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RICHARD COFER

VdB 141 Ghost Nebula

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Posts Made By: Mike Gibson

August 10, 2003 07:46 PM Forum: Equipment Talk

Light Cup, Mars and TMB SuperMono

Posted By Mike Gibson
Ron - great report on Mars and the TMB Monocentrics. Before I jump in line for the new Monos, I want to parse your "tad sharper" and contrast edge over the Radians further. What I mean is, once features were revealed in the Monos were they more readily apparent (more or less) in the Radians or still invisible?

I use Pentax SMC orthos and probably would describe the difference with Radians the same way as you have. So I'm asking myself if the new TMB Monos simply restore a lunar/planetary/doubles eyepiece product which was no longer available at such quality levels.

To ramble further, how much better are the Monos than TV Plossls?

August 11, 2003 03:23 AM Forum: Equipment Talk

Is a focault tester enough....

Posted By Mike Gibson
RF Royce uses two pass optical flats, Foucault knife, Ronchi and interferometry (i.e. Zygo). He web site stresses Strehl over RMS or P-V.

http://www.rfroyce.com/products_ast.htm

You can make a decent mirror using only the knife edge (with all the zonal masks) and Ronchi test, but don't expect to compete with Zambuto. Remember, it's about smoothness too.

August 11, 2003 03:32 AM Forum: Equipment Talk

5/6-inch Grab-and-Go?

Posted By Mike Gibson
Yes...an MN56 on the lightweight GoTo mount of your choice would work. The OTA is about 11 pounds. This is a 5" f/6 Mak-Newt with killer optics. Easily adapted to a 114GT mount. The MN56 is about $775 new, $550 used. It has a 2" focuser. It is an "apo"!

August 12, 2003 11:50 PM Forum: Equipment Talk

Orion New XT10" Intelliscope!

Posted By Mike Gibson
Is this scope GoTo or PushTo?

August 13, 2003 02:33 AM Forum: Equipment Talk

AR6 damaged dealer refuses to give refund

Posted By Mike Gibson
The dealer has no leverage with Meade, and their margins are very slim these days anyway. That's why we are losing them. Many dealers would charge you a restocking fee.

Call Meade customer service directly for tech support and a better understanding of your options. But keep your eyes on the prize...Mars. The AR6 is easy to collimate with basic tools and star testing. You can always send the scope back after trying to collimate, just be careful not to damage the scope. There is no guarantee that another will not also need some tweaking.

This way, you could have an excellent scope in days instead of months. BTW, don't forget to test that LXD55 mount! Warranty period is 1 year.

August 13, 2003 04:22 PM Forum: Equipment Talk

Digital camera and Mars

Posted By Mike Gibson
Yes, you can get very pleasing images of Mars...even multiples for stacking. But I am not sure what you are asking. If you want to use your camera in the afocal configuration, you will need to use an eyepiece and adjust the optical zoom for best position.

You can hold the camera manually, use a camera bracket or buy fancy adapters. See this link for the Nikon Coolpix in a similar mode:

http://www.stargazing.net/david/Nikon990/afocalcoupling.html

August 13, 2003 10:22 PM Forum: Equipment Talk

Mirror Coating

Posted By Mike Gibson
Yes, it is a Mil Spec surface quality rating. Pinholes are grouped with scratches and digs from coating or substrate. 80/50 is an acceptable cosmetic standard, but not good enough for demanding research or laser applications.

Read all the details here:

http://www.optics-online.com/tolerance.asp

August 15, 2003 06:30 PM Forum: Equipment Talk

Maximum Power for 8"SCT

Posted By Mike Gibson
That's about normal for a decent SCT which is cooled and collimated; it should go higher in ideal conditions. It also depends on your target, with many feeling that much higher power for splitting doubles counts too. I can go 60x per inch for a zenith object on some nights with a C9.25. Apo refractors can easily go 80x per inch.

August 15, 2003 08:52 PM Forum: Equipment Talk

Orion Ultrablock or Lumicon OIII

Posted By Mike Gibson
For the Veil Nebula, a Lumicon O-III will perform better than the Orion Ultrablock, because the Ultrablock behaves more like a Lumicon UHC.

The Lumicon O-III is the defacto standard for viewing the Veil.

August 15, 2003 09:51 PM Forum: Equipment Talk

Ultrablock vs UHC

Posted By Mike Gibson
Depends on what you want in bandpass. I recall that the Lumicon UHC has a red bandpass which the Ultrablock lacks.

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