Posts Made By: Michael Aaron McNeely

Hi, I noticed this outstanding image taken through a TV-85 and posted by Clifford McCann on the Anacortes website:

http://www.buytelescopes.com/gallery/view_photo.asp?pid=14549&c=46438

I came across this today while surfing:

http://www.company7.com/library/televue/orrtv5mmN.html

Enjoy.

Check it out:

http://www.cloudynights.com/item.php?item_id=1749

Hi, I wanted to ask if anyone had directly compared the TeleVue 60 to the William Optics ZenithStar 66 SD? Is there a significant difference between these two scopes (other than cost)? Thanks.

Check it out:

http://www.astromart.com/articles/article.asp?article_id=665

Check it out:

http://www.cloudynights.com/item.php?item_id=1836

Interesting link:

http://www.spacealberta.com/articles/seeing.htm

Interesting article:

http://www.astromart.com/articles/article.asp?article_id=525

Thanks.
Aaron McNeely

A new review of the TV-85:

http://www.cloudynights.com/item.php?item_id=1952

I was able to observe yesterday's Venus occultation. I live in northern Indiana, and the event was visible in daylight around 8:45 am.

My TeleVue-85 provided wonderful views of the event. I used a CG5 mount for tracking, and it did well. I used a TeleVue 25mm plossl for wide views and a 7mm Nagler to watch the dissapearance.

I have a 24mm Panoptic, but I don't like it for day viewing. Every speck of dust on the eyepiece is visible in a bright sky, using it was like looking through a dirty windshield. The plossl eyepiece didn't do this. I consider the 24Pan a nighttime only eyepiece similar to the 31mm Nagler.

The view of the crescent moon next to crescent Venus was very outre, it reminded me of something from 2001: A Space Odyssey. It got me thinking of all of the unearthly sites I've had in my astronomy career. I have seen various occultations and eclipses with those of Saturn being the most interesting.

With rough timing, Venus took about 3 minutes to disappear. I waited about 35 minutes and saw the reappearance. I let my wife watch part of the reappearance. Even she was impressed.

Of course, the views through the TV85 were essentially perfect, from low to high powers.

Later that day, I showed one of my high school classes Venus and the moon in late afternoon, around 2:20pm. I used our school's Orion Short Tube 80 which gave a good view. Even some of the jaded teenagers were impressed with the sight, and that I could locate a speck of light in the big blue sky. I used the moon as a guide and swept around to find Venus. I used the scope on an Orion VersaGo mount with the included 20mm eyepiece. This is a nice setup to use with students (and I don't have to worry about using my apo with students anymore).

Thanks if you have read this far.