.5" mirror that is 1.3" thick, or about 32.75mm. I was hoping to mount this in an older "tradional" mirror cell in an OTA that can be rotated any direction. Is this mirror too thin for a traditional cell (i.e., without nine point suspension and a sling)?

Thanks for the help.
Steve House

Hi All,
I'm doubtful if many people read this forum, but we can give it a try. I need a simple, usable 1.25" focuser to go on a 6" f/10 Newtonian that will be given to a needy 10 year old boy in St. Louis. He has an aptitude for science and astronomy. His father is absent from the family and refuses to pay child support. We also could use a simple 30mm finder.

Basically, the Dob we are preparing comes as a donation from an area amateur astronomer through my nonprofit Starfield Ministries (www.starfieldministries.org). I will supply the eyepieces.

If you have an old focuser and/or finder, please let me know. We will pay shipping. Best wishes, and thanks!

Steve @ Starfield Ministries

Greetings,
Something I should know by now, but can anyone confirm that the 30mm GSO SuperView and 30mm Zhumell Wide Field eyepieces are exactly the same eyepiece?
Thanks!

Derrick, That is fantastic! What camera did you use? I'm looking to get into this but need to do more research.

Thanks. -Steve House

Ed, you are a romantic in your descriptions. Your phrase, an "enjoyable choreographed ensemble", implies a Choreographer. Go for it!

BTW, those images are great!

Steve House

Hi All,

Many thanks to you for your replies. I attempted a star test last night (July 4), and before the clouds set in I thought the image much improved. I will try another test tonight. If it looks good, I'll send the mirror off for recoating and finish the restoration job on this mount and tube. This mount was supposed to be made by Kenneth Novak's brother in Chicago. It is rusty and needs a new paint job. This should be fun.

Thanks again.

Steve House