Posts Made By: Darlene Fung

Hello Ron,

Your views are about what I get with a 6" f/12 Mak-Cas using a UHC filter at lat 37, except mine is a bit brighter overall. Mars is so bright a UHC or a O-III can be used to bring out details. I tried a raft of colored filters and ND filters but none of them gave me the details I saw with the UHC and the O-III. They will only work when Mars is this bright. Otherwise, they'll dim things out once the planet's magnitude drops below a certain point.

Considering what I was getting as Mars became much brighter these past few weeks, I was very happy to get views similar to yours. And this is after allowing for cool-down time, viewing Mars at the highest point in the sky, focusing on distant stars before swinging over to Mars, testing different EPs for best magnification and "working" the image.

I think the only thing I can do to improve my views, short of getting more aperture, at this point is to seek higher altitude with clear, steady skies.

Clear & Steady Skies,

Darlene

Jose,

I agree with Jim about posting photos of what visual observers see. Thank you for the details about the scope, magnification, seeing conditions and statement about average views. This is helpful for others who have a similar set-up and very helpful for others such as myself who start thinking about getting more aperture or a different type of scope. Maybe Herb can start a mini-forum titled, "What Can I See Visually?"

The CCD images on this forum did send me through a tizzy when I compared them with what I was seeing. (See the thread I started in Solar System Observations.)

Clear & Steady Skies,

Darlene

Gerry,

Photographers use Wratten Gel Filters. However, they are not cheap. I googled gel filters and found a site that sells a 4" X 4" 23A for $15.95 and a 4" X 4" 25 for $23.95. If you are interested, here's the site:

http://osnews.pricegrabber.com/search_attrib.php?page_id=587&sortby=popular-&vendors%5B%5D=0&lo_p=0&hi_p=0&form_keyword=23a&Update+Results=Update+Results&ut=9efcd6aa9147d730

Frankly, I think you would be better off trying Pat's bar recommendation

Darlene

Ricardo,

I understand your dismay at the scratch. Hopefully, it was not near the center of the lens.

A comment about cleaning your eyepieces:

Earlier in the year I acquired an older, out-of-production, premium 10mm eyepiece that had five dried condensation granules near the central location. I did extensive internet research on lens cleaning and discovered some of the biggest concerns about cleaning relate to fluid residue left on the lens, scratching the anti-reflective coating, over-flooding the lens so that moisture wicks down the inside of the barrel and recontamination of the lens. It is the wiping and rubbing that causes scratches.

The following is the procedure I use to clean my eyepieces:

1. use a bulb blower to remove loose dust.
2. use a very soft, extra-fine pointed sable watercolor paint brush to gently dislodge the more stubborn dust specks. Then use the blower again.
3. use another very soft, extra-fine pointed sable brush to apply a single drop of lens cleaning fluid onto a single granule and allow it to sit for a few minutes.
4. then use an optical cloth that is extremely absorbant to wick away the drop of fluid which contains the disolved granule. Discard wipe after one use!
5. move on to the next granule and remove them one by one

The cleaning fluid is "Formula MC" from Peca Products. Go to: http://www.pecaproducts.com

Information about Optiwipes can be found at:
http://www.mgchemicals.com/products/828.html

I can not comment about finger prints since I haven't tackled them yet.

Clear Skies,
Darlene

Brian,

Floyd has some excellent recommendations.

Here's is my comment I posted under the Equipment Talk section in response to another posting:


Earlier in the year I acquired an older, out-of-production, premium 10mm eyepiece that had five dried condensation granules near the central location. I did extensive internet research on lens cleaning and discovered some of the biggest concerns about cleaning relate to fluid residue left on the lens, scratching the anti-reflective coating, over-flooding the lens so that moisture wicks down the inside of the barrel and recontamination of the lens. It is the wiping and rubbing that causes scratches.

The following is the procedure I use to clean my eyepieces:

1. use a bulb blower to remove loose dust.
2. use a very soft, extra-fine pointed sable watercolor paint brush to gently dislodge the more stubborn dust specks. Then use the blower again.
3. use another very soft, extra-fine pointed sable brush to apply a single drop of lens cleaning fluid onto a single granule and allow it to sit for a few minutes.
4. then use an optical cloth that is extremely absorbant to wick away the drop of fluid which contains the disolved granule. Discard wipe after one use!
5. move on to the next granule and remove them one by one

The cleaning fluid is "Formula MC" from Peca Products. Go to: http://www.pecaproducts.com

Information about Optiwipes can be found at:
http://www.mgchemicals.com/products/828.html

I can not comment about finger prints since I haven't tackled them yet.

I neglected to add that I use a 9X magnifier to inspect the EP before moving on to the next step. Then you can spot any problems that may crop up and thus, modify your actions. The Formula MC disolved the granules and left absolutely no residue on the lens after I used the Optiwipes to absorb the droplet. They are made by a company that manufactures high grade optics and are so highly absorbant I did not need to wipe the drop off. All I did was to touch a corner of the wipe to the spot and it sucked it up completely.

In terms of cleaning your brushes afterwards, I recommend using distilled water if the water from your tap has lots of contaminates or particulates in it. I would also recommend you start with your longer focal length EP first since any inadvertent damage will not be as critical as one in the 6 or less mm range.

Clear Skies,
Darlene

Hi All,

Here's a reply I got from Herbert on the Equipment Talk Forum:

http://www.astromart.com/messages.asp?message_id=129568&page=

See my reply for links to articles about materials considered safe and unsafe for solar viewing.

Clear Skies,
Darlene

Sidney,

Go to the Mak Users Group at: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/MakScopes/
Do a search on 'focus' to read prior posting on this topic. Coming to focus has been a problem with older models. The 'newer' scopes solved it for the most part.

I have the 6" MK 67 DX which I got from ITE in 8-02. It is a fabulous scope. I have been able to come to focus using a WO 2", TV 1.25" and 2" extension tube in different combinations with ortho and plossl eyepieces. Sometimes I have to draw out the EP a little to sharpen the image.

If you are a member of a local astronomy club, contact other members and have them bring over their diagonals, extension tubes, eyepieces to see which combination will work for you.

Once you get things working right, you will love your scope.

Clear Skies,
Darlene

John,

I suggest you cut your losses. Electronic equipment can work perfectly and then suddenly go on the fritz without warning. I had a PC checked out by a technician before I sold it for a nominal amount. Sure enough, the fan went out within a few months after the buyer took possession of it. Another experience I had related to a tape recorder I lent a friend. It was working fine when I delivered it. Then, something went wrong with the unit within a month. Never did find out what happened but it did put a strain on the friendship.

Perhaps the seller will get it fixed and send it back to you or give you a partial refund. If he does, then you are fortunate.

Guess the moral to the story is to buy electronic items with the understanding that there are very real risks involved since the remaining life of the item is a HUGE unknown.

Clear Skies,
Darlene

Steven,

Windex is definitely not used to clean any optical equipment.

If you go to the top of this page, you will see a "Search Forums" link. Click it and enter the phrase "cleaning lens" and you will see many pages of postings about the different techniques for cleaning lens and mirrors. After you've read the postings that interest you, try another search by entering "cleaning eyepieces." These postings will give you an idea of how careful you must be when cleaning optics.

Any other astro forum will have an "advance search" feature, too. Try them with the above topic searches and you will find even more postings.

Good Luck & Clear Skies,

Darlene

Guy,

I can not imagine a brand new LensPen leaving that kind of gunk on a lens or mirror. It is possible that you got a lemon or that it was contaminated sometime in the past.

Does any one have a brand new, unused LensPen? If so, could you take a clean glass cup or home mirror, smudge it with a fingerprint, use the LensPen to clean and report the results back to us?

I got a LensPen once and gave it away because the thought of using it to clean optics with the accumulated dust, finger oils, etc collected from previous cleanings made me nervous.

Clear Skies,

Darlene