Quote:
Originally Posted by bkm2304
I am wondering if I need to get the mirror looked at although I am told that it was made as one of the last mirrors by Galaxy that was significantly hand - finished or figured(?).
The exploration of alternatives was a result of thinking that the short reflector was "too big" for planetary work as some have said over the years. But I think not.
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Your biggest issue with that rig would probably be the 2" thick mirror which would make it unlikely that you are keeping the core down to 1 degree or so delta to ambient during the night unless you has some pretty slick thermal management . You'd be better suited with a smaller aperture and thinner glass . It also depends on the absolute seeing at the site you are using and this gets a bit lost these days amongst the wonders of digital processing .
When i used to work at CSIRO Applied Physics they had an interferometer setup for testing sky conditions by Sydney Uni as a precurser to the SUZI stellar interferometer and they found the average nightly seeing on the hill aligning with a 150mm aperture at the Lindfield site, so you can't assume you have great seeing where your observatory is located . Having a smaller portable telescope will allow you to more easily find a site with good seeing .
I have a pretty sound testing here and you are not too far away - if you ever want some thorough bench testing of your mirror just PM me .