Quote:
|
Originally Posted by Starkler
I have a feeling some people will leave the camp much happier with their dobs than before they came  |
Geoff, you were certainly right about that.
I learnt some of the intricacies of collimation, and that not everyone does it the same way (Xtreme John & Wombat Darren vs Dave 47Tuc) but the end result is the same.
Also learnt from Bird about the importance of thermal equilibrium. Saw it on his laptop screen how much difference 1/2--1 degree celsius can make, esp in good seeing. Then also saw the same thing in my Dob. At high magnifications, the image breaks down completely from a slight but sudden change in ambient temperature. At lower mag, the effect is not so dramatic but certainly obvious with less definition. I often blamed my scope for these temperature induced aberrations. I always considered my scope well cooled after 1/2 hour outside, but apparently not so unless ambient has been constant for at least 1/2 hour. Thanks Bird!
Got a perspective on what top-end eyepieces can and can't do and how lower end EPs compare. After Monday nights viewing I've really grown fond of my 13mm Nagler, and the 19mm Panoptic is not too shabby either.
But I was particularly impressed with the Meade Series 5000 Plossls. I tried 2 or 3 of them, including the shortest focal length 5.5mm. Thanks Stu! They have a wide enough field of view at 60 degrees, so unlike with regular plossls, you don't cringe when going back to them after looking through high-end wides and ultra-wides, and they have more comfortable eye relief (than normal plossls). At $145 a pop these seem great value to me. Great way to treat regular plossl 50-degree FOV claustrophobia, without having to fork out the big $ for top-end EPs. But a word of CAUTION: I did only have a brief look through them so don't go out buying some just because of this post. Check them out yourself or at least get better informed opinion than mine.
And BTW, I don't think anything was bought or sold at Star Camp.
