Jim, I got #76 so your guess doesn't seem far off.  Although
expensive, the SV80L truly fills a niche market for us visual
observers.

One thing I've been confused about.  My scope has a LOMO objective
made presumably with OK4 super ED glass.  Was there a time that the
80L's were made using fluorite?  I know WO called their F6 a
fluorite triplet.  Perhaps it was FPL53?  I'm confused.

One thing I'm not confused about and that's the truly STELLAR
performance mine is giving.

You're in Redlands (I'm in Pasadena), perhaps I can join the SV
group next time you guys meet at Joshua Tree.

-Evan

--- In Stellarvue@yahoogroups.com, k75jim@... wrote:
>
>
> Sadly, it's true.  With the intro of the SV90T, the 80L was
deemed  likely to
> compete with it -- not smart from a business sense.  But the 90T
is really,
> REALLY sweet -- and only $200 more than the 80L.  However, the
80L will, I
> think, become a collectors prize.  I believe less than 100 were
made; probably
> less than 80?
>
> I know I'm not parting with mine!
>
> Clear, dark skies,
>
> Jim S.
> Redlands, CA
>
>
>
>
> [Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
>

Michael,
   The R50 refers to the rings for the F50 aka Sparrowhawk finder/telescope. 
There are two different baseline F50's, the original F50B or W and the new
improved F50BI or WI.  I'll let the others fill in the details for you as I am
typing in a very dark room which is not a good idea for me as I am a hunt and
poke typist nowadays.

Eric
  -------------- Original message ----------------------
From: "astrodio" <mpdiorio@...>
> hi,
> My question today is....???
> is the R50 finder the same thing everyone is calling the Sparrowhawk,or is
that
> a dufferent
> beast.
> thanks
> Michael
> Milwaukee
>
>
>
>
>
>
> Michel,
> To unsubscribe, send an email to:
> Stellarvue-unsubscribe@egroups.com.
>
> Remember: the archives are a rich source of information and they are
searchable.
>
>
> Yahoo! Groups Links
>
>
>
>
>
>
>

Hi Michael, yes, the F50 is nicknamed the Sparrowhawk. A very nice piece
of equipment. I have it on my dob. I'll never forget catching comet 73P
and M13 in the same FOV with it! And clearly! It is RACI and has a real
helical focuser that accepts most 1.25 EPs. The new illuminated retcle
version just came out a month ago.
Best to your Blue Jay,
Tom A

Hi Michael,
I would like to take the opertunity of your question to explain what is
often a mis-conception about this finderscope. The F50 and it's new
variant is not a mass-produced import that Stellarvue is reselling.  Other
than a few parts that Vic cannot make, like the prism and eyepiece, this
is a quality made finder that is made in Auburn Ca. The objective is a
Stellarvue, and Vic even machines the helical focuser. Vic designed this
finder to accept a number of different eyepieces. While a few eyepieces
won't come to focus, this is the exception rather than the rule. It didn't
take long before owners found out that you could put, say, a 13mm Nagler
in the holder and get a really fine 5º image. A number of inexpensive
eyepieces work as well, plossls for example. Somewhere along the line, we
began calling it the Sparrowhawk.

David E
>    hi,
>  My question today is....???
>  is the R50 finder the same thing everyone is calling the Sparrowhawk,or
> is that a dufferent
>  beast.
>  thanks
>  Michael
>  Milwaukee
>
>
>
>
>
>
>   To unsubscribe, send an email to:
>  Stellarvue-unsubscribe@egroups.com.
>
>  Remember: the archives are a rich source of information and they are
> searchable.
>
>
>
>
>          YAHOO! GROUPS LINKS
>      Visit your group "Stellarvue" on the web.
>      To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to:
>  Stellarvue-unsubscribe@yahoogroups.com
>      Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to the Yahoo! Terms of Service.
>

Pete:

Yes, if you want to do AP, the import dual speed is not a good
choice. Lifting capacity and consistency is not there with the
standard Crayford. The Feather Touch is a reverse Crayford using
stainless rails against the bearings. It is extremely accurate,
never needs adjustment and consistently lifts heavy loads. We are
making retrofit kits for the various models and will have these in a
few months. But they will be expensive since the FT unit is about
$300 alone.

I am not familiar with the Burgess unit. If it has a strong lifting
capacity and can be mounted to the rear of the NH, I see no problem
with doing this. I am also not sure what you mean about adjustment
set screws.

I agree that Al is a good educator. A couple of years ago, Emma and
Lisa on my staff took a break to observe through a number of
telescopes while I was demonstrating through our instruments. They
were in line when Al was showing some kids deep sky objects through
one of his NP's. They told me he was patient and did a great job of
interpreting to them.

There is not a lot of money in this business. It does not take long
to figure out who has the true passion and who is telling the real
truth. Stellarvue, Televue and Vixen instruments were running
through their paces on Saturday night. At night good looks disappear
and the star test is the only determining factor. Those with
confidence in their optics like to show off at night.

Al and I had some time to talk about our telescopes at RTMC. We
never have much time at these shows to do so, but I always enjoy the
opportunity.

Vic Maris


--- In Stellarvue@yahoogroups.com, pete valentine <eletic@...> wrote:
>
> Thanks for the response Vic. I have to say, I am really impressed
with that little guy!
>   I will have to change the focuser, though. You weren't the only
one I asked about converting to one of those nice looking,
functionally smooth Far East focusers but interestingly, you were
the only one who encouraged me not to do it. So, as much as I'd like
to, I won't do it. My plan now is to make an adapter for an extra
B&D (Burgess) Craford I have to fit it to the NH-C. Does that sound
plausible to you? And do you think I should go ahead and put
adjustment set screws into it?
>     Yes, I recall you mentioned that Al N was the first to peek
through your new 135 and I think that was appropriate. He was kind
enough to show me which end of his 101 to look through on Friday
night. He's surprisingly patient and humble!
>     Disappointed that I wasn't able to hang around on Sat night to
look through your scopes but I really thought you weren't going to
uncover them. Oh well, next year!
>      Pete V
>
> stellarvue1 <vic@...> wrote:
>   Pete:
>
> Thanks for the humorous post. It was nice meeting you at RTMC. Yes
> these blems are as good as the non blems but they do have a lack
of
> false color. You can probably make up for it by checking out Vega.
> Although you will probably be disappointed even on Vega with the
90T
> you ordered. ;-)
>
> I should also note that the Televue zoom doesn't hurt either. All
of
> these years - perhaps at least 20 now, I have been advocating TV
> eyepieces. My favorite high power is the Nagler 3-6 zoom. But
there
> is nothing wrong with the Radians and Pans either.
>
> Sometimes I stop to think of what we struggled with (equipment
wise)
> back in the 60's. We never dared to dream of such high quality
> premium refractors and eyepieces back then. I still find myself in
> awe on steady nights when I look skyward with one of our apo
> triplets fitted with a Nagler.
>
> You can imagine my delight at RTMC when we first showed the SV135
> Saturday night. One of the first people to look through it asked
> what eyepiece it had and I said, "it's a Nagler 7 which....." I
> stopped short of going on to explain why when I realized I was
> addressing the person who designed the eyepiece and for whom it
was
> named.
>
> Credit should always be given where credit is due.
>
> Vic Maris
>
> --- In Stellarvue@yahoogroups.com, "pete Valentine" <eletic@>
> wrote:
> >
> >   Help!  I think there is something wrong with my new NH Classic!
> > Where on the Moon am I supposed to see color at high power?
> > First I used a TV 8-24, then went to a TV N 4.8, then put in a
TV
> 5x PM.
> > I saw virtually no color associated with any feature. I know
this
> can't
> > be true, what am I doing wrong? Maybe the lens has a problem? Am
I
> not
> > using a high enough power?
> >   Should I return it?
> >   Pete V
> >
>
>
>
>
>
>
> To unsubscribe, send an email to:
> Stellarvue-unsubscribe@egroups.com
>
> Remember: the archives are a rich source of information and they
are searchable.
>
>
>
>
>
> ---------------------------------
>   YAHOO! GROUPS LINKS
>
>
>     Visit your group "Stellarvue" on the web.
>
>     To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to:
>  Stellarvue-unsubscribe@yahoogroups.com
>
>     Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to the Yahoo! Terms of
Service.
>
>
> ---------------------------------
>
>
>
>
>
> [Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
>

The saga continues...survival of the fittest is the rule in the SV
lineup.  The SV85S, a fine 85mm doublet apo, was discontinued after
the introduction of the SV80S and SV80L.  The 85S, at f6.9, fell right
between the two triplets in focal length.  Business-wise, it made no
sense to continue the doublet when a few dollars more bought a
color-free triplet of such close aperture. (The 85S does show a tiny
hint of color on Vega, but you have to try real hard to see it.)
Fewer than 100 of these were made -- actually more like 70-something
-- so they're also in short supply, now available only on the used
market.  It should be noted that the 85S is no slouch as an AP
platform, as Dave W's current work shows and Steven Pitt's film images
of a few years back.

Jim C
Denver

--- In Stellarvue@yahoogroups.com, k75jim@... wrote:
>
> Evan,
>
> Sadly, it's true.  With the intro of the SV90T, the 80L was deemed
likely to
> compete with it -- not smart from a business sense.  But the 90T  is
really,
> REALLY sweet -- and only $200 more than the 80L.  However, the  80L
will, I
> think, become a collectors prize.  I believe less than 100 were
made; probably
> less than 80?
>
> I know I'm not parting with mine!
>
> Clear, dark skies,
>
> Jim S.
> Redlands, CA
>
>
>
>
> [Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
>

Hi,
Thanks for he info.
i had the wrong letter with the F50.
I have one and had it on my 10"lx200gps but have since put it on my SV80BV and
really enjoy
using it.now if I could get one in stardust blue theat wolf be super duper/
are people using these as littl Grab n go scopes by themselves? sure,why not,
it's an SV

Michael D

Michael,

Our resident crackpot, er, expert on the F50, Preston, wrote a very fine,
award winning article on the F50 Sparrowhawk:

http://www.cloudynights.com/item.php?item_id=1324

Phil

> Hi,
> Thanks for he info.
> i had the wrong letter with the F50.
> I have one and had it on my 10"lx200gps but have since put it on my SV80BV
> and really enjoy
> using it.now if I could get one in stardust blue theat wolf be super
> duper/
> are people using these as littl Grab n go scopes by themselves? sure,why
> not, it's an SV
>
> Michael D
>
>
>
>
>
>
> To unsubscribe, send an email to:
> Stellarvue-unsubscribe@egroups.com.
>
> Remember: the archives are a rich source of information and they are
> searchable.
>
>
> Yahoo! Groups Links
>
>
>
>
>
>
>

>
>  Our resident crackpot, er, expert on the F50, Preston, wrote a very fine,
>  award winning article on the F50 Sparrowhawk:

Please, Phil. He's a psycho-ceramic! :-)
D E

> The GRS was seen as a
>  pinched oval, with the edge of the seb splitting around the ends.  I
>  checked back about 45 minutes later in the hopes of seeing red
>  junior.  Several earlier tries were unsuccessful, but the seeing was
>  much better on this night.  Sure enough, red junior was seen trailing
>  the GRS in the stb.  It was seen as a round, white spot - very well
>  defined, but only during periods of better seeing (about 30% of the
>  time).
Congradulations on nabbing Red Jr, Bob. I'll add your name to my informal
list of members who have spotted RJ with their Stellarvue telescopes.

David E

Hey Phil, I resemble that remark! ;-}

Hi Michael! I appreciate Phil sending the link to Cloudy Nights as I am
on my Blackberry today. Many use the scope as a tiny travel scope.
There are some pictures in the files section of our group in a folder
called F50 Sparrow Hawk or something similar. Vic plans to make a
tripod mount for it but has been focused on larger issues lately. So I
am letting you know that I have been making mounts for many of the F50
owners until Vic gets one done. Without shame I will tell you that all
of my profits go directly to the Preston Smith SV4 telescope fund! If
your interested you can contact me off-line.

Preston
--- Stellarvue@yahoogroups.com <pgood@...> wrote:
> Michael,
>
> Our resident crackpot, er, expert on the F50, Preston, wrote a very
fine,
> award winning article on the F50 Sparrowhawk:
>
> http://www.cloudynights.com/item.php?item_id=1324
>
> Phil
>
> > Hi,
> > Thanks for he info.
> > i had the wrong letter with the F50.
> > I have one and had it on my 10"lx200gps but have since put it on my
SV80BV
> > and really enjoy
> > using it.now if I could get one in stardust blue theat wolf be
super
> > duper/
> > are people using these as littl Grab n go scopes by themselves?
sure,why
> > not, it's an SV
> >
> > Michael D
> >
> >
> >
> >
> >
> >
> > To unsubscribe, send an email to:
> > Stellarvue-unsubscribe@egroups.com.
> >
> > Remember: the archives are a rich source of information and they
are
> > searchable.
> >
> >
> > Yahoo! Groups Links
> >
> >
> >
> >
> >
> >
> >
>


__________________________________________________
Do You Yahoo!?
Tired of spam?  Yahoo! Mail has the best spam protection around
http://mail.yahoo.com

There has been some posts about viewing celestial objects, like Venus, in
the daytime through a telescope. Last night at 9pm, there was still plenty
of daylight left and the only object visible was the crescent moon. When I
panned around the Moon at 90x with the SV85S, I bumped into what I first
thought was a star, turned out to be Saturn! With this medium power and
wide field created by the 13mm Nagler and a barlow, no other stars or
moons were visible. Just Saturn, hanging there in a background of
blue-gray. At this low power my telescope, Li'l Lomo, pull in quite a bit
of detail, the C.D., the planet's shadow on the rings, the rings shadow on
the planet, and the equitorial band (which was hardest to see). Needless
to say, I forgot about the ol' moon for a while.

David E
SV85S

Hey Presont, this just showed up today in my inbox, strange.

Sounds like a deal. Maybe you two could just buzz out on one of those
Warthogs. This past weekend we got treated to a near haircut by a couple
of AF jets out of Colorado Springs. Trying to talk Brian S into a CO trip
too.

Phil

> Hey I like that idea Phil - then you can pay for Paula and I to fly
> in and stay at your house for a month while we visit you, co-observe
> with the SV4 at night and see lovely Colorado during the day.  I'll
> even leave PLACEBO1 with you when we head back to Pennsylvania!
>
> Preston Smith
>

Thanx David, that is the panache I have come to expect from this august
forum!

Preston Smith
--- Stellarvue@yahoogroups.com <pde444@...> wrote:
> >
> >  Our resident crackpot, er, expert on the F50, Preston, wrote a
very fine,
> >  award winning article on the F50 Sparrowhawk:
>
> Please, Phil. He's a psycho-ceramic! :-)
> D E
>
>


__________________________________________________
Do You Yahoo!?
Tired of spam?  Yahoo! Mail has the best spam protection around
http://mail.yahoo.com

Thanks for all the information Jim and thanks to others who responded
as well.  What a wealth of information.  This will make my choice
easy.

Thanks again,

Jay

--- In Stellarvue@yahoogroups.com, "Jim Carpenter" <carp.jm@...>
wrote:
>
> Jay,
>
> I reckon I'm the resident Bogen freak so here's my run-down of
tripods
> and alt-az mounts.  You can draw your own conclusions.  This is
> probably more than you want to know ;-)
>
> **Bogen 3068 / UA Unistar.  I use this combo with my SV102EDT.  It
is
> perfectly adequate for a 4" class refractor, as long as it's not too
> long (f.l.-wise).  At f8 and longer I'd go for at least an SV
> Stablelock or wooden surveyor tripod, and perhaps the SV M6 mount.
> **Bogen 3236 / SV M1D.  I use this with my SV80BV and/or SV85S.  The
> Bogen 3036/3236 has been replaced by the 475, which has nearly
> identical specs.
> **Bogen 3246 / UA Unistar Light.  This is used with my NH Classic
> and/or SV85S.
> **Bogen 3001 / UA Microstar.  This was originally going to be my
> travel rig with my NH, but the Bogen 3001 is totally inadequate.  I
> haven't seen an SV66 yet, but this may be a good tripod/mount combo
> for that little scope.
> **SV Grab&Go tripod with M1/Unistar Light/Microstar.  Good for NHII
or
> NH Classic.  Stability-wise it falls roughly between the Bogen 3246
> and 3236.  I have the older version of the tripod without the leg
> brace/tray.  I would expect the newer one with the brace will
perform
> considerably better.  Its main advantage is the cost compared to the
> Bogens.
>
> Now for some random observations:
> 1.  The older Bogen numbering system used 30xx for clear anodized
> aluminum versions, and 32xx for black anodized.  The new numbering
> system uses a B suffix for black, as in 475 or 475B.  The black
> tripods look cool with SV scopes, but the silver ones are easier to
> see in the dark, plus you can use a Sharpie pen to mark the legs for
> preferred extension lengths.
> 2.  Bogen is in the process of switching their numbering system to
use
> the same model numbers as the Manfrotto (non-US market) equivalents,
> so the 3xxx numbers have basically been superceded.  This may cause
> some confusion when you start shopping.
> 3.  Whatever you get, get a tripod with braced legs and an elevating
> center post.  The former for stability, the later for convenience
when
> viewing at or near the zenith.  Try to keep the elevation of the
> center post less than 1/2 the total extension capability though.
> 4.  A built-in bubble level in the tripod hub is helpful, but not
> essential for alt-az viewing.  Gravity overcomes a tripod that's too
> far out of level, causing the telescope to swing on the azimuth
axis.
> 5.  All the Bogens (except for some lightweight, photo-only models)
> have a 3/8" x 16 thread stud at the hub, so be sure whatever mount
you
> buy will mate to that.
> 6.  As others have said, stay away from camera-style pan heads.
They
> simply don't work for astro use (although there are ways to modify
or
> configure some of them that make them passable).
> 7.  IMPORTANT:  Whatever the manufacturer's spec for load capacity
is,
> use half that for astronomical use.  Add up the weight of your
> telescope, diagonal, finder, mounting rings, your heaviest eyepiece,
> and the mount itself (M1, etc).  If the total exceeds 1/2 the rated
> load, move up to the next larger tripod.
> 8.  The Bogen 3046/3246 is the quickest and easist to set up because
> the length of the leg braces is fixed.  However, the 3036 and 3068
are
> probably more versatile since you can adjust the spread of the legs
to
> suit various ground conditions at your viewing site.  The 3036 and
> 3046 have the same load rating, but to me the 3036 seems a bit less
> prone to jiggles.  Take your choice.
>
> Hope this helps.
>
> Jim
> Denver
>
> --- In Stellarvue@yahoogroups.com, "jayyoung47" <youngj2@> wrote:
> >
> > For those of you with experience using a Bogen photographic
tripod to
> > support a Nighthawk, which one do you recommend?  How about for a
4-
> > inch scope?
> >
> > Thanks in advance,
> >
> > Jay
> >
>

Hi Tom,

If you don't mind I'd like to add a little to this thread. I also have
a Sparrowhawk mounted on my dob - it was on my 5" APO for a while but
I didn't like the 90 degree angle (45 degree might be just right) so I
moved it over to the dob. Wow! I almost feel guilty now. Star hopping
is so EASY I don't even feel I need a DSC! The other night I was
having a blast finding things with my star chart in my lap and then
looking up in the eyepiece of the Swhawk. It's so cool to see star
patterns exactly like your charts. And the image is really sharp. No
more sore neck at the end of the evening either. Oh, and that focuser
is a great feature as well. Sometimes I view with my glasses on and
sometimes I don't. Either way I get sharp detail in the Swhawk.

Mike s

--- In Stellarvue@yahoogroups.com, "Tom Altman" <kiteman@...> wrote:
>
> Hi Michael, yes, the F50 is nicknamed the Sparrowhawk. A very nice
piece
> of equipment. I have it on my dob. I'll never forget catching comet
73P
> and M13 in the same FOV with it! And clearly! It is RACI and has a real
> helical focuser that accepts most 1.25 EPs. The new illuminated retcle
> version just came out a month ago.
> Best to your Blue Jay,
> Tom A
>

Well, after what seems like darned near forever, I finally got some decent
conditions to observe Jove with the SV105! Geez! ;-)

I began the evening early, on the moon, using my 19 Pan and B+W Polarizer. The
sun had barely set, and was well behind some distant buildings. Luna was superb.
Given the perceived seeing at the time, I opted early to switch to my 5mm NT6
[131x]. I followed mostly the southern detail along the terminator, and was
treated to some superb views - I concentrated on Mare Hectaris, as the detail
and relief was surreal. I noted at least 6 small peaks along the floor of the
Mare, and some superbly high contrast detail along the middle edges. Lava flows,
ancient, or course, could be seen easily, with some of the best detail I have
seen on Luna to date. The floor of Hectaris reminded me of a wide shallow
canyon, and I could not help but get that "ancient astronomer's" feeling that
water had flowed there long ago. Eerie, to be certain, but I can now see why the
early observers of the moon attributed water-formed feature names to many of the
key lunar features. It was like observing as if I was Ptolemy or something! ;-)

BTW, are those "peaks" lunar domes? I have probably seen these features before,
but never paid any mind to them... anyone fill me in? Thanks...

___________________________________

Okay - on to Jove! I continued with the 5mm NT6 for about 15-20 minutes, then
ran in to grab my FL-D and 3-6mm Zoom. During the extended 1h or so session on
Jove, what immediately came clear is the wealth of detail in the EQ belt and
adjacent zones! I saw two very prominent festoons, and several barges in the red
belts, plus countless knots and swirls. AWESOME! The GRS was an easy grab, even
early on when it was just rotating into view. I was surprised at how pale and
bland the interior appeared - I guess after nearly 3 months, I should expect
some changes...

Right behind the GRS, was indeed Red Jr.! I could make it out about 75% time, as
by then, seeing was dropping to about 7/10. Intermittent moments of
nearly-perfect seeing nailed my retina with information overload! ;-)

I did fine that the FL-D did help enhance the red tint to the NEB and SEB
nicely. While not needed to SEE the GRS and RSJ, I found it easier to see them.

_____________________________________

After the seeing finally went for naught, I then switched to my 24mm Panoptic,
and was treated to some very nice views of the Cygnus-Vega region, mainly just
cruising the star-rich fields there. One stop at the spiral cluster, and the
Dumb Bell [M27], and it was a wrap!

Nice to finally see that darned thing [Red Jr.]!

Darren

[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

David, that was a really cool alignment last night, The moon, saturn,
mars and Castor and Pollux all in a curveing line!

Chris

--- In Stellarvue@yahoogroups.com, "David Elosser" <pde444@...> wrote:
>
> There has been some posts about viewing celestial objects, like
Venus, in
> the daytime through a telescope. Last night at 9pm, there was still
plenty
> of daylight left and the only object visible was the crescent moon.
When I
> panned around the Moon at 90x with the SV85S, I bumped into what I
first
> thought was a star, turned out to be Saturn! With this medium power
and
> wide field created by the 13mm Nagler and a barlow, no other stars
or
> moons were visible. Just Saturn, hanging there in a background of
> blue-gray. At this low power my telescope, Li'l Lomo, pull in quite
a bit
> of detail, the C.D., the planet's shadow on the rings, the rings
shadow on
> the planet, and the equitorial band (which was hardest to see).
Needless
> to say, I forgot about the ol' moon for a while.
>
> David E
> SV85S
>

>    Well, after what seems like darned near forever, I finally got some
> decent conditions to observe Jove with the SV105! Geez! ;-)

Congradulations Darren! I have now added you as a bonafide member of the
"Stellarvue Junior Club!" I was a few hours "behind" you, looking at the
"backside" of Jupiter untill the local clouds thickened too much. I was
able to catch three large festoons (?) coming down from the NEB, looking
like a parade of hockey sticks. The STeB was somehow quite visible, but
the zones below it melted into one another from the haze.

I'll look up those "domes" you saw tonight when I get home and let you
know what they might be, unless Tom beats me to it! ;o)

David E

--- In Stellarvue@yahoogroups.com, "Darren Hennig" <dhennig2@...> wrote:
>
> BTW, are those "peaks" lunar domes? I have probably seen these
features before, but never paid any mind to them... anyone fill me in?
Thanks...

Darren: Yep, there are indeed several prominent domes in and along the
borders of Mare Nectaris. The image at:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/79653922@N00/115308901/in/set-
72057594099909971/

includes a note box around some of the visible pyroclastic flows around
a few of them. I'm not sure which "peaks" you mean, but there are
indeed several there.

Also, glad you finally bagged Jr. ... !

--- In Stellarvue@yahoogroups.com, "jsuth97007" <jsuth1@...> wrote:
Wow! I almost feel guilty now. Star hopping
> is so EASY I don't even feel I need a DSC! The other night I was
> having a blast finding things with my star chart in my lap and then
> looking up in the eyepiece of the Swhawk. It's so cool to see star
> patterns exactly like your charts. And the image is really sharp. No
more sore neck at the end of the evening either. Oh, and that focuser is
a great feature as well. Sometimes I view with my glasses on and
> sometimes I don't. Either way I get sharp detail in the Swhawk.
> Mike s

Great point Mike, and I just got the pocket sky atlas from S&T and it's
the bomb! Can't wait to try it with the dobster and the F50. I'm a
newbie so learning the sky is great fun for me. I've been debating DSCs
too. Not yet for me so far and the F50 is enjoyable. I'm interested in
SV's new 80mm finder. We'll see how much it weighs.
Tom A

I was doing some much needed laundry - read a three and one year old's clothing
- last night and decided to stick my head out the door to see what was left of
the convergence. The view looked promising even though the conditions were
really bad.  I set up the 80L on the Unistar Deluxe.  I started with my 18
Radian and realized that I should try the 8-24 Zoom instead.  I had a nice view,
even though focusing was an extreme sport, in very unsteady air and poor
transparency of Luna, M44 and Saturn at the 24mm setting.  It was very
interesting since the sky was still a pale blue color but darken rapidly.  After
it darkened up a bit the conditions really showed their true colors - glows
around everything.  I wanted to view more but the pollen is getting bad again
and I failed to take the right meds for it last night - did I say I was tired?

Maybe the approaching rain will wash out the air for a few day.

Clear and ever darkening sky's to all,

Eric
sneezy in NH...

[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

Nice report Darren, congrats on Jr!
Tom A

You guys are probably getting bored with this stuff, so this is the
last one for a while, I promise.  This is a very kewl emission neb in
Scorpius but it rides pretty low on the horizon from 33* N.  Its a
fairly low contrast object in color but the Ha really makes it
respectable.

thanks for all of your comments on the SV80 images.  short FL
widefield imaging is not only fun, its easy!  If you are starting out
in imaging, forget about the SCT's, get a little triplet on a good
mount, its a very high fun to frustration ratio when you are just
starting out like me.

http://rattlesnakeobservatory.com/N6357.html

thanks for looking, Vince

Don't forget the Beehive!
     Pete V

Chris Schur <comets133@...> wrote:
   David, that was a really cool alignment last night, The moon, saturn,
mars and Castor and Pollux all in a curveing line!

Chris

--- In Stellarvue@yahoogroups.com, "David Elosser" <pde444@...> wrote:
>
> There has been some posts about viewing celestial objects, like
Venus, in
> the daytime through a telescope. Last night at 9pm, there was still
plenty
> of daylight left and the only object visible was the crescent moon.
When I
> panned around the Moon at 90x with the SV85S, I bumped into what I
first
> thought was a star, turned out to be Saturn! With this medium power
and
> wide field created by the 13mm Nagler and a barlow, no other stars
or
> moons were visible. Just Saturn, hanging there in a background of
> blue-gray. At this low power my telescope, Li'l Lomo, pull in quite
a bit
> of detail, the C.D., the planet's shadow on the rings, the rings
shadow on
> the planet, and the equitorial band (which was hardest to see).
Needless
> to say, I forgot about the ol' moon for a while.
>
> David E
> SV85S
>






To unsubscribe, send an email to:
Stellarvue-unsubscribe@egroups.com.

Remember: the archives are a rich source of information and they are searchable.





---------------------------------
   YAHOO! GROUPS LINKS


     Visit your group "Stellarvue" on the web.

     To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to:
  Stellarvue-unsubscribe@yahoogroups.com

     Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to the Yahoo! Terms of Service.


---------------------------------





[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

In a message dated 6/1/2006 1:55:38 PM Central Daylight Time,
chipdatajeffb@... writes:
Also, glad you finally bagged Jr. ... !
_________________________________________________________________
On the night of May 29 when looking for Jr. I noticed a transit in progress
(about 11:30 pm). The shadow followed the moons image by about 30 minutes. I
wonder if anyone can give me the specifics of what I was seeing.

Rob


[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

Great report, Darren. Someone on CN posted this link to free
software for observing Jupiter, its moons, GRS, shadows, etc.:

http://www.astrosurf.com/rondi/jupiter/

Tom
SV105

--- In Stellarvue@yahoogroups.com, "Darren Hennig" <dhennig2@...>
wrote:
>
> Well, after what seems like darned near forever, I finally got
some decent conditions to observe Jove with the SV105! Geez! ;-)
___________________________________
>
> Okay - on to Jove! I continued with the 5mm NT6 for about 15-20
minutes, then ran in to grab my FL-D and 3-6mm Zoom. During the
extended 1h or so session on Jove, what immediately came clear is
the wealth of detail in the EQ belt and adjacent zones! I saw two
very prominent festoons, and several barges in the red belts, plus
countless knots and swirls. AWESOME! The GRS was an easy grab, even
early on when it was just rotating into view. I was surprised at how
pale and bland the interior appeared - I guess after nearly 3
months, I should expect some changes...
>
> Right behind the GRS, was indeed Red Jr.! I could make it out
about 75% time, as by then, seeing was dropping to about 7/10.
Intermittent moments of nearly-perfect seeing nailed my retina with
information overload! ;-)
>
> I did fine that the FL-D did help enhance the red tint to the NEB
and SEB nicely. While not needed to SEE the GRS and RSJ, I found it
easier to see them.

> Nice to finally see that darned thing [Red Jr.]!
>
> Darren

geekkopf wrote:

> [...] So I am letting you know that I have been making mounts for many
> of the F50 owners until Vic gets one done. Without shame I will tell you
> that all of my profits go directly to the Preston Smith SV4 telescope
> fund!
> If your interested you can contact me off-line.

And a very worthy cause it is.  You will not regret it if you decide to
"contribute."

I'm starting the Larry Shurr NHNG fund.  Now I need to come up with a
similarly compelling inducement for contributions.

Larry

--
Larry A. Shurr (lshurr@...)

Great catch Bob. I have seen red Jr. with my 80L. Last night I tried with my
115, thought it would be a piece of cake and couldn't see it! The seeing was
terrible no matter what power I used. Oh well, I spent a little time lunar
roving and checking out a few DSO's. The next transit is this Saturday, so
I'll try it again.

Steve
AZ.
----- Original Message -----
From: "paleosonic" <jean.pody1@...>
To: <Stellarvue@yahoogroups.com>
Sent: Wednesday, May 31, 2006 9:41 PM
Subject: [Stellarvue] Re: GRS & Jr-Got Em!


   Several earlier tries were unsuccessful, but the seeing was
> much better on this night.  Sure enough, red junior was seen trailing
> the GRS in the stb.  It was seen as a round, white spot - very well
> defined, but only during periods of better seeing (about 30% of the
> time).
> Amazed and pleased,
>
> Bob

Vince, awesome job!  I doubt that I speak only for myself when I say
that none of us are "getting bored with this stuff."  I love to see
what  a SV scope can do in the hands of an expert imager.  Keep the
photos coming!
Scott, in NC
SV80/9D

--- In Stellarvue@yahoogroups.com, "Vincent Bert" <vbertus@...> wrote:
>
> You guys are probably getting bored with this stuff, so this is the
> last one for a while, I promise...