Image of the day

Captured by
Herb Bubert

Crescent Nebula

About Astromart

My Account

New to Astromart?

Register an account...

Need Help?

Posts Made By: Peter Glus

November 26, 2008 05:50 PM Forum: Equipment Talk

How do I get a 647 Flip Mirror to Work on a Refrac

Posted By Peter Glus
Dumb question. Just got a used 2" 647 flip mirror that has a standard female thread for a standard small SCT visual back. I want to use this in my refractor (obviously no threads). Is there something simple here? Or do I have to do like a custom mod?

December 18, 2008 07:45 PM Forum: LUNATICS

Predicting the moon position

Posted By Peter Glus
I have Cartes and stellarium, but I was wondering if there was a moon-only software or freeware thing that allowed you to easily predict phase and position of the moon at night.

December 23, 2008 07:29 PM Forum: Home Observatories

Lessons Learned About Ice on the Observatory Roof

Posted By Peter Glus
So, of course a few nights ago the sky was beautifully clear and I wanted to head out to the garage observatory. But I could not get the flip roof off because snow/ice had built up on the roof halves. So I stood on a bar stool and pushed with whatever I had, and of course, the stool gave way and I came crashing down. Thank God I didn't land on the scopes! A bit battered, I tried to bang the roof from inside with a piece of wood and I finally was able to break it up enough to force it open. Of course, at this point I was in no mood to observe. Moral of the story is

1. Dont stand on a high stool trying to pry open a frozen roof (should have been obvious, right)
2. Consider heat tracing of some sort if you think the winter time sessions are going to be frequent.


January 2, 2009 07:44 PM Forum: Refractors

Focal Reducer and a Meade 127ED

Posted By Peter Glus
I have the doublet design, and was wondering if anyone had experience with a focal reducer on one of these?

January 14, 2009 07:56 PM Forum: Digital SLR AstroPhotography

Very basic questions

Posted By Peter Glus
If I use a DSLR w/ a t-ring adaptor how do I calculate magnification? I use to use a coolpix 4500 and my meade super plossls. Now I moved up to a used rebel XT and I am just working this out...there is no EP so no magnification calculation (?).

Also, can anyone recommend a very basic book on using the Rebel XT?

January 17, 2009 08:00 AM Forum: Refractors

Collimating a NA140

Posted By Peter Glus
I have a original-type NA140 and I am all of a sudden noticing astigmatism in the EP. I made sure it wasnt the diagonal. Although it is strange that this "appeared" (maybe I didnt notice it!), I was planning on rotating the lens cell on its threads and the read elements to see if it works. Any advice before I get going on this?

February 5, 2009 05:27 PM Forum: Beginning Astronomy?

A very basic question about stars

Posted By Peter Glus
I am posting here, though I have been in the hobby for some years.

Question: Why do brighter stars look "bigger" than less bright stars?

A pinpoint bright star should have the same "size" perception as a point just like a dim star, right? But why do all astrophotos show brighter as bigger? Is it because the camrea film or CCD detectors bleed the image outward with brightness?

March 9, 2009 09:45 AM Forum: ASTRONOMY

IYOA is also Global Recession

Posted By Peter Glus
Just wanted to say how unfortunate it is that the International Year of Astronomy is also going to be known as the year of a huge worldwide recession. I was planning on trying to get my kids school to chip in for some used scopes so we can do a public event, but thats not going to happen due to the economy. Does anyone have some good budget ideas for a kids astronomy event in an urban setting?

April 6, 2009 02:16 PM Forum: Eyepieces

Baader Genuine Orthos Same as UO HD Orthos

Posted By Peter Glus
Hey folks, are these the same? W. Paolini's recent (and excellent) EP review talks about the BGOs as a very good deal. Are these the same as the UO HDs? They sure look similar.

April 14, 2009 06:41 PM Forum: Eyepieces

Barlowing a TMB Supermono

Posted By Peter Glus
I am just buying a 9mm TMB supermono (my first "high end planetary EP). I cant afford the very nice 1.8x barlow (zeiss), so I was planning to use a celestron ultima 2X barlow for the time being. But barlowing a fine EP like this feels weird...like Im paying a premium to minimize glass surfaces, etc and then I'm throwing a few more in the mix with a barlow. Is barlowing these types of EPs sacrilege?

Funding Member

Telescopes, Astronomy, Binoculars

Sponsors


View all sponsors

Search