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Posts Made By: Anthony Lutton

June 4, 2011 04:16 PM Forum: ASTRONOMY

New Supernova in M51

Posted By Anthony Lutton
Saw it last night through my 14" dob from central Ohio. Skies were great and it was a perfect 60*F. Using a 13mm Nagler @~130x it was visible but not obvious. Popping in a 10mm Pentax really increased the contrast and it was easily seen then.

We had a public program at the observatory and I bounced from M13 to M3 a lot showing off that pair, but a suprising amount of people asked about the supernova. A few were even able to see it, unspectacular visibly but once you got them to understand they were seeing something that will most likely disappear within a few days and never be seen again is pretty neat.

Anyone else get out out to view it?

July 30, 2011 03:03 PM Forum: ASTRONOMY

Selling on-line

Posted By Anthony Lutton
Vince,
That is not standard practice that I've ever run into. It's possible that the buyer is wary of your non-rated (new user) status and wants to be sure it isn't a scam. Offer to swap phone numbers and provide a legitimate address and any alternative references (eBay or other rated sites?). If the buyer is a well rated user of Astromart here, maybe you could work out some sort of C.O.D or a 75% payment or something. I definitely would NOT do 10%.

If the buyer is also non-rated so far, I'd offer to swap phone numbers and be able to confirm a home address for BOTH parties and then let him know that you are legit and insist on payment before shipping.

That would be my advice. It is YOUR item, not theirs. Talk to them personally and ensure you aren't a scammer and go that route.


Edit: Be sure to lookup their name and user rated status here. You can click on forum names, ad names..etc and get their "5 star" status. Some people have 50-500 "5 star" trades here on Astromart and typically are well-known on other sites. They are typically trustworthy.

August 22, 2011 01:26 PM Forum: After Dark

First night with new scope

Posted By Anthony Lutton
Congratulations! Jumping from 4" to 12" is an amazing step up in aperture. You'll be blown away by what you can detect/see now. Especially once you perfect collimating it.

As for the focus (I'm recalling from memory, as I don't have one anymore):

There is a knurled ring just behind the main objective. You turn the "dew shield" part of the finder to unscrew it a bit and then turn that knurled ring to focus. Once it is in focus, just re-tighten the dew shield part to lock it back into place.

August 26, 2011 07:28 PM Forum: Equipment Talk

Orion XT12i - first week

Posted By Anthony Lutton
I've enjoyed seeing your posts as a thoughtful beginner. You really seem like you've soaked up the expertise/opinions on the forums and elsewhere and are now enjoying the ride.

I'm a manual starhopper after doing GOTO, Push-To and everything in between but I definitely keep eyeing a DSC system again. I think you made a good choice with a 12". I use a 14" and probably will never go bigger. I like the fact (like you mention) that I can handle it easily by myself and its fast to setup. Before buying my current scope, I had ordered an 18" and I'm glad I changed. The physical "massiveness" really seems to go up fast after about 12". My 14" next to an 18" looks crazy small.

Word of advice, don't start looking at eyepieces and filters here on Astromart. Your wallet, credit cards and significant other all my hate yout!

August 28, 2011 12:18 AM Forum: Deep Sky Observing

Stephan's Quintet

Posted By Anthony Lutton
I felt the same way when I first saw it. They aren't "easy", but due to there being so many I actually picked them out quite fast.

Having a massive galaxy nearby helps though, good guidepost.

August 29, 2011 10:40 PM Forum: Equipment Talk

Mask for 8" refractor

Posted By Anthony Lutton
Agree with the ND filter. I use a variable moon filter on my 14" and its great. I think I got it for $25 here on Astromart, they go for about $40 new.

September 1, 2011 06:02 PM Forum: Deep Sky Observing

M57

Posted By Anthony Lutton
That is exactly what I'd describe it as. It varies in brightness across the ring and as you go up in aperture/magnification you can tell that it isn't quite round and that there are "lobes" on the sides. In my 14" dob ~150x it definitely appears oblong with uneven ring brightness.

Have you glimpsed the central star yet? There are two stars that you can see, the central star should be fairly easy in a 10" at high powers (can a transparent night). The one off-center is quite a bit tougher, but easy once you get to high enough power and know where to look.

November 21, 2011 05:18 PM Forum: Equipment Talk

Celestron 6SE OTA

Posted By Anthony Lutton
I'm guessing it is due to the mount. The Nexstar SE mounts are pretty decent and you can make it a cheap mount by selling the OTA off.

January 18, 2012 03:07 PM Forum: Beginning Astronomy?

beyond beginner

Posted By Anthony Lutton
I'd say my moment I felt like I finally was catching on was when I was observing with a friend that was just starting out. He was trying to find M3, which is sort of "out there" away from brighter stars. I only looked through his telrad, moved the scope a bit and told him it should be in the eyepiece and it was dead center!

February 8, 2012 08:25 PM Forum: After Dark

ISS lunar transit, Lakes Region NH Sunday 10pm

Posted By Anthony Lutton
Great photo! Its amazing what skilled people can do with "amateur" equipment can do anymore.

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