Posts Made By: Rod Mollise

Charles R Genovese, Jr MD said:

Rod- do you have handy the design spec for optimum back focus for a C8 for the correct mirror spacing to get minimum spherical abberation. As I recall it's 5" from the rear cell threads but I can't find it. By the way, It has long been my contention that when people test their SC's correction they NEVER confirm that they are at optimum mirror spacing. I thought mine was mearly good (about 1/6 wave) but a few months ago in excellent seeing I was useing a 2" rear tailpiece, I think a Teleview 2" diagonal, and a TMB 4mm eyepiece and I checked collimation and the star test was PERFECT!!! By chance I found the perfect spacing. I think it is much more critical than most people think. Thanks, Charles

Tony Grigsby said:

WOO! HOO! Go Tony! Well after 6 years Im getting back out under the sky. Divorce is a hell of a drug! Money is an issue this time around, and Ive decided on a Celestron 5" SE. I think this will work best for me. Ive got my eyepieces and all the fixins figured out, ect. Only thing is I cant seem to find any reviews on this scope, and I never see them for sale. So whats up? Anyone own one? Optics are my main my main concern. Long as itll track Ill make it point. Ive always heard great things about the optics in the older 5" models. Any input will be appreciated.
T.

John Barnett said:

I use several scopes, depending on the object sought: a 120mm f/8 refractor for binaries and planets,or an 8" f/4.5 newt for dim fuzzies, or a 6" f/12 Mak-Cass for public skywatches. Each will adapt to my decade old EQ-3 gem mount. I use rings appropriate for each scope to secure it.
I'm ready to move up to a goto mount that is a bit beefier and taller (esp for the refractor). With my limited budget in mind, two mounts really interest me: The Meade LSD75 and the Celestron CG5. Any advice/opinion as to merits/demerits of these mounts?

Norm Peer said:

When they find a planet, near earth size that orbits a yellow star, and is not tidally locked, wake me up.
Everything I've ever read says tidally locked exoplanets are poor candidates for life. And what of the radiation? I would think it is significant so close to any star.
I think the planet hunters are too willing to take a leap of faith on these questionable exoplanets.

Paul Shin said:

Since my 10� LX200 is temporary out of service, I’m going to have to use my C9.25 CG5 ASGT as my home setup. However, I live in a valley and can’t see Polaris. Also, my CG5 ASGT mount is not fireware upgradeable, so don’t have access to the All Star alignment. I can get the goto to work okay after a rough initial alignment, but the mount doesn’t track well. I also tried adjusting the altitude and azimuth while the mount was tracking, but it didn’t help. Any comments and / or suggestions will be greatly appreciated. Thanks in advance, Paul

David Lewis said:

I recently bought a Meade DSI II on Astromart and I am struggling mightily to make it work. I get everything set like the instrucional videos show and my object is blown out white. When I scroll down the autoexposure times to about .0020 it starts to look a lot better but I obviously can't take that short of exposure. Any wisdom you could impart would be much appreciated!

mike montreal said:

hi, not new here but after a couple of years of trying,about to give up. is there a ccd camera ( meade or others) that are user friendly to the NOVICE? I.E. centering the object with an e.p., removing it, attaching the camera, turning the camera on, and via software, voila! the pic is on the computer monitor, click a button, and there`s your picture. and then worry about enhancing the pic later. am i asking too much? ( btw, i`m using a lx200 8in. gps) thanks for any help!

Roland Beard said:

General comment: The sketch was quick because the view was murky but it was still a beautiful sight and a fun object to study again. The astro video camera helps a lot, but it still cannot punch through everything. The whole story and 2 additional sketches of the same object are on our ministry site's inspiration page (top left story) if you care to look. www.christworksministries.org

Scott Anderson said:

Any input about this mount. How does it compared to the CG-5 goto?

Steve Sands said:

Uncle Rod or anyone else who might know:

I have a Meade 12" LX200 serial #122506. Since I acquired this second hand I do not know its age. I am selling it and the common question seems to be about its age. Is there any way to tell by the serial number or by some other means?

Also, what would be a fair price to ask? It has EMC multicoatings, is clean, the electronics are fully functional. It includes the monster tripod, 8x50 finder, Meade 2" SCT Diagonal, caps, a 12VDC to 18VDC converter and a manual. No wedge or eyepieces will be included.

Thanks!
Steve