Posts Made By: Vaughn Jett

I just got a pair of Nova 20x90 binos on eBay. $210.00 including postage. I've only had them out for a few minutes, but they seem incredible. Probably the best view of Orion nebula I've ever seen.

However, they came with no strap and a hard case that's way too big. Where can I find a good case for them?

First of all, if anyone knows of any free software that is mac-compatible which
could help
me answer these questions, please let me know. All I have been able to find are
programs
like Newt, designed for Windows.

I have an old 12.5" Starfinder dob that originally had a 1.25" focuser. The
specs for the
more recent 12.5" starfinders are: 60" focal length, 2" focuser, 2.60"
secondary. If I
remember right, the center of my secondary is 47" from the center of my primary.
I
replaced the secondary mirror with a 2.48", and I have bought a 2" focuser that
came off
of a 16" starfinder. What I want to know
is: when I bore
a new hole for the focuser (assuming this secondary and focuser can be used with
my
scope without wasting any light) how high up the tube should I place the
secondary mirror
and focuser? If my secondary mirror is smaller than the one that originally
came with the
scope, it seems like it should be a little bit further from the primary than the
original one
was.

When an instrument has a high focal ratio we call it "slow" and when an instrument has a low focal ratio we call it "fast". Why?

I live in a house where a lot of mold grows, particularly in the summer. Lately I've noticed some mold on the primary mirror of my telescope, and inside of my binoculars, on the objectives and prisms. I've tried gently cleaning, using dish soap, water, and denatured alcohol, but wasn't able to get it all off. Does anyone have any recommendations for removing mold from my optical surfaces, or for deterring this sort of thing in the future?

And it would be a good idea to remove the mirrors from the tube before cutting the hole, regardless of the method you choose. 8)

Here I am over 3 months later, and the only complaint I have is that they frost up quickly whenever the air temperature is below freezing.