Posts Made By: John Miele

Steve,

Those are nice shots. The disc of Mercury is so clearly defined. You must have had some good seeing. Thanks for posting them.

John

Hi Robert,

Wonderful picture! Thank you for sharing it. It almost perfectly duplicates my visual impression of the transit through my C11 with a Baader film solar filter. I could not take any images so I'm saving yours as my memory of the occasion! Hope you don't mind. Thanks again.

John

I have had very good luck with 12V batteries that I bought from www.batterymart.com. I don't think you can beat them in terms of price.

Hans,

I use a pair of the Denk21s with my DenkII binoviewer in a C11 scope. They work great and the system as a whole gives very sharp and contrasty views. The Denk21s' have a large AFOV of 65 deg. good eye relief. They also have a large field lens which I like. They have winged eyeguards instead of the standard eyecups. since I wear glasses most of the time, I have to fold them down. A unique feature is that the eyeguard itself rotates wrt the EP body. The Denk21s also come with a nicely machined metal housing known as the "vault". A bit of overkill in my opinion (I have actually set them aside and use plastic bolt cases) but very nicely made. The only potential "drawback" is that the Denk21 body is sort of fat and is not tapered. If you have a big "schnozola" combined with close eye spacing (like me!) it can feel a little cramped when you look thru them. My nose is typically pushing on the EP body. But you get used to it pretty quick.

John

Everyone who downsizes this will have their own reasons. I went from a 16" dob to a nexstar C11. I simply became less interested in going for faint faint fuzzies and more interested in double stars, the Moon and planets, imaging, goto and tracking capability, and enjoying the brighter DSOs like the Messiers and Caldwells. The C11 excels in all of this. It is still heavy instrument but it's much more compact, and low to the ground. All my observing is done seated. And I can now do photography. I'm happy as a clam. I notice the light loss the most on globulars in the form of less numerous stars. But most galaxies I want to view are still detectable. They are just a little less bright. But it's more like I see a very faint smudge in the C11 vs. I see a faint smudge in the 16". I live quite happily with that difference.

Hey Lee,

I am a big Auburn fan (class of 84) but I gotta say you guys looked awful good in the big one. I was glad you kicked the snot out of you know who. You done the SEC proud my man!

Mike,

I cut my "star party teeth" on this observing location back when the PSSG was held here. Attended for 4-5 years. I have not been to the other sites you mentioned, but Indian Springs is a moderately dark site. I was always happy with the views of DSO's but the skies at the new PSSG location are definitely darker. However, the trip may be worth it just for a plate of BBQ and a cup of the Brunswick stew at the nearby Fresh Air BBQ eating establishment!!!! Bunkhouses have heat and the field is pretty large and level.

Superb shots! You really have the lunar stuff nailed! BTW, I think I saw the Travelocity Gnome hiding in your Regiomontanus and Purbach image !

And one more...

I'm an aerospace engineer specializing in structural analysis. I worked on the Space Shuttle SRB motors, the International Space Station, and currently work on the CH-47 Helicopter program for the US Army. I have been building scopes for about 12 years. I'm 45 and still working. But retirement is only 10 years away