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Dual Clusters near Antares

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Posts Made By: Lawrence Aldrich

June 19, 2006 10:52 AM Forum: Eyepieces

Re: threats to the validity of eyepiece comparison

Posted By Lawrence Aldrich
I have always considered about 90% of the "reviews" of eyepieces and telescopes to be pretty much for entertainment value only.
Except for the generic dimensional and optical data, the material relating to the subjective analysis of the items is too dependant on individual sets of eyes to be of any real value.
Also...reviews from the more "well known" reviewers generally end with the reviewer sitting squarely on the fence.
You have to pretty much look at and through this hardware yourself to really come to any conclusions.
Just my 2 cents.....

April 16, 2010 11:59 AM Forum: Reflectors

Re: Mirror help

Posted By Lawrence Aldrich
david goldman said:

first, i would force your son to eat grape jelly sandwiches for the rest of his adolescent years.
second,try finding the jelly nebula.
third, try a different jelly or hobby!

The jelly nebula is Apricot...so that will not help in this case.

December 3, 2005 11:10 AM Forum: Reflectors

Woden Optics

Posted By Lawrence Aldrich
I had one (8") refigured and currently have a 12.5 on order.
He does work on a par with all the big guys.
He is slow...because of back log, but that also tells you something.
Recommended.

July 11, 2006 05:22 PM Forum: Eyepieces

Eyepiece Light Transmission

Posted By Lawrence Aldrich
Siebert's eyepieces are still one of the best kept secrets of the astronomy world. I have the 24mm 3 element 65 degree Ultra and it is the sharpest and brightest eyepiece in my collection...which includes some Nagler and Pentax high priced spread types.
It is also very lightweight which makes it a great bino eyepiece. Incidentally, on his website his ad refers to the 24mm as "high transmission"....which I believe is pretty accurate.

January 27, 2007 05:39 PM Forum: Eyepieces

Advice Needed Regarding Barlows

Posted By Lawrence Aldrich
I have both eyepieces you mention and frequently barlow them using a Siebert barlow...I see no reason why an Ultima 2x wouldn't work just fine.
Both eyepieces barlow very well.

July 16, 2007 02:31 PM Forum: Eyepieces

Need advice on a nice wide angle ep.

Posted By Lawrence Aldrich
Greg Nowell said:

Meade 32mm SWA will get you in business for a reasonable price. No reason not to get a 2". The cheap one will teach you why people buy expensive ones. Resell the cheap one here on the 'mart when you're done with it. I kept mine for several years.

Collimation and seeing are the likely culprits on Jupiter, as noted by Ed I think.

regards
Greg N

My vote exactly...I notice you saying you have a laser collimator. That needs to be augmented with a good quality Cheshire collimator so you can see what your primary alignment looks like. The laser by itself will normally not be reliable enough.
I think you have a collimation problem.

September 2, 2007 04:33 PM Forum: AstroMart FAQ

Why do some sellers delete ads right after sale?

Posted By Lawrence Aldrich
In my case I normally mark the item sold, and it just disappears. Not intentional on my part.
Must be the software. I mark the item sold ASAP to discourage other inquiries.

September 10, 2007 01:05 PM Forum: Eyepieces

Meade 8.8mm UW smooth side vs. eyecup version

Posted By Lawrence Aldrich
Interesting post...I have one of the units with the eyecup (great eyepiece, by the way) and have always wondered why the smooth side one was always sought after. Nice to know I'm not missing some mysterious missing ingredient.

Hank

October 2, 2007 04:35 PM Forum: Beginning Astronomy?

best 2" eyepiece for DSO's

Posted By Lawrence Aldrich
I use Pentax XWs, XFs and XLs in my 12.5 Dob. In my experience they are a hair better than anything else I've tried for sharpness and light throughput.
I'm particularly fond of the XW 20, XL 14.5, although for less money the XF 12 is also very good for Galaxies. Excellent throughput for the price.
They are as good as orthos for sharpness and offer a much wider field of view, which is needed with an undriven Dob.
I also have a Nagler 22 which is an outstanding eyepiece with a large FOV, but for faint fuzzies I go to the Pentaxes.


February 13, 2008 01:22 PM Forum: Eyepieces

4 & 6mm Teton Planetary Eyepieces

Posted By Lawrence Aldrich
I'll second your thumbs up. I bought the 5mm flavor and am impressed with both the eye relief and slightly wider field of view compared to an ortho. I used it last night for some lunar views with my 100mm f10 refractor and the on axis sharpness equalled the best I've seen.
They appear to be a very good buy at the excellent price.

Hank

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