Posts Made By: Dennis Freeman

If you're willing to carry an extra 2 lbs. and can pack the extra 2", I'd second the Stellarvue recommendation. They're built like tanks, provide really crisp views, and the extra aperture will make a difference. The Stellarvues on the clearance page are a little cheaper and Stellarvue's reputation for Customer Service are excellent.

The one advantage of the WO may be better color suppression.

Rest easy. I have a Vixen ED80SF which optically is the same scope as the Orion ED80. As Joplin said, color correction is excellent. CA certainly won't be a issue except for the most demanding users. It is definately not an achromat.

The problem is that there is no commonly accepted definition for an apochromatic scope, although I believe Roland Christen has advanced a good one. Not to mention that the marketing dept.'s definition is typically looser then engineering's. So when you read a description on any given scope, you have to do a little research to be sure you know what you're getting.

Wow, so far not real encouraging.

I'm a handy guy but I usually know my limits. Would never mess with my Naglers, or even my Panoptics. I have to agree with Rod that it makes sense to send these back to TV. Did that once with a 27mm Pan and it came back spotless.

No, these EPs are not that expensive which is why I'm comtemplating using them as a learning experience. Even if I screw them up, I won't be risking too much and who knows, I might learn something.

I've already taken a Meade plossl apart. 2 cemented doublet lenses with a spacer. Very satisfied with the results, but I think that was probably as easy as it's going to be. Also have a Orion LV which was made by Vixen and can have between 6-8 lenses and a BO/TMB which I think has 6. I know Mike Hosea has taken these apart, but then he's the expert among experts. Don't want to try the Orion and TMB unless I can get an idea of what I'm in for and proper technique.

Any reason you don't want to use a counterweight to balance your scope?

Like you, I think nuclear power has a place for providing an alternative energy source, especially for the near term. Near term meaning decades.

Personally, I think we will find that any power source will have its drawbacks whether it is wind, solar, hydro, geothermal, tidal, biomass, black hole, or otherwise. There is no perfect energy source.

All we can do is assess the risk and mitigate the downside as long as we want the comfort, convenience, and safety that a technological society provides. And I believe that the vast majority of people want that.

Well, here's the end to the saga. Was just notified that none of the original 4 people involved elected to bid. The seller left the ad up, someone else responded to the ad, and the item was sold. At least amongst the 4 original people, none cared for the situation.

Thanks everyone for their comments. Gives me a lot to think about. It's going to be more complicated than I thought.

From what I've read so far, the ending strays considerably from the '51 classic. I also think that the way the plot is carried out will not engender similar responses from the audience.

Beautiful work Roland, I'm sure a labor of love.

I hope you were at least working out of an observatory. My God, it was cold last night when I was taking out the dog.

The color is related to the number of transactions for which you have ratings. As you get more ratings, the color changes. I think gold kicks in at 40. Used to know the cutoff points, but have forgotten them. It's easy enough to figure out by scanning the classifieds. Maybe someone else can fill you in on the details.