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VdB 141 Ghost Nebula

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Posts Made By: James McSheehy

May 12, 2011 12:31 AM Forum: CCD Imaging and Processing/Deep Sky

Calamities if nature

Posted By James McSheehy
That must be the "PC" stamp honoring Edwin Hubble. Here is an earlier stamp page with Hubble pretending to guide the Oschin Schmidt Camera -- he appears fully equipped for a long, cold night on Palomar. 8)

http://tinyurl.com/3ehv7lt

May 13, 2011 12:29 PM Forum: Telescope Making

Sand Blasting large mirror blanks for web structur

Posted By James McSheehy
A hammer might work best. Break that old, thick blank into pieces and send the Pyrex off to be recast into a webbed blank. My former astro club had a 20" Newt with a traditional thickness solid mirror. It was in an observatory on a huge chain-driven fork mount. Thermal stabilization took 4-6 hours, and on some nights it never settled down.

May 20, 2011 01:43 AM Forum: SCI-FI

Favorite Movies: Favorite Moments

Posted By James McSheehy
Darth Vader to Lando in Empire Strikes Back:

"I have altered the deal, pray I do not alter it further"

The perfect line befitting one of the great villains in all cinema.


May 20, 2011 02:01 AM Forum: SCI-FI

Favorite Movies: Favorite Moments

Posted By James McSheehy
Another excellent scene, this one from Terry Gilliam's prophetic classic Brazil:

Sam Lowry returns to his apartment to find that two civil-service technicians have trashed it, all in retaliation for his earlier refusal to fill out a form.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=teufz17PqoY

(yeah, the guy with the cigar is Robert De Niro)

June 23, 2011 06:13 AM Forum: After Dark

Light Pollution: A Hopeful Sign

Posted By James McSheehy
I think it has more to do with the sad state of the U.S. economy and constantly increasing rates for electricity. A 400W luminaire costs about five cents per hour to operate, and potentially much more if it causes the business to jump up to the higher tiers in rate plans that penalize high-demand users.

June 27, 2011 08:01 PM Forum: Equipment Talk

Portable Pier Advice

Posted By James McSheehy
Steve Sands said:

The other only choices I see out there is the Astro-Physics Eagle 6/8 (looks awesome!) and PWT, but PWT doesn't appear to be around anymore?

Even when PWT was "in business", they were barely around. 8)

You can't go wrong with the AP portable piers, I've seen them at many star parties and the quality is top notch.

July 7, 2011 07:59 PM Forum: ASTRONOMY

House Subcommittee kills Webb Space Telescope

Posted By James McSheehy
Faux austerity is here. The axe will fall on many "things", government payrolls, not so much. Even as major programs wind down or are cancelled, watch as the headcount at NASA HQ increases.

July 29, 2011 03:09 PM Forum: Equipment Talk

Americans who won't ship equipment outside U.S.

Posted By James McSheehy
The U.S. Census Bureau and CBP have issued dozens of new regulations affecting exporters. Ignorance of the laws is no excuse, and in their ultimate wisdom, they have now decided to begin assessing fines and "liquidated damages" for minor violations, even simple typos on paperwork.

Tell me again why I should risk a $500 fine to ship a $75 eyepiece to Canada?

August 15, 2011 02:22 AM Forum: Eyepieces

How are the four elements grouped in a Plossl

Posted By James McSheehy
Plössls are typically made with two cemented doublets -- just two lenses. Of course if you lose track of the orientation, there are only four different ways to reassemble everything. grin

September 12, 2011 03:20 PM Forum: CCD Imaging and Processing/Deep Sky

Looking for someone to show me a working astrophot

Posted By James McSheehy
IMO there are no "working" astrophotography setups, only varying examples of frustrated experimenters playing with their improbable toys. Like any art form, it takes years of work to achieve a moderate level of proficiency. Once I got past my initial disappointments and began the actual learning process, the journey became more enjoyable.

8)

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