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Posts Made By: Bob Schnitzer

April 1, 2004 03:08 AM Forum: Telescope Making

Help me ... I am obsessed

Posted By Bob Schnitzer
I soldered three tomato-paste cans to make a primary baffle for my classical cassegrain. Sprayed the inside black. It's worked great for 24+ years. The lips of the cans extend into the light path only about 1/16" inch, so there isn't a great benefit with slightly off-axis light reflections.

Good luck.

May 2, 2004 12:53 AM Forum: Home Observatories

Maintaning humidty and lower Temps?

Posted By Bob Schnitzer
Marc,
This will be the first summer in my observatory here in the Washington DC area. I considered AC but went with a thermostat-controlled 1300cfm exhaust fan. I noticed that the interior of my south-facing wall was warm to the touch during an 80+ day a week or so ago, so I installed some batt insulation on that side only. I'll have to let you know how this all works. One thing I know for sure - the white fiberglass dome and white EPDM roof help tremendously with the temp problem.

July 14, 2004 12:47 PM Forum: Equipment Talk

Rats! Drat! I am a moron!

Posted By Bob Schnitzer
Tom, I know how you feel.
My 3-1/2" cassegrain secondary has a 1/2" long chip in it because some idiot forgot to secure the primary baffle tube before setting the ota on it's front end. Even though this is equivalent to a 1-1/2" gash at the primary - I haven't detected any noticeable image degradation. I treat my optics like fine fine crystal now. Lesson learned. Forge ahead.

August 21, 2004 02:28 AM Forum: Home Observatories

Home Dome Update

Posted By Bob Schnitzer
Mike,

What a great looking setup. My Home Dome is also nearly complete here in Northern Virginia. Please keep us updated during your final stage of construction.

Bob

March 12, 2005 01:53 AM Forum: Equipment Talk

Under 30 club?

Posted By Bob Schnitzer
Dan,

Can I be in your club if I act, walk and talk like I'm 25 years younger? Hey...come to think of it, one of the biggest reasons that I enjoy this pastime is because it makes me feel like I'm 15! How's that for irony.

This is a fascinating thread, I must say. I actually didn't realize how many 'oldsters' there were until the avatars started appearing. For quite a while I was sure Floyd was no more than 19 or 20.


Bob

For Barsoom!

March 28, 2005 03:23 AM Forum: CCD Imaging and Processing/Solar System

Saturn on Good Friday - a personal best

Posted By Bob Schnitzer
Hi Alan,

That is one fantastic image. Did you key on Encke for the frame selection?

Bob

April 3, 2005 05:43 PM Forum: CCD Imaging and Processing/Solar System

Jupiter and Io 04/01/05

Posted By Bob Schnitzer
Wes,

I am inspired by your work and this image indeed raises the bar for me. There is a wealth of subtle detail in the cloud bands and the GRS that aren't seen here very often. I have a difficult time controlling the central brightness of the globe without losing limb detail - one of the many challenges image processing with Jupiter. Well done! I'm already anticipating your Mars images this fall.

Bob

May 30, 2005 03:36 AM Forum: CCD Imaging and Processing/Solar System

Anyone Using Photoshop Elements 3 for Images?

Posted By Bob Schnitzer
Steven,

I use PSE3 to crop off the pixels around the edge of the image, adjust the midtone values by using the curve function, and re-sizing. I usually try an unsharp mask to see if I can improve on the final Registax result, but this rarely works.

Bob




August 5, 2005 03:01 AM Forum: Home Observatories

Another pier design to critique

Posted By Bob Schnitzer
Jeff,

Have you considered a classic square concrete column using a plywood box form about 18" square? Sonotube might be the preferred forming method because it saves having to construct a wood form, but it's not the easiest thing to fix in place during the pour.
In any case, rebar is a must. Just my 2 cents.

Bob

September 11, 2005 09:21 PM Forum: Equipment Talk

Planetary 16" classical cassegrain being tested

Posted By Bob Schnitzer
Another view

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