apolloadama
member
Reged: 05/17/12
Loc: Sacramento, CA
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Aperture fever, when does it end?
#5470393 - 10/14/12 07:32 PM
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When does aperture fever end? 15"? 22"? 30"? Empty bank account? Grave? Never?
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DavidC
Pooh-Bah
Reged: 11/24/05
Loc: Mesa, Arizona
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Re: Aperture fever, when does it end?
[Re: apolloadama]
#5470404 - 10/14/12 07:42 PM
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It ends when you don't have any more money after paying for your house, utility bills, and all the other piddley other stuff you have to pay for every month. Saving 20.00 a month sounds do-able 'till you find a sale on ep's or any other astronomy related object.
David
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GlennLeDrew
Postmaster
Reged: 06/18/08
Loc: Ottawa, Ontario, Canada
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Re: Aperture fever, when does it end?
[Re: DavidC]
#5470424 - 10/14/12 07:58 PM
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It *can* end when you realize there's lots to see and enjoy in our celestial backyard which doesn't require a monstrosity of a telescope.
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Old Rookie
sage
Reged: 09/05/08
Loc: North Central Ohio
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Re: Aperture fever, when does it end?
[Re: GlennLeDrew]
#5470504 - 10/14/12 08:35 PM
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It ends when you decide that climbing up and down a ladder, in the dark a couple hundred times a night, just isn't worth it.
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star drop
Snowed In
Reged: 02/02/08
Loc: Snow Plop, WNY
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Re: Aperture fever, when does it end?
[Re: Old Rookie]
#5470518 - 10/14/12 08:44 PM
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Big, bigger, biggest! 
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whirlpoolm51
professor emeritus
Reged: 01/05/12
Loc: pittsburgh,pa
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Re: Aperture fever, when does it end?
[Re: star drop]
#5470537 - 10/14/12 08:50 PM
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i say keep going as big as you can until you cant no more!!! hahaha seeing objects is awesome but seeing more and more detail is even better!!! and if i had a 40" scope i would walk up and down that ladder as many times as need to get those picture quality views with my own eye!!!
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*skyguy*
Pooh-Bah
Reged: 12/31/08
Loc: Western New York
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Re: Aperture fever, when does it end?
[Re: apolloadama]
#5470552 - 10/14/12 08:58 PM
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It ends when you are observing with your 26" F4.5 dob at the top of a 12' ladder with wind gusts of +20 MPH and temperature below 20 degrees F ... and the scope is shaking as bad as you are! The 26 is gone now and I'm very happy with my 18" dob for visual and 12" SCT for imaging (from the comfort of a heated family room). I've also gotten into wide-field binocular observing ... something the old 26 couldn't do!
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dsohunter
sage
Reged: 08/14/09
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Re: Aperture fever, when does it end?
[Re: whirlpoolm51]
#5470553 - 10/14/12 08:59 PM
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For me, >15 minutes setup/tear down
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GeneT
Ely Kid
Reged: 11/07/08
Loc: South Texas
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Re: Aperture fever, when does it end?
[Re: apolloadama]
#5470555 - 10/14/12 09:00 PM
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For me, it ended due to the logistical hassle factor. The largest telescope I can easily move, set up, store and view flat footed is a 12.5 incher. Less than that was too small, larger and the hassle was too much a bother for me to overcome.
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whirlpoolm51
professor emeritus
Reged: 01/05/12
Loc: pittsburgh,pa
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Re: Aperture fever, when does it end?
[Re: GeneT]
#5470571 - 10/14/12 09:10 PM
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I did like my 12'' orion xti alot!! it was so much more easier to set up than my 16" now and i didnt need a step ladder darnet!!!!
When i get older though and move to the atacama desert ( dreams do come true ahahaha) i am going to build my own observatory that permanetly houses a 45" starstructure telescope hahaha and i am going to make the whole thing moterized so i can just plop my butt down in a custom chair at the eyepiece and push a buttom to move me and the scope around hahahaha
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Jon Isaacs
Postmaster
Reged: 06/16/04
Loc: San Diego and Boulevard, CA
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Re: Aperture fever, when does it end?
[Re: GlennLeDrew]
#5470574 - 10/14/12 09:12 PM
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Quote:
It *can* end when you realize there's lots to see and enjoy in our celestial backyard which doesn't require a monstrosity of a telescope.
Personally I enjoy viewing our corner of the universe with telescopes of all sizes... small and big... I am OK climbing ladders and I am OK kneeling in the dirt. I appreciate the capabilities of both small and large telescopes and understand that what is most important is what I bring to the eyepiece...
So, here is a question to ponder: Exactly what is "Aperture fever?"
Not long ago I acquired a 25 inch Dob... There was no fever about it. I never really considered the possibility of owning something that big but after my wife and I purchased own dream hideaway with reasonably dark skies, 4 acres of land and a big garage, I realized I was in a situation that was well suited to owning a large telescope. I casually kept my eye open for a year or two.. One day I was looking at the Astromart ads and saw a 25 inch at a very reasonable price...
I think of aperture fever as a dissatisfaction with smaller scopes, a driven need for bigger and better... A 10 inch is not big enough, I need a 15 inch... My attitude is a 60mm is good, a 16 inch is good...
Jon
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tezster
professor emeritus
Reged: 07/14/09
Loc: Missisauga, Canada
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Re: Aperture fever, when does it end?
[Re: Jon Isaacs]
#5470609 - 10/14/12 09:37 PM
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Often times, hard limits which we don't have any direct control over dictates the maximum scope size one can own. It could be a set budget, or lack of space. So in that sense, circumstances -not personal desire- dictate the maximum scope size, so the choice becomes quite simple 
Edited by tezster (10/14/12 09:38 PM)
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Jeff Porter
super member
Reged: 09/03/10
Loc: Utah
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Re: Aperture fever, when does it end?
[Re: tezster]
#5470638 - 10/14/12 09:53 PM
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A friend of mine told me that it does not matter how big your scope is, because you will always be looking at the faintest objects possible with your scope.
Hmmmmmm..... Maybe now I can see all five galaxies in Stephens Quintet now that I have...
-Jeff P
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george golitzin
Pooh-Bah
Reged: 02/24/06
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Re: Aperture fever, when does it end?
[Re: Jeff Porter]
#5470720 - 10/14/12 10:52 PM
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For me, it pretty much ends with my 18-inch, which is the largest scope I feel comfortable transporting. Only way I'd consider something bigger is if I had a permanent observatory in a dark location. The 18 shows so much detail on DSOs, I don't feel compelled to go bigger.
-geo
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mark cowan
Vendor (Veritas Optics)
Reged: 06/03/05
Loc: salem, OR
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Re: Aperture fever, when does it end?
[Re: apolloadama]
#5470728 - 10/14/12 10:57 PM
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Some might say never...
Best,
Mark
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Jason D
Postmaster
Reged: 10/21/06
Loc: California
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Re: Aperture fever, when does it end?
[Re: apolloadama]
#5470746 - 10/14/12 11:10 PM
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It ends after successful completion of AA classes
P.S. “AA” stands for "Aperture Anonymous"
“Hi, my name is John and I am Aperturolic”
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johnnyha
Postmaster
Reged: 11/12/06
Loc: Sherman Oaks, CA
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Re: Aperture fever, when does it end?
[Re: Jason D]
#5470748 - 10/14/12 11:10 PM
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"Hi John."
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GlennLeDrew
Postmaster
Reged: 06/18/08
Loc: Ottawa, Ontario, Canada
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Re: Aperture fever, when does it end?
[Re: johnnyha]
#5470816 - 10/14/12 11:59 PM
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Many responses highlight external factors which impose limits, such as setup/teardown time, mass, rickety ladders, etc. But this doesn't necessarily address the *fever* itself, where the dissatisfaction with one's current aperture leads to the continued desire for bigger, even if impractical. A change in mindset is required to overcome this.
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ThreeD
scholastic sledgehammer
Reged: 12/23/08
Loc: Sacramento suburbs
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Re: Aperture fever, when does it end?
[Re: GlennLeDrew]
#5470924 - 10/15/12 01:58 AM
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But I don't think it always comes from a true dissatisfaction with what one currently has -- it may simply be a desire to see more.
I still think the XT8i I started with is great but to be honest most of my viewing is with my LB16. While some part of me would love to own a larger scope, I know it won't likely happen. I could go a bit larger and stay within the weight and logistics limits I have with the LB16 if I bought the right scope but it wouldn't be within the budget range that would please my wife and thus is a non-starter. I guess what I'm saying is I have the desire to see as much as I have the means to achieve. I enjoy what I have knowing that it is a much larger scope than most will ever have but also knowing that their are some objects that are out of reach. None of this means that I can't or don't enjoy the views through my 8".
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Jon Isaacs
Postmaster
Reged: 06/16/04
Loc: San Diego and Boulevard, CA
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Re: Aperture fever, when does it end?
[Re: GlennLeDrew]
#5471052 - 10/15/12 07:49 AM
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Quote:
Many responses highlight external factors which impose limits, such as setup/teardown time, mass, rickety ladders, etc. But this doesn't necessarily address the *fever* itself, where the dissatisfaction with one's current aperture leads to the continued desire for bigger, even if impractical. A change in mindset is required to overcome this.
Quote:
But I don't think it always comes from a true dissatisfaction with what one currently has -- it may simply be a desire to see more...
I guess what I'm saying is I have the desire to see as much as I have the means to achieve. I enjoy what I have knowing that it is a much larger scope than most will ever have but also knowing that their are some objects that are out of reach. None of this means that I can't or don't enjoy the views through my 8".
Again, it comes down to the question of what is aperture fever?
I realize that the limitations on what I see are my own skills and not the particular telescope I am looking through. I think this is the mindset that Glenn is referring to. A "hero": J Reynolds Freeman knocked off the Hershel 400 with a 55mm Vixen refractor. I see what people like Don Pensack and David Knisely do with their scopes and Glenn does with his homemade binoculars... From my point of view, seeing more is about developing my skills and developing my skills means looking more...
In my mind, there is a distinction between the emotion driven dissatisfaction that I think of as aperture fever and a calm appreciation of the virtues of aperture, these are two different animals...
Jon
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