Posts Made By: Walter Locke

No worries there, big guy!

Walter

You look kinda cute, Tom. The goggles look good on you!

Lightholder Optics has done some very good things. He lives near Lake Tahoe, which might be close enough for you to take a Saturday drive up to meet him. You could find his web site with a Google search using the name of his business. He does nice work.

Walter

That's one beautiful scope, Larry! I bet the neighbors do a double-take when you mount that cannon!

Walter

I have both books and use Crossen's book far more frequently. Touring the Universe Through Binoculars seems designed to sell the companion software, at extra cost, which completes the book. Crossen's book, in my opinion, is more useful and user friendly.

Walter

Congratulations and the very best to both of you!

Best wishes,

Walter

...and they're planning on sending Cassini BETWEEN the rings of Saturn! Imagine sending something on a two billion mile trip with such accuracy and control that you can accomplish feats as precise as this, while performing serious research at the same time! We should all be proud of their success and applaud their efforts!

Walter

Please forgive my poor photography skills! This is our TEC 140, Tak FS-102, and William Optics Megrez 80 on two alt/az mounts: Unistar and two-arm Giro 2.

Walter

First of all, roughly 100mm = 4", so the ten incher's mirror will be around 250mm in diameter and the focal length, in inches, will be about 50". The gain in aperture will produce two things: First will be an improvement in resolution, and the second will be a significant increase in the size and weight of the scope itself. My point is, yes you will see more stuff with every significant increase in aperture (in this case a 25% increase in diameter over the 8"), but with that improvement comes a substantial tradeoff in the loss of portability. A ten inch Dob is a larger and heavier scope than an eight inch Dob, and if the bigger scope is too clumsy and difficult to use, the improvement in seeing will be wiped out by its inconvenience. It's hard to grasp the meaning of this statement until you find yourself wrestling a heavy load to and from your observing site some frosty evening. I recommend giving the matter of size the same consideration as seeing when deciding on a scope. After all, the best scope is the one you will use the most! Hope this helps!

Walter

Harold and Maude (w/ Bud Cort)
Dennis the Menace (w/ Walter Mathau)
Last Action Hero (w/ the Governator)

Walter