Reviews & Articles - Members' Section

So, as part of my evaluation and testing: I used The AM3 for visual observing only, for several nights. I found it to be be very comfortable and intuitive to use. I used all of the basic/default settings; and became very familiar, and comfortable with the scope's movements in relation to the joystick control (Alt/Az Mode recommended).

A small refractor fan shares the goods on this AT Apo...

Eyepiece AFOV and Barlow magnification factors can effectively vary from manufacturer specified values.

The carbon fiber newcomer takes on the classic Tak FS-152 fluorite

Choosing and Using Large Binoculars

The 32mm 1.25” plossl is one of a handful of available eyepieces that offers the maximum possible TFOV in the 1.25” format. However, reviews of the various 32mm 1.25” options are hard to find. With that in mind I gathered a sample of five different 32mm 1.25” eyepieces currently in production and added the 35mm 1.25” Orion Ultrascopic to the sample.

Taking the Fight to Chromatic Aberration with Filters: #8 Light Yellow vs. Baader Fringe Killer vs. #12 Yellow vs. Baader 495 Longpass yellow filter

Though big Dobs and high-quality catadioptrics are often the telescopes of choice IF they have the time to reach and keep thermal equilibrium, something else is needed to make the most of less-than-ideal conditions while maintaining significant capability. That, at least to me, means a 4-inch APO refractor. Great optics, a short cool-down time, and reasonably light weight are the needed virtues.

The eyepiece market provides numerous options with a 20mm focal length ranging from inexpensive 20mm plossls to expensive “premium” options offered by Pentax and Televue. Eyepieces with a 20mm FL are very versatile giving exit pupils ranging from 4.4mm to 2.0mm with scopes having focal ratios from F/4.5 to F/10...

A touch of Pulkovo, Lick, and Yerkes... On a budget.

Amateur astronomers have a choice between instruments that are commercially available or becoming amateur telescope makers and building ones that are more suited to their needs. For the latter, the amateur has the freedom of instrument design as well as selection of specific components that represent the best available instead of compromising with what is provided with a commercially built unit.

Putting a fork into myths about Hubble's Galaxy classification

Your telescope's static balance can be achieved even when using a wide range of oculars.

In the current model of the Universe favored by most cosmologists the composition of the Universe is ~4.5% visible (baryonic) matter, 22.7% non-baryonic dark matter, and 72.8% dark energy...

... a beautiful grassy field for tent campers ( empty ), spotlessly clean bathrooms with hot showers, very nice camp sites with some shade trees right by the grassy field, a nice restaurant ... and if that wasn’t enough ... a challenging, well maintained 18 hole golf course! All this under the darkest skies in the US.

The definition of a planet and where the division is between Solar System objects that are planets and those that are not planets is currently in a state of disagreement among scientists.

In the summer of 1997, on my quest to interview the great commercial telescope makers in American history for a book, I made a pilgrimage to one of the most famous small towns in telescope history: New Hope, Pennsylvania.

Tales of Movie Stars and Mogey Refractors

This telescope mirror shadow tester doubles as an artificial star test.

Many eyepieces that I have found to be excellent in most respects I ultimately sold in part or whole due to the eyepiece having EOFB. What is Edge of Field Brightening?