Posts Made By: Alex McConahay

You need two radius blocks and a rail. The radius blocks screw onto the SCT tube at the front and back. You should see two sets of holes on the rim of the tube that allow you to do this.

The aluminum rail is in turn attached to these radius blocks. On the bottom of the aluminum rail, you attach that bracket you referred to.

You can make the radius blocks yourself if you have a machine shop--or a friend with one. Or if you are particularly careful with a hacksaw and a drill and a chunk of aluminum.

Alex

I see nothing wrong with having different prices for different quality. I mean, we could buy any level of vehicle from GM or Ford.

I do find it a touch malodorous when a vendor is setting aside the very best for special people if he says that all people are getting "the best" he has to offer.

Alex

I don't know that name in particular--But my experience in general is that if they ship it in a day or two at the specified price--you will be lucky. And if they do not, they won't, and never intended to ship it.

It seems that the lowest prices on these things are scams. The company gets you to contact them, and then offers you a bunch of other things. (A battery and charger for $99, when you could buy it for $29, a memory card for $390 when you could get one for $99). If you buy the other things, you get your camera. If you don't, sorry it is out of stock. And will be for two weeks. Until two weeks are up, then it is a month, and more.....

In short. You may get lucky. And it might be worth a try. Just be sure to specify what you want and if you do not get it, tell your credit card company to stop payment. And monitor them closely. Or, avoid the hassle and call a reputable dealer.

In general on a "set price" item (which most of the cameras and scopes and such are), you are pretty well stuck with the set price.

Hey, contact Anacortes or one of the other Astromart sponsors, and see what their price is. They should have some in stock eventually.

Alex

>>I've spent 20+ minutes just trying to find a star with this thing before giving up. Am I doing something wrong or just not patient enough?

Welcome to astrophotography. Don't feel bad about feeling impatient. Nobody in their right mind is patient enough for astrophotography.

The easiest solution is to use a reticle eyepiece in your Chinese clone to center a star. Remove the eyepiece and insert your camera. Focus the star with your webcam. (Note that the problem may not be that the star is off the chip--but that the chip is not sensitive enough--or exposure not long enough. Try it in the day first to get the technique down on a telephone pole. Then a real bright star at night to start.) Remove the camera and re-insert your eyepiece. Without changing your focuser position, move your eyepiece in an out of the focuser tube until it focuses. Mark this position on the barrel of your eyepiece (or use a "parfocalizing ring"). Now, whenever you first start out, just insert the reticle eyepiece into the focuser to the same position, center and focus the telescope, and you should be on your chip.

Alex

Don't even pretend to show her the horsehead. It is so dim it takes lots of experience and very dark skies to see.

Right now, the best is, of course, M42. And Saturn, and when the moon comes back, the moon.

Then the double cluster, & M45 in a wide field.

Then head for Auriga and take in some diamonds spread across the velvet.

Alex

Besides the end of a dove, you mean?

In astronomy the term is used as shorthand for a device used as a bracket. When one says they are looking for a Losmandy Dovetail for a C 9.25, they mean they are looking for the bracket that fits on a C9.25 and attaches to a Losmandy mount.

When one says the finder scope has a dovetail attachment, they mean the finder scope is mounted in a bracket (that has a dovetail male end) that attaches to a mating bracket (with a dovetail female end) on the main scope.

Dovetails make it easier to attach and remove things.

The word dovetail comes form a machinist term that describes a shape. The male end of the shape is wider at the bottom, and then tapers up. From the end, it looks like a trapezoid with a wide bottom and narrow top. This male dovetail fits into a matching female shape, and one tightens a set screw to keep the mess together.

Dovetails come in all sizes.

Alex

I don't know much about Chromacors. However, the standard way of judging over and under correction comes from Suiter's Star Testing Astronomical Telescopes. Read through the book. Or at leas borrow it and look through the section of interest to you.

Also, there is a thread someplace around here where they do a little discussion of over and under correction. I think it is in Equipment, but it may be in Refractors.

I agree with Jon's advice in general. I am real happy with my Sky Atlas 2000.

Alex

I assume the lens is clean? It looks like a type of lens flare.

I would agree you would get that if you were taking pictures toward the sun, but you said you keep getting it, so I assume you get it wherever you shoot. Therefore, I am inclined to thing it is either dirt or something in the light path close to the chip or lens.

Alex

I regularly use a 10 inch F4.5 on a G-11. Meade used to sell the scope on a "Starfinder" mount. If you have a machine shop you should have no problem building the dovetail, and some way to mount the tube to it.

I would suggest before going there you consider the mirror cell. Many Dob mirror cells are made to allow the mirror to go horizontal and rotate around in azimuth. In an equatorial mount it needs to be controlled over a whole lot wider range of motions. Just be sure that when you move your mirror in the equatorial it will stay put.

Alex

Before starting, please read through whatever you can find.....It is extremely flammable and dangerous.

Alex