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Posts Made By: John Hopkins

August 22, 2002 10:53 AM Forum: Takahashi

Re: diagonal focus

Posted By John Hopkins
Depends on the Tak. I had an FSQ106, which as any owner will tell you requires an extender-q for most anything. I had to get rid of it before figuring out what gizmo would allow me to attach the AP diagonal I had. The FSQ is a specialty instrument, though, and has its own diagonal. I suspect most Taks would use the everbrite fine. I just saw a new ad in the refractor section for an FS128 with the 2" AP diag on it.

August 26, 2002 11:15 AM Forum: TeleVue

Re: Televue 102 Eyepiece Suggestions...

Posted By John Hopkins
I haven't looked thru those specific eps, but I've had a 22mm Pan and several Naglers and can't help but think those would be great.

There's a new 'peer reviewed' piece on planetary eps on Cloudy Nights I found very interesting: http://www.cloudynights.com/eyepieces2/planetary.htm

August 26, 2002 12:16 PM Forum: Eyepieces

New planetary ep essay and Edmund RKEs

Posted By John Hopkins
http://www.cloudynights.com/eyepieces2/planetary.htm

Very interesting in general, but one of the author's high recommendations was for Edmund RKEs. I haven't seen these mentioned much, nor seen any for sale unless I blinked at the wrong time. Is this some kind of open secret or am I looking in the wrong places? TIA.

/John H.

September 11, 2002 11:55 AM Forum: Equipment Talk

Planning for astro retreat

Posted By John Hopkins
I was looking at the New Mexico Skies website and thought this would be the perfect vacation, if planned well. Aside from the merely obvious, like not going during a near to full moon, can anyone suggest a good time of year if your purpose was to use their equipment to get some nice & varied astrophotos?

Since it might be a while before I have proper equipment, this seemed like a good idea...

/John

September 11, 2002 11:57 AM Forum: Deep Sky Observing

Planning for astro vacation

Posted By John Hopkins
I was looking at the New Mexico Skies website and thought this would be the perfect vacation, if planned well. Aside from the merely obvious, like not going during a near to full moon, can anyone suggest a good time of year if your purpose was to use their equipment to get some nice & varied astrophotos?

/John

September 11, 2002 12:04 PM Forum: Off Topic Discussions

Re: Telescope financing

Posted By John Hopkins
My strategy is to stay single.

(There's a lot of other things involved than just the ability to buy equipment, but it works as well for that too)

And for the curious, my girlfriend-in-perpetuity likes this arrangement, too. That's some kind of miracle, at least in my experience.


/John

September 19, 2002 05:17 PM Forum: Takahashi

Why the Tak .965 ep's?

Posted By John Hopkins
Is there a particular reason why Takahashi continues to make .965" eyepieces when practically the entire rest of the astro world has gone to 1.25" (and 2")? Some benefit that you can't get otherwise, or is this another "that's the way they do it in Japan" thing?

Just curious...

October 23, 2002 04:04 PM Forum: Equipment Talk

How about best high power EP with 8" Dob?

Posted By John Hopkins
My XT8 is what I'm stuck with until I quit buying defective lottery tickets. So far I haven't had the chance to try a high power ep in it, so before I go for a 2.8 or 3mm first of all let me ask if this is reasonable. I would think you could crank it up with aperture like that but you never know...

If I can use these things the next thing I'd be curious about is the amount of room I'd have to work with in regard to holding a digital camera up to it. I got a 4.8mm T1 Nag from astromart but the little pinhole is not quite enough.

(I'm a confirmed luna-tic and want to get as close in as possible for moon shots.)

October 30, 2002 01:42 PM Forum: Equipment Talk

Orion's new mount

Posted By John Hopkins
I know the Skyview Pro mount is brand new, but does anyone have an opinion yet of how good/bad this thing looks in general?

The AT1010 looks better to me all the time and trying to think ahead in terms of what to put it on...

November 4, 2002 02:38 PM Forum: Equipment Talk

Re: GM-8 for long exposure astrophotography?

Posted By John Hopkins
Yes.

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