Posts Made By: Pete Samsury

From time to time folks are looking for recommendations of sources of 12v power supplies. I noticed in sorting through the pile of ads with yesterday's Dallas Morning News that Target has put their Auto Starter on sale for about $44. I've had mine for a year and a half and it works great. It has the 12v lighter socket. I've actually even jump started a car; and troubleshot my vintage Miata just the other day.

Great buy and I have no interest in Target.

Pete

Back in the Spring (2002) there was a thread that dealt with dark red stars. I downloaded several articles referenced in those discussions. My favorite and it made be the reddest is 'Hine's Crimson Star, R Lepus.' I observed it during the late winter in 2001, but couldn't find it very well this past year. In thinking about this upcoming season I discovered(?) the AAVSO website..American Association of Variable Star Observers..and their list of predicted maxima/minima. Indeed R Lepus was at a minimum last winter and should be near maximum on Sept 29, 2002. It is a spectacular object.

If anyone else is interested in variables, I recommend getting their list.

Pete

Herb,

What happened to the 'New' that showed up one day last week when I logged on. It was very helpful!

Pete

I was wandering around Sam's Club today and noticed that they are now carrying a dual 12v outlet 400amp portable power unit for $32!

Should be a great buy for folks looking for one. I've no ties to WalMart or Sam's.

Pete

Herb,

How do I change my posting signature to avoid confusion with other folks with the same first name? I'm not looking to hide an identity, just differentiate. I tried modifying my first name paranthetically, but the system would not accept that.

Thanks, Pete

I've been struck by the fact that no one has started a string on the new observable comet....so here goes. I use The Sky to download positional data and estimated brightness. A few days ago I made the 5 am wake up to catch it as a morning object. It was to be slightly east of Vega. Unfortunately a bit of haze had moved in....no luck. New Year's Eve was a particularly clear day here North of Dallas so I gave it another try as an evening object.

I set up the 8" NexStar with a 32mm TV plossl. The Sky placed the comet in the FOV with a 3.6 mag star below Vega. I also just got a pair of Pentax V 16x60's. While several stars and doubles were great in the 16x60's and the 3.6 mag was clearly visible, no luck. I've not yet put together a viewing platform for the binoculars, but these are light enough to brace against a pillar and hand hold fairly satisfactorily. (Been quite pleased with them, although the FOV is narrow)

I finally spotted the comet with the SCT as a faint fuzzy. No tail was viewable. It was supposed to be 5-6 mag, I doubt it was 7 mag. The position was about 15 deg from the northwestern horizon, which didn't help any. I did check Uranus and Neptune for their clarity and they were excellent.

All in all, a disappointment. Has anyone been more successful?

Pete

Herb,

Thanks for the Newsletter. I was a bit disappointed in your pictures...no pointy ears, no reddish complexion, no trident in hand.

Keep up the good work.

Pete

Do you think the full moon has affected this forum?

I've been less than satisfied with the things available for 1.25" filter storage. So I started wandering around looking for small plastic hinged boxes. Other that the recent ad on Astromart, I had found nothing. I have outgrown my 'wallet.'

While at the local WalMart yesterday I stumbled accross a neat set of pill holders. (Yes, I am old, but I'm not yet to the handfull of pills stage.) They are a threaded stack of 1.5" diameter threaded plastic cases. Each one is about 5/8" deep. They are color coded and come with labels that can be customized. The colors happen to match exactly my filter array. A small square of single level pluckable foam in the bottom and I was in business. Total cost $3.27 plus tax of course.

As a very vocal critic of Celestron customer service over the past few years, I must report an example of outstanding service and response. (As an aside, I love their gear)

I recently needed to replace one leg on my heavy duty NexStar 8 tripod. I talked to Customer Service after leaving a message (real person!), received the ordering and payment intructions by email, and received the part a few days later.

Nice piece of work.

Pete