Hi
I found this link
http://tinyurl.com/bzbv7 in a discussion in the C9.25 Yahoo Groups. It points to a flocking thread on sci.astro.amateur in which luminaries such as Roland Christen (Astro-Physics) made comments. Well worth a read (if the link still works!).
Cheers
Dennis
PS - to whet your appetite, here is an excerpt from that thread which spawned some quite interesting discussions.
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"Flocking doesn't change the sharpness of the optics, does not eliminate
any optical aberrations, does not smooth out rough surface finish, does not
reduce the central obstruction, etc. These are the primary things that affect
planetary contrast. Flocking does affect the ability to see faint deep sky
objects in light polluted skies, but again does not help any in really dark
skies. Planets are so bright with respect to the background sky, that it makes
virtually no difference if baffles are there or not. The light from the planet
is blocked from coming directly into the eyepiece by the secondary mirror, and any light that does come in on the side from the background sky does not have enough brightness to register with respect to the planet itself."
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