Posts Made By: Dave Mitsky

Inge,

The 114mm f/4 Orion StarBlast is a suprisingly capable rich field Newtonian for not a lot of money.

http://www.telescope.com/shopping/product/detailmain.jsp?itemID=4644&itemType=PRODUCT&iMainCat=4&iSubCat=8&iProductID=4644&relateInfo=3&add=yes#tabLink

I prefer rich field refractors myself and own a number of them. The views through my 101mm f/5.4 Tele Vue refractor and a 35mm Panoptic are very pleasing indeed.

Dave Mitsky

This is my favorite of the shots of the launch that are posted at http://wwww.spaceweather.com

http://spaceweather.com/nlcs/images2007/04aug07/imai1.jpg

Dave Mitsky

Beware the dreaded Stellarain!

As far as observing goes, Stellafane is not the typical light-controlled star party. The lower campgrounds area is not the best spot to observe from due to throngs of people walking about, cars leaving the parking areas, and other sources of light. The terrain can be quite rough and hilly.

It is quite dark on top of Breezy Hill but unfortunately, aside from the 12" f/17 Porter Turret Telescope ( http://www.stellafane.com/history/early/early_images/ClubhousePTT2003.jpg ), only the scopes (perhaps 20 to 30) entered in the competition will be available there. At one time, folks like John Vogt (the fellow wearing the white hat in the attached photo) were allowed to set up their big Dobs (25 inches and larger) there but no longer.

Be that as it may, Stellafane is a unique experience and one that I look forward to each and every year.

Dave Mitsky

It's merely subjective but I had the feeling that there were more meteors on Friday night (I saw around 30 without doing a dedicated count) than last night. There were a number of Earthgrazers that were rather impressive. This was from the grounds of Stellafane, near Springfield, Vermont. Conditions were superb on Friday night for the entire night.

Dave Mitsky

As has already been posted here:

Lasers that emit between 5mW and 500mW output power are in Class IIIb or IEC Class 3B. Class IIIb lasers cannot legally be promoted as laser pointers or demonstration laser products. Product labels and user instructions must describe the hazard classification of the product and its output characteristics.

With any laser product, the potential for injury depends both on the product itself and how the product is used. Higher powered Class IIIb or IEC Class 3B lasers are dangerous and can cause either temporary visual effects or an eye injury.

What is the problem with more powerful Class IIIb lasers being promoted and sold as pointers?

Class IIIb hand-held lasers are too dangerous for use as pointers or amusement articles. Furthermore, promotion of Class IIIb or IEC Class 3B products for pointing or amusement violates FDA requirements and United States law. Manufacturers of such products may be required to repair, replace, or refund the purchase price of violative products distributed in the U.S. These products are also subject to detention and seizure by the U.S. Customs and Border Protection when imported.

Irresponsible use of more powerful laser pointers poses a significant risk of injury to the people exposed. Persons who misuse or irresponsibly use lasers are open to personal liability and prosecution.

Dave Mitsky

Here's a photo of the 18" single-truss Dob that won first place in both craftsmanship and mechanical design.

Dave Mitsky

Having seen just what a Mallincam can do, I think that electronics will play an increasingly more prominent role in visual observing in the future.

Dave Mitsky

An excellent montage!

Dave Mitsky

Here's the reply that I made to your post on another forum.

Of the 1866 NGC objects discussed in Burnham's Celestial Handbook:

36 open clusters are 20 to 40 arc minutes, 7 are 40 arc minutes to 1 degree, and 3 are 1 to 2 degrees in diameter

3 globular clusters are greater than 20 arc minutes in diameter

18 planetary nebulae are from 1 arc minute to 1 degree in diameter

9 bright diffuse nebulae are from 20 to 40 arc minutes, 5 from 40 arc minutes to 1 degree, 10 from 1 to 2 degrees, and 10 greater than 2 degrees in diameter

11 galaxies are greater than 20 arc minutes in diameter.

Dave Mitsky

That particular Nova program was first aired last year.

http://www.realclimate.org/index.php/archives/2006/04/global-dimming-and-climate-models/

I watched most of it again and found it no less thought provoking.

Dave Mitsky