Space Forum / Amateur Astronomy / April 2005

sci.astro.amateur or Astromart  or Cloudy Night forums (fora)??
I browse & post to all three.  The recent threads on what's happened to
s.a.a. got me thinking about the history of astro newsgroups and the
net.  I'd be interested in other s.a.a. & AOL  veterans' thoughts about

The early gens of Canon's and Nikon's DSLRs are dropping toward
the $500 and under mark on the use market.
If anyone is thinking of removing the sensor's infrared filter
window for astronomy, you can buy a screw-on (the lens of the camera)

http://www.thunderbirdtechnology.com/Other%20Pages/AiryDiscAndAngularResolution.htm
Towards the end of the above site. It is mentioned that
putting a magnifying glass in front of the primary mirror
can create better resolution (smaller angular sizes). Is

The definition of a telescope's magnification M is standard. Viewing an
object that subtends a *finite* angle to the naked eye (so we are not
talking about star images) with magnification M, creates the illusion of
"decreased distance". Let's call this "apparent distance" under

Here is an interesting/amusing video clip. I was shooting some video
of the moon (5 day waxing crescent) through my LX90 when an airplane
passed through the frame:
http://www.epcinternet.com/astron/New_Moon-Plane.avi

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/7624236/
It's articles like this that make me realize how ignorant of
astronomical phenomena like meteor showers many people are.  How is that
possible in this day and age of media and internet press?

Yes, another cold, wet Saturday in Toronto.
But, seeing was good last night!
-Rich

Just thought I'd share a couple of images of M65 & M66 I took from my
back yard.
http://www.epcinternet.com/astron/StellaCam/Images3.html
Scope: LX90 @F/3.3

http://www.whatdoesitmean.com/index729.htm
While I realize the story sounds absurd, (since Brokaw, Rathers replacement,
and soon to be Peter Jennings replacement haven't said boo about it, ha ha )
it does bring up an interesting question.

  There has been debate here for a long time over what kind of telescope is
the best overall. Optical design, portability, suitability for photography,
ease of use and other factors have been used to argue the merits of various
scopes.  To finally settle this issue, I now submit ...

I would be grateful if someone could identify any of the craters (or
any other features) in my image. I'd look to look up the area on a
lunar atlas so I know what area I was imaging. If I remember
correctly, this was approximately a 4-5 day old moon. Image located

Why would some one spend $2000 for a 6" f/5 Newt telescope, when a  4" APO
can cost less than that?
http://www.astromart.com/classifieds/details.asp?classified_id=348101

Hi group.
Re:  Celestron C9.25 OTA
I see these listed by retailers as f/10 and others as f/11----are there
different models?  Company 7 shows it as f/10 and Anacorte lists as f/11.  I

Anyone have any input on the Texas Hill Country area around Marble Falls
being good, bad, or ugly for astronomy?
Is Enchanted Rock the closest "Clear Sky Clock" to that area?
We are considering the area for our retirement home, and am seeking advice