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Douglas Rollain

LBN 576 - The Garlic Nebula

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Posts Made By: Paul Kammueller

August 4, 2003 01:51 PM Forum: Equipment Talk

MARS, Closing in !

Posted By Paul Kammueller
Actually I don't think it's supposed to be THAT much closer. We're already within about 39 million miles, and closest approach is something like 34.7 million -- so it'll be about 13% closer/bigger at opposition. Still a significant improvement of course. :-) But Mars is already pretty big in the window for anyone who cares to look.

August 4, 2003 03:19 PM Forum: Equipment Talk

3" unitron on "dennis the menace"

Posted By Paul Kammueller
There's a nice big Celestron C14 setup seen near the end of "Close Encounters of the Third Kind". Not sure how useful a C14 would be for inspecting a giant flying saucer 50 feet overhead though :-)

I also recall an episode of Star Trek Next Gen where Capt. Picard lives out an entire life on another planet in his mind and in that life becomes an avid amateur astronomer and builds a very nice hexagonal wood-tube dobsonian.

August 5, 2003 05:52 PM Forum: Solar System Observing

Mars Press

Posted By Paul Kammueller
They also spent some time on National Public Radio, it wasn't even Science Friday, it was Saturday morning Weekend Edition I think, talking about it.

It's also getting increasingly conspicuous in the sky. :-) When it becomes visible in the evening, everybody will be talking about it.

August 5, 2003 05:53 PM Forum: Solar System Observing

Mars - increased dust activity???

Posted By Paul Kammueller
Beautiful shot, JJ! Crossing my fingers against the dust...

August 7, 2003 05:43 PM Forum: Equipment Talk

SN vs. SCT

Posted By Paul Kammueller
Speaking strictly to design comparison, NOT taking into account differences in quality from make to make, etc:

SCT Advantages:
- More compact
- More focal length and in a shorter tube to boot
- Can be fork mounted, with no counterweight necessary

SCT Disadvantages
- Focuses by moving primary mirror; over time it can get 'wobbly' and 'image shift' develops when focusing
- Curved amplifying secondary mirror can amplify wavefront errors of the primary mirror and also makes for sensitive collimation if things fall out of adjustment

SN Advantages:
- Faster focal ratio, wider fields with a given eyepiece f.l.
- Rack & pinion focusing method means no primary mirror movement, no image shift
- Secondary is flat rather than amplifying, alignment issues more forgiving

SN Disadvantages:
- Longer, bulkier, less 'stowable'
- Needs full-blown GEM with counterweights, fairly cumbersome & heavy arrangement

August 7, 2003 09:31 PM Forum: Religion

Good idea or not?

Posted By Paul Kammueller
Couldn't this have unintended consequences? Namely, that if you cut out a lot of the contributions from outside sources, then the most well-funded campaign would end up being simply the wealthiest candidate, who can foot the most campaign funds personally?

August 8, 2003 05:34 PM Forum: Solar System Observing

Mars scope first light 07-Aug-2003

Posted By Paul Kammueller
Very nice! All right, another long-newt fan! :-)

As far as seeing goes, IMO sketching during subpar or even 'lousy' seeing is highly useful even just from a practice & eye-conditioning standpoint. Helps one to see much more when conditions are good or 'excellent'.

August 11, 2003 02:39 AM Forum: Solar System Observing

Just found this Forum

Posted By Paul Kammueller
Yup Wes, all are welcome here! The attention of Mars imagers seems somewhat divided between this forum and the CCD forum, but many of us who try to sketch Mars sometimes like to compare our sketches to postings of CCD images from around the same time. Then I usually scratch my head and say "What was I smoking?" :-)

August 11, 2003 03:26 PM Forum: Solar System Observing

Phobos and Deimos

Posted By Paul Kammueller
Peter -- what are the magnitudes of Phobos and Deimos?

August 13, 2003 11:14 AM Forum: Solar System Observing

Daytime Mars Possibility

Posted By Paul Kammueller
Who can get up that early when we've been up all night viewing Mars? :-)

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