Space Forum / Amateur Astronomy / August 2004

After tonight I think I'll not go up to the corner for awhile. Got ready to
go today and left at 4:30pm, got up there by about 6:45pm and set up. The
moon came over the roof by 8:20 and just as it did clear the building a car
pulled into the lot, that in itself was not anything ...

I haven't updated this web page just yet, but it's not that far out of date,
but you want to know something about me other than my little posting here?
Then go check out:
http://starlord-personal.netfirms.com/

It has been many months since we had comet news this exciting!
Two new comets have been discovered recently, both my amateurs.  These
comets are currently bright enough to be visible in amateur telescopes,
provided we get the moon out of the way.  Orbits for both have just now

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Some weeks ago I tried to split Antares with my Vixen 114/600 ED
Refractor at 150x, with blue filter, but I'm not sure it was successful.
It seemed to me that the 5,4 mag companion was positioned on the first
diffraction ring of the primary. Also, the air was not very steady.

Hey All...
I'm wonder if anyone has tried this or thought to try this...  I have an
ETX-60 (lots of fun so far) which is a 60mm  achromatic refractor.  Now with
the ETX-60 and 70 the front objective lens can be removed.  Has anyone

Hello Group ,
                Merciful heavens , is it just me or has there been
more cloud cover the last two or three years than say seven or eight
years ago ?

Is it out yet, any one owns it? How good is it?
Any reviews?
Thanks, Julius!

the time has come to give up on the old 1984 tasco battle horse,
looking for a new scope, thinking on this one or something similar
http://www.oriontel.com/shopping/product/detailmain.jsp?itemID=5151&itemType=PRO
DUCT&RS=1&keyword=atlas+10
Anyone have any direct  or second hand ...

The analemma, photographed by Dennis DeCicco and now appearing in
schoolyards and driveways all over the world, and whose image on globes
of the earth mystified generations of school teachers, and the equation
of time that says that the sun can be ahead or behind the mean sun by ...

Well, now I've done it. I put too many ventillation holes in the mirror cell
end of my Starfinder Dob, and the star test now shows a poorly supported
mirror. Not to worry though, I'll fix it.
This is just a caution that anyone considering the Alan Adler fan

Found a nice oak toolbox in Lowes Hardware for $19.  The tray is also
wood.  I turned it upside down and cut holes for eyepieces.  There is
still room underneath for cables, misc items,etc.
Just thought I'd pass on the find.  Here's a picture:

Got up this am and went outside to watch the sunrise, also moved my SG-1 Dob
out and checked out both Saturn and Venus,would have made a good photo, but
handheld without tracking just would not have done any good. But it made for
a nice surrise, total enjoyment sitting out among the ...

Here's another dull one. But please, help me choose my first telescope.
Suppose you're back to buying your first telescope (but without losing any
precious accumulated experience). Your budget is (very) tight but,
nevertheless, you drive to your favourite telescope store.

Centro de Observação Astronómica no Algarve has a little program to make
diffraction gratings with a home printer. But it has some limitations. First
the resolution is maxed at 720 dpi and second the pattern is round wasting a
large amount of the transparency.