Posts Made By: David Simons

Darren,

I have been covering M65,66 in the Beginners Forum. Since they are close to Jupiter now, it makes them a little easier to find.

http://www.astromart.com/messages.asp?message_id=183495&page=

Jupiter is in the lower right of the frame.

Sincerely,

David Simons

Hi Sam,

I have one of these, and it works for me.

I think it is the stock plate that comes with a CG5

http://www.astromart.com/viewad.asp?cid=256225

David Simons

Hi Craig D.

Thanks for the reference. I found some short references to Fundy Scope in the ATM archives, and SAA. Basically the same idea, except the ATM archives mention using the flat at large angles such as 45° which require very good optical figures on the flat. I discovered the effect you refered to about tilting the flat that allows you to shift the image without actually moving the telescope. Kind of a handy side effect.

Since I am using a very small narrow angle for the incoming light instead of a larger angle, I get to cheat a little on the quality of the optical flat. It's actually not perfectly flat, but I think it has a spherical focal length over 100 miles. It's a very smooth spherical surface (almost flat), hence it was much easier -read cheaper- to make. The fellow who made it for me included an interferogram, that had very clean lines. I am sure there will be some astigmatism, but is it enough to ruin the image? I have more testing to do !

The only decent image I have so far is from Sirius and the surrounding stars. It was a little low on the horizon for decent testing. But when it was still for a short while, the sharp image of Sirius was enough to keep me working on this scope.

Sincerely,

David Simons

Hi Brian,

That's the beauty of Astromart. Check the ads, and if a good deal comes up on a scope you want to try, go for it. If it's not your "cup of tea", then you can usually re-sell back on Astomart for close to what you paid.

30" dobs may be the exception here.

Small scopes are especially nice this way, as they are hardy survivors of shipping.

Try a few out then let us know what you think.

Don't forget the "Cloudy Nights" review website. Lots of nice firsthand info there.

Again, the age old advice.. check out a star party if you can. Many scopes will be found there.

The C5 may be for you also. Aperature and very small size.

For me, the Sky 90 seems to hit all the bases. Decent aperature, very small, sharp images, great wide fields, well built but not heavy, and loves power also.

David Simons

Hi Eric,

Here is a screen shot from Desktop Universe. It shows a few more stars than you will see, but if you stick with the brighter ones, it should be close. The program shows the last star in the big dipper handle, and I have added the star hop lines to M51. The size of M51 is exact as it's a CCD image, but the brightness could vary a lot depending on your seeing conditions.

Hope this helps !

David Simons

These guys might have it. Although I think you will have to call them.

http://www.olander.com

Mr. Metric

http://www.fastenerweb.com/mrmetric/

David Simons

Hi Dave,

Just for the record, your picture shows a controller made in China, I suspect it's not a Vixen product. Do you have the actual model number?

David Simons

I had some fun with this setup last fall. Really a good combination. I wish Meade would make a 12" version of their SN. They are great scopes.


David Simons

Hi Tom,

There are lots of posts about this type of issue in earlier threads. You might consider doing a search on "binoscope" to see what pops up.

To me you're argument makes perfect sense, and I think most folks would agree.

It's hard to quantify the effect of a seperate column of light going into each eye, vs. a single column split, and half of the light going into each eye (even if you compensate with more aperature. It is a different effect, but is it worth the extra hassle and cost? Most would say no.

But if you get a chance to see this sometime, you might like it. Unfortunately, I have become hooked. Maybe the voice of reason will rescue you from this path.

David Simons

Hi David,

The old link does not seem to work.

This one still looks good:

http://home.att.net/~dale.keller/atm/atmother/shouldice/shouldice.htm

David Simons