Image of the day

Captured by
Lawrence Parchman

Sculptor Galaxy (NGC 253)

About Astromart

My Account

New to Astromart?

Register an account...

Need Help?

Posts Made By: Ivan Gastaldo

August 22, 2006 12:55 PM Forum: Beginning Astronomy?

Re: Cleaning Optics

Posted By Ivan Gastaldo
Mike, we are all aware of how to clean them... wink but...

What amazes me is that everybody here suggested for you to leave it alone, and you still went ahead and decided to clean it, WHY the initial question then?...
(you have no idea how many people screwed up their scopes that way...)(hopefully your scope collimation has not been messed up)


Clear skies!

September 11, 2006 12:44 PM Forum: Pictures of Me and My Telescope and........

Re: 10" Newtonian.....Finally Finished

Posted By Ivan Gastaldo
What a BEAUTIFUL scope David! 8)
Glad it is finally finished... now it is time to ENJOY IT! wink


Clear skies!

September 13, 2006 01:07 PM Forum: Off Topic Discussions

Re: The War On What??

Posted By Ivan Gastaldo
Uh, Oh..... I think Mike is gonna get "some spanking" because of Herb's post... 8) (that is, if he keeps it here...) wink

HH, I'm with you, but I don't think this belongs here... Mikey is gonna get whipped by the AM God... (if he sees this..., as you know this could definitely turn into a political can of worms!) wink

September 22, 2006 03:50 PM Forum: Equipment Talk

Focuser Knobs - Rubber Grip Issues

Posted By Ivan Gastaldo
This will be the third time that I'm going through this... :S

The Rubber grip band, that goes around the Focuser Knob, keeps breaking on my ED-80... not sure if anybody else has seen/had this...

Is there any other product out there to replace these Knobs with? (NOTE: I know there are many products out there to replace other focusers knobs, but have not seen any to replace the ones that come with the ED series of scopes...)



Thanks for your attention, and clear skies! 8)

September 25, 2006 03:11 PM Forum: Landscape Photography

Here comes the Sun...

Posted By Ivan Gastaldo
Finally, a Clear Sky after some crazy months of Florida Summer (clouds/rain/thunderstorms)
Taken from my backyard...

Hope you guys enjoy it! 8)

October 2, 2006 12:39 PM Forum: Beginning Astronomy?

Re: Always a beginner

Posted By Ivan Gastaldo
It only takes one NEW variable thrown into our existing equipment to take us into "Beginner Mode"
It seems you had quite many of them (new variables) at once... that would be "Beginner Mode EXTREME!" wink 8)

Glad to hear your issues are getting straightened out, and yes, the AP Mounts are SWEET! 8)

October 23, 2006 01:51 AM Forum: Meade

Re: lx200R 8" vs lx200r 10"

Posted By Ivan Gastaldo
Hello John! 8)

Let me say that the 10" LX-200GPS (non-R) is quite heavier and bulkier than the 8" version... I would expect to be about the same for the "R" version... 8)

November 2, 2006 08:51 PM Forum: Refractors

WO 66 SD, a beautiful bargain...

Posted By Ivan Gastaldo
Well, just got mine last night, and weather is as nasty as it gets... (but of course, I expected this...)

I unpackaged the scope, and I was simply astounded by the quality & beauty of this piece of equipment... photos don't do justice to it...

I'm amazed at what $300 can buy... the fit & finish is first class, the focuser is great, it is a Doublet-APO, it has a sliding dew-shield, and it even comes with an aluminum carrying case.

I simply cannot wait to put it through the test... 8)



Clear skies to all! wink


P.S.
This baby will go piggybacked on top of Big Brother LX-200GPS... 8)


November 16, 2006 01:59 AM Forum: CCD Imaging and Processing/Deep Sky

IDAS LPS & M42, a quick comparison

Posted By Ivan Gastaldo
Well, it has been a while since I've had a clear night to enjoy, and of course, an "almost" Full Moon was out to make things even worst, as my LP is already a problem.

I've had this IDAS LPS filter from my friend Lance Frederick that he kindly let me keep for a while, until testing was possible, and decided to give it a try... (always been interested in "trying" this myself)

These 2 images are far from good, but show quite a difference in the contrast & the background color, while keeping the object detail, for the short exposures that these shots have... (both images are 30x30sec exposures)

Both taken with a WO-66SD, with an Atik .5 f/r, mounted on top of the LX-200GPS.

All in all, quite an interesting experiment... (I might end up buying a 1.25" version of it for the Orion Starshoot)


Clear skies! 8)


NOTE:
I can't wait to try this stuff in Dark Skies... 8)

November 22, 2006 07:49 PM Forum: CCD Imaging and Processing/Deep Sky

(OT) HAPPY THANKSGIVING TO ALL!

Posted By Ivan Gastaldo
Wishing you all a Safe & Wonderful Thanksgiving... 8)
And thanks to all the ones that make this Forum so special... your contributions are REALLY appreciated! wink

Funding Member

Sponsors


View all sponsors

Search