
Post a Picture of your CAT...
#26
Posted 14 March 2006 - 09:55 PM
#28
Posted 14 March 2006 - 10:52 PM
#32
Posted 15 March 2006 - 06:58 AM
And, a peek at one of the views (please use this link, as image is a tad over the size guidlines... thanks!)
http://www.astro-nut...jup-03feb28.jpg
Image taken with a Canon D60 SLR via a stacked pair of TeleVue Powermates (2x and 4x) on the 8" Mak-Newt.
Paul
#33
Posted 15 March 2006 - 07:02 AM
Simply put, that is one of the best pics of Jupiter I have EVER seen. Outstanding!
Jason
#34
Posted 15 March 2006 - 08:59 AM
#35
Posted 15 March 2006 - 09:59 AM
#37
Posted 15 March 2006 - 12:58 PM
I´am thinking of buying me self a great Mak, how is the MN86 on DSO? I have a C11. Have you compared your Mak with bigger scopes? And if yes, how dose the great Mak compares to bigger aperture?
As Bierbelly notes, the laws of physics prevail!
I enjoy the MN immensely for is its ability to deliver spectacular performance across the board. It is as well suited providing low-power star-field sweeps as it is when being pushed to "crazy-high" levels (when conditions allow).
Of course there are no "magic scopes", but this thing certainly comes close. Plonking in a 31mm T5 "Temi-Nagler" for a slow cruise through the summer Milky Way still makes my toes tingle... crisp pin-point stars across the entire FOV, with no visible (to me) signs of distortion.
This was to be an "interim scope", to quench my needs while awaiting delivery of a 6" AP. The AP finally arrived last summer (after a 6 year wait, transforming in the process from an AP155 to become an AP160), but the MN86 remains in my astro-arsenal... it's THAT good!
Many of these (mine included), are optimized for visual usage: small secondaries dictating the focal plane be located relatively close to the tube. Hence, you may find that the stock designs are not the most imaging-friendly instruments. Nevertheless PowerMates, barlows, or other relay lenses can be used to tease the images out far enough for capture (though the f/ratio may be bumped up in the process).
Oh yeah... heres a deep-sky digicam shot (M13) taken with a digicam and 2X PowerMate. Not anything compared to what a dedicated astro-CCD might produce, but no slouch either (please use link, as image is a bit over the size guidelines... thanks!):
http://www.astro-nut...m13-03may19.jpg
Paul
#39
Posted 15 March 2006 - 05:06 PM
#41
Posted 15 March 2006 - 08:34 PM
OK, so here's my contribution. I don't own this scope any more, but it will relieve the monotony of blue and grey SCTs. This is a late-1970's vintage Dynamax 8. I got it in 1981 and hung on to it until I got sick of it about 2 years ago (actually, my wife got sick of hearing me complain about it). At one time it was an OK optical performer (as far as Dynamaxes went), but early on I removed the corrector to clean off the accumulated dust and film on the inside and never thought to mark its orietnation!

#43
Posted 16 March 2006 - 10:33 AM
Dave, your Celestron 10 pic brought back memories! My university had one of similar vintage in our roof-top observatory in downtown Philadelphia that I had access to for a time in the late 1980's. Didn't have the crayford focuser, mind you. I think they replaced it with a 16" LX200 a few years back.
OK, so here's my contribution. I don't own this scope any more, but it will relieve the monotony of blue and grey SCTs. This is a late-1970's vintage Dynamax 8. I got it in 1981 and hung on to it until I got sick of it about 2 years ago (actually, my wife got sick of hearing me complain about it). At one time it was an OK optical performer (as far as Dynamaxes went), but early on I removed the corrector to clean off the accumulated dust and film on the inside and never thought to mark its orietnation!
I always liked the look of those ol' Dynamaxes.
Very classy styling...

#44
Posted 17 March 2006 - 08:34 PM
Dave
#47
Posted 19 March 2006 - 07:03 AM
#48
Posted 19 March 2006 - 07:26 AM

Edited to say, that for Astronomy I use a right angle mirror diagonal rather than the stock correct image diagonal shown here.
#49
Posted 19 March 2006 - 07:39 AM

The scope in the background is a late 1960's 3" f/9 refractor... but we don't mention those here

#50
Posted 19 March 2006 - 08:09 AM