Posts Made By: Reynaldo Cordero

Chris:

I am glad you already purchase the 32 mm Possl. What are your plans for more eyepieces?

Rey

Hi Floyd:

I was tired of hauling the weight of my fork mounted C8 around and waited a "quick look" scope so I took a chance and bought a TV 60. Wow! It didn't take me long to "get it", as in " so this is what they are all raving about".

One of the most memorable pictures in my minds eye is that of the Pleiades next to a thin slivered moon (just past the New Moon), both in the same field at low power just after sunset when the sky acquires that wonderful blue hue. I was just so happy to be alive!

The wide field views of a quality refractor are awe inspiring. It also complicated my financial picture quite a bit. If a 60 mm scope can give me this experience, how about a larger one? To have aperture fever in both the reflector and refractor camps really puts a dent in your bank account. But then, you already know that.

When is the WO arriving?

Rey

Jim:

I am going to forego the part about how high magnification is often overrated. I am sure other A-marters will take care of that.

To directly address your question, I had a similar experiences with my C8 and a 5mm Plosll until I realized a number of things:
- the C8 was not well collimated and thus performed horribly at high mag
- atmospheric conditions make a big difference in what you can reasonably see above 150x. Where I live (sea level next to SF Bay), the atmosphere is often turbulent. At 5000 ft in Shingletown a year ago, I thought I had died and gone to heaven, literally.
- the 5 mm Plossl was not a good match for the scope but my 6 mm Radian is. The FOV in the Plossl was just two small. for better results however, I recommend an 8 mm Radian. 250x is just easier to handle for this scope under above average conditions. Along those lines, a 8-24 Zoom is quite a good match for this scope giving you a usable range of magnification.

Don't give up. With proper collimation, good seeing and carefully selected eyepieces, C8 can go above 300x.

Rey

Would it not be appropriate to notify the Chamber of Commerce or Better Business Bureau in the state where Scopetronics is located that they are out of business but still taking people's money? I feel bad for the owner of the company about his family problems, but this is simply an unacceptable business practice. You can understand this going on for a month or two but best I can gather it may more than 6 months since this whole thing started.

Rey

Thanks Dennis and John for your links.

Rey

Cindy:

It is exciting to have new people join us in this hobby. I can tell you that you will definitely appreciate the object locator. It is not a gimmick. It actually works as advertised. I recommend that you start to look at the moon, planets and star clusters first since they are relatively easy to find (even without the telescope) and gives that instant gratification feeling.

Still, one of the most challenging and rewarding aspects of this pasttime is to actually learn the sky. Whether you get an object locator or not, do yourself and your family a big favor and invest in a couple of more items:

1) Buy a book(s) to introduce you to astronomy, and spend the time reading it. Then go outside a learn the basic layout of the sky and the constellations, like the big dipper, or the zodiac belt for example. Make sure it is dark enough to really see stars and use lawn chairs if possible.

2)Get a pair of binoculars. You do not need to spend a lot of money here. Buy a pair of 7x35, used if possible. Anything bigger is hard for kids to hold anyway. The idea is to be able to see more stars and "fuzzies" (a term you will hear a lot).

Having the advantage of the object locator can diminish the potential for a full appreciation of how the universe is layed out for us to enjoy. So make sure you get the full experience, and good luck.

Keep us posted.

Rey

Francisco:

For a while I was bothered by the fact that Tele Vue would not disclose the kind of glass that they use in their doublets. Now I am much less so after following all the threads about the FPL53 mystery and the fluorite apo that was not.

Truth is that I wholeheartedly enjoy by 2 Tele Vue refractors. They are simply the product of great engineering and beautiful manufacturing. Where it counts the most, at the eyepiece, there is nothing for me to complain about.

Rey

Hi Kay:

Congratulations on your telescope.

A couple of thoughts.

I agree with what others have said that 120x is the low range of magnification needed for planetary views. I recommend using a Barlow with another eyepiece to get to a 150x or so. However, keep in mind that the amount of sky that you can see through the eyepieces that you have available gets rather small at high magnification, and it gets hard to keep the object centered in the eyepiece. Therefore, one has to be prepared to nudge the telescope along.

The other thought is that Saturn will get bigger over the next few weeks as the distance between the Earth and the planet decreases. I took a look at the planet 6 weeks ago and was taken aback at how small it looked. I can already see a difference in apparent size, and it should only get bigger.

Good luck and keep posting.

Rey

Thank you all for the advice.

I was actually surprised to find out that moon filters are not a popular item for viewing. On the other hand, it appeals to the purist in me. I like the idea of having the least amount of glass surfaces between my eye and the object.

Also, it gives me a chance to take notes and sketch the view in good lighting.

One last question, is the polarizing filter useful for things other than the moon?

Rey

Bill:

Since I acquired two small refractors, the number of nights that I spent viewing the sky has quadrupled (from once a month to at least 4 times a month). That alone is worth some consideration. There are many compromises to be made for the loss of light gathering capacity, but then again I am just happy to be out there under the stars. Then there is the wide field views that other instruments can't match. I thought the whole thing was overblown until I had a chance to experience it myself.

During short weekend trips with the family when I can go to darker skies, I no longer think twice about bringing a scope along. Such was not the case when all I had was a C8. The refractors are just as good for daytime viewing if you are into birding and what not.

All in all, I think it's a win.

Rey