Posts Made By: Timm Bottoni

Floyd Blue said:

I have thought about this a lot today. I think that I did feel a little bit of a personal jab with the comments about my methodology and lack of depth. Perhaps it was deserved, perhaps it was only another's opinion?

We are all sensitive at times to criticism, that is the nature of us all. Some tend to overlook the obvious and pursue the shadows that lie between the lines. More important is what is meant within the lines. It is not wrong to look for fault, but if fault is found it must be enlightened with fact, not just vague statements that do not bring enlightenment, but rather confusion. Anyone can be mistaken in their assumptions and to correct them should be a courtesy.

I am quite willing to admit that I do not know all their is to know about optics and related subjects. I have never made and eyepiece or ground a mirror. I have read books and listened to people and bought and sold equipment in an attempt to gain some perspective on out hobby. I bow to those who have the ability to do what I can not and I respect their knowledge. If I am ignorant in some ways it is not because I have not tried to learn, it is because it takes many years to absorb all that is available.

Please accept my apologies for being thin skinned and perhaps a little vain. My intentions were honorable and meant to add to the quality of the forum. In some ways I perhaps induced a little friction instead of harmony. I may have given opinions that others took exception to and felt they needed to reply to make their thoughts known, which I took in a way that they did not intend?

I would love to see others come forward and give their reports to enrich this forum and spread knowledge openly and equally. This is the Eyepiece Forum, it is an Open Forum and very much an Equal Forum. Post your views, make your thoughts known, give your information, but most of all, respect each other's opinions so that no one feels insecure about posting theirs.

Judson Mitchell said:

I am trying to wade through Suiter's book on Star Testing and was wondering if someone would be willing to condense it to a point where a few of the features of mirrors are clarified through star tests. Most interest would be turned edges, over correction, undercorrection, collimation issues, and surface roughness. My reading will ultimately reveal these images, but others as well may benefit, plus it would be beneficial to have that information in a single location. Virtually none of the people I observe with use star tests to any extent if at all.

The followup could be how these features affect EP performance. Anyone care to take a stab at this.

francisco rodriguez said:

I'm currently researching several 100-115 scopes. One of these is the W.O. FLT-110. I'm trying to find an APO refractor, preferably a triplet design, that's priced within my budget ($3000). I'm also trying to maximize color correction. The FLT-110 is a triplet design by TMB. However, I can't seem to find the specifications of the type of glass used in the objective. Does anyone know if the optics incorporate an FPL-51, 52, 53, or some other type of glass element?

Darrell Hensley said:

I finally broke down and bought me a RA finder scope.I love it,I got the 9x50 Stellarvue with interchangable 1,25" eyepieces.It is great to not to have to crawl around on the ground looking for my guide stars for alignment etc.I was bidding on an orion with the .965 ep but it got a little high for my taste being used.After $75.00 I stopped and logged on Anacortes and paid $99.00 for a new one with warranty and my size ep's.The Orion looked great and I'm sure it was worth the price it went for but got just too high for me since it was so close to the price of a new one.After using the stellarvue I am sold,I would'nt mind having one of their telescopes.Very nice optics especially for a finder,I guess I'm just use to the ones that seem to come out of cracker-jack boxes or the like.For anyone needing an excellent RA finder scope try the F50W Stellarvue 9X50 Wide angle with the interchangable eyepieces,you'll love it.Clear skies,Darrell

Floyd Blue said:

Not trying to be a cooler here, but really, this is all totally off topic don't you think?
I would be much more interested in what was discussed on forum about the spacer issue. I assume it is related to the recent problems with dark lanes and diffraction areas in images seen in some WO refractors?

Larry Seguin said:

After ten years or so of playing with dobs, I'm beginning to become fascinated by the views through refractors-expecially widefield short focus refractors-both achro and apo. Two things about EQ mounts really bug me though....the weight of the mount with counterweights, and what that does to the size and portability of the entire package; and the need to polar align before using. Here's my question: what non EQ mount/tripod systems (camera mounts?) have you found to be useful for telescopes in the five pound range? Any experiences you would be willing to share would be most appreciated. Thanks in advance!
Larry

Jim Thommes said:

Hi All,

I have been off on a skiing holiday. (Thought I would take advantage of the weather since it wasn't cooperating for Astronomy.) I did have some open cluster data that I had before I left (scraping the bottom of the barrel). Here are the links to the images:

http://jthommes.com/Astro/M50.htm
http://jthommes.com/Astro/M93.htm

(Click on the image for full size - it seems the stars get lost on the smaller images.)

I was out last night and the haze was so thick, best I could do was Saturn. I know it's not the right forum, but if you want a peek, it's here:

http://jthommes.com/Astro/saturn_Mar07.htm

Floyd Blue said:

http://www.astromart.com/classifieds/details.asp?classified_id=490226