Posts Made By: Judson Mitchell

I'm sure we all read your updates with great anticipation and perhaps a little envy. You always seem to have something new to report on, and this is no exception. No doubt they are banging on you door in hopes of being the first to say "I'll take the scope as soon as you are done playing with it"! And of course like a big brother your response will be "Not yet, there are still a few things I have to do"! And when the time comes to box it up and sent it to its new owner there will be a tear in your eye. Or better yet it will be impossible to part with.

Has anyone tried NiteSpecs (see our sponsors list)?

At first I was sympathetic but at things developed followed by the placement for sale of a set of EPs that seem to match the contested ones, I had some problems with the whole issue. Deleting the thread may not serve someone who may be considering buying the items in classified #435920.

Have been trying for quite a while, but the transparency and seeing have not allowed finding it. Observing with 12" dob. Was able to push up to about 400X but, contrast diminished there, so no luck. Observing from upstate South Carolina. Mag 5 from my house would be a phenomenal gift.

Joe
I select a constellation that is reasonably overhead at the time and regularly check which stars I can see using a printed star chart. This gives me a relative feel for what the conditions are for that night. For example Cygnus is an excellent constellation for that purpose. There is a very nice range of star magnitudes present. However, it is not available all the time, thus other constellations must be used. In my case, if I can see all the stars in Ursa Minor, that is a great night from my house. It is fun finding an using this technique. It adds to the nighttime enjoyment and develops a greater appreciation for the delights of an amateur astronomer.

Wow Joe! I am going to have to read this several times to really get the true gist of it. Always good to get advice from an expert. Thanks for your input.

Michael
Before you start buying additional EPs, try the equipment with your new scope first. The 2X barlow will duplicate the 4mm EP you mentioned. Plus, your EP needs for a 10" dob may be different than for your 130. Are there any observers/clubs in your area you can interface with to get a better idea of what may work for you first without spending your limited funds. Perhaps you can test a few EPs, look through other peoples scopes, and learn what type of observing is most interesting to you. These will help direct the selection of equipment you ultimately choose. I found Astromart only after I had made several purchases that were of little value to me. You have started taking advantage of the benefits Astromart offers. It appears that you should not have to travel too far to fine some excellent skies to observe from. Please take the time to find those areas before you decide on your next step. Your enjoyment and selection of objects will likely be significantly different from a nearby dark site than from your home. Learn what those differences are. Take your time, the hobby should last a lifetime.

In conjunction with the heat island effect, the other day I was trying to establish the AFOV of my EP/Scope assembly and was observing with some wind and found that I couldn't even focus some of my EPs due to the turbulence. My guess is that the turbulence very close to the telescope is the most destructive. I could actually see the waves caused by the wind. Thus, my guess is that the further away the actual turbulence is, the less effect there is. The atmospheric turbulence is very observable on a greatly out of focus star. I use this kind of information along with star tests to
evaluate seeing conditions each night. So my conclusion would be that the further away from the Urban heat you are, the less impact it would have.

Michael
Jupiter rotates fairly rapidly, so observing over a period of several hours reveals different features, such as the movement of the GRS and transits. Festoons on the northern equitorial belt are of particular interest. Take advantage of Jupiter now because it is moving further away and will ultimately remove itself from view for several months.

Ron
The GSO 42mm superwide is my star hopping EP. It gives me a 1.5 degree FOV at 36X. It is reasonably sharp out to +80% which is adequate for my purposes. Of course, the long FL of the EP gives rather pin point stars so it serves my purpose. A good evaluation is hard to do in my neck of the woods since we rarely have excellent skies in upstate SC. The 30 Superwide also seems to perform as well. However, the 32mm and 26 mm would be ones I would avoid. I observe with an F/5 12" dob. I have not done any side-by-side comparisons with other favored EPs so it is not for me to make that analysis; however, I find it a usable EP. It will stay in my case until my other fantasies are fulfilled.