Posts Made By: Steve Stonehill

Hi Nathan,

I used a 20D to at the prime focus of an Orion 80ED to shoot these Hooded Mergansers from about 100' away. I have nothing but praise for this scope.

Clear Skies,

Steve

Hi Evan,

Making the assumption that your mirrors are OK and the scope is collimated and properly thermally managed it would take a refractor of nearly equal aperture to resolve the same detail as your 10" f5. My Orion 12" f4.9 shows more planetary detail than any of my previous telescopes including apos, Mak Cassegrains, Mak-Newts, achros, and a 9.25" SCT. If you check my classified ads you'll see some of the scopes that I've owned and see that I'm not talking theory or conjecture but describing my personal experiences. If you really want to see what your scope is capable of you need to thermally manage it and keep your collimation as close to perfect as possible. I drill holes into my reflector OTAs and install a fan to blow air directly across the primary and out of corresponding vent holes opposite the fan. Alan Adler and Bryan Greer got together and explained this in detail in an issue of Sky & Telescope a few years ago. Your 10" reflector is capable of showing more detail than a 6" apo if it's optimized to do so. Get the most from your reflector!

Clear Skies,

Steve

Hi Charles,

My heart goes out to you, it's not easy to say goodbye to a friend. I want to thank you for posting that link, I shared it with my family, friends, and coworkers. I hope you find another special companion to share your life and home with.

Sincerely,

Steve

Hi Inge,

I own a 12" Newt and I've owned a few 4" refractors. If you're looking for low power views with some high power observing thrown in I would give a serious look at a used Vixen 102EDSS f6.5. I've had the Vixen f9 fluorite and a Tak FS102 as well. I still have the 102EDSS. I found that all three of these scopes have CA but in varying degrees, The f6.5 shows the most but it is barely noticeable when compared to every achro larger than 60mm that I have ever used up to 6" and f13. The 102EDSS is very light and compact but it is not in the same league optically or mechanically as the triplets or Petzvals that I've seen but it's much less expensive. I put a 2 speed Moonlite on mine and now it's a pleasure to use. A 4.25" mask for your Dob will give you some idea of what a 4" apo will show you at high power. My quick look planetary scope went from a 4" apo to an 8" f7 Newt and I've never been happier with my views.

Clear Skies,

Steve

Hi Matt,

It could be that the warm air boundary layer in front of the mirror is to blame. When the boundary scrubbing fan in my 8" f7 is on and the scope is acclimated the in and out patterns are virtually identical. Turn the fan off and and things can get mushy.

Just a Thought,

Steve

Thanks for the kind words guys! I hope everyone had a merry and safe Christmas.

Steve

That's a nice shot! I love when our resident Red-Bellies are at the feeder.

Steve

Very Nice!!! Great way to have fun on a gray day.

Happy New Year!

Steve

Beautiful little bird! We don't see those in NJ!

Steve

Nice Shot! Digital folks often don't remember how hard it can be to get a good (manually focused) shot. Auto everything and Photoshop takes away some of the challenge.

Steve