Posts Made By: John Barnett

I'm hoping to get some halfway decent images of the upcoming lunar eclipse. I have a prime focus (2" adapter) setup with my Pentax K1000 with an f/12 6" maksutov scope. The camera is loaded with ASA 200 color film. Please advise as to exposure times for partial and total phases of the eclipse given the set up described. Clear skies to all!!

Have a short 8" f 4.5 newt with a 1.8" ma diagonal. Love the portability of it. However, my long, unwieldy 5.5" f/12 ( 0.75" diag)newt beats it on hi power planet images. Would a 31mm triplet 2x barlow (used in Mead barlow), placed just in front of a 1.2" diagonal, improve the hi power planetary view of the 8"? Before I get on with fabricating the modifications to the spider, getting a slightly longer tube, drilling holes, etc., I would like to have some advice from others who have tried this approach. Does this type of arrangement have difficult collimation problems? Are the images comparable to those of,say, an 8" f/12 newt with a 1.2" diag?
The venerable "Sam Brown's All about Telescopes" does have some diagrams and math hints on placement of a barlow between the primary and secondary. That is all I have to go on presently.

I've done both, but feel that using a good roof prism to make the lunar image conform to photos and modern charts (terrestrial) is easier and more enjoyable. It is the only celestial exception I've made to the usual inverted view given by a telescope. Any experienced lunar observers' comments?

Have a 25 yr old coulter mirror and diag that always looks dusty even after very gentle soapy water and alcohol rinse. a direct flashlight beam on it shows a myriad of tiny whitish spots. Hate the bother of packing it off. Is there a better criterion of how bad a mirror has become?

I'm refurbishing an old 13.1" Coulter Dob; one of the circa 1980 "blue" editions. The tube diameter is 16" and I need a front cover for it. The present trash bag is unappealing. Any suggestions for a source?

In order to eliminate disruptions due to electric power outages, and the monthly minimum charges from the power company, we are considering leaving the grid and going all solar at our club observatory. We would welcome any advice or references from those amateur astronomers who have had some success at going solar.
Our observatory is used about once every other week on average, but sometimes twice a week. A computer is used maybe an hour /month, and the lights are used very little. The telescope clock drive is the main thing, runs about 2 hours per session.
John Barnett

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?