ICEINSPACE
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Moon Phase
CURRENT MOON
Waxing Crescent 11.1%
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01-02-2010, 01:40 PM
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Registered User
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Join Date: Feb 2009
Location: Renmark, SA
Posts: 2,993
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Lismore Bloke
 Classic!! SAB's observation reports bear that out! I thought the Argo was pretty much a standard part of these SDM scopes, but I suppose it can be tailored to your individual needs. |
Yep, these scopes are definately tailored to the customer's needs! Peter is very flexible in that department.
Last edited by pgc hunter; 01-02-2010 at 06:06 PM.
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10-02-2010, 08:35 PM
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Registered User
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Join Date: Feb 2009
Location: Renmark, SA
Posts: 2,993
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UPDATE from Peter....
He has measured the focal length of my scope, it is actually 1333mm, making it an F/4.4. He also mentioned that the mirror appears to be of "exceptional quality" (his words), and that the scope in its existing form is "incredibly frustrating" to assemble and collimate (again in his words)!!!
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11-02-2010, 12:46 AM
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Starcatcher
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Join Date: Dec 2006
Location: Gerringong
Posts: 8,548
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f4.4? Mine is the standard GSO f5. I guess we'll soon pick it if our mirrors get accidentally swapped between scopes! 
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11-02-2010, 01:12 AM
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Shadow Chaser
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Join Date: Jan 2006
Location: Moonee Beach
Posts: 1,945
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From my experience, if Peter says it, it's likely to be true.
Nice mirrror you've got yourself there 
Quote:
Originally Posted by pgc hunter
UPDATE from Peter....
He has measured the focal length of my scope, it is actually 1333mm, making it an F/4.4. He also mentioned that the mirror appears to be of "exceptional quality" (his words), and that the scope in its existing form is "incredibly frustrating" to assemble and collimate (again in his words)!!!
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11-02-2010, 12:35 PM
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Registered User
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Join Date: Feb 2009
Location: Renmark, SA
Posts: 2,993
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Quote:
Originally Posted by erick
f4.4? Mine is the standard GSO f5. I guess we'll soon pick it if our mirrors get accidentally swapped between scopes! |
Yep the mirror is actually an F4.4 / 1333mm FL (not F4.6 as I've been told by the previous owner.) So all the magnifications quoted in my observing reports over the last couple of years are wrong!
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11-02-2010, 12:47 PM
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Like to learn
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Join Date: Jul 2007
Location: melbourne
Posts: 4,835
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I knew the mirror would be sensational.
I would love to see the scope one day
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11-02-2010, 10:36 PM
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Registered User
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Join Date: Feb 2009
Location: Renmark, SA
Posts: 2,993
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Quote:
Originally Posted by AstroJunk
From my experience, if Peter says it, it's likely to be true.
Nice mirrror you've got yourself there |
he just told me...."put it this way, it's as good as the best"
Last edited by pgc hunter; 12-02-2010 at 07:03 AM.
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20-02-2010, 11:16 PM
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Registered User
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Join Date: Feb 2009
Location: Renmark, SA
Posts: 2,993
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Official focal length of the scope is now 1335mm @ F/4.4
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01-03-2010, 06:48 PM
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Registered User
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Join Date: Feb 2009
Location: Renmark, SA
Posts: 2,993
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Well, according to the SDM site, the scope is due for delivery on March 8!  I can already feel the fabric of spacetime slowing down.....
And now I present the weather forecast for March 8 in all its wintry glory:
Forecast for Monday
Cloudy. Scattered showers. Winds west to southwesterly averaging up to 25 km/h increasing to up to 50 km/h during the afternoon.
City
Showers. Windy.
Min 14 / Max 21
eewwww gross eeww eww ewww!!!!
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01-03-2010, 10:46 PM
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Shadow Chaser
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Join Date: Jan 2006
Location: Moonee Beach
Posts: 1,945
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Welcome to the longest week of your life 
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02-03-2010, 09:46 AM
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Ad astra per aspera
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Join Date: May 2008
Location: Lismore
Posts: 634
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Crikey, we've had one tsunami warning already and the SDM Superscope hasn't hit town yet!
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17-03-2010, 04:53 PM
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Happy Sensing!
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Join Date: May 2007
Location: Adelaide, South Australia
Posts: 243
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So.... any news Sab?
nix
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17-03-2010, 08:46 PM
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Registered User
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Join Date: Feb 2009
Location: Renmark, SA
Posts: 2,993
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^^^ Peter is about 90% done, only got the spraying to go and I think the poles. But he's on a trip to NSW atm and will be back around the 23rd I think.
Judging by the latest forecast, the SDM is not too far away now 
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17-03-2010, 09:52 PM
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4000 post club member
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Join Date: Sep 2004
Location: Melbourne
Posts: 4,900
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Now do you have or are you planning to use a paracorr? At f4.4 I would think its a must and it does come into the calculations for pole length. If you havent thought about it then you should now.
My scope as delivered needed 15mm taken off the poles to accommodate the extra focuser in-travel required by the paracorr.
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17-03-2010, 11:03 PM
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Happy Sensing!
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Join Date: May 2007
Location: Adelaide, South Australia
Posts: 243
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Geoff makes a very good point Sab - I'm sure Peter will accommodate your needs (if required) even at this closing stage..... although there are possible showers here in Adelaide tomorrow evening - heading your way!
nix
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17-03-2010, 11:50 PM
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Registered User
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Join Date: Feb 2009
Location: Renmark, SA
Posts: 2,993
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hmmm paracorr....I don't know the thought never actually crossed my mind. The Vixen LVWs did a very good job as it is. I tried my standard GSO plossls in the scope and the view was horrible to be honest, but with the LVW's it's nice and clean pretty much to the edge. There is a little bit of bloating at the edge of the FOV, but personally I never found it to be a big deal. Although that could be because I use the scope mostly for galaxy and high mag planetary nebula viewing!
I think I would see the benefits of the paracorr only in low-mag open cluster viewing, which to be honest is an exceedingly rare occasion with this scope!
btw, Melbourne is a synonym for cloud and rain!!
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18-03-2010, 12:30 AM
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Happy Sensing!
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Join Date: May 2007
Location: Adelaide, South Australia
Posts: 243
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Quote:
Originally Posted by pgc hunter
There is a little bit of bloating at the edge of the FOV, but personally I never found it to be a big deal. Although that could be because I use the scope mostly for galaxy and high mag planetary nebula viewing!
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Sounds as though you will be happy without the paracorr. To be honest, I'm sure I have the same f/ratio mirror as Geoff (f/4.8) - made by Mark Suchting - I have never noticed any coma in any of my wide field viewing - typically with a WO 28mm. Then again, I'm sure its there but perhaps I have never been fussed by it. Then again, I'm not sure what I would see with an f/4.4. Perhaps get some advice from Peter.
Cheers
Nix
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25-03-2010, 06:17 PM
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Oblonnygox
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Join Date: Aug 2006
Location: Adelaide
Posts: 221
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At f4.4 you will definitely find a big improvement with a paracorr but only with high quality eyepieces. At short focal ratios, most cheap to mid widefields exibit too much astigmatism(seagulls) to notice the coma(comets).
You might as well get him to cut the poles for this length anyway, just in case.
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25-03-2010, 10:54 PM
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Registered User
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Join Date: Feb 2009
Location: Renmark, SA
Posts: 2,993
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I wonder if the FOV of the EPs plays a role in this? WHat I mean is , do naglars with their 82º fields show more coma than the Vixen LVW's with their 65º fields?
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26-03-2010, 01:00 AM
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Shadow Chaser
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Join Date: Jan 2006
Location: Moonee Beach
Posts: 1,945
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Coma exists in all fast newtonians, but if you can't see it, don't go looking as discovering it will only spoil your day!
At f5 I use a paracorr more often than not, but I have 20:10 vision and that sort of thing annoys me. But even a Paracorr can't fix an 'ordinary' eyepiece, so don't buy one unless you are willing to get serious about your oculars 
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