Posts Made By: Michael Gibbons

Hmmm. I've had this mount for several months now. Works like a charm. Easy to level, easy to align. Excellent goto performance. Excellent tracking. Flawless GPS.

I use a WO M110, so weight is approx 13 lb with heftier EPs.

I'm surprised by all the negative experiences.

Update: I was out with this rig last night (Jan 20) at -18 degress C (0 degrees F) and after a quick alignment on Venus the unit worked flawlessly. Even with medium power EPs in the scope, every object I selected was in the field of view. The mount tracked perfectly. No jitters whatsoever.

Another mount to consider is the Stellarvue M1. I have it for my grab and go setup and like it a lot.

Brent Campbell said:
Here is my question, my use is visual, I have a hard time locating objects in the light polluted sky,

Brent, I've been observing with a 10" DOB for a few years now. Some of the best advice I got from very seasoned observers:
- get the best tradeoff possible between aperture, optical and mechanical quality, and ease of use - be sure to consider ease of transporation and setup/teardown
- learn to use a Telrad (or other zero power finder)
- go out to a dark site to observe (the best investment you can make in astronomy is gasoline for trips out to a dark site)
- get a good star atlas and make use of observing guides
- stay away from goto scopes (I struggled with this one for a while because I had a goto scope. I've since found great joy in learning the sky and "the thrill of the hunt" (learning to find and observe various objects)).

At the end of the day, though, different people want different things from the hobby. You need to decide what you want to do and act accordingly. If you just want a quick look or two once in a while from your light-polluted back yard, maybe goto and a SCT is right for you.

Brian, we must be listening to the universe on the same frequency.
I just acquired a new cat (new to me anyway) - a C8 - and I have it mounted size by side with a Megrez 110 on an EZTouch mount. Seems to move real easy and steady so far. I'm hoping to do a star test (first light) this evening if the clouds get out of the way long enough.

My thought was to do exactly what you're doing - use the refractor for higher-contrast wide field and the cat for faint fuzzies. It seems that cooling (eliminating tube currents) and heating (keeping dew off the optics) are bigger issues with cats. I'm already looking at solutions.

My most-used eyepiece in my 10" f4.7 Dob is my Nagler Type 4 12mm, followed closely by my other type 4's: 17 and 22. You might want to look at Pentax XWs as well. I have the 7 and the 10 - both excellent although I use these more often in my refractor.

In terms of bang-for-the-buck, consider the William Optics UWAN 28MM for wide-field viewing. It compares very favorably to the Nagler 31 and it costs a whole lot less. I've seen them used for well under $300.

I, for one, have lately become interested in studying detail in the objects I observe. I was considering the purchase of a large premium Dob when I happened across a forum describing astro video.

So, for a lot less money than a really good large Dob (~ $4000 for scope, mount, camera, TV, power supply and assorted other goodies) I am able to see detail in many objects that would rival that in a 20 - 30" scope. In addition, many (not all) objects display color, and I can fit the whole rig into my compact car for trips to dark sites.

It is true that the photons are not reaching my retina directly. Astro video is definitely a different experience than observing through a purely optical system.

I also enjoy "the thrill of the hunt" and finding dim or obscure (to me) objects without electronic assistance. Fortunately, I still have my optical gear for this type of observing. Who says you can't have it all?

Man, if I were passionate about the non-denialist side of the debate, I'd find this link embarrassing. What hubris! What undisguised bias!

Sorry, but I couldn't find any "really good points." I remain a global warming agnostic.

As a Canadian, I've observed the polarization in US politics with some amusement and some alarm.

While we're not all that different up here in the Great White North, (for us it's liberals vs conservatives - why am I reminded of Mad magazine and Spy vs Spy?) we appear to be a little less polarized.

It seems to me that to a Republican, there's no such thing as a good Democrat idea and to a Democrat, no such thing as a good Republican idea.

Doesn't logic suggest otherwise?

Perhaps the designations of right and left are somewhat arbitrary? Perhaps a true desire for the common good - and something much harder, a belief that the other guy has a true desire for the commom good might help heal the rift?

Whether it's one leader or another, a lyric from the Who comes to mind: "Meet the new boss, same as the old boss . . ."

Am I completely out-to-lunch here?