Congratulations on your new scope Joe. We can all relate to the excitement of a new scope and especially when it is a quantum leap over the previous one! Of course, if it rains for the next two weeks it will be your fault!
Don't worry about a shakey image at 293x, that's a lot of magnification for a 9.25 inch scope. Takes pretty steady seeing. I seldom use more than 300x on my 18!
Bruce Bodner had some great success collimating his SCT with an artificial star in daylight. Maybe he will chime in and describe the process ... it is difficult to collimate an sct alone, and if you are attempting collimation in poor seeing conditions, it can be a very frustrating time.
Good luck. And keep your fingers crossed, MAYBE we can get our ducks all lined up for Chippokes this weekend!
Ted
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In a message dated 2/24/2003 12:57:48 AM Eastern Standard Time, "joseph_piotrowski <joepiotrowski@...>" <joepiotrowski@...> writes:
All,
Well I finally got to use my new scope tonight. Its a C 9.25 on a
Losmandy GM-8. I decided not to go with the C11 GPS for two reasons,
size/weight and I'd rather not have goto.This way I'm forced to learn
the night sky.
Had fun(even though it was cold and only in my front driveway with
all the neighbors lights).Polar alignment was a snap.The GM-8 tracked
like a dream.I had to leave to pick up my teenage daughter from a
friends house and when I got back Jupiter was still ??? ??? ???center.
Saw M42 and M43 right away. Wow.Can really see the nebula and the 4
stars of the trapezium well.
Saturn's rings were so/so. Could see A and B rings, but doubt I was
seeing Cassini. View seemed to come and go.Pretty steady at 180X but
pretty shakey at 293X.I assume that's due to seeing conditions.
Jupiter was great.Saw a moon transit shadow very clearly.Not sure
which one it was. Need to look it up.
I had gotten Bob's knobs and put them on before I even looked through
the scope.(as usual I did too much at once) I think I did the
collimation correctly but not sure.Initially my dew shield(home made)
was getting in the way and made the out of focus star lopsided.Need
to read up on it also.
Sorry to blather on like this but you have to realize that I have
been struggling with a 60mm refractor for 2 years.This is my first
serious scope.
Can't wait for my first nightwatch.
Joe
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