Something New has been Added!

My Beloved "Monster" Meade AR-6

Don't get me wrong, I love refractor telescopes! Since the time my grandfather gave me a 3-inch "spyglass" (actually, the best telescope I owned for a long time), to my 6-inch refractor "dream scope," I've only owned lens-type telescopes,

Thing is, my long-tube Meade 6-inch refracting scope is a monster: I love the contrast of the images it presents and it simply requires no maintenance. But setting it up and using it are difficult. For one thing, it's heavy, and hoisting it up to the top of its mount and securing it there is tricky. I haven't dropped it. Yet. Aligning the scope to known stars and even looking through the telescope at objects high in the sky are neck-aching tasks: as the lens points evermore skyward, the eyepiece lowers closer to the ground!

So, for some time, I've been considering a reflector. Schmidt-Cassegrain Telescopes (SCT) are probably the most popular configuration in serious amateur astronomy. But they are big, and they are heavy, and their "corrector plate" outer lenses are subject to significant dew issues. A Cassegrain telescope seemed to be the answer.

Oh boy! Something great arrived this morning. Annie's excited, too, can't you tell?

Right after Christmas 2018, in an act of blind optimism (optimistic our skies would eventually offer some cloudless nights) I ordered up my first reflector. It arrived today, January 2, 2019. I have high hopes!

Vixen VC200L - So Pretty

The highly-respected company Vixen Optics of Japan is the maker of my new 8-inch OTA. Cassegrain design does not include a corrector plate -- it's open at the skyward end of the optical tube which reduces weight and the dew-collection issue. The whole thing weighs in at 12 pounds!

I'll attach this scope on the big Meade's go-to mount and see how it goes.

Tomorrow night is predicted to be mostly clear of clouds; first light?

Prepping for the transit of Venus

I spent some time this morning experimenting with solar photography. On June 5, the transit of Venus will take place and since the next one after that won't happen for another 115 years, I thought I should try for this year's! I'm an impatient person. I discovered to my dismay that the very expensive, modern-design, Herschel Wedge won't work for photography with my "big" telescope -- the six-inch, 1,219mm Meade LXD75. I could not crank the camera "in" close enough to achieve focus with the wedge in place. Rats! I'm going to make quick queries to see what I can do to resolve the issue if I'm to use the wedge any time soon ... and June 5 is soon!  So with the telescope still set up in the mid-morning sunshine, I removed the wedge and covered the telescope's objective lens with the very inexpensive AstroZap filter made using Baader AstroSolar film. I connected my trusty (and light-weight) Canon Digital Rebel XT to the scope's eyepiece holder and made several bracketed exposures. Later I discovered the results were very good though not quite as good as shots made with my Canon EOS 50D and Canon 400mm telephoto. The difference in quality may be attributed to seeing conditions --the images were made days apart-- but either setup will do just fine for recording the upcoming historic celestial event. Now all we need is clear skies on that day!

Image Notes: Canon Digital Rebel XT attached to a Meade AR6 (1,219mm refractor) for prime-focus imaging, ISO 400, 1/2000 sec., image cropped and converted to monochrome. Solar filter: AstroZap white-light, film.

Waiting for sunset

Drove to Letha House Park and the CAA's observatory site for a night of observing. Packing the telescope equipment, folding table, and other gear in the 1997 Honda Civic is a lot of effort but it fits in the hatchback better than the other car!