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Lion Nebula SH2-132 - RC71

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Posts Made By: Ken Fiscus

January 16, 2005 09:04 PM Forum: Solar System Observing

If you're reading this Sunday afternoon...

Posted By Ken Fiscus
and it's clear and sunny...
grab your scope, filter and tripod and check out the local star. My PST blew me away again this afternoon! Sunspots, filaments, prominences, granulation, limb darkening, etc.

April 3, 2005 01:14 AM Forum: Star Parties

Southern Minnesota Scale Solar System

Posted By Ken Fiscus
Everyone's invited to my 7th annual "Walk Through the Solar System" held on National Astronomy Day, Saturday, April 16, 2005. The Walk features a lit sun and 9 major planets all displayed USING THE SAME SCALE for the diameters and separations. The sun is a 15" light fixture and tiny Pluto is a 1/16" shot pellet more than a mile and a football field away. The Walk is completely free including parking. I'm expecting over 1,000 people to attend. E-mail me (Ken Fiscus)for more information.

March 2, 2006 03:29 AM Forum: Telescope Making

Looking for 22x22" Formica for Dob Base

Posted By Ken Fiscus
I just placed an ad for a chunk of laminate to glue to my new Baltic Birch dob base. Any of you fine folks sitting on a extra piece of the stuff? I've already checked at the home improvement places and got skunked. I still need to check with some cabinet shops but prefer you people. Thanks.
Ken

April 1, 2006 01:45 AM Forum: Star Parties

Nat. Astro. Day 2006-Walk Thru Solar System (MN)

Posted By Ken Fiscus
Everyone is invited to my free 8th annual Walk Through the Solar System held in conjunction with National Astronomy Day this May 6, 2006 from 8 to 10 PM. Participants arrive at a lit sun and receive a passport to each of the traditional 9 planets. They then walk down a barricaded road to each planet after having travelled the correct distance. The planets' diameters and separations are all shown at the same scale. Walkers travel 1.1 mile to finally reach 1/16" Pluto. Respond to this thread for more information.

April 8, 2006 01:37 AM Forum: Pictures of Me and My Telescope and........

I upgraded my dob mount and here it is...

Posted By Ken Fiscus
Baltic Birch and four-plus coats of exterior varnish. Now, if I can just get the picture attached to this thread...

April 13, 2006 05:38 AM Forum: Equipment Talk

Quick favor from an XT10 owner...

Posted By Ken Fiscus
Could someone with an Orion XT10 or clone do me a goofy favor? I need to know how much the stock dob mount weighs. (I weighed my new one by holding it while I stood on a bathroom scale.) My stock mount is no more and I replaced it with a Baltic Birch ply copy. I now wish I had weighed the old mount first because someone wants to know how the old and new compare by weight. Thank you in advance!
Ken

April 27, 2006 04:41 AM Forum: After Dark

One of the best stargazing nights of my life...

Posted By Ken Fiscus
Sometimes I just feel like a poser, wasting beautiful nights inside instead of out under the stars. Tonight 4-26-06 was different! No moon, no clouds, steady & dry air, no mosquitoes (yet), no excuses.

Took one of my college students out for an extra credit stargazing run. We saw: M13,51&companion,57,81,82,97,101,108,Leo Trio, Polaris and companion, Comet S-W3 B, the Bee Hive, Mars, Saturn & moons, Jupiter & moons, ISS pass, numerous faint sporadic meteors, one brighter Lyrid, and at 10:18 PM CDT a bolide that lasted 8 seconds, spanned 75 degrees, left a short trail, and exploded in purple and orange at the end. It cast shadows on the ground!

May 7, 2006 05:06 AM Forum: After Dark

Walk Through the Solar System/Nat. Astro Day

Posted By Ken Fiscus
Just got home from having at least 300 people attend my 8th annual Walk Through the Solar System. The Walk is a true-to-scale model of the solar system from Sun to Pluto. The lit sun is a 15" globe and the walk to Pluto is 1.1 mile. I had my 10" scope with a Meade digital eyepiece and TV set up for those returning to the parking area. Showed them the moon, Saturn with 5 moons, and Jupiter with 4 moons.

May 7, 2006 05:20 AM Forum: Solar System Observing

Walk Through the Solar System/Nat. Astro Day

Posted By Ken Fiscus
Just got back from my 8th annual Walk Through the Solar System. The Walk is a true-to-scale model from a lit 15" sun to Pluto 1.1 mile away. Over 300 people attended. The picture is of some Walkers looking at the moon on a monitor. Scope was a 10" dob on an EQ platform and a Meade electronic EP.

June 10, 2006 07:08 PM Forum: Pictures of Me and My Telescope and........

I've Never Been A Leg Man...

Posted By Ken Fiscus
They're long and smoooooooth...

I just got done building these for another Astromarter. He's going to varnish or paint them and put them under a refurbished Edmund Scientific EQ mount.

The main spars are 3/4" Baltic Birch and the sides are 1/2" Baltic Birch.

The legs are 60" long, light and very rigid. The buyer will arrange a spreader of some sort. The legs are temporarily attached to wooden dummy base.

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