Posts Made By: Gary DuBose

James,

I read "Flags of Our Fathers" a couple of years ago, and thought it was one of the most moving war books I've read. I had some e-mail correspondence with James Bradley, and he seems like a nice guy. He can be contacted through his web site.

As you realize, the conquest of Iwo Jima did a lot to shorten the Pacific War. Specifically, it enabled the bombing campaign to be stepped up which eventually brought Japan to the peace table without an invasion. (Except for some American stubborness, I think this might could have been accomplished without dropping the atomic bombs, but that's another topic.) My dad was in training as a landing craft driver in the Navy at this time. This would obviously have been extremely hazardous duty during an invasion of Japan, in which many thousands would have died on both sides. Being born 16 years after the war ended, I have always felt that I may owe my very existence to the many brave marines who fought and died in that battle.

I'll check out "Into the Rising Sun."

Gary

If this was true, the media would be all over it. No one reaches the levels of either Bush or Kerry by flipping people off in public. Both candidates have faced hostile crowds and critics over the years, and both can handle it professionally.

Gary

Do you guys know how much, if any, of this collimation discussion would apply to f15 scopes? My f15 has an adjustable cell and seems to give good images, but I don't know if they could be made better by tweaking collimation. Am I correct that with an f15 there is a large "zone" of correct collimation?

Gary

I've seen them lighter than the floor at waxing gibbous.

Gary

Congratulations on the new scope. You might want to visit the double star forum. There have been several discussions there about which stars can be split in a 5". Your TMB should be able to resolve down the the limit in the right conditions.

Gary

I think you would eventually regret getting rid of it. Even if the apo ends up doing everything better, you should still keep the f15. A long focus refractor will last virtually forever if cared for. A nice refractor can be an heirloom. Pass it down to your grandchildren.

Gary

Patrick,

Congratulations on the new scope. I have the 5" f15 version. This is a nice scope visually, so I would expect you to really enjoy the 6". In the 5", some chromatic abberation shows up on very bright stars, but is generally not a problem on planets. I have not looked through an f12 version, but you should have less CA with the new scope.

I've used mine primarily for double stars, and have been very pleased. In good seeing, you should be able to split stars less than 1" separation, and elongate or notch some down to the 0.7" or 0.6" range. If this is not an area of the hobby that you pursue, you should give it a try with the new scope.

The main drawback that I have with the scope is the mounting, as you have already touched on. I use a CI-700, which is rated for a good bit more weight than the scope, but the torque of the long tube makes balancing difficult. Even changing eyepieces can sometimes throw off the balance. This is as large a mount as I can handle, so if you could work out something with wheels (or some permanent set-up) you would be well served. Let us know how it goes when the scope arrives. I would love to hear a report.

Gary DuBose

This question got buried in a hurry, so I thought I'd bring it to the front. I'm planning to go with Lumicon filters by the way.

Gary

Thanks everyone. I think you've talked me into the UHC. Since I made my original post, I have also looked at the review on the other site. It seemed to recommend the UHC for my needs as well.

Gary

Congratulations on the new scope. With 22 inches you should be able to split doubles virtually to the limits of atmospheric conditions, assuming good collimation. You might want to try Beta Delphini, Eta Corona Borealis, Gamma Andromedae (try to split the secondary into its two components,) 36 Andromedae, Zeta Bootes, Zeta Hercules, or Eta Ophiuchus. All of these are sub-arc second doubles that will require good seeing, but should be doable in your scope. If you split some of these, you might want to post results on the double star forum. None of the usual folks there have such a large scope.

Gary