iOPTRON - Astronomy Technology Today
iOPTRON - Astronomy Technology Today
iOPTRON - Astronomy Technology Today
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ASTRONOMY<br />
TECHNOLOGY TODAY<br />
Your Complete Guide to Astronomical Equipment<br />
THE RIGEL SYSTEMS USB NSTEP AND ASTROSYSTEMS COLLIMATION TOOLS<br />
M-UNO: A PIER-LESS MOUNT • BAADER PLANETARIUM Q-TURRET EYEPIECE SET<br />
A HOT TOPIC • NEW MEXICO SKIES ASTRONOMY ENCLAVE<br />
THE <strong>iOPTRON</strong><br />
iEQ30<br />
THE LITTLE<br />
MOUNT THAT<br />
COULD<br />
Volume 7 • Issue 2<br />
March-April 2013<br />
$6.00 US
M8, the Lagoon nebula in wide-field mode at f/4.9<br />
Excellence lence<br />
in<br />
Optics<br />
The Ceravolo 300 dual focal length, large format astrograph – wide field and high resolution versatility.<br />
www.ceravolo.com w.cerav<br />
1-93 Hines Road, Kanata, Ontario, Canada, K2K 2M5 (613) 592-2373
Before<br />
www.rigelsys.com<br />
After<br />
Visit www.rigelsys.com for proven focusing solutions:<br />
nFOCUS DC motor family<br />
for visual observing & light imaging<br />
• Pulse Width Modulated DC focus motor control<br />
• High torque low speed & quick switch to high speed<br />
• Compatible with many brands of focusers and DC motors<br />
•USB adapter available for PC control<br />
•ASCOM complaint for use with autofocus software<br />
•High torque DC motor kits available<br />
• Complete stepper focus motor control from your PC<br />
• Compatible with many brands of focusers and steppers<br />
• Upgradeable as your needs evolve<br />
• Wireless and manual buttons focusing options<br />
• ASCOM compliant for use with autofocus software<br />
High torque stepper kits available<br />
Affordable solutions from $64.95!<br />
nSTEP STEPPER motor family<br />
for professional quality astroimaging<br />
Watch videos of nFOCUS and nSTEP in action at www.rigelsys.com<br />
QuikFinde<br />
Compact reflex sight. One tenth<br />
the size and weight of the other<br />
"reflex" sight, makes aiming your<br />
telescope easy with its wide-open<br />
right-side-up view. Projects 1/2<br />
and 2 degree red circles, Pulsed<br />
or continuous reticle.<br />
S-Specoscop<br />
Attaches to a eyepiece to spread<br />
light from stars and nebulae into<br />
a rainbow of colors, colors that<br />
provide a whole new way to<br />
enjoy astronomy. Works with<br />
most digital cameras.<br />
kyli & tarli in<br />
Our original astro flashlight, much<br />
imitated but never duplicated, is<br />
back! More compact at only 3.5<br />
inches long. Skylite switchable<br />
between white and red, Starlite is<br />
red only.
26437 Ridge Road • Damascus, Maryland 20872<br />
• In-House Testing and Service • 100% Satisfaction<br />
• Over 100 Years Combined Experience<br />
www.handsonoptics.com<br />
1-866-726-7371<br />
Check out<br />
our booth at<br />
NEAF 2013 on<br />
April 20-21!<br />
NEW<br />
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NEW<br />
PRODUCT<br />
NEW<br />
PRODUCT<br />
CELESTRON<br />
ADVANCED VX SERIES<br />
Provides many features<br />
found on Celestron’s most<br />
sophisticated German<br />
equatorial mounts at an<br />
extremely affordable<br />
price!<br />
CELESTRON STARSENSE<br />
<strong>Technology</strong> developed for SkyProdigy<br />
now available for almost every Celestron<br />
computerized scope!<br />
MEADE LX850<br />
Reengineered,<br />
refined, remarkable!<br />
Setup, aligned and<br />
imaging in less<br />
than 30 minutes!<br />
NEW<br />
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ONLY<br />
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CELESTRON<br />
NIGHTSCAPE<br />
8300 CCD<br />
One of the most affordable<br />
yet advanced KAF-8300 CCD cameras<br />
on the market!<br />
EXPLORE<br />
SCIENTIFIC 20MM<br />
100° EYEPIECE<br />
Nitrogen-Purged<br />
Waterproof Eyepiece on<br />
sale for this incredible<br />
price for a limited time!<br />
ASTROTELESCOPES 102MM (4")<br />
F/11 REFRACTOR<br />
“Planet Killer" with Hand Made Objective!<br />
Two great reviews in S&T and ATT, how can<br />
you pass on this deal! Order yours now!<br />
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ONLY<br />
$<br />
185!<br />
SAVE<br />
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VIXEN POLARIE STAR TRACKER<br />
Capture night scapes and star images with<br />
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STARDUST<br />
OBSERVING<br />
CHAIR<br />
The observing chair<br />
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FACTORY DIRECT, USED<br />
AND NEW (FUN) CLEARANCE!<br />
Scores of new and used scopes, optics,<br />
parts and hard to find and rare items!<br />
Huge savings!<br />
Zeiss, Meade, Celestron, Takahashi, Stellarvue, Vixen, Vernonscope, Lunt, GTO,<br />
Thousand Oaks, JMI, Pentax, Sky Instruments, Proxima, Skywatcher, Coronado,<br />
Orion, Explore Scientific, Farpoint Labs and Many More!
Contents<br />
Cover Story: Pages 29-34<br />
The cover features iOptron’s iEQ30<br />
German Equatorial Mount framed by a<br />
background image of the Horsehead and<br />
Flame Nebulas captured by Mark Zaslove<br />
usinghis personal iEQ30, one of<br />
the earliest delivered to an end purchaser.<br />
The nebula image is comprised of 10-<br />
minute subs and is amongthe first astroimages<br />
attempted by Mark. Although he<br />
has enjoyed aa lifelonginterest in astronomy,<br />
Mark is a self-described newbie to<br />
astrophotography, having only recently<br />
returned to active astronomy, and chose<br />
the iEQ30 largely because of its affordability,<br />
its user-friendly features, and the<br />
positive feedback earned by iOptron from<br />
the amateur-astronomy community.<br />
ASTRONOMY<br />
TECHNOLOGY TODAY<br />
Your Complete Guide to Astronomical Equipment<br />
THE RIGEL SYSTEMS USB NSTEP AND ASTROSYSTEMS COLLIMATION TOOLS<br />
M-UNO: A PIER-LESS MOUNT • BAADER PLANETARIUM Q-TURRET EYEPIECE SET<br />
A HOT TOPIC • NEW MEXICO SKIES ASTRONOMY ENCLAVE<br />
THE <strong>iOPTRON</strong><br />
iEQ30<br />
THE LITTLE<br />
MOUNT THAT<br />
COULD<br />
Volume 7 • Issue 2<br />
March-April 2013 $6.00 US<br />
New Products<br />
15 JMI<br />
Go-To Upgrade for Meade LightBridge<br />
16 IOPTRON<br />
Introduces the ZEQ25 and<br />
iEQ45-AZ Mounts<br />
In This Issue<br />
12 Editor’s Note<br />
What We Do<br />
By Gary Parkerson<br />
29 The iOptron iEQ30<br />
The Little Mount That Could<br />
By Mark Zaslove<br />
37 Baader Planetarium Q-Turret<br />
Eyepiece Set<br />
An Affordable Kit that Delivers!<br />
By Erik N. Wilcox<br />
43 M-Uno: A Pier-less Mount<br />
Armed and Amazing<br />
By Theodore Saker<br />
53 A Hot Topic<br />
Active Coolingof a Primary<br />
Telescope Mirror<br />
By Steven Aggas<br />
61 The Rigel Systems USB nSTEP and<br />
AstroSystems Collimation Tools<br />
Two Keys to Successful Imaging<br />
with a Fast Newtonian<br />
By Austin Grant<br />
In This Issue<br />
67 New Mexico Skies <strong>Astronomy</strong> Enclave<br />
A Case for Livingthe<br />
Astronomer’s Dream<br />
By Gary Parkerson<br />
72 Astro Tips, Tricks & Novel Solutions<br />
Lunar and Monthly Calendars<br />
By Thad Floryan<br />
19 KENDRICK ASTRO INSTRUMENTS<br />
Adds New Secondary-Mirror Heaters<br />
19 ORION TELESCOPES & BINOCULARS<br />
Deluxe Mini 50-mm Guide Scope with<br />
Helical Focuser<br />
20 PROTOSTAR<br />
New 63-mm ULS Quartz<br />
Secondary Mirror<br />
<strong>Astronomy</strong> TECHNOLOGY TODAY 9
Contributing Writers<br />
Steven L. Aggas is an engineer and has 19 patents with 3 more pending with his name on<br />
them. He is also a black belt in Kenpo Karate. He has been into astronomy and scope building<br />
since 1981, starting with rebuilding the rickety mount of a 50-mm refractor into a smooth<br />
motion scope. He’s built award winning telescopes over the years and has been recognized at<br />
Stellafane and Astrofest.<br />
Thad Floryan is a computer professional developing hardware and software products since<br />
the 1960s and has been technically retired since 2008 to pursue more astronomy and other<br />
activities. His astronomy interest began in the early 1950s per this collection of planispheres<br />
(http://thadlabs.com/Planispheres/). Thad also hosts the MAPUG (Meade Advanced<br />
Products User Group) archives (http://thadlabs.com/MAPUG/).<br />
Contents<br />
Industry News<br />
21 HUBBLE OPTICS<br />
Designing Newtonian Astrographs<br />
23 SOUTHERN STARS<br />
Introduces Satellite Safari and Update<br />
to SkyCube Project<br />
Austin Grant, a high-school Chemistry and Biology teacher, is a self-described perpetual hobbyist,<br />
experienced in such areas as building computers and repairing arcade equipment.<br />
Austin stumbled into astronomy several years ago and it soon became his primary interest.<br />
Being a child of the digital age, it didn’t take long for him to find digital astro-imaging and he<br />
sold his last pinball machine to fund his current imaging rig. Austin shares his passion for<br />
stargazing with his students and is in the process of building a school astronomy club.<br />
Ted Saker, Jr. is a member of the Columbus Astronomical Society and is a native of<br />
Columbus, Ohio, where he practices law and observes/images from the historic Perkins<br />
Observatory, as well as his home. Ted caught the astronomy bug during the days of the<br />
Apollo program and is lucky enough to claim a 6-inch f/7 Edmund Newtonian as his first telescope.<br />
24 MEADE INSTRUMENTS<br />
Now Shipping LX850<br />
24 CELESTRON<br />
Introduces “CometWatch - Year of the<br />
Comet 2013” Website<br />
Erik N. Wilcox lives off the grid on the Big Island of Hawaii, and has been observing for over<br />
20 years. When he’s not viewing from his dark backyard sky, he works for a natural foods<br />
chain, and spends his spare time hiking, kayaking, snorkeling, and performing music.<br />
Mark Zaslove is a two-time Emmy Award winner and recipient of the coveted Humanitas<br />
Prize. Mark is a born-again astro noobie, who once had an Optical Craftsman scope as a kid,<br />
and is now recapturing his youthful enthusiasm (with a digital twist) and having a lovely time<br />
doing it.<br />
25 DEEP SKY FORUM<br />
Celebrates First Anniversary with New<br />
Alvin Huey Observing Guide<br />
25 2013 CANADIAN ASTRONOMY<br />
TELESCOPE SHOW<br />
AstroCATS to be Held May 25 and 26<br />
26 TEETER’S TELESCOPE<br />
New TT/Journey and TT/Stark<br />
A big Dob on an Equatorial Platform is the ultimate<br />
observing machine. The Platform gives you precision<br />
tracking, whether you are observing with a high-power<br />
eyepiece, imaging with a CCD camera,or doing live<br />
video viewing with a MallinCam. Just check out this<br />
image of NGC3628 taken by Glenn Schaeffer with a 20-inch<br />
Dob on one of our Aluminum Platforms!<br />
Visit our website for details about our wood and metal Equatorial<br />
Platforms, as well as our line of large-aperture alt/az SpicaEyes<br />
Telescopes. You can also call or email for a free color brochure.<br />
EQUATORIAL PLATFORMS<br />
(530) 274-9113 • tomosy@nccn.net<br />
www.equatorialplatforms.com<br />
10 <strong>Astronomy</strong> TECHNOLOGY TODAY
The Supporting<br />
CAST<br />
The Companies And<br />
Organizations That<br />
Have Made Our<br />
Magazine Possible!<br />
We wish to thank our advertisers without<br />
whom this magazine would not be possible.<br />
When making a decision on your next<br />
purchase, we encourage you to consider<br />
these advertisers’ commitment to you by<br />
underwriting this issue of<br />
<strong>Astronomy</strong> <strong>Technology</strong> <strong>Today</strong>.<br />
Apogee Instruments<br />
www.ccd.com<br />
page 6<br />
Astro Hutech<br />
www.hutech.com<br />
page 73<br />
Astronomik<br />
www.astronomik.com<br />
page 16<br />
<strong>Astronomy</strong> Shoppe<br />
www.astronomy-shoppe.com<br />
page 59<br />
Astro Physics<br />
www.astro-physics.com<br />
page 13, 48<br />
Astrozap<br />
www.astrozap.com<br />
page 43<br />
ATIK Cameras<br />
www.atik-cameras.com<br />
page 78<br />
Bobs Knobs<br />
www.bobsknobs.com<br />
page 34<br />
Catseye Collimation<br />
www.catseyecollimation.com<br />
page 17<br />
Celestron<br />
www.celestron.com<br />
page 28, 52, 77<br />
Ceravolo<br />
www.ceravolo.com<br />
page 2<br />
Chroma <strong>Technology</strong> Corp<br />
www.chroma.com<br />
page 68<br />
Dark Skies Apparel<br />
www.darkskiesapparel.com<br />
page 40<br />
Deep Space Products<br />
www.deepspaceproducts.com<br />
page 71<br />
Diffraction Limited<br />
www.cyanogen.com<br />
page 76<br />
Equatorial Platforms<br />
www.equatorialplatforms.com<br />
page 10<br />
Explora Dome<br />
www.explora-dome.com<br />
page 51<br />
Explore Scientific<br />
www.explorescientific.com<br />
page 42<br />
Eyepieces Etc.<br />
www.eyepiecesetc.com<br />
page 15<br />
Far Laboratories<br />
www.dynapod.com<br />
page 34<br />
Finger Lakes Instrumentation<br />
www.flicamera.com<br />
page 75<br />
Foster Systems<br />
www.fostersystems.com<br />
page 26<br />
Glatter Collimation<br />
www.collimator.com<br />
page 33<br />
Hands On Optics<br />
www.handsonoptics.com<br />
page 5<br />
Hubble Optics<br />
www.hubbleoptics.com<br />
page 70<br />
Innovations Foresight<br />
www.innovationsforesight.com<br />
page 36<br />
iOptron<br />
www.ioptron.com<br />
page 7<br />
ISTAR Optical<br />
www.istar-optical.com<br />
page 19<br />
Jack’s Astro Accessories<br />
www.waningmoonii.com<br />
page 66<br />
JMI Telescopes<br />
www.jmitelescopes.com<br />
page 14<br />
Kendrick Astro Instruments<br />
www.kendrickastro.com<br />
page 58<br />
Knightware<br />
www.knightware.biz<br />
page 31<br />
Lunatico Astronomia<br />
www.lunaticoastro.com<br />
page 54<br />
Mathis Instruments<br />
www.mathis-instruments.com<br />
page 20<br />
Meade Instruments<br />
www.meade.com<br />
page 79<br />
Meridian Telescopes<br />
www.meridiantelescopes.com<br />
page 39<br />
New Mexico Skies<br />
www.nmskies.com<br />
page 24, 50<br />
Oceanside Photo and Telescope<br />
www.optcorp.com<br />
page 21<br />
Officina Stellare<br />
www.officinastellare.com<br />
page 65<br />
Optec<br />
www.optecinc.com<br />
page 47<br />
Optic-Craft Machining<br />
www.opticcraft.com<br />
page 40<br />
Opticsmart<br />
www.opticsmart.com<br />
page 62<br />
Optical Supports<br />
www.opticalsupports.com<br />
page 32<br />
Orion Telescopes and Binoculars<br />
www.oriontelescopes.com<br />
page 80<br />
PreciseParts<br />
www.preciseparts.com<br />
page 46<br />
ProtoStar<br />
www.fpi-protostar.com<br />
page 19<br />
Rigel Systems<br />
www.rigelsys.com<br />
page 4<br />
ScopeGuard<br />
www.scopeguard.com<br />
page 49<br />
ScopeStuff<br />
www.scopestuff.com<br />
page 17<br />
Sirius Astro Products<br />
www.siriusastroproducts.com<br />
page 32<br />
TO ADVERTISE CONTACT advertise@astronomytechnologytoday.com<br />
Sirius Observatories<br />
www.siriusobservatories.com<br />
page 64<br />
Skylight Telescopes<br />
www.skylighttelescopes.co.uk<br />
page 41<br />
SkyShed Observatories<br />
www.skyshed.com<br />
page 18<br />
Southern Stars<br />
www.southernstars.com<br />
page 56, 63<br />
Starizona<br />
www.starizona.com<br />
page 3<br />
Stellarvue<br />
www.stellarvue.com<br />
page 30<br />
Tele Vue Optics<br />
www.televue.com<br />
page 8<br />
Unihedron<br />
www.unihedron.com<br />
page 31<br />
Unitronitalia Instruments<br />
www.unitronitalia.com<br />
page 35<br />
Van Slyke Instruments<br />
www.observatory.org<br />
page 17, 27<br />
Vixen Optics<br />
www.vixenoptics.com<br />
page 60<br />
Waite Research<br />
www.waiteresearch.com<br />
page 38<br />
William Optics<br />
www.williamoptics.com<br />
page 74<br />
Wood Wonders<br />
www.wood-wonders.com<br />
page 17<br />
Woodland Hills Telescopes<br />
www.telescopes.net<br />
page 22
ASTRONOMY<br />
TECHNOLOGY TODAY<br />
Volume 7 • Issue 2<br />
March - April 2013<br />
Publisher<br />
Stuart Parkerson<br />
Managing Editor<br />
Gary Parkerson<br />
Associate Editors<br />
Austin Grant<br />
Chad E. Patterson<br />
Art Director<br />
Lance Palmer<br />
Staff Photographer<br />
Craig Falbaum<br />
Web Master<br />
Richard Harris<br />
3825 Gilbert Drive<br />
Shreveport, Louisiana 71104<br />
info@astronomytechnologytoday.com<br />
www.astronomytechnologytoday.com<br />
<strong>Astronomy</strong> <strong>Technology</strong> <strong>Today</strong> is published bi-monthly<br />
by Parkerson Publishing, LLC. Bulk rate postage paid<br />
at Dallas, Texas, and additional mailing offices.<br />
©2012 Parkerson Publishing, LLC, all rights<br />
reserved. No part of this publication or its Web site<br />
may be reproduced without written permission of<br />
Parkerson Publishing, LLC. <strong>Astronomy</strong> <strong>Technology</strong><br />
<strong>Today</strong> assumes no responsibility for the content of the<br />
articles, advertisements, or messages reproduced<br />
therein, and makes no representation or warranty<br />
whatsoever as to the completeness, accuracy, currency,<br />
or adequacy of any facts, views, opinions, statements,<br />
and recommendations it reproduces. Reference to any<br />
product, process, publication, or service of any third<br />
party by trade name, trademark, manufacturer, or<br />
otherwise does not constitute or imply the endorsement<br />
or recommendation of <strong>Astronomy</strong> <strong>Technology</strong> <strong>Today</strong>.<br />
The publication welcomes and encourages contributions;<br />
however is not responsible for the return of manuscripts<br />
and photographs. The publication, at the sole<br />
discretion of the publisher, reserves the right to accept<br />
or reject any advertising or contributions. For more<br />
information contact the publisher at <strong>Astronomy</strong><br />
<strong>Technology</strong> <strong>Today</strong>, 3825 Gilbert Drive, Shreveport,<br />
Louisiana 71104, or e-mail at<br />
info@astronomytechnologytoday.com.<br />
WHAT WE DO<br />
ATT associate editor, Austin Grant,<br />
called a few weeks ago to share his discovery<br />
of yet another astro-related gadget. This one<br />
was particularly exciting to me and will be,<br />
as well, to anyone else whose interests<br />
include ultra-wide field astrophotography.<br />
As a teaser, Austin described three key<br />
aspects of the product before identifying it,<br />
characteristics that, in his opinion, would<br />
make it especially interesting to ATT<br />
readers. Of the three, I remember only the<br />
last, because it was that factor that struck<br />
the most resounding chord. “You get to<br />
take something apart and put it back<br />
together again!” Yep, that got my full<br />
attention, just as Austin knew it would.<br />
No, I’m not going to share Austin’s<br />
discovery here; we’ll read about it soon<br />
enough in an upcoming issue of this<br />
magazine. But I am going to dwell on that<br />
taking-things-apart/putting-them-backtogether<br />
angle, because I think it has a lot to<br />
do with why so many of us enjoy our<br />
astro gear as much as, if not more than,<br />
astronomy itself.<br />
I look about my small home workspace<br />
and should be embarrassed by the clutter.<br />
In one corner are computer cases from<br />
which I’ve salvaged parts for future PCs.<br />
Stacked on top are assorted drives, card<br />
readers, fans, cables and such – stuff that<br />
should be stored away in boxes somewhere,<br />
if not discarded altogether. But there it all<br />
sits … in plain view.<br />
In another corner are bags of tools. At<br />
least the tools are in their sleeves today<br />
instead of where they’re normally found,<br />
scattered over every work surface in the<br />
Editor’s<br />
Note<br />
Gary Parkerson, Managing Editor<br />
room. You’d think a guy who makes his living<br />
at writing would devote desktops to laptops,<br />
pens and paper, not hex keys, calipers,<br />
spanner wrenches and such.<br />
In yet another corner is an old German<br />
equatorial mount, all set up on its tripod,<br />
ready to support a telescope, as if I might<br />
actually observe something from the interior<br />
of this room. I’ve been tuning that<br />
mount, off and on, for the past few months,<br />
but it’s really there because I just like looking<br />
at it.<br />
And then there are the telescopes –<br />
actually, pieces of telescopes – all in stages<br />
that range somewhere between fully assembled<br />
and fully disassembled. Fact is, few of<br />
them are likely to again see full assembly<br />
until it’s actually time to use them, or to<br />
part with them.<br />
Austin has contributed an article to this<br />
issue of ATT that features Rigel System’s<br />
bolt-on USB-nSTEP motorized focus<br />
system, as well as a couple of AstroSystems’<br />
passive collimation tools. I live within a<br />
5-minute walk of Austin, so I was on hand<br />
when he installed the Rigel hardware and<br />
when he first used the collimation tools.<br />
Good times, those!<br />
Installation of the Rigel nSTEP system<br />
is bolt-on-simple, so why would that quickand-easy<br />
process thrill an inveterate<br />
tinkerer? Well, some of us keep bolt-on simple<br />
and some of us milk it for all its worth.<br />
No, you don’t need to remove the stock<br />
focuser from the scope tube in order to<br />
install the nSTEP motor drive, but, hey,<br />
you might as well, right? And while you’re<br />
at it, isn’t it a great time to clean each<br />
12 <strong>Astronomy</strong> TECHNOLOGY TODAY
component and fine tune the draw-tube<br />
movements? Sure it is. Plus, you bought that<br />
watchmaker’s torque driver for a reason,<br />
didn’t you? Here’s yet another chance to<br />
justify that rather extravagant investment,<br />
tightening all the fasteners just so. Yes,<br />
installing a Rigel focus-motor drive can be as<br />
much fun as actually using it!<br />
Ditto the AstroSystems collimation<br />
tools. Read Austin’s description of their use<br />
and then tell me you too don’t thrill at the<br />
prospect of tweaking the alignment and<br />
securing the position of each and every<br />
component in an optical train. Using tools of<br />
such impeccable quality is its own reward – in<br />
our peculiar universe, the means justifies the<br />
end!<br />
You’ll notice in this issue that Mark<br />
Zaslove has also installed Rigel’s nSTEP focus<br />
system, in his case on the PowerNewt<br />
Astrograph atop the iOptron iEQ30 mount<br />
that stars in his feature article. Mark has<br />
promised a future review of his ultra-fast<br />
PowerNewt, and I trust he’ll detail his<br />
installation and use of the Rigel focus drive in<br />
that article as well. For my part, I anticipate<br />
those tidbits just as eagerly as I do each<br />
glorious astro image Mark will capture<br />
between now and then.<br />
This issue of ATT will be distributed in<br />
mass at NEAF 2013, a mecca to so many fellow<br />
astro tinkerers. And speaking of astro-products<br />
shows, I visited Starizona’s Tucson showroom<br />
while there in November for the inaugural<br />
edition of ASAE, and the main thing on display<br />
at Starizona was that work was being done. The<br />
room was packed with crates of freshly CNC’d<br />
and anodized HyperStar housings, telescopes in<br />
various stages of assembly, lots of tools and busy<br />
people. I felt instantly at home.<br />
One of my favorite lines from the modern<br />
sci-fi cult classic, Serenity, was uttered by the<br />
lead character as his crew prepared for another<br />
heist. When the question, “Understand your<br />
part in all this?” was turned around on him, the<br />
actor’s answer conveyed the perfect sense of<br />
bemused resignation: “It’s what I do, darlin’. It’s<br />
what I do.” As I hope do you when surveying<br />
yours, I look around my private workspace and<br />
no longer try to make sense of it all. This is just<br />
what we do, my friend. It’s what we do.<br />
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<strong>Astronomy</strong> TECHNOLOGY TODAY 13
NEWPRODUCTS<br />
JMI<br />
Go-To Upgrade for Meade LightBridge<br />
JMI has produced a remarkable range<br />
of refinements for retrofitting Meade’s<br />
LightBridge truss-tube Dobsonians, including<br />
its popular Train-N-Track motor-drive<br />
system that relieves users of having to continuously<br />
nudge their Dobs to keep highmagnification<br />
targets within the field of<br />
view.Train-N-Track takes its name from the<br />
simple 30-second training procedure that<br />
allows the scope to accurately track objects<br />
for up to 10 minutes.<br />
JMI’s new GoTo Upgrade for the<br />
Meade LightBridge goes Train-N-Track one<br />
better by transforming these LightBridge<br />
Dobs into fully computerized go-to positioning<br />
and tracking telescope systems.<br />
The JMI GoTo Upgrade for Meade<br />
LightBridge incorporates Meade’s triedand-true<br />
AutoStar Hand Controller and<br />
precision JMI parts, including all mounting<br />
and drive-gear hardware required to complete<br />
the conversion. Installation is simple,<br />
requiring only the drilling of pilot holes and<br />
should take the average user no more than<br />
one hour, plus another hour or so to master<br />
the written instructions and enjoy the<br />
included installation video.<br />
JMI’s new GoTo Upgrade for Meade<br />
LightBridge is available now and priced at<br />
$975US. For more information, visit<br />
www.jmitelescopes.com.<br />
<strong>Astronomy</strong> TECHNOLOGY TODAY 15
NEWPRODUCTS<br />
<strong>iOPTRON</strong><br />
Introduces the ZEQ25 and iEQ45-AZ Mounts<br />
iOptron continues its tradition of introducing<br />
affordable, yet technologically<br />
advanced astronomy products with its new<br />
ZEQ25 and iEQ45-AZ mounts.<br />
The new iOptron “Z”-design ZEQ25<br />
mount puts the weight of the payload at the<br />
center of gravity allowing for greater natural<br />
stability. Given its payload capacity, this<br />
means the “Z” designed mount is unusually<br />
light, a nice benefit when setting up at a<br />
remote site. Other features include an<br />
adjustable counterweight bar to prevent<br />
obstruction with the tripod. And polar aligning<br />
is quick and accessible regardless of orientation<br />
of the telescope since the polar<br />
scope is not blocked by the declination shaft.<br />
The ZEQ25 is equipped with iOptron’s<br />
most advanced GOTONOVA go-to technology,<br />
providing power and accuracy. With<br />
a database that includes over 59,000 objects,<br />
the Go2Nova Hand Controller is intuitive to<br />
use — its large 4-line LCD screen simplifies<br />
the process of setting telescopes and locating<br />
objects.<br />
Features include: payload of 27 pounds<br />
(12.3 kilograms) with the mount-only<br />
weight of 10.4 pounds (4.7 kilograms);<br />
spring-loaded gear system with customeradjustable<br />
loading force; gear switches on<br />
both R.A. and Dec axes for easy balancing<br />
when disengaged; adjustable counterweight<br />
shaft for 0-degree latitude operation; dualaxis<br />
servomotor with enhanced optical<br />
encoder for precise go-to and accurate tracking;<br />
iOptron’s AccuAligning calibrated polar<br />
scope with dark-field illumination and easy<br />
polar alignment procedure allowing for fast<br />
and accurate polar alignment; polar-alignment<br />
routine; and Go2Nova 8408 controller<br />
with Advanced GOTONOVA go-to technology.<br />
Other features include: periodic error<br />
correction (PEC); integrated ST-4 autoguiding<br />
port; built-in 32-channel Global<br />
Positioning System (GPS); serial port for<br />
firmware upgrade and computer control;<br />
spring-loaded Vixen-style saddle; standard<br />
1.5-inch heavy-duty stainless-steel tripod (5<br />
16 <strong>Astronomy</strong> TECHNOLOGY TODAY
NEWPRODUCTS<br />
kilograms); and die-cast metal tripod spreader<br />
with accessory tray.<br />
Options include a 2-inch tripod<br />
(8 kilograms) and iOptron’s PowerWeight<br />
rechargeable battery pack.<br />
The ZEQ25 is retail priced at $799US,<br />
and the ZEQ25 with Polar Scope is priced at<br />
$848US.<br />
The iEQ45-AZ German equatorialaltazimuth<br />
go-to mount is the latest development<br />
of iOptron’s premium equatorial<br />
mount, the iEQ45. It offers superb astroimaging<br />
capability and portable visual<br />
astronomy. With the ability to change from<br />
altazimuth mode to equatorial mode, you<br />
have a product with high performance in<br />
both positions.<br />
The iEQ45-AZ mount offers the next<br />
generation go-to technology from iOptron,<br />
as well as built-in 32-bit GPS. It has a payload<br />
of 45 pounds for EQ mode and 90<br />
pounds for AZ mode (dual mounting), and<br />
comes standard with a calibrated dark-field<br />
illumination polar scope and a rigid portable<br />
pier. It also accepts both Vixen- and<br />
Losmandy-type mounting plates. Its lighter<br />
weight (only 25 pounds) makes it much easier<br />
to carry than other mounts of comparable<br />
payload capacity.<br />
Specifications include: ultra-accurate<br />
tracking with temperature-compensated<br />
crystal oscillator (TCXO); iOptron’s<br />
FlexiTouch Gap-free structure for both R.A.<br />
and DEC worm gears; angular contact<br />
bearing for R.A. and DEC axles; 0.09-arc<br />
second resolution; Go2Nova 8407 controller<br />
with Advanced GOTONOVA go-to technology;<br />
permanent periodic error correction<br />
(PPEC); polar alignment routine; integrated<br />
ST-4 autoguiding port capable of reverse<br />
guiding with auto-protection; calibrated<br />
polar scope with dark-field illumination and<br />
easy polar alignment procedure allowing for<br />
fast and accurate polar alignment; port for<br />
electronic focuser, laser pointer, and planetary<br />
dome control; RS232 port for computer<br />
control via ASCOM platform; heated<br />
hand controller for low-temperature operation<br />
(as low as -20ºC); 6 -inch Vixen/<br />
Losmandy dual dovetail saddle; and 6-inch<br />
rigid portable pier (34 inch or 865 mm tall).<br />
Options include a secondary Vixen/<br />
Losmandy dual-dovetail saddle, a counterweight<br />
extension shaft, a custom carrying<br />
case, and iOptron’s novel PowerWeight<br />
rechargeable battery pack.<br />
The iEQ45-AZ is retail priced at<br />
$1899US.<br />
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David Chandler - Lightwedge - Baader<br />
ScopeStuff Piggyback & Balance Kits<br />
Rings, Rails, Dovetails, Cables, ATM,<br />
Eyepieces, Filters, Diagonals, Adapters<br />
Green Lasers - And MUCH more!<br />
www.scopestuff.com 512-259-9778<br />
<strong>Astronomy</strong> TECHNOLOGY TODAY 17
NEWPRODUCTS<br />
KENDRICK ASTRO INSTRUMENTS<br />
Adds New Secondary-Mirror Heaters<br />
Kendrick Astro Instruments has<br />
announced two new additions to its secondary<br />
mirrorheaterline:the2029-Mand2029-XM.<br />
Both are of the split-ring design and are specifically<br />
designed for retrofit application on the<br />
popular Skywatcher and Orion (US) 12-inch<br />
and 14-inch Dobsonian telescopes. The secondary<br />
mirrors of these telescopes can be susceptible<br />
to dew, and the new Kendrick heaters<br />
solve the issue handily. The heaters have sufficient<br />
power to clear a fogged-over secondary<br />
when set to high power, Kendrick recommendsacontrollersettingof30-to50-percent,<br />
depending on conditions.<br />
The split-ring design makes installation<br />
onto these exposed secondary mirrors very<br />
easy. Kendrick even includes a neoprene insulator<br />
so that the warmth generated by the<br />
heater goes into the glass and not into the<br />
atmosphere.<br />
Kendrick Astro Instruments is currently<br />
taking orders on the heaters, but they will not<br />
be in stock until approximately mid-to-late of<br />
April. The 2029-M is priced at $45CAN and<br />
the 2029-XM at $55CAN. For more information,<br />
please visit www.kendrickastro.com.<br />
ORION TELESCOPES & BINOCULARS<br />
Deluxe Mini 50-mm Guide Scope with Helical Focuser<br />
Orion’s original Mini 50-mm Guide<br />
Scope broke new ground in delivery of an<br />
affordable, lightweight solution to autoguider<br />
applications. Because it mounts using<br />
the ubiquitous Orion-style universal finder-scope<br />
dovetail mounting bracket, many<br />
telescopes are already equipped to accept<br />
the little guider, and a dovetail bracket saddle<br />
is even included for retrofitting scopes<br />
that aren’t.<br />
Like many modern finder scopes,<br />
focus of the original Mini -50-mm Guide<br />
Scope is adjusted via a front-mounted,<br />
threaded objective cell and locking collar,<br />
and while this mechanism certainly works,<br />
many users find the focus system to be less<br />
intuitive than rear mounted systems. So,<br />
for astrophotographers wanting the optimum<br />
in ease of use and precision focus<br />
action, Orion has<br />
introduced the<br />
new Deluxe Mini<br />
50-mm Guide<br />
Scope with Helical<br />
Focuser.<br />
This built-in, rearmounted<br />
helical-focus assembly features<br />
a non-rotating camera collar — rotation<br />
of the helical focus ring will not cause<br />
the attached guide camera to rotate during<br />
focus adjustment, ensuring that the field of<br />
potential guide stars does not move as the<br />
guider is focused. Guide cameras can be<br />
mounted by either T-thread or standard<br />
1.25-inch nose-piece.<br />
Despite the addition of the helicalfocus<br />
assembly, the new guide scope<br />
weighs just 1.2 pounds and measures only<br />
6.8 inches in length. Orion’s Deluxe Mini<br />
50-mm Guide Scope is priced at<br />
$169.99US.<br />
For more information, please visit<br />
www.telescopes.com.<br />
<strong>Astronomy</strong> TECHNOLOGY TODAY 19
NEWPRODUCTS<br />
PROTOSTAR<br />
New 63-mm ULS Quartz Secondary Mirror<br />
Protostar has announced that it is<br />
now carrying 63-mm ULS Quartz secondary<br />
mirrors that can be used as<br />
drop-in replacements for the stock secondaries<br />
of many 10-inch f/4.7<br />
Newtonians. This is Protostar’s first<br />
offering of a new product line of dropin<br />
secondary mirror replacements for<br />
reflectors.<br />
The mirrors feature CNC-shaped<br />
(not cast) fused silica glass. The harder<br />
fused silica permits a 10-5 scratch/dig<br />
surface finish for extremely high<br />
smoothness and precise fit into the<br />
holder, plus excellent surface flatness –<br />
1/10th p-v is the minimum accuracy<br />
sold, but typical pieces exceed this minimum<br />
specification.<br />
Each Protostar ULS Quartz secondary<br />
mirror is individually serialized, and<br />
an interferometric test report is included.<br />
The mirrors offer high-quality<br />
metallic/dielectric hybrid coating (aluminum,<br />
TiO2, SiO2) yielding 96-98%<br />
reflectivity. The dielectric over coating<br />
is applied with an ion-assisted deposition<br />
(IAD) process for enhanced durability,<br />
which meets or exceeds MIL-M-<br />
13508.<br />
O t h e r<br />
applications<br />
for the mirrors<br />
include optical<br />
bench set-ups<br />
or reference<br />
flats. The mirrors<br />
are suitable<br />
for visible,<br />
near-IR, and<br />
near-UV lowpower<br />
laser<br />
applications.<br />
The laser damage threshold is 70<br />
W/cm² (20 Hz cyclic) at 1064 nm.<br />
The retail price for the new<br />
Protostar 63-mm ULS Quartz secondary<br />
mirror is $178US. For more information<br />
please visit www.fpi-protostar.com.<br />
20 <strong>Astronomy</strong> TECHNOLOGY TODAY
INDUSTRYNEWS<br />
HUBBLE OPTICS<br />
Designing Newtonian Astrographs<br />
As the final pages of this issue of<br />
ATT were being completed, Hubble<br />
Optics' Tong Liu shared that he is now in<br />
the design/prototyping phase of two new<br />
lines of fast Newtonian Astrographs in<br />
apertures from 12.5 inches to 20 inches,<br />
starting with a NA12.5 f/3.4 corrected<br />
specifically for mating with Tele Vue's<br />
Paracorr Type 2 coma corrector, yielding<br />
an image circle of 31 mm, wide enough to<br />
accommodate APS-C sized CCD sensors.<br />
A more advanced Hyperbolic<br />
Newtonain Astrograph (HNA) 12.5<br />
f/3.4 is also being designed and will be<br />
equipped with Hubble Optics' own<br />
HNA corrector to produce a well-corrected<br />
>44-mm diameter image circle to<br />
provide excellent coverage for full-frame<br />
35-mm CCD sensors.<br />
Fully loaded, the NA12.5 should be<br />
mounted on an EQ mount with a payload<br />
capacity of at least 16 kilogram (35<br />
pounds), while the HNA 12.5 with 3-<br />
inch corrector/focuser can be mounted<br />
on a 18-kilogram (40-pound) loadcapacity<br />
EQ mount. For users demanding<br />
even larger fields of view for exceptionally-large<br />
CCD sensors, an<br />
HNA12.5 with 3.5-inch corrector will<br />
also be available, producing a well-corrected<br />
50-mm image circle.<br />
The NA line will be equipped with a<br />
parabolic sandwich primary mirror, while<br />
the HNA line will equipped with a hyperbolic<br />
sandwich primary mirror. All OTAs<br />
will be optimized with double-stage carbon-fiber/aluminum<br />
truss tubes to achieve<br />
near-zero temperature focal shifting for the<br />
most demanding CCD imaging.<br />
Hubble Optics currently projects<br />
initial availability of both the new NA<br />
and HNA OTAs during summer 2013.<br />
The NA12.5 will be competitively priced<br />
at about $3000US, while the HNA12.5<br />
will be priced about $4000US.<br />
Follow www.hubbleoptics.com for<br />
further information as it develops.<br />
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<strong>Astronomy</strong> TECHNOLOGY TODAY 21
Tired of fighting<br />
to get the best<br />
prices AND the<br />
best customer<br />
service?
INDUSTRYNEWS<br />
SOUTHERN STARS<br />
Introduces Satellite Safari and Update to SkyCube Project<br />
Southern Stars’ new<br />
Satellite Safari app is a<br />
tour guide to the universe<br />
of satellites that<br />
humanity has launched<br />
into orbit around our<br />
home planet. And later<br />
this year, it will become<br />
a personal gateway to a<br />
real orbital satellite<br />
from which you can<br />
Image 1 take pictures and send<br />
broadcasts.<br />
Satellite Safari is the official app of<br />
Southern Stars’ SkyCube satellite mission.<br />
Once launched, users will be able to request<br />
their own images of the Earth and broadcast<br />
their own radio messages from orbit as<br />
“tweets from space,” using the Satellite<br />
Safari app on an iPhone or iPad.<br />
While the Southern Stars team is waiting<br />
for SkyCube to launch, users can utilize<br />
Satellite Safari to learn more about the<br />
International Space Station and many hundreds<br />
of other satellites already in orbit.<br />
Satellite Safari will tell you where to find<br />
them in the sky, when they’ll pass overhead<br />
and where they are orbiting over Earth right<br />
now.<br />
Satellite Safari for iPhone, iPad, and<br />
iPod touch is available on the iTunes Store.<br />
The app is universal for both iPhone and<br />
iPad, and requires iOS 5 or later. Satellite<br />
Safari for Android is currently under development.<br />
Southern Stars expects to release<br />
the app on Google Play sometime in April<br />
2013.<br />
Southern Stars has also announced that<br />
Image 2<br />
the scheduled SkyCube launch date of<br />
March 2013 has been changed. Southern<br />
Skies announced the SkyCube project in<br />
July 2012, with the goal of privately sponsoring<br />
the launch of a nano-type satellite, or<br />
CubeSat, which is typically used for space<br />
research.<br />
Originally, the Southern Skies team<br />
expected SkyCube to launch on a SpaceX<br />
Falcon 9 rocket in April 2013. However, for<br />
reasons having nothing to do with<br />
SkyCube, the SkyCube satellite has been<br />
manifested on a different Falcon 9 going to<br />
the International Space Station in<br />
September, 2013.<br />
SkyCube will still be launched from<br />
Cape Canaveral, Florida, but will now be<br />
unpacked from the Dragon capsule by<br />
astronauts aboard ISS and deployed into its<br />
own orbit two weeks later. SkyCube will<br />
not be the first CubeSat deployed from the<br />
ISS. NASA’s TechEdSat and Japan’s FIT-<br />
SAT-1 were among the first when they were<br />
Image 3<br />
deployed in October 2012. Shown in<br />
Image 2 is an actual NASA image taken by<br />
astronaut Chris Hadfield of the first<br />
CubeSat deployment from the ISS.<br />
Southern Stars is working with<br />
NanoRacks, who is managing the deployment<br />
of SkyCube from the ISS via their<br />
Space Act Agreement with NASA’s U.S.<br />
National Lab.<br />
Southern Stars has been working with<br />
Spaceflight Services and NanoRacks to<br />
modify the SkyCube to meet additional<br />
safety standards for human spaceflight<br />
required by NASA. Changes include<br />
adding two more deployment foot switches<br />
Image 4<br />
to the top and bottom of the satellite, as<br />
well as a redundant release mechanism for<br />
the solar panels. Image 3 shows how the<br />
solar panels will unfold after the satellite is<br />
deployed and activated. Solar panels will be<br />
restrained before deployment by cuttable<br />
nylon bolts at both top and bottom. Image<br />
4 shows the configuration of the satellite’s<br />
solar panels after full deployment.<br />
As the SkyCube team explains, “A few<br />
more technical details need to be worked<br />
out, but we’re confident that we can resolve<br />
them in the six months between now and<br />
September. Getting SkyCube into orbit will<br />
take longer than we originally expected. But<br />
the new plan, to deploy SkyCube from ISS,<br />
adds a whole new dimension to the project.”<br />
The project was funded through<br />
Kickstarter, and there are still opportunities<br />
to participate by sponsoring the project for<br />
as little as $1US, which underwrites 10 seconds<br />
of the mission and provides the opportunity<br />
to broadcast one 120-character message<br />
from the satellite. Other opportunities<br />
include the chance to request specific<br />
images from the satellite.<br />
For more information on the<br />
Satellite Safari app, visit www.southernstars.com.<br />
For more information on the<br />
SkyCube project, go to www.skycube.org.<br />
<strong>Astronomy</strong> TECHNOLOGY TODAY 23
INDUSTRYNEWS<br />
MEADE INSTRUMENTS<br />
Now Shipping The LX850<br />
As we reported in the Jan-Feb 2013<br />
issue, Meade has introduced the new<br />
LX850 telescope systems which feature a<br />
German Equatorial Mount with StarLock<br />
dual-imager, integrated full-time autoguider,<br />
ultra-precision pointing and assisted<br />
drift alignment. Meade has since advised<br />
ATT that it has now indeed begun shipments<br />
of the LX850 ACF f/8 and LX850<br />
130 APO f/7 telescopes.<br />
The LX850 mount offers a 90-pound<br />
instrument capacity, 5.8-inch 225-tooth<br />
polished bronze worm/gear drives with<br />
low periodic error, internal cable routing,<br />
GPS receiver, AutoStar II handbox with<br />
144,000 object library, Periodic Error<br />
Correction (PEC), heavy-duty adjustable<br />
height tripod with anti-vibration pads,<br />
universal AC adapter, telescope to computer<br />
USB cable and AutoStar Suite software.<br />
LX850 ACF f/8 optics are available<br />
in apertures of 10 inch, 12 inch and 14<br />
inch. Also available with the new LX850<br />
mount is Meade’s Series 6000 130-mm f/7<br />
ED Triplet APO.<br />
All LX850s are covered by Meade’s<br />
FirstLight program, which guarantees that<br />
if a LX850 fails within the first 30 days of<br />
ownership, Meade will replace it. No questions<br />
asked.<br />
Retail pricing for the LX850 mount<br />
with no OTA is $5,999US. The 10-inch<br />
ACF system is $7,999US, 12-inch ACF<br />
system is $8,999US, and 14-inch ACF<br />
system is $9,999US. The LX850 130-mm<br />
ED APO is priced at $8,998US.<br />
For more information please visit<br />
www.meade.com.<br />
CELESTRON<br />
Introduces “CometWatch - Year of the Comet 2013” Website<br />
In what promises to be the “Year of<br />
the Comet,” CometWatch, Celestron’s new<br />
go-to online resource for viewing comets,<br />
is the perfect one-stop resource for the latest<br />
2013 comet details.<br />
With the appearance this year of three<br />
potentially extraordinary comets,<br />
PANSTARRS, Lemmon, and ISON, the<br />
site has been developed to provide a wealth<br />
of information and educational offerings<br />
to further enrich users’ comet experiences.<br />
CometWatch provides up-to-date news<br />
and information from Comet Hunter<br />
Gold Status astronomer Tammy Plotner.<br />
Also available are a live tracker, user-submitted<br />
comet photos, tips for observing,<br />
and more. Celestron will be updating<br />
CometWatch throughout 2013 with ongoing<br />
content to help view, track and follow<br />
the results of each event.<br />
The CometWatch image section also<br />
allows users to post their images of each<br />
comet, and there are already many outstanding<br />
PANSTARR images currently on<br />
the site, with more being uploaded daily.<br />
Plus, there will be even more to see when<br />
Lemmon and ISON are visible.<br />
For more information please check<br />
out www.celestron.com/astronomy/<br />
cometwatch.<br />
24 <strong>Astronomy</strong> TECHNOLOGY TODAY
INDUSTRYNEWS<br />
DEEP SKY FORUM<br />
Celebrates First Anniversary with New Alvin Huey Observing Guide<br />
The Deep Sky Forum is celebrating its<br />
one year anniversary. Sponsored by Dark Skies<br />
Apparel, the forum was created to offer a place<br />
to discuss everything about the art of deep-sky<br />
observing<br />
To celebrate the anniversary, observing<br />
guide guru Alvin Huey (www.faint<br />
fuzzies.com) created a new downloadable<br />
observing guide using the past year’s “Object of<br />
the Week” from the forum. Members chose<br />
and discussed a different object every week<br />
varying in type and difficulty. Many objects<br />
may require at least an 18-inch telescope and<br />
dark skies. The guide is offered as a PDF and<br />
is available for free at his Alvin’s website.<br />
While at visiting Alvin’s website, you<br />
might also notice that he has just introduced a<br />
major update to his observing guide, The Local<br />
Group. The guide features local group galaxies<br />
within our celestial backyard. Huey used<br />
SEDS and NED as sources to determine<br />
which members are within the “local” group.<br />
Some of the local group members are near<br />
enough that you can see some of their globular<br />
clusters, H-II, OB regions and open clusters.<br />
They are clearly marked and offer a great challenge<br />
for those with large telescopes.<br />
Huey has also recently provided minor<br />
updates to several of his other guides, including<br />
Flat Galaxies, Ring Galaxies, and Abell<br />
Galaxy Clusters.<br />
For more information please visit their<br />
websites at www.deepskyforum.com and<br />
www.faintfuzzies.com.<br />
2013 CANADIAN ASTRONOMY TELESCOPE SHOW<br />
AstroCATS to be Held May 25 and 26<br />
The 2013 Canadian Telescope Show<br />
(AstroCATS) will take place on May 25 &<br />
26, 2013, at the Sheridan College<br />
Athletics Center in Oakville Ontario.<br />
AstroCATS is a 2-day event featuring the<br />
largest commercial display and sale of telescopes<br />
and related astronomical products<br />
in the Canada.<br />
AstroCATS is the first show of this<br />
kind in Canada and ideally situated as an<br />
alternative for attendees. Thanks to its<br />
proximity to the US border (just 15 miles<br />
West of Toronto and only 55 miles North<br />
of Buffalo, NY) organizers anticipate a<br />
large attendance from Upstate New<br />
York, Pennsylvania, Michigan and<br />
Northeast Ohio, as well as from across<br />
Canada.<br />
In addition to exhibits by numerous<br />
telescope vendors, distributors and manufacturers,<br />
the show will include conference<br />
workshops and lectures by well-known<br />
professional and amateur astronomers, as<br />
well as other experts in their fields.<br />
The Canadian <strong>Astronomy</strong> Trade<br />
Show is hosted by the RASC Hamilton<br />
Centre, an amateur astronomy club established<br />
in 1908. It is one of 29 National<br />
Centres of the Royal Astronomical Society<br />
of Canada (RASC). The event is organized<br />
by RASC Hamilton Centre members. In<br />
addition to club members, there will also<br />
be student volunteers helping to make<br />
everyone’s day enjoyable.<br />
For more information please visit<br />
www.astrocats.ca.<br />
<strong>Astronomy</strong> TECHNOLOGY TODAY 25
INDUSTRYNEWS<br />
TEETER’S TELESCOPE<br />
New TT/Journey and TT/Stark<br />
Many of our readers are familiar with<br />
Teeter’s Telescopes’ Dobsonian offerings,<br />
including the STS (Solid Tube Series),<br />
Sub4 (large aperture, fast focal ratios),<br />
Classic (moderate apertures, moderate<br />
focal ratios) and Custom product lines, so<br />
you’ll probably not be surprised that Rob<br />
Teeter is planning the launch of a new travel<br />
Dobsonian this spring.<br />
The new TT/Journey travel scope is a<br />
10-inch f/5 Dobsonian designed for easy<br />
portability, whether traveling close to<br />
home in your vehicle or when traveling by<br />
air around the world.<br />
Says owner Rob Teeter, “At Teeter’s<br />
Telescopes, we’ve never been afraid of<br />
attempting new things, such as using new<br />
components in our telescopes or trying<br />
slightly different build/finishing techniques<br />
and products. What we have hesitated<br />
to do since opening our doors in<br />
2002 was to attempt something as complex<br />
and involved as designing a Travel<br />
Scope.”<br />
He continued, “At first glance, a<br />
10-inch Dobsonian may not appear that<br />
difficult to design and fabricate, and when<br />
thinking of a traditional Dobsonian, it is<br />
an easy task. But a 10-inch Dobsonian<br />
designed to be as light as possible, yet as<br />
rigid as possible, and pack away in checkable<br />
luggage yet offer most features of a traditional<br />
Dobsonian, is a complicated and<br />
delicate task. But, we feel the market at this<br />
point in time is ready for just such a product<br />
and we were urged by many people to<br />
design and make available commercially a<br />
telescope of this design.”<br />
Specifications include: 10-inch f/5<br />
Primary Mirror by GSO (upgrades to a<br />
Lightholder Optics, Royce Optical or<br />
Zambuto optical are available at<br />
additional cost); 6-point flotation<br />
primary mirror cell by Aurora Precision, 3-<br />
vane curved spider by 1800Destiny, 2-<br />
inch/1.25-inch Crayford focuser by<br />
MoonLite Telescope Accessories, 8-pole<br />
Truss Design utilizing MoonLite and<br />
Aurora connectors, travel trusses<br />
(truss poles break down in half for extra<br />
portability, using Aurora hardware), and<br />
Teeter’s traditional wood finish.<br />
The Journey is designed to be an<br />
“Observatory in a Box,” where the entire<br />
telescope, plus your accessories, will pack<br />
into a single Pelican watertight/wheeled<br />
travel case (included as standard equipment<br />
with every order). Total weight of the<br />
Journey and Pelican case will be approximately<br />
57 pounds and the retail price is<br />
projected to be $2,750US (subject to<br />
change prior to official release).<br />
Two prototypes will be available for<br />
unveiling in Teeter’s Northeast <strong>Astronomy</strong><br />
Forum (NEAF) booth on April 20/21,<br />
2013.<br />
Also to debut this spring is the<br />
TT/Stark for those who want a Teeter’s<br />
Telescope, but don’t want the complexity<br />
and cost of all of their bells and whistles.<br />
The TT/Stark telescopes provide everything<br />
needed to get up and running in the<br />
hobby at a lower introductory cost than<br />
traditional Teeter’s telescopes. To be offered<br />
as a bare-bones option, the new Truss-<br />
Dobsonian will still offer the high quality<br />
and superior fit and finish of other Teeter’s<br />
products. The stripped down version<br />
removes the brass hardware, the dual<br />
boundary layer fans, other electronics, truss<br />
case, shroud and wood stain. It is sold standard<br />
with Gueng Shen Optical (GSO) primary<br />
and secondary mirrors, or purchasers<br />
can supply their own 10-inch, 12-inch or<br />
16-inch primary mirror from an existing<br />
telescope.<br />
As both new scope options are still in<br />
the finishing stages, images of the scopes<br />
are not yet available. However, as soon as<br />
they are available they will be found at<br />
www.teeterstelescopes.com, along with<br />
more information on the new offerings.<br />
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26 <strong>Astronomy</strong> TECHNOLOGY TODAY
UNIVERSALLYSUPERIOR<br />
IMAGE THE UNIVERSE<br />
IN HIGH DEFINITION<br />
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than ever. And when paired with Celestron’s new Nightscape 8300 one-shot color<br />
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ADVANCED VX:<br />
+ Integer gear ratios and permanently programmable<br />
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+ New motors offer improved tracking performance and<br />
more power to overcome load imbalances<br />
Nightscape 8300<br />
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CELESTRON PREMIER SELECT DEALERS<br />
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Focus Camera – 800.221.0828 – www.focuscamera.com<br />
Woodland Hills – 888.427.8766 – www.telescopes.net
THE LITTLE<br />
MOUNT<br />
THAT<br />
COULD<br />
Image 1 - The iOptron iEQ30 carrying an<br />
Explore Scientific AR152 f/6.5 achro<br />
refractor.<br />
The iOptron iEQ30<br />
By Mark Zaslove<br />
I am a born-again astro-newbie.<br />
Back when I was a kid (after the wellused<br />
Tasco refractor), I had a 6-inch<br />
Newt from the legendary Optical<br />
Craftsman Company. Great optics, but<br />
the mount, solid like a Russian tank, had<br />
only a “clock drive” in RA and setting<br />
circles that were about as accurate as wetting<br />
your finger and holding it up to see<br />
which way the wind blew. Then<br />
…decades went by.<br />
The CCD revolution erupted, and<br />
all those wonderful images done by the<br />
professional astronomers back then were<br />
suddenly within the capability of amateurs<br />
now. Hooray for Hollywood! I<br />
bided my time, studied up, read like<br />
crazy and finally set achievable goals for<br />
getting back into the nighttime fray.<br />
Because the learning curve would be<br />
steep, my time limited, and who knew if<br />
I would take to it or not, one of my<br />
parameters was bang-for-buck. Too<br />
cheap, and the travails of getting a good<br />
picture would be so ugly I’d quit in frustration;<br />
too expensive just for expensive’s<br />
sake, and if I didn’t “take” to the hobby<br />
again, I’d be out big bucks.<br />
Basically, I wanted really good midrange<br />
items that shined at what they did.<br />
If I were a boxing manager, I’d be looking<br />
for a solid welter weight with a<br />
punch.<br />
After much research, I narrowed it<br />
down between the Celestron CGEM and<br />
the Orion Atlas, with the far-end hope of<br />
finding a used Tak, maybe. But then<br />
iOptron came out with the iEQ30. Light<br />
but “wiry,” perfect for the wide-field<br />
astrophotography (AP) I wanted to do<br />
(under 20 pounds of gear), but still with<br />
sophistication and good finish. Or, at<br />
least that was the theory … they weren’t<br />
out yet.<br />
I ordered one of the first ones, along<br />
with the very first pier that came out (I<br />
had a pier when I was a kid; no tripods<br />
for this boy; tripods are for wusses). After<br />
a very fast slow boat from China, it<br />
arrived (the pier came a few days later).<br />
Let me digress for a moment and<br />
build the, as Popeye says, “suspensk.” My<br />
AP rig was going to be built around –<br />
after much research again – the brand<br />
<strong>Astronomy</strong> TECHNOLOGY TODAY 29
THE LITTLE MOUNT THAT COULD<br />
new (I got one of the first) 6-inch “Baby”<br />
PowerNewts. But I knew that if I just<br />
threw everything up in one try, I’d be<br />
crushed under the weight of the learning<br />
curve, so I also got a used Explore<br />
Scientific AR152 f/6.5 achro refractor. I<br />
figured, if I learned the mount with hand<br />
controller first, it’d be easier, and I’d have<br />
some fun with visual. Also, the AR152<br />
should juuuuust about be at the limits<br />
of the iEQ30, one way or the other.<br />
(Image 1)<br />
Image 2 - The iEQ30 and pier arrived in three packages.<br />
Back to the continuing<br />
story of Bungalow Bill<br />
Man, when I opened the boxes was<br />
the iEQ30 cool-looking! Yeah, I know, it<br />
looks like some other mounts, but it was<br />
30 <strong>Astronomy</strong> TECHNOLOGY TODAY
THE LITTLE MOUNT THAT COULD<br />
light. I’m able to one-hand it easily, and<br />
it was mine! Never underestimate the<br />
power of ownership. (Images 2 and 3)<br />
The pier idea is kinda cool, too. The<br />
legs and tension rods of the pier fit into<br />
the tube itself – all neat and tidy – with<br />
a bolt that keeps it all in place. It took me<br />
a moment or two to realize that bolt was<br />
not needed to set up the pier, just to store<br />
it (the old “one piece left over” syndrome).<br />
The first free summer weekend after<br />
I got it, I took it over to a friend’s highly-light-polluted<br />
backyard (there is<br />
nowhere near my apartment to set up<br />
anything) and after much vodka (never<br />
to be done again, as it can make one very<br />
fumble-fingered), I did a rough polar<br />
align with a compass, then a polar align<br />
with the hand control (HC) and polar<br />
scope (more on this later), synched a star,<br />
then did a two-star align, and off I went.<br />
The entire first night, my targets were<br />
always within the field of view of a 14-<br />
mm 82 degree eyepiece. In fact, I<br />
jumped from globular to globular to diffuse<br />
nebula to my personal fave planetary,<br />
M57, so rapidly, that by the end of<br />
the evening, I’d seen more objects in five<br />
hours than in a month of viewing when<br />
I was a kid. It was spectacular!<br />
Plus, as my buddy said, the mount<br />
sounds like something from a Sci-Fi<br />
movie, maybe Aliens – barely audible<br />
when tracking (although, since then, my<br />
ear has become more attuned to it) and<br />
sort of elevator-background noise when<br />
moving from point to point on high/9.<br />
Nothing to wake the baby with, but you<br />
can hear it whirring.<br />
Image 3 - The iOptron iEQ30 was nicely packaged and delivered in excellent condition.<br />
pieces in an Orion soft-sided bag. No big<br />
thing, and it is a coolidea, but not for<br />
me.<br />
The polar scope and HC routine are<br />
great. Very accurate – I will get into it<br />
more in the AP section – but for visual,<br />
with this routine, you’re very good to go,<br />
and it’s simple with no guesswork. The<br />
If you want something<br />
visual that’s not abysmal<br />
Easy-peasy to set up. The pier is simple<br />
to level, though I quickly found that<br />
the store-it-all-inside-the-unit idea is not<br />
conducive to late night packing. Trying<br />
to stuff everything back in the metalpier<br />
tube at 3 a.m. in the cold can be a hassle,<br />
and I don’t like hassle. I now keep the<br />
<strong>Astronomy</strong> TECHNOLOGY TODAY 31
THE LITTLE MOUNT THAT COULD<br />
Image 4 - Shown is the author’s iEQ30 carrying a 6-inch PowerNewt and related imaging<br />
equipment.<br />
mount also balanced the AR152 with<br />
electronic balance quickly as well.<br />
“Electronic balance?” I hear you cry.<br />
Yup. You punch a few buttons on the<br />
hand controller, and then the scope<br />
moves all the way sideways (so make sure<br />
everything’s tight!). Then you test the RA<br />
and DEC balance. It takes a moment,<br />
then gives you a little simplistic image of<br />
the scope and, for RA, the weight bar<br />
and weights and arrows to tell you which<br />
way to move things to reach balance. For<br />
DEC it’s a picture of the scope and<br />
arrows to tell you which way to slide the<br />
scope. Simplicity! Now, I did check it<br />
against manual balancing, and it’s slightly<br />
different. When I asked the iOptron<br />
guys, they said that the electronic balance<br />
routine takes into account the motors<br />
and their operation in terms of balance.<br />
Anyway, the AR152 was right at the<br />
edge of the little mount’s range, and the<br />
RA balance was always easy, but the<br />
DEC balance was iffy. It could electronic<br />
balance … but not always; sometimes at<br />
a certain balance point it said “OK!” and<br />
sometimes not. I took the best 2 out of 3.<br />
It was balanced well, but the electronics<br />
were “unsure.” As I said, the scope was at<br />
the mount’s limit, so I took that into<br />
account.<br />
Damping time with the pier and the<br />
AR152 was about a second (after whacking<br />
the pier with my foot), which made<br />
focusing fairly easy, even at higher powers,<br />
but with a 5-mm TMB Planetary II,<br />
I did have to hold my breath a bit. I went<br />
inside for a meal and to jam with bass<br />
and guitar and two hours later, M4 was<br />
still in the center of the 14-mm eyepiece.<br />
So tracking is pretty nice, too.<br />
Three more nights for visual (with a<br />
new 30-mm ES 82-degree grenade, an<br />
8.8-mm ES, and a 14-mm 100-degree<br />
ES as well), and the same results on gotos<br />
and tracking, though I did discover<br />
that syncing to the object threw out the<br />
original two/three-star alignment done<br />
earlier. Otherwise, coolie-moolie for<br />
visual.<br />
Once more unto the AP<br />
Okay, between MaxIm DL, TheSky<br />
6, a Rigel nStep focuser, a QHY12 camera,<br />
a Borg 50-mm guidescope with<br />
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32 <strong>Astronomy</strong> TECHNOLOGY TODAY
THE LITTLE MOUNT THAT COULD<br />
Lodestar guider, etc., etc., etc. (to be said<br />
like Yul Brynner in “The King and I”), I<br />
was almost flummoxed at first. But …<br />
not for one second did I have to worry<br />
about my iEQ30. First, with the weight<br />
on top well within the mount’s range<br />
(under 17 pounds in total), the electronic<br />
balancing was always spot-on and<br />
repeatable. And with my trusty Sabrent<br />
USB 2.0-to-Serial Cable attaching the<br />
mount to my laptop, and TheSky 6 picking<br />
out objects (and, often, MaxIm DL’s<br />
little planetarium, too), I could whip<br />
around the sky like no one’s business.<br />
(Image 4)<br />
And this is where the polar scope<br />
and iOptron’s polar routine really shined.<br />
My first time out to my dark site to take<br />
pics (I had some technical runs in lightpolluted<br />
skies to work out guiding and<br />
stuff – still working out bugs on other<br />
things), I could get nice 5-minute guided<br />
subs with just the polar-scope alignment.<br />
Now, this was my very first time imaging,<br />
so a zillion things weren’t perfect;<br />
nevertheless, although not spectacular,<br />
for what I wanted to do, not bad, either<br />
(I later pushed that to 10-minute guided<br />
subs; haven’t tried longer). This from a<br />
newbie.<br />
Is that 20 minutes unguided? Nope,<br />
not even close, but I took some, for my<br />
tastes, nice pictures the very first time I<br />
tried … and that is very important.<br />
Getting into the ballpark is the whole<br />
shooting match to me, because once<br />
there, it’s simply a matter of refining. If I<br />
had had blurs and smudges and heavy<br />
trailing, etc., and the pics looked like<br />
something that exploded out of the back<br />
end of a wombat after eating a taco, I’d<br />
be really bummed, and then, if it continued,<br />
would want to give up. But now …<br />
now I can put up with any quirk because<br />
I’m in the ballpark – the rest is just finetuning.<br />
(Image 5 and Image 6)<br />
Image 5 - The Horsehead and Flame<br />
Nebulas captured with the iEQ30; 10-<br />
minute subs<br />
Lies, damned lies, and PE…<br />
So what do the numbers say? I was<br />
able to get a PE (from PemPro) of 12 arcseconds<br />
(peak-to-peak with five different<br />
runs), no great spikes or weirdness, a fairly<br />
smooth curve. Pretty good for a mount<br />
in this price range. Have not tried to<br />
PEC it yet, but will, when I have a<br />
moment (still so much to learn and do).<br />
Go-tos remain solid all night (and plate<br />
solving really takes the sting out of it),<br />
though I’ve had the occasional hiccup<br />
here and there, but a re-synch/plate solve<br />
and I was good to go again. Can’t ask for<br />
much more in this price range and better<br />
than a lot of others.<br />
Ladies and gentlemen of<br />
the jury, in summation.<br />
So, if someone stole it would I get<br />
another? (Wait, you criminals! Put that<br />
mount down!!) Yup. For my purposes,<br />
getting back into astronomy and on the<br />
upward learning curve of AP, it’s the per-<br />
Image 6 - The Rosette Nebula captured<br />
with the iEQ30; 10-minute subs.<br />
<strong>Astronomy</strong> TECHNOLOGY TODAY 33
THE LITTLE MOUNT THAT COULD<br />
Image 7: Captured using the iOptron<br />
iEQ30, this image of M44, the<br />
Beehive Cluster, demonstrates<br />
excellent tracking.<br />
Lyra © Double Double<br />
Mounting System<br />
No More Tube Rings<br />
or Tools!<br />
fect bang-for-buck for my scope and<br />
CCD. Yes, in the years ahead I might get<br />
something higher-end to refine my work,<br />
or, if I got a bigger scope (I’m eyeing a<br />
really nice 9-inch MakCass for planets).<br />
But all choices have tradeoffs, and with<br />
the goals I have, this mount is great!<br />
The Good<br />
1. It is light with a nice payload for<br />
its weight. Damps down quickly.<br />
2. Good price for this range of mounts.<br />
3. Setup is easy. 4. The polar scope and<br />
HC routine is very good to excellent<br />
(nice level on the polar scope, lighted reticle<br />
on it, easy picture on the HC to follow<br />
– very repeatable). 5. Go-tos with<br />
the HC or otherwise are very good. 6. PE<br />
on my scope is very good. 7. Customer<br />
service is EXCELLENT. I want to thank<br />
John and the anonymous Tech2 from<br />
iOptron whose support and quick<br />
responses to even the stupidest of my<br />
questions were always helpful and sometimes<br />
sky-saving (they sent out a pierplate<br />
the day the Nemo storm hit, even<br />
before charging me, in the hopes of having<br />
me receive it before the next weekend’s<br />
viewing). Good support is worth its<br />
weight in gold!<br />
The Not As Good<br />
1. The ASCOM driver is a bit fluky.<br />
It doesn’t play well with others. TheSkyX<br />
had trouble with it, and despite Daniel<br />
Bisque’s help, I had to scrap it and go to<br />
TheSky 6. I’ve read about others having<br />
trouble with it on differing software as<br />
well. 2. I could never get this mount to<br />
work with SkySafari. But, I had to use<br />
Bluetooth and a crappy Android phone<br />
(no iPhones on T-Mobile), so it may<br />
have been the Bluetooth. Still, I have<br />
read reports that it can be tough for others<br />
as well. 3. The fine-tuning alt-knobs<br />
are so-so, but there are nice mods put up<br />
on the web for the iEQ45 (same mount<br />
but bigger) that make them more accurate.<br />
Have grinder, will travel. 4. I got the<br />
very first mount case (as far as I know)<br />
and the foam was put in backwards on<br />
top. All other small quibbles (a missing<br />
bolt, a broken reticle cord), iOptron took<br />
care of quickly and painlessly, but this<br />
one thing still irks me: I ripped foam out<br />
to make it work, but it looks like something<br />
the cat coughed up.<br />
The envelope please:<br />
There you have it, a born-again<br />
astro-newbie’s look at the iOptron<br />
iEQ30. For my stated goals, a great buy.<br />
Your mileage may vary, but no one gets a<br />
Ferrari for Honda prices (despite a lot of<br />
whining I hear on online sites). I’d rank<br />
this as a solid Volvo: well-thought-out<br />
build, good performance, sturdy and<br />
always does what it’s supposed to. Now,<br />
if I could just find more free time to get<br />
out to my dark site, I could take some<br />
more pictures and actually get good at<br />
this stuff!<br />
Quick mounting of guide scopes, cameras<br />
and finder scopes on telescopes with just<br />
the click of two buckles!<br />
Replaces two sets of two mounting rings<br />
and all the nuts and bolts.<br />
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34 <strong>Astronomy</strong> TECHNOLOGY TODAY
Baader Planetarium<br />
Q-Turret Eyepiece Set<br />
An Affordable Kit<br />
That Delivers! By Erik N. Wilcox<br />
I generally view eyepiece kits with a<br />
certain degree of skepticism. After all, who<br />
can forget the “all-in-one” plastic sets –<br />
complete with a case! – and that mostly<br />
consisted of a bunch of under-performing<br />
eyepieces, a cheap 3x Barlow, and colored<br />
filters of limited usefulness. Occasionally,<br />
there have been eyepiece kits that contained<br />
a gem or two, but for the most part,<br />
I’ve always been a firm believer in buying<br />
eyepieces individually and in only the<br />
needed focal lengths.<br />
However, the Q-Turret eyepiece set<br />
from Baader Planetarium is different.<br />
Rather than include a bunch of focal<br />
lengths that no one needs – does anyone<br />
really use a 4-mm Huygens eyepiece with a<br />
30-degree apparent field of view (AFOV)?<br />
– the Baader Planetarium Q-Turret set<br />
contains four 1.25-inch eyepieces with<br />
f/lengths that are usable in just about any<br />
amateur telescope. Included is the 32-mm<br />
Baader Classic Plössl (the widest true field<br />
of view possible in a 1.25-inch barrel), and<br />
Baader’s new Classic Orthos in focal<br />
lengths of 18-mm, 10-mm, and 6-mm. All<br />
are reported to be fully “HT” multi-coated<br />
and each features an AFOV of 50 degrees.<br />
Also included is the 2.25x Q-Barlow with<br />
a dual-factor lens, which I’ll discuss in<br />
greater detail shortly.<br />
Initially, what was most intriguing to<br />
me about this set was the Q-Turret eyepiece<br />
revolver. As soon as I opened the<br />
Astro-Box padded metal case (which is<br />
very colorful and stylish I might add; it has<br />
a nice photo of the Andromeda Galaxy and<br />
a see-through display window!), I wondered<br />
why an accessory such as this eyepiece<br />
revolver wasn’t more popular. It features<br />
a lightweight aluminum and heavyduty<br />
plastic design and allows the observer<br />
to have all four eyepieces installed at once.<br />
To change eyepieces (and thus magnification),<br />
the user simply rotates the<br />
revolver so that the desired eyepiece is over<br />
the focuser. No more fumbling around in<br />
the dark with setscrews and trying to find<br />
the right eyepiece; it’s already at your fingertips!<br />
A nice firm “click-stop” at the end<br />
of each eyepiece position travel ensures<br />
that the eyepiece is exactly where it needs<br />
to be. Best of all, the eyepieces are parfocal<br />
with each other so little or no further<br />
adjustment in focus is needed when changing<br />
magnifications. Being that this was<br />
such a simple solution, I was interested to<br />
see how it would work in the field.<br />
I was able to get my first light the very<br />
same day I received the Baader<br />
Planetarium Q-Turret eyepiece set. Shortly<br />
after dark, I brought my 80-mm f/7 refractor<br />
and my 8-inch f/5 Newtonian outside<br />
for some observing. I would also test the<br />
eyepieces in my 16-inch f/4.5 Dobsonian<br />
later that evening and on following nights.<br />
As is often the case from my backyard<br />
at 4500-feet elevation on the southern<br />
slopes of Mauna Loa, conditions were<br />
spectacular. It was a moonless night and<br />
Orion stood high in the south with the<br />
Milky Way prominently displayed across<br />
most of the otherwise black sky. I first<br />
decided to observe Jupiter, which I’d been<br />
spending a lot of time with recently.<br />
Unfortunately, the first hurdle came when<br />
I realized that the eyepieces wouldn’t quite<br />
reach focus in my little refractor with the<br />
eyepiece revolver installed in the 2-inch<br />
diagonal. Though the eyepiece revolver has<br />
<strong>Astronomy</strong> TECHNOLOGY TODAY 37
BAADER PLANETARIUM Q-TURRET EYEPIECE SET<br />
a low-profile design, the added height<br />
wouldn’t allow it to reach focus in that particular<br />
scope, though it was very close –<br />
probably within a millimeter or two.<br />
As a workaround, I unthreaded the<br />
lens from the included Q-Barlow and<br />
threaded it onto the bottom of the eyepiece<br />
revolver, which is conveniently threaded to<br />
accept filters and other 1.25-inch accessories.<br />
Using the Q-Barlow in this manner<br />
increases the magnification by the same<br />
2.25x since the distance from the Barlow<br />
lens set to the eyepiece field stop remains<br />
the same. This made the effective eyepiece<br />
focal lengths to become equivalent to 2.7-<br />
mm, 4.5-mm, 8-mm and 14-mm, filing<br />
the gaps between the native focal lengths of<br />
the eyepieces nicely.<br />
But more importantly, it yielded a nice<br />
gain in back focus, allowing each of the<br />
four eyepieces to reach focus in the refractor.<br />
I was able to reach focus without the<br />
Barlow lens in the 8-inch scope by removing<br />
its draw-tube extension and in the 16-<br />
inch scope without any modifications<br />
whatsoever and suspect that if I’d had a<br />
1.25-inch diagonal, which would be shorter<br />
than the 2-inch diagonal I was using, I<br />
wouldn’t have had any issue reaching focus<br />
in the refractor.<br />
It should be noted that the Q-Barlow<br />
lens assembly can also be threaded directly<br />
onto any 1.25-inch eyepiece that accepts<br />
filters for an effective magnification<br />
increase of 1.3x.<br />
With the 32-mm Plössl and Barlow<br />
lens loaded up into the turret and ready to<br />
go, I excitedly pointed the little refractor at<br />
Jupiter. With this combination, the gas<br />
giant showed a crisp and well defined disk<br />
and two bands were clearly visible. Jupiter’s<br />
four Galilean moons appeared as tiny pinpoints.<br />
I moved Jupiter just outside of the<br />
field of view to see if there was any stray<br />
light or scatter, and there was none.<br />
Eye relief was comfortable, and the<br />
32-mm, as well as the 18-mm (8-mm), 10-<br />
mm (4.5-mm), and 6-mm(2.7-mm)<br />
snapped to focus perfectly in the 80-mm<br />
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38 <strong>Astronomy</strong> TECHNOLOGY TODAY
BAADER PLANETARIUM Q-TURRET EYEPIECE SET<br />
including M42, M35, M41, M36, M38,<br />
the Beehive Cluster, the Double Cluster,<br />
the Pleiades, and a few others. Though I<br />
normally spend most of my observing time<br />
using wide-fields (none of my mounts are<br />
driven, so I often find wide-fields to be<br />
most convenient), I found the 50-degree<br />
AFOV to be comfortable and expansive in<br />
the 80-mm refractor. As a side note, I did<br />
notice slight vignetting through the 32-<br />
mm Plössl due to using the Barlow lens,<br />
but this was leveled out by the excellent<br />
image quality.<br />
With scopes around f/7 and faster, a<br />
consideration with any low-power eyepiece<br />
is edge correction. I found the 32-mm<br />
Plössl to be nearly flawless in that regard<br />
with the Q-Barlow lens installed in my 80-<br />
mm refractor. In the 8-inch f/5 and 16-<br />
inch f/4.5 (both with a Paracorr coma corrector<br />
installed and without the Barlow<br />
lens), I found the 32-mm to have very<br />
good edge correction. I did note a slight<br />
amount of astigmatism near the field stop<br />
(maybe the outer 10 to 15 percent) as well<br />
as a tinge of violet false color on bright stars<br />
right at the field stop, which I’ve noticed<br />
through most eyepieces. During daylight<br />
hours, I could also see a slight green ring<br />
around the perimeter of the field stop in<br />
the 32-mm, as well as in the 18-mm and<br />
10-mm to a lesser degree. These are small<br />
qualms, however. Overall, I would say that<br />
the 32-mm Baader Classic Plössl has excellent<br />
optics.<br />
Speaking of excellent optics, the same<br />
could be said for the 18-mm, 10-mm, and<br />
6-mm Baader Classic Orthos. The 10-mm<br />
in particular is extremely comfortable to<br />
use. The recessed “volcano top” allowed me<br />
to place my eye right up to the eyepiece<br />
without any blackout whatsoever. The 18-<br />
mm and 6-mm Baader Classic Orthos also<br />
feature this volcano top lens design, and all<br />
three have eye lenses much larger than<br />
what you might expect in a traditional<br />
orthoscopic design.<br />
Orthoscopic eyepieces often have a<br />
narrow AFOV, and given that the Baader<br />
Classic Orthos feature a wider 50-degree<br />
AFOV, I was concerned about the edge<br />
correction. However, the edge of the field<br />
of view in these Orthos was nearly perfect,<br />
even in my fast f/4.5 scope with the coma<br />
corrector installed. Like the Baader Classic<br />
Plössl, there was no scatter or ghosting<br />
whatsoever in any of the Baader Classic<br />
Orthos. Though the 6-mm was a bit too<br />
much magnification in the 16-inch (351x)<br />
on the nights I tested it, it performed well<br />
in both the 80-mm and 8-inch scopes. The<br />
10-mm Classic Ortho turned out to be my<br />
favorite eyepiece in the set. It provides a<br />
nice magnification in my 16-inch Dob<br />
(210x) and performed admirably.<br />
I installed a couple of other eyepieces<br />
of similar focal lengths in the eyepiece<br />
revolver – (1) an inexpensive 10-mm<br />
Plössl, (2) a cheap 9-mm wide-field, and<br />
(3) a high-quality 9-mm wide-field) – and<br />
compared the views of Jupiter. The Baader<br />
10-mm Classic Ortho showed a brighter<br />
image than sample one, the 10-mm Plössl,<br />
and a crisper image than sample two, the<br />
low-end 9-mm wide-field. The view was<br />
also much “whiter” in the Classic Ortho<br />
than it was in sample three, the high-quality<br />
9-mm wide-field. Additionally, I could<br />
see slightly more detail in Jupiter’s cloud<br />
bands in the 10-mm Baader Classic Ortho<br />
when compared to sample one, the 10-mm<br />
Plössl.<br />
I did some comparisons with the 32-<br />
mm, 18-mm, and 6-mm as well. Though<br />
double-stars aren’t really my main area of<br />
interest, I split a few for the sake of com-<br />
<strong>Astronomy</strong> TECHNOLOGY TODAY 39
BAADER PLANETARIUM Q-TURRET EYEPIECE SET<br />
parison. Starting with Castor, I found the<br />
6-mm Baader Classic Ortho to be well up<br />
to the task, and when compared to an inexpensive<br />
6-mm wide-field, the difference<br />
was quite apparent; at 210x (with the<br />
Barlow lens through the 80-mm refractor)<br />
the 6-mm Baader Classic Ortho showed a<br />
crisper and noticeably better defined split.<br />
This trend repeated itself with several<br />
other doubles. Aside from the excellent<br />
optics, the other thing that really impressed<br />
me was light transmission. It is very difficult<br />
to detect a difference in light transmission<br />
as the human eye requires a variance<br />
of about 10 percent in order to actually see<br />
a difference. But in a couple of cases (like<br />
the comparison mentioned in the last paragraph),<br />
I could notice a small difference.<br />
With simpler four-element designs, such as<br />
Orthoscopics, there is less light loss<br />
(assuming equal quality in coatings) due to<br />
the fact that fewer lens elements are used<br />
than in more complex designs. Some widefield<br />
designs can employ eight or more lens<br />
elements, each of which may lose up to<br />
two percent or more of their light throughput.<br />
The coatings on these eyepieces are<br />
absolutely superb. Viewed at an angle, the<br />
coatings appear slightly greenish to my<br />
admittedly somewhat color challenged<br />
eyes. Looking straight into the barrel, the<br />
glass almost disappears – one can only see<br />
flat black with no shiny surfaces. The<br />
Baader Classic Plössl and Classic Orthos<br />
are advertised as being “fully HT multicoated,”<br />
and this means that every air-toglass<br />
surface is coated (in this case, two different<br />
oxides e-gunned onto the glass in six<br />
layers) to reduce reflections and allow more<br />
light to pass through. The “HT” means<br />
high-transmission, and these eyepieces definitely<br />
have nice high-transmission coatings.<br />
The 32-mm appears to feature a<br />
blackened baffle/field stop, and I admire<br />
the fact that the threads on this eyepiece<br />
seem to go all the way up the barrel past<br />
the field stop. This is nice because textured<br />
or rough surfaces (like these threads) tend<br />
to stop stray light better than smooth surfaces.<br />
It’s often details like these that can<br />
make a difference in performance.<br />
Admittedly, I’m not a big fan of the<br />
winged eye-guards included on these (and<br />
many other) eyepieces. I suppose they are<br />
useful in blocking out ambient light<br />
sources, but as I most often observe from<br />
dark skies, I find them to be a bit cumbersome.<br />
I just flipped them down so they<br />
were out of the way, but because of this I<br />
did notice a touch of kidney beaning<br />
(blackouts) in the 32-mm and 18-mm<br />
when using the Barlow lens. A standard<br />
fold down eye-guard would alleviate this<br />
issue, and it would be great to see Baader<br />
Planetarium offer that as an option with<br />
this set in the future.<br />
After corresponding with Thomas<br />
Baader via email, I realized I’d completely<br />
overlooked the useful extension tube for<br />
the 32-mm Plössl, which is included in the<br />
Q-Turret eyepiece set. This handy little<br />
device attaches directly to the 32-mm<br />
Plössl and allows users who don’t wear eyeglasses<br />
to comfortably take in the entire<br />
field of view without any blackouts or kidney<br />
beaning. Additionally, the winged eyeguard<br />
can also be attached to the extension<br />
tube if desired. In later observing sessions,<br />
I found the extension tube to be useful<br />
enough that I simply chose to leave it<br />
installed on the 32-mm Plössl.<br />
I was also impressed with the 2.25x Q-<br />
Barlow. It is threaded and appears to feature<br />
a flocked baffle inside the barrel,<br />
which I thought was a very nice touch. The<br />
Q-Barlow performed very well with no<br />
noticeable degradation in image quality<br />
versus using the eyepiece by itself. Using<br />
the 2.25x Q-Barlow gives the observer a<br />
wide range of effective focal lengths: 32-<br />
mm, 18-mm, 14-mm, 10-mm, 8-mm, 6-<br />
mm, 4.6-mm, and 2.7-mm.<br />
The “dual factor” Barlow lens is also<br />
designed to be removed easily and threaded<br />
onto the bottom of any 1.25-inch eyepiece<br />
for an effective magnification<br />
increase of 1.3x, which allows for even<br />
more possible focal lengths. For example,<br />
the effective focal length of 24-mm when<br />
the lens was paired directly with the 32-<br />
mm Plössl in this manner was especially<br />
useful during my observing sessions. Also,<br />
attaching the Q-Barlow lens to the bottom<br />
of the eyepiece revolver (for a magnification<br />
increase of 2.25x) allows for an additional<br />
25-mm back-focus to accommodate<br />
scopes with limited inward focus travel.<br />
The Q-Turret eyepiece revolver is itself<br />
a great and inventive piece of gear. It is<br />
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40 <strong>Astronomy</strong> TECHNOLOGY TODAY
BAADER PLANETARIUM Q-TURRET EYEPIECE SET<br />
lightweight, precise, and the assuring<br />
“click-stop” system works perfectly.<br />
Though it is partly constructed of plastic,<br />
it feels rugged and durable. There is a<br />
Phillips screw in the center of the unit<br />
(which, by the way, threads into a brass<br />
nut, not directly into the plastic body) that<br />
can be adjusted to modify the “feel” and<br />
torque needed to move the eyepieces from<br />
position to position. This is a nice feature,<br />
because should the unit “loosen up” a bit<br />
with prolonged use, the user could theoretically<br />
make adjustments to compensate for<br />
this. Although I did try tightening and<br />
loosening the adjustment screw for the<br />
sake of this review, I found it to be perfectly<br />
adjusted right out of the box.<br />
I was initially concerned that the eyepieces<br />
may be spaced too closely together<br />
when installed in the Q-Turret and would<br />
interfere with the observer during use, but<br />
that simply wasn’t an issue. Although that<br />
could be the case if bulkier eyepieces were<br />
installed, I didn’t find that to be a problem<br />
with the included Baader eyepieces or any<br />
other 1.25-inch eyepieces of similar size<br />
that I used to during my observing sessions.<br />
One of my favorite aspects about the<br />
Q-Turret eyepiece set is its convenience. It’s<br />
perfect for “grab and go” use, and I often<br />
found myself just leaving the entire set<br />
Sattached to the focuser on my little refractor.<br />
This allowed me to be outside observing<br />
in one trip; no eyepiece case necessary!<br />
In many ways, these are the ultimate<br />
“sleeper” eyepieces. When I first opened<br />
the box, my initial thought was “starter<br />
set,” but it appears that in this case, Baader<br />
put a high emphasis on the functional<br />
design and optical performance of this set<br />
and a bit less on the cosmetics and outward<br />
appearance. This is positively refreshing as<br />
it allows this high-performance eyepiece set<br />
to be had for a surprisingly low price without<br />
any sacrifice in optical quality.<br />
Don’t get me wrong, the anodized<br />
black barrels with readable white letters are<br />
functionally practical and certainly look<br />
nice enough. But there are no fancy<br />
knurled grips on the eyepieces, and the<br />
eyepiece revolver uses simple setscrews<br />
rather than the setscrews with brass<br />
retaining collars that are often common on<br />
higher priced accessories. Fancy knurled<br />
grips don’t make stars look any better, so<br />
I’d rather have excellent views through<br />
the eyepiece than when I look at the<br />
eyepiece!<br />
If you’re looking for spectacular optics,<br />
a wide range of effective focal lengths and<br />
a convenient device (the Q-Turret eyepiece<br />
revolver) to use them in, look no further<br />
than the Baader Planetarium Q-Turret<br />
Eyepiece Set. You will surely not be disappointed.<br />
The Baader Classic Orthos are of<br />
an Abbe-orthoscopic design. They use<br />
the actual optical design of the famed<br />
Zeiss Jena orthos – Baader now owns<br />
rights to that design. Because the<br />
Abbe-ortho design is maximized for an<br />
AFOV of 45 degrees, these Baader<br />
Classic Orthos start to lose edge-offield<br />
sharpness past 45 degrees.<br />
Nevertheless, the AFOV of these eyepieces<br />
was intentionally extended<br />
beyond the optimized 45 degrees to<br />
provide users an extended true field of<br />
view to aid in locating objects when<br />
viewing at high power. There are few<br />
things more frustrating than knowing<br />
that your target is oh-so-close, but still<br />
finding yourself struggling to “find it”<br />
in the field of view. This more than 10-<br />
percent increase in true field of view<br />
can make the difference between<br />
quickly locating an object … or continuing<br />
to mumble to yourself in frustration.<br />
As for the cosmetic aspects of the<br />
eyepieces, Thomas Baader explains,<br />
“Well, what can I say. Whoever saw a<br />
real Carl Zeiss 0.965 Ortho Eyepiece<br />
made 50 years ago will see that these<br />
eyepieces really try to resemble the<br />
original – not just inside, but also outside.<br />
What we try to express is modesty/conservativeness<br />
in every regard.”<br />
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<strong>Astronomy</strong> TECHNOLOGY TODAY 41
M-Uno: A<br />
Image 1 - The M-Uno at WSP 2013.<br />
Pier-less<br />
Mount Armed and Amazing<br />
By Theodore Saker<br />
A solid mount is as essential for astrophotography<br />
as fine optics and a capable<br />
camera. There’s no getting around it. The<br />
most meticulously made optics and the<br />
best camera will not produce good images<br />
if placed on a mount that cannot track a<br />
target object accurately. Choosing the right<br />
mount for astrophotography can be a<br />
major technical and budgetary challenge.<br />
Avalon Instrument’s M-Uno is a radical,<br />
if not revolutionary, advancement in<br />
design and construction of the modern<br />
equatorial mount within the reach of serious<br />
astrophotographers. The M-Uno is a<br />
compact, portable mount designed to enable<br />
high-quality astronomical imaging<br />
without many of the drawbacks of other<br />
mount designs. I was fortunate enough to<br />
attend the 2013 Winter Star Party, and<br />
being given the opportunity to examine<br />
and use the M-Uno at that event was an exceptional<br />
bonus.<br />
To grasp the extent of Avalon’s accomplishment,<br />
a description of the current state<br />
of the art is helpful to show just how distinct<br />
the M-Uno is when compared to similar<br />
mounts in its class. Every mount<br />
design, like optics, represents a compromise<br />
of one kind or another. The ultimate<br />
goal is for the image to contain round stars,<br />
an indication of good tracking and of a<br />
mount that performs to the best of its design<br />
and construction standards. Astro-imagers<br />
have long relied upon equatorial<br />
mounts as mainstays for imaging. Equatorial<br />
mounts track an object with only one<br />
rotational axis, thereby greatly enhancing<br />
tracking accuracy.<br />
Serious astro-imagers rely on the German<br />
Equatorial Mount (GEM). The German<br />
Equatorial design dates to the early<br />
19th Century and is credited to Joseph<br />
Fraunhoefer, the Bavarian who discovered<br />
absorption lines in sunlight and cast the<br />
first true optical glass. It is a classic design<br />
whose chief advantage is its ability to track<br />
objects using one rotational axis and with<br />
the weight of the mount and payload perpendicular<br />
to the ground.<br />
Although serious astroimagers rely<br />
chiefly on the GEM, it has a number of significant<br />
drawbacks. The first is known as<br />
the “meridian-” or “pier-flip.” When the<br />
telescope is pointing east, the telescope is<br />
on the west side of the mount. As the object<br />
ascends towards the meridian, the telescope<br />
and payload get closer and closer to<br />
the GEM’s body. When the object reaches<br />
the meridian, the telescope must be<br />
“flipped” to the other (east) side of the<br />
mount in order to track the object west of<br />
the meridian. After the pier flip, the user<br />
has to reacquire the object on the camera<br />
chip’s field of view. It may be difficult or<br />
impossible to find a suitably-bright guide<br />
star. The user loses the opportunity to<br />
image objects when they are located in a<br />
prime place in the sky.<br />
Another disadvantage with the GEM<br />
is the necessity of placing counterweights<br />
of similar weight opposite the payload. The<br />
counterweights may require adjustment to<br />
improve the mount’s tracking ability after a<br />
pier flip.<br />
Most astro-imagers shrug their shoulders<br />
and deal with the GEM’s drawbacks,<br />
concluding that its advantages outweigh<br />
the disadvantages. When compared to<br />
other prevalent designs, the GEM holds<br />
the advantage.<br />
Some astro-imagers use fork mounts<br />
to avoid the pier-flip problem. In order to<br />
use one rotational motor, the fork mount<br />
usually is placed on an equatorial wedge to<br />
align the right-ascension (RA) axis with the<br />
Earth’s axis and utilize only one motor to<br />
track objects. The chief problem with a<br />
fork-mounted telescope is its inherent instability.<br />
When placed on a wedge, the<br />
weight of the mount and payload is unevenly<br />
distributed on the tripod. To combat<br />
this problem, a fork mount requires a<br />
heavy base and beefier fork arms to support<br />
<strong>Astronomy</strong> TECHNOLOGY TODAY 43
M-UNO: A PIER-LESS MOUNT<br />
Image 2 - Luciano Dal Sasso of Avalon Instruments and the M-Uno.<br />
the payload, which severely reduces portability<br />
and exacerbates the weight distribution<br />
issue.<br />
Portable fork mounts are frequently<br />
used with short-tube instruments, like<br />
Schmidt-Cassegrains, and are generally unsuited<br />
for long-tube instruments, like refractors<br />
and Newtonian reflectors. Fork<br />
mounts have issues with pointing towards<br />
the celestial poles when the telescope carries<br />
an imaging train of any length. Counterweights<br />
placed at or near the objective may<br />
also be necessary to balance the weight of<br />
the imaging train on the declination axis.<br />
Finally, fork mounts are known to suffer<br />
from the “tuning fork” effect, where the vibration<br />
from the motors is transmitted<br />
through the fork arms to the payload. The<br />
result is misshapen stars — the tell-tale sign<br />
of bad guiding.<br />
When I was asked to meet with Luciano<br />
Dal Sasso of Avalon Instruments and<br />
Giovanni Quarra Sacco of Unitronitalia at<br />
the 2013 Winter Star Party, I had no idea<br />
what to expect. That was a good thing since<br />
I brought no preconceptions to the project.<br />
When I first saw the M-Uno and<br />
learned I would be using it, I was dumbfounded.<br />
It was unlike anything I had ever<br />
seen before. The M-Uno’s red anodized finish,<br />
and stainless-steel fittings and accessories,<br />
gives it style like an Armani suit. It’s<br />
built to retain its appearance over the life<br />
of the mount. But my first thought was,<br />
“How does it move?” I couldn’t wait to find<br />
out.<br />
Before I got to see the M-Uno in operation,<br />
Luciano and Giovanni spoke with<br />
me at great length about the philosophy<br />
underlying M-Uno’s design and manufacture.<br />
Luciano has been an amateur astronomer<br />
for over 15 years. He explained<br />
that he has owned at least a half-dozen<br />
mounts over the years, and the M-Uno’s<br />
design incorporates a large number of features<br />
he wanted to see in a portable equatorial<br />
mount that he found lacking in the<br />
mounts he had previously owned. Luciano<br />
guided himself by the basic principle,<br />
“Keep it simple.” It’s apparent that Luciano<br />
succeeded. He based the design with simplicity<br />
and portability in mind.<br />
Unless one lives in the land of 300<br />
clear nights per year, frequent travel to<br />
dark-sky sites and star parties is routine.<br />
The M-Uno is light enough to be carried<br />
by one person using the handle kit, yet robust<br />
enough to support significant loads.<br />
An astro-imaging mount would normally<br />
be a highly complex device, requiring hours<br />
of painstaking practice to master, since<br />
astro-imaging places high demands on the<br />
mount. Achieving sub-arc second tracking<br />
performance raises the technical level well<br />
above that of an observing mount. As any<br />
astro-imager knows, the more complex a<br />
Image 3 - The M-Uno in its parked position.<br />
system is, the more likely something will<br />
go wrong. That does not appear to be the<br />
case with the M-Uno.<br />
Luciano described the M-Uno as a<br />
“single-arm fork equatorial,” but having<br />
only one tine means that it is not a fork in<br />
the conventional sense. A typical fork<br />
mount has two tines that attach to the optical<br />
tube on either side. In contrast, the M-<br />
Uno supports the tube from below like a<br />
GEM. I believe that it’s more accurately described<br />
as a “single-arm equatorial.”<br />
At WSP, the M-Uno was equipped<br />
with a V-plate saddle, which can be replaced<br />
quickly with a D-plate “drop-in”<br />
saddle. The M-Uno’s features don’t stop<br />
there. It is constructed from a single block<br />
of aluminum using five-axis CNC and<br />
CAD-CAM machines and anodized red.<br />
Stainless-steel fastenings and accessories not<br />
only accentuate the appearance, they retain<br />
their durability for years to come.<br />
In keeping with the theme of simplicity,<br />
the hand controller’s four direction buttons<br />
control movement, and four smaller<br />
buttons adjust motor speeds and operate a<br />
Baader Steeltrack focuser. What really<br />
makes the M-Uno perform is Avalon’s<br />
StarGo, the proprietary software that runs<br />
the mount through the USB interface.<br />
ASCOM-compliant programs, such as The<br />
Sky X and T-Point, can also interface with<br />
the mount using the LX-200 communica-<br />
44 <strong>Astronomy</strong> TECHNOLOGY TODAY
M-UNO: A PIER-LESS MOUNT<br />
tion protocol. In addition to the USB hardwire<br />
connection, the M-Uno can be controlled<br />
wirelessly through the built-in<br />
Bluetooth connection using a similarly<br />
equipped laptop, or even an iPhone or Android<br />
equipped with Sky Safari. Luciano<br />
also advised me that a Linux version of the<br />
control software is in development that will<br />
run on Ubuntu 12.04 LTS. Being a Linux<br />
guy, I couldn’t help but be impressed. How<br />
many mount manufacturers are writing<br />
control software for Linux? None that I<br />
know of.<br />
The control panel has three auxiliary<br />
ports to control external devices. For autoguiding,<br />
the control panel has an RJ-11<br />
port for a standard ST-4 interface that accepts<br />
commands from the guiding camera<br />
without an intervening optocoupler. In addition,<br />
the control panel has dedicated<br />
ports to enable remote operation of a<br />
DSLR and the Baader Steeltrack focuser<br />
(using the hand paddle). The mount’s<br />
firmware is updatable over the Internet.<br />
The M-Uno runs on 12-volt DC from the<br />
supplied AC adapter or from a 12-volt battery<br />
in the field where AC power is not<br />
available.<br />
The most obvious difference between<br />
the M-Uno’s design and that of GEM and<br />
fork mounts is what it looks like in the<br />
parked position. When parked, the arm<br />
lays at an angle equal to the mount’s latitude<br />
location, with the polar finder scope<br />
mounted in the shoulder and pointing up<br />
through the wrist at the celestial pole. It reminded<br />
me of an arm-wrestling contestant<br />
getting ready for a match. The M-Uno also<br />
has an optional external polar finder scope<br />
that attaches to a dovetail milled into the<br />
side of the arm with a removable stainlesssteel<br />
holder. The standard polar finder<br />
scope is the Vixen design, but an optional<br />
adapter for the Losmandy-style polar finder<br />
scope is available.<br />
I think the first of the M-Uno’s radical<br />
functions is that polar alignment is done<br />
first before placing the instrument on the<br />
saddle when using the internal polar finder<br />
scope. Once the payload is attached, the<br />
s t a i n l e s s - s t e e l<br />
clutch levers may<br />
be carefully released<br />
to check the<br />
instrument’s balance.<br />
The M-Uno<br />
has a listed capacity<br />
of 25 kilograms<br />
(55 pounds), although<br />
for imaging,<br />
20 kilograms<br />
(44 pounds) is recommended.<br />
For<br />
heavier payloads,<br />
counterweights are<br />
required to balance<br />
the load in RA, but due to the single-arm<br />
design, they can be much smaller and<br />
lighter than those required by a GEM.<br />
Avalon offers stainless-steel counterweights<br />
of up to 30 kilograms (66 pounds) total.<br />
The arm’s position relative to the<br />
shoulder can be adjusted in order to alter<br />
the center of gravity of a heavier payload<br />
Image 4 - The M-Uno's “Fast Reverse” drive: a tooth belt-pulley system.<br />
and make balancing the load easier. The<br />
M-Uno can support lighter payloads without<br />
using any counterweights. None were<br />
needed for the payload Luciano brought to<br />
WSP. The user can balance the payload on<br />
the declination axis in the same manner as<br />
a GEM by sliding the payload back and<br />
forth on the saddle. Despite its robust ca-<br />
<strong>Astronomy</strong> TECHNOLOGY TODAY 45
M-UNO: A PIER-LESS MOUNT<br />
Image 5 - The Horsehead Nebula in Orion. 3 x 20 minute integrations (L only).<br />
pacity, the M-Uno can be carried by one<br />
person using the supplied handle that attaches<br />
to a dovetail milled into the top of<br />
the shoulder.<br />
Instead of routing the camera and<br />
other control cables internally though the<br />
mount, the M-Uno’s simple and elegant<br />
design helps eliminate cable binding issues<br />
that can totally mess up an image or impede<br />
slewing to the target object. If polar<br />
aligning using the internal polar finder<br />
scope, the user removes it and feeds cables<br />
though the shoulder bore. If using the external<br />
finder scope, the user can polar align<br />
with the payload in position without disturbing<br />
the balance.<br />
All of the cosmetic features would just<br />
be good marketing if the M-Uno couldn’t<br />
back up its snazzy appearance with performance.<br />
The M-Uno has a groundbreaking<br />
drive system Avalon calls “Fast<br />
Reverse.” Most mounts utilize a wormand-wheel<br />
gear system where a cylindrical<br />
worm gear drives a wheel-shaped gear. The<br />
gaps between teeth on the worm and wheel<br />
gears produce an effect known as backlash<br />
— the time it takes the motor to overcome<br />
the play created by the gaps when reversing<br />
direction. Backlash complicates guiding<br />
when the mount needs to react quickly<br />
to commands from the camera. Although<br />
software can help compensate for backlash,<br />
the settings may cause the mount to<br />
overreact or under react, leading to<br />
guiding errors.<br />
The M-Uno employs a unique beltdrive<br />
system. Luciano explained that the<br />
M-Uno is built with a four-stage transmission<br />
system utilizing a 700:1 gear reduction<br />
ratio to drive both RA and DEC axes.<br />
When Luciano first described it, I thought<br />
that the system could not live up to its<br />
billing. I was certain that over time with<br />
frequent use, the performance would decline<br />
with stretched belts or deformed pulleys,<br />
and I asked Luciano about that. He<br />
answered that the pulleys and belts are the<br />
same kinds used in high-precision machine<br />
tools. The pulleys are made of a polymer<br />
resin combined with glass fiber that resists<br />
deformation from thermal expansion and<br />
contraction, and erosion of the teeth.<br />
Likewise, the four drive belts are made<br />
from similar materials which resist deformation,<br />
thermal expansion, and tooth<br />
degradation. The company’s literature<br />
identifies the belt material as Puliuretan, a<br />
technopolymer, with steel reinforcements.<br />
Avalon manufactures the pulleys itself.<br />
Micro-stepper motors drive the pulleys and<br />
both axes ride on needle bearings.<br />
The M-Uno comes equipped with absolute<br />
encoders so that it does not lose track<br />
of its position if moved manually by hand<br />
or with the hand controller. On top of all<br />
that, the drive is maintenance free. No<br />
grease is applied to any of the drive<br />
elements and they remain free of contaminants<br />
that lubricants attract. No adjustment<br />
is necessary or recommended. When<br />
the mount moves, the soft sound is almost<br />
musical and the motion is extremely<br />
smooth. With the four belts grabbing half<br />
the circumferences of the corresponding<br />
four pulleys, there is no backlash at all. The<br />
M-Uno responded immediately and<br />
smoothly to auto-guiding commands without<br />
the hesitation common in worm-andwheel<br />
drives.<br />
Another problem with worm-andwheel<br />
drives is periodic error, a predictable<br />
drift of a mount from the intended target<br />
position. It is a product of the manufacture<br />
of the worm gear. Most mounts correct pe-<br />
46 <strong>Astronomy</strong> TECHNOLOGY TODAY
M-UNO: A PIER-LESS MOUNT<br />
Image 7 - NGC 2903 in Leo. Image 6 cropped and enlarged to<br />
400 percent over original.<br />
Image 6 - NGC 2903 in Leo. Full frame, 30 minutes. (L only). Boxed area<br />
cropped and enlarged 400 percent and shown in Image 7.<br />
riodic error by recording the drift and compensating<br />
for it with the mount’s electronera<br />
on an Orion off-axis guider. Having no<br />
1000 DSLR and a Lodestar guiding camics.<br />
Autoguiding programs can also experience with DSLR cameras, I was anxious<br />
to use my SBIG ST-8XME camera<br />
compensate for periodic error.<br />
Virtually everyone wants to know and CFW10 filter wheel to see how well<br />
what the M-Uno's periodic error is. That the mount performed. On a clear night at<br />
question does not really apply to this WSP 2013, Luciano afforded me the op-<br />
mount since the M-Uno does not use<br />
worm gears and the multiple belts and pulleys<br />
do not generate that anomaly as commonly<br />
perceived and understood. Each of<br />
the four pulleys, by themselves, would generate<br />
a periodic error. However, all four<br />
pulleys combined average out the periodic<br />
error of each one. If plotted on a graph, the<br />
curve spreads out over a far longer time<br />
span than that of a standard worm-andwheel<br />
gear. It is more descriptive to compare<br />
the M-Uno’s tracking error rate to that<br />
of other worm-and-wheel driven mounts.<br />
The M-Uno I evaluated rides atop the<br />
Avalon Hercules tripod. Constructed of<br />
beautifully varnished hardwood, the tripod<br />
has an anodized aluminum base and a<br />
brass pier for adjusting the M-Uno’s azimuth<br />
setting during polar alignment. An<br />
accessory tray provides stability for the legs.<br />
Each leg has a reversible, adjustable red anodized<br />
aluminum foot. One end is for use<br />
on grass and the other end has a rubber<br />
foot for use on hard surfaces.<br />
Luciano brought with him to WSP an<br />
imaging f/6 Intes 110 Mak-Cass, a Canon<br />
portunity to run the M-Uno using his Intes<br />
OTA and my camera and filter wheel. The<br />
astronomical images included in this article<br />
were taken with this configuration. I controlled<br />
my camera from my laptop running<br />
MaximDL, and ran the mount from Luciano’s<br />
laptop using the StarGo control soft-<br />
<strong>Astronomy</strong> TECHNOLOGY TODAY 47
M-UNO: A PIER-LESS MOUNT<br />
Image 8 - Arp 244 in Corvus (L only).<br />
ware and Cartes du Ciel for object selection<br />
and go-to operation.<br />
Right from the start, I was greatly impressed<br />
with the smoothness of the mount’s<br />
motions and its nimble responses to commands.<br />
It handled like a Lamborghini. The<br />
go-to functioned perfectly, placing the objects<br />
right where I wanted them. Adjusting<br />
the object’s position in order to locate a<br />
suitable guide star was precise and effortless.<br />
Luciano explained that the auto-guiding<br />
settings should be set at 0.05 to 0.02<br />
seconds (a low setting in my experience) in<br />
order to avoid overcorrection and oscillation.<br />
I began the imaging run shortly after 8<br />
p.m., after the end of astronomical twilight.<br />
The first target was the Horsehead<br />
Nebula in Orion, an object I had not imaged<br />
before. Orion was already nearing the<br />
meridian, but that was no problem for the<br />
M-Uno. I took a 60-second image, a 5-<br />
minute, and three 20-minute images. During<br />
that run, the object transited the<br />
meridian without any need to adjust the<br />
mount or the guiding settings. The tracking<br />
was optically flawless. Using Maxim’s<br />
error graph log recorder, over a ten minute<br />
period (the program inexplicably quit<br />
recording error correction after ten minutes),<br />
the largest correction was 0.46 pixels,<br />
and that happened only once. Typical<br />
corrections were in the hundreths and low<br />
tenths of pixels in average seeing (for<br />
WSP). Not having to interrupt the imag-<br />
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48 <strong>Astronomy</strong> TECHNOLOGY TODAY
M-UNO: A PIER-LESS MOUNT<br />
ing run to perform a meridian flip was<br />
worth the price of admission.<br />
Next, Luciano suggested I slew the<br />
mount to NGC 2903, a beautiful spiral<br />
galaxy in Leo. Once again, the go-to was<br />
spot-on, and the hunt for a guide star was<br />
as smooth as could be. Starting at shortly<br />
before 11 p.m. local time, I proceeded to<br />
take one image each of 10-, 15-, 20- and<br />
30-minute durations as the object approached<br />
the meridian.<br />
The 30-minute integration included<br />
here shows the lower left portion of the<br />
frame enlarged to 400 percent to demonstrate<br />
the M-Uno’s tracking accuracy.<br />
Blooms from my NABG camera aside, the<br />
stars are round and tight. The mount carried<br />
the imaging train across the meridian<br />
without a pier flip and without any discernable<br />
impact on tracking. (I think the<br />
longest integration I took with my own<br />
mount was 10 minutes.) The M-Uno produced<br />
round stars after thirty minutes integration.<br />
To me, that’s phenomenal.<br />
Luciano wanted to capture an image<br />
of Arp 244 in Corvus, the Antennae Galaxies.<br />
I have imaged this object before, but<br />
with only mediocre results. Off we went,<br />
with the M-Uno slewing smoothly and<br />
quietly, and placing the object right on target.<br />
Even though it’s tough to capture<br />
much detail with a 7-inch telescope, a 10-<br />
minute integration captured the object’s<br />
faint filaments. The go-to was, once again,<br />
spot on, and M-Uno’s precise tracking produced<br />
nice round stars.<br />
The coup de grce was the next object,<br />
the Leo Triplet (M65, M66 and NGC<br />
3628). I took a break to allow the objects to<br />
get close to the meridian so that I could see<br />
how well the M-Uno tracked across it.<br />
Imagine that — delaying the imaging run<br />
to let the objects cross the meridian. That<br />
would be almost unheard of with a GEM.<br />
The Intes scope has a wide enough<br />
field of view that I was able to position all<br />
three objects on my camera’s chip, acquire<br />
an adequate guide star, and track across the<br />
meridian without interruption. I began a<br />
LRGB imaging run at 12:55 a.m. local<br />
Image 8 - The Leo Triplet (LRGB).<br />
time. As the objects crossed the meridian,<br />
I continued the imaging run without disturbing<br />
the OTA. In processing the image,<br />
I was very impressed with the amount of<br />
detail in the galaxies that the M-Uno enabled<br />
the 7-inch scope to obtain. In addition,<br />
the M-Uno’s accurate tracking<br />
produced round stars in every sub-frame.<br />
There were no wasted frames due to faulty<br />
tracking, in contrast to the other imaging<br />
runs I did with my own GEM.<br />
Luciano and Givoanni generously<br />
loaned the M-Uno to me for additional<br />
evaluation. The mount and tripod pack<br />
into two durable soft cases for easy transportation.<br />
I decided to test M-Uno’s upper<br />
payload limits by putting my f/10 C-11<br />
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and camera on it. I was very excited to see<br />
if the M-Uno would perform as well with<br />
a heavy payload as it did with the smaller<br />
telescope, and at a higher latitude.<br />
Prior to leaving WSP, Luciano installed<br />
the latest version of StarGo on my laptop.<br />
Configuring the program to communicate<br />
with the M-Uno through the USB interface<br />
was quick and intuitive. Installation of<br />
the driver is necessary to interface with the<br />
mount using a planetarium program<br />
and/or POTH.<br />
In order to explore the M-Uno’s Bluetooth<br />
interface, I was forced to violate my<br />
open-source software rule. I purchased Sky<br />
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<strong>Astronomy</strong> TECHNOLOGY TODAY 49
M-UNO: A PIER-LESS MOUNT<br />
an impressive program, but that’s another<br />
story. I selected the LX200 Classic interface<br />
and, violà, the phone and the mount were<br />
talking to each other.<br />
Even though the skies were obstructed<br />
by clouds, I decided to play around. I guestimated<br />
Sirius' location, slewed the mount<br />
to that point, synced it, and picked objects<br />
seemingly at random to "find." The M-<br />
Uno responded precisely to eachcommand.<br />
It would be entirely possible to<br />
control the M-Uno solely from the smartphone,<br />
but some star parties restrict the use<br />
of wireless devices. Configuring the laptop<br />
to run the M-Uno is necessary if attending<br />
such an event. I also discovered that the<br />
DEC motor setting needed to be reversed<br />
in order for the mount to slew correctly to<br />
the chosen Object.<br />
Unfortunately, Ohio's winter-wonderland<br />
weather prevented futher meaningful<br />
analysis of the M-Uno's capability by the<br />
time this article went to press. Perhaps ATT<br />
will permit me to update these observations<br />
in a subsequent issue.<br />
Looking back on my time till now<br />
with the M-Uno, it’s really difficult to find<br />
any problems withit, but if pressed, I<br />
would have to point to two items, neither<br />
of which reflects poorly on the mount’s design<br />
or manufacture. The M-Uno’s carrying<br />
capacity limits it to smaller-aperture<br />
scopes. That would be the result of achieving<br />
the goal of portability. I have found that<br />
my C-11 represents the upper limit of<br />
portability and, coincidentally, that happens<br />
to be the largest and heaviest telescope<br />
that the M-Uno is rated to carry according<br />
to Luciano. If portability is a priority, the<br />
mobile astrophotographer would likely<br />
avoid larger OTAs anyway. Therefore, the<br />
M-Uno’s payload capacity would not really<br />
be a problem.<br />
The other issue is the length of the<br />
OTA and imaging train the M-Uno can accommodate.<br />
The mount’s shoulder blocks<br />
longer payloads from reaching areas close<br />
to the polar regions when using the standard<br />
saddle. Avalon has a solution for that<br />
problem: An optional extension plate raises<br />
the payload higher from the arm, but doing<br />
that would require placing counterweights<br />
on the underside of the arm to balance<br />
against the leverage of the higher weight<br />
differential.<br />
It is readily apparent that a lot of careful<br />
thought has gone into the M-Uno’s design<br />
and construction. It represents an<br />
enormous advancement in portable<br />
mounts for astrophotography. The Fast Reverse<br />
drive system provides responsive, accurate<br />
tracking motion. The single-arm<br />
design provides a stable platform that enables<br />
the imaging payload to track objects<br />
from horizon to horizon without striking<br />
the mount’s body, pier or tripod. Its stylish<br />
appearance is made to last.<br />
Also, it’s not just for pretty pictures. Luciano<br />
explained that in photometry, a pier<br />
flip results in data being taken through a different<br />
area of the filters. The data is then averaged<br />
to account for possible differences in<br />
the areas of the filters used to collect the<br />
data. With the M-Uno, photometric readings<br />
can be taken uninterrupted through the<br />
same area of the filter, making data averaging<br />
unnecessary. Likewise, when taking<br />
LRGB images, not having to perform a<br />
meridian flip makes registration of all constituent<br />
frames and sub-frames a snap.<br />
This was apparent when I processed<br />
color frames of NGC 891 and M76 taken<br />
at WSP with luminance frames of these objects<br />
I had taken at the Black Forest Star<br />
Party five months before. Had I been able<br />
to image across the meridian, I would have<br />
been able to obtain all LRGB frames at that<br />
event. As it turned out, the color frames I<br />
obtained at WSP required additional processing<br />
time, an effort that M-Uno enabled<br />
me to avoid when I processed the Leo<br />
Triplet image.<br />
Luciano told me that one of his buyers,<br />
a retired amateur withlots of time to<br />
use the mount, brought it in for a check<br />
just for the heck of it. Luciano advised that<br />
after two years of frequent use, the M-Uno<br />
tracked exactly as well as it did when it left<br />
his factory.<br />
The M-Uno is an amazing product<br />
that promises to relieve many of the complications<br />
involved in astro-imaging. From<br />
its ease of transportation and set-up, its<br />
choice of wired or wireless control, its capability<br />
of imaging across the meridian<br />
without a pier flip, zero backlash and<br />
precise tracking of its Fast Reverse drive system,<br />
and its maintenance-free construction,<br />
the M-Uno’s many innovative features<br />
promise to make the mobile astro-imager<br />
more productive and to produce better images.<br />
I was very favorably impressed with<br />
the results it produced. The M-Uno deserves<br />
close attention when choosing an<br />
imaging mount or upgrading a current rig.<br />
Unitronitalia, Avalon’s primary distributor,<br />
has been marketing the M-Uno in<br />
Europe for the past two years. They are<br />
ready to bring it to America. Check it out<br />
at NEAF.<br />
50 <strong>Astronomy</strong> TECHNOLOGY TODAY
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A Hot Topic<br />
Active Cooling of a Primary Telescope Mirror<br />
By Steven Aggas<br />
Cooling glass, specifically a<br />
telescope mirror, has been the<br />
topic of many conversations at<br />
star parties and Internet forums,<br />
covering not just the<br />
boundary layer of warm air,<br />
which acts like a weak lens to<br />
deform the view before it<br />
reaches the eyepiece, but also<br />
concerning removing the<br />
source of that boundary layer:<br />
the excess heat load of the glass<br />
mass of the primary-mirror<br />
substrate. More telescopes than<br />
ever before are equipped with<br />
fans located at various points to<br />
address both the warm-air<br />
boundary layer and excess heat<br />
load, and, in some instances,<br />
fans are simply incapable of adequately<br />
addressing these thermal<br />
issue.<br />
Take a look, for instance,<br />
at the two graphs provided as<br />
Figures 1 and 2, derived from<br />
Robert Houdart’s telescope<br />
mirror-cooling calculator freeware,<br />
MirrorCooling (www.<br />
cruxis.com/scope/mirrorcooling.htm).<br />
The graphs differ<br />
only in the thicknesses of the<br />
mirror substrates for which<br />
cooling characteristics are modeled,<br />
30 mm versus 50.8 mm,<br />
two typical mirror thicknesses.<br />
The graphs demonstrate the<br />
additional cooling challenge<br />
faced as substrate thickness increases.<br />
As modeled in Figure 1,<br />
a mirror of 30-mm thickness<br />
takes approximately 140 minutes<br />
for surface and core temperatures<br />
to cool within 1°C of<br />
ambient without active cooling<br />
measures, while Figure 2<br />
demonstrates that, also sans active<br />
cooling measures, a mirror<br />
of 50.8-mm thickness has still<br />
not achieved core and surface<br />
temperatures within 1°C of declining<br />
ambient, even after 240<br />
minutes.<br />
Now, what if your primary<br />
mirror is a combination of<br />
thicknesses and/or has slightly<br />
more glass than your average<br />
primary? My primary mirror is<br />
36 inches in diameter and 6<br />
inches thick but features nineteen<br />
5 inch-deep hexagon holes<br />
to reduce its overall mass. The<br />
fans installed in my telescope<br />
would be adequate for following<br />
the gradual drop in ambient<br />
temperature on a given<br />
night … if it was already cooled<br />
to the starting ambient temperature.<br />
But, when dealing with<br />
250 pounds of glass, there’s a<br />
lot of initial stored heat that<br />
would have to be gotten rid of<br />
first!<br />
I had an expectation, a<br />
goal really, of wanting to spend<br />
no more than one hour cooling<br />
the primary mirror to less than<br />
1°C of night-time ambient air<br />
temperature. I’ve installed ther-<br />
Figure 1: With an ambient temperature that steadily declines from 10°C<br />
to 5°C over the course of 4 hours and without active cooling measures,<br />
a mirror of 30-mm thickness reaches core and surface temperatures<br />
that are within 1°C of ambient within approximately 140 minutes.<br />
Figure 2: With an ambient temperature that steadily declines from 10°C<br />
to 5°C over the course of 4 hours and without active cooling measures, a<br />
mirror of 50.8-mm thickness reaches has not achieved core and surface<br />
temperatures that are within 1°C of ambient even after 240 minutes.<br />
<strong>Astronomy</strong> TECHNOLOGY TODAY 53
A HOT TOPIC - ACTIVE COOLING OF A PRIMARY TELESCOPE MIRROR<br />
Figure 3: 60 minutes of cooling with a beginning temperature of ambient-air<br />
and 36-inch mirror of 20°C and ending ambient of 5°C; primary<br />
cooled with fans; mirror temperatures measured at thicknesses of 30<br />
mm, 45 mm and 65 mm; temperature Delta of 5.5°C, 7.5°C and 8.5°C.<br />
mocouples on various thicknesses of or the<br />
36-inch primary mirror by which I can easily<br />
measure and document the cooling dynamics<br />
of the mirror, and confirmed, to a<br />
first order, that Houdart’s calculator is, to a<br />
useful degree, accurate. Having modeling<br />
software program that allowed me to play<br />
with certain variables within my control was<br />
Figure 4: 60 minutes of cooling with a beginning temperature of ambientair<br />
and 36-inch mirror of 20°C and ending ambient of 10°C; primary<br />
cooled with fans; mirror temperatures measured at thicknesses of 30<br />
mm, 45 mm and 65 mm; temperature Delta of 3.5°C, 4.5°C and 5.5°C.<br />
very helpful. Figures 3-5 model the primary’s<br />
cooling dynamics across three typical<br />
scenarios.<br />
The bottom line for the weight-re-<br />
54 <strong>Astronomy</strong> TECHNOLOGY TODAY
A HOT TOPIC - ACTIVE COOLING OF A PRIMARY TELESCOPE MIRROR<br />
Figure 6: 60 minutes of cooling with beginning temperature of 36-inch<br />
mirror of 20°C but beginning and ending temperature of the air at 5°C; air<br />
recirculated with fans; mirror temperatures measured at thicknesses of<br />
30 mm, 45 mm and 65 mm; temperature Delta of 0°C, 1.0°C, and 2.0°C,<br />
color-coded to 30 minutes.<br />
Figure 5: 240 minutes of cooling with a beginning temperature of ambient-air<br />
and 36-inch mirror of 20°C and ending ambient of 5°C; primary<br />
cooled with fans; mirror temperatures measured at thicknesses of 30<br />
mm, 45 mm and 65 mm; temperature Delta of 1.5°C, 2.0°C and 3.0°C.<br />
duced yet still-massive 36-inch<br />
mirror: No fan or system of<br />
fans would get the mirror to<br />
less than one-degree Celsius of<br />
night-time air by using nighttime<br />
air as the cooling media if<br />
the mirror temperature started<br />
out as warm as day-time air.<br />
So, another project was born.<br />
Using the calculator<br />
again, I found that, if I had access<br />
to air pre-cooled to 5°C, I<br />
could cool the 36-inch mirror<br />
much faster. I might meet my<br />
goal of one-hour cooling by recirculating<br />
the pre-cooled air<br />
through the mirror box, but as<br />
an added bonus, by using precooled<br />
air, the mirror cooling<br />
process could be started when<br />
the Sun was still up – when<br />
any other scope would still be<br />
waiting for the as-yetunavailable<br />
cooler air of twilight<br />
– as demonstrated in<br />
Figures 6-8, which show the<br />
mirror cooled with fan-recirculated<br />
pre-cooled 5°C air at<br />
intervals of 30, 45 and 60<br />
minutes respectively.<br />
For each of the three typical<br />
glass thicknesses that comprise<br />
my mirror, the outer ring<br />
(the portion not honeycombed)<br />
would take the<br />
longest to cool, as expected,<br />
but it would certainly be possible<br />
to cool the entire mass of<br />
the mirror, including the core<br />
of thicker parts, in about an<br />
hour if I could find the source<br />
of 5°C air. So, in Microsoft<br />
Excel, my favorite CAD software,<br />
I laid out an overview<br />
drawing (Figure 9) to better<br />
understand where parts reside<br />
within the telescope, where<br />
hose attachments could be<br />
made, what circulation issues I<br />
might encounter, etc.<br />
I dug through boxes in<br />
my garage and found meters<br />
to monitor temperature but,<br />
more importantly, to also<br />
measure humidity or dew<br />
point. What I wouldn’t want<br />
to find when I pulled the mirror<br />
cover off for observing was<br />
Figure 7: 60 minutes of cooling with beginning temperature of 36-inch<br />
mirror of 20°C but beginning and ending temperature of the air at 5°C; air<br />
recirculated with fans; mirror temperatures measured at thicknesses of<br />
30 mm, 45 mm and 65 mm; temperature Delta of 0°C, 0.25°C, and<br />
1.0°C, color-coded to 45 minutes.<br />
Figure 8: 60 minutes of cooling with beginning temperature of 36-inch<br />
mirror of 20°C but beginning and ending temperature of the air at 5°C; air<br />
recirculated with fans; mirror temperatures measured at thicknesses of<br />
30 mm, 45 mm and 65 mm; temperature Delta at all glass thicknesses<br />
are under 0.25°C.<br />
<strong>Astronomy</strong> TECHNOLOGY TODAY 55
A HOT TOPIC - ACTIVE COOLING OF A PRIMARY TELESCOPE MIRROR<br />
Figure 9: Graphic initially created for cooling the 36-<br />
inch mirror with recirculated pre-cooled air.<br />
a recently dew-rinsed mirror.<br />
The air-flow diagram (Figure 9) was<br />
color coded to show which direction the<br />
cool air would enter the mirror box. In case<br />
it was needed, I incorporated an old hair<br />
dryer in the center of the new mirror box<br />
cover (using a 2-inch 180-degree elbow<br />
pipe, so the hair dryer would also recirculate<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
Figure 10: Original prototype: “Cool Breeze.”<br />
<br />
the air it warmed) should the dew point be<br />
expected to rise after Sunrise of a night of<br />
observing. At an elevation of 7000 feet,<br />
winters can get cold, so the recirculating<br />
path for continually heating the same volume<br />
of air to warm the glass made sense just<br />
like the cooling flow diagram.<br />
In this system, I’d monitor the glass<br />
temperature of a thick and a thin spot on<br />
the mirror, use two sensors for monitoring<br />
the air temperature in the mirror box, plus<br />
monitor humidity and dew point of the air<br />
in the mirror box. I had an extra thermocouple<br />
display, so I’d also monitor the outgoing<br />
air of the air cooler.<br />
Nicknamed “Cool Breeze,” the prototype<br />
used an old mini-fridge compressor/coil<br />
cooling system. Repurposing other<br />
items like some old plywood, adding a couple<br />
fans and cutting up some 1/2-inch aluminum-clad<br />
insulation sheeting, I soon had<br />
a multi-pass recirculating air system. Initial<br />
tests with it showed I could easily reach 5°C<br />
(Figure 10).<br />
I used 4-inch insulated hose attached<br />
to two 4-inch toilet flanges as hose connections<br />
on the box end and two dryer vents<br />
on the new mirror box cover. Cold air<br />
would be ported into the top port, bathing<br />
56 <strong>Astronomy</strong> TECHNOLOGY TODAY
A HOT TOPIC - ACTIVE COOLING OF A PRIMARY TELESCOPE MIRROR<br />
Figure 11: The factory front grill of the 8000-BTU window air conditioner<br />
was removed and replaced with sheet insulation cut to fit with<br />
holes for flanges for cold-air outlet and warm-air return.<br />
Figure 12: A monitoring station, containing meters, switches and<br />
circuit breakers, is mounted on a plate attached to the 36-inch<br />
telescope’s mirror box.<br />
Figure 13: NOAA Hourly Forecast.<br />
Figure 14: Cam-lock quick-disconnects were<br />
added to the hoses.<br />
the mirror from top to bottom in cold air as<br />
the cold air dropped across it, and then the<br />
lower one would suck up all the air heated<br />
by the mirror and return it to the coil for<br />
further cooling (more on this later).<br />
Well, the fans’ cubic-feet-per-minute<br />
ratings were taken into consideration, but<br />
there were airflow losses caused by the friction<br />
with the long hoses. When mounted<br />
on the telescope, there indeed was a drop in<br />
the air temperature of the 40 cubic feet of<br />
air in the mirror box/hose, but not in sufficient<br />
quantities to affect the mirror cooling<br />
rate to the extent I wanted. So, Cool Breeze<br />
was recycled into a new design.<br />
At the Overgaard Star Party, which I<br />
host for friends, we’re always looking for astronomy-related<br />
projects as daytime activities.<br />
So we laid out all the components that<br />
had been collected, including a new 8000-<br />
BTU window-style air conditioner. We<br />
stripped off the front grill of the air conditioner<br />
and cut sheet insulation to fit, with<br />
new holes for mounting flanges to create<br />
the cold-air outlet and warm-air return.<br />
Then, we reconnected the hoses. Within an<br />
hour, we had, potentially, a working cooling<br />
system, dubbed “Cool Breeze II” (Figure<br />
11).<br />
Once connected to the scope, Cool<br />
<strong>Astronomy</strong> TECHNOLOGY TODAY 57
A HOT TOPIC - ACTIVE COOLING OF A PRIMARY TELESCOPE MIRROR<br />
Figure 15: Color-coding rings were added to the connections and<br />
hoses.<br />
Breeze II delivered -14°C air at its output<br />
port via the internal fan of the air-conditioner<br />
unit. We now had a usable system!<br />
The coldest temperature I’ve measured at<br />
the output is -23°C. It’s not still that cold<br />
Figure 16: Interior view of telescope with mirror cover in place and<br />
cooling-system hoses attached.<br />
when it reaches the mirror box, of course,<br />
with losses in the hoses, nor will the air temperature<br />
inside the mirror box ever get close<br />
to that low (the scope’s not insulated for<br />
that purpose), but the mirror-box walls<br />
keep the mirror bathed in continuously recirculating<br />
cold air for the duration that the<br />
system is on and running.<br />
So, how do you get the air conditioner<br />
to spit out -23°C? Remove its front cover<br />
and find the temperature sensor that’s connected<br />
to the front display – it’s tucked in<br />
there somewhere. Wrap an eyepiece heater<br />
strip around the sensor and tape it securely.<br />
The heater strip fools the sensor into reporting<br />
that it’s 108°F outside, when it’s really<br />
anything but. Then, by adjusting the<br />
air conditioner’s temperature setting its lowest,<br />
65°F in my case, it will happily run the<br />
compressor endlessly, even in winter.<br />
A monitoring station for Cool Breeze<br />
II, containing meters, switches and circuit<br />
breakers, is mounted on a Walnut-veneer<br />
plate attached to the mirror box (Figure<br />
12). It reports the temperatures of both the<br />
thick and the thin sections of the mirror,<br />
along with the delta between them, plus air<br />
temperature in the mirror box at two locations,<br />
as well as the humidity and dew point<br />
inside.<br />
Behind the plate is a relay activated by<br />
the temperature controller. In the prototype,<br />
the fans would turn on or off to maintain<br />
the set-point, while the compressor<br />
stayed running. In the new system, I still<br />
have yet to splice into the air-conditioner<br />
unit’s fan wiring. Once that’s done, it will<br />
58 <strong>Astronomy</strong> TECHNOLOGY TODAY
A HOT TOPIC - ACTIVE COOLING OF A PRIMARY TELESCOPE MIRROR<br />
Figure 17: The active cooling system is shown in use, pre-cooling the 36-inch primary mirror<br />
to the desired temperature.<br />
become a more automated system. But, for<br />
now, a manual system is fine.<br />
Regarding dew point, the NOAA<br />
website has very detailed hourly forecasts<br />
for anywhere in the U.S. (http://www.<br />
wrh.noaa.gov/psr/). Type in your location<br />
and press enter, then click on the map as<br />
close as you can to your observing spot. Towards<br />
the lower right of the page that<br />
opens, you’ll find the “Hourly Weather<br />
Graph” (Figure 13). Click on it, and it will<br />
enlarge.<br />
After using this site for the last year, I<br />
find it rather accurate. The winds die down<br />
about when it forecasts, and temperatures<br />
and dew points match too. For this mirrorcooling<br />
system, knowing dew point is critical.<br />
You don’t want to pre-cool the mirror<br />
to the temperature predicted for 11 p.m.<br />
when the present dew point happens to be<br />
above that temperature. I prefer to keep the<br />
pre-cool set-point at least 10°F above the<br />
dew point. Anything closer, and it may be<br />
raining soon anyhow. At my observing site<br />
in northern Arizona, which is considered an<br />
“elevated desert” at 7000 feet (with cactus<br />
too!), I’ve seen 9-percent humidity and -<br />
20°F dew points when the actual temperature<br />
is 70°F and expected 11-p.m.<br />
temperature was 40°F, but during our<br />
Monsoon Season in July and August, humidity<br />
is a problem. As with any telescope,<br />
“first, do no harm.”<br />
A recent addition is the use of 4-inch<br />
cam-lock quick-disconnects for the hoses<br />
(Figure 14). These give the Cool Breeze II<br />
system that “NASA” look, but really speed<br />
things up by allowing disconnection of the<br />
hoses from the mirror cover when removing<br />
it from the scope. Notice the color coding<br />
rings on connections and hoses (Figure 15).<br />
The cold and warm return ports have<br />
been reversed from the original configuration,<br />
with the cold-air inlet now porting to<br />
the “bottom” of the mirror box. This is not<br />
a problem for the system as fans mounted<br />
in the mirror box move the air around the<br />
primary, but in this configuration the spot<br />
on the mirror box wall to which the cold-air<br />
inlet points is now below the mirror. Previously,<br />
the cold-air inlet was on top, bathing<br />
the mirror from top to bottom and also<br />
forming a frost patch on the mirror box wall<br />
right above the mirror. Um, yeah, it melted,<br />
and during the fourth use of the system two<br />
long drips on the mirror were the result.<br />
With the switch of the hoses, that won’t<br />
happen again. With the cold-air inlet on<br />
bottom side of the mirror cover, any frost<br />
patch forms below the mirror, not above it<br />
Figure 16.<br />
The system works great – better than I<br />
expected, actually. The primary mirror cools<br />
inside the telescope while still covered by<br />
the roll-off observatory, waiting for Sunset,<br />
and the mirror is at temperature, ready for<br />
observing, when we are. In Figure 17, the<br />
Sun has set, and the observatory building<br />
has been rolled away from the telescope,<br />
clearing the 32-foot diameter of the block<br />
patio on which I roll the observing<br />
ladder from position to position. When<br />
not attached to the telescope, the mirror<br />
cover is placed on the wheeled cart that<br />
carries the air conditioner, and the hoses are<br />
draped on top of it. Then, I simply roll<br />
the whole assembly to a portion of patio<br />
block that’s not within the turning radius of<br />
the telescope.<br />
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<strong>Astronomy</strong> TECHNOLOGY TODAY 59
A HOT TOPIC - ACTIVE COOLING OF A PRIMARY TELESCOPE MIRROR<br />
Figure 17: The active cooling system is shown in use, pre-cooling the 36-inch primary mirror<br />
to the desired temperature.<br />
become a more automated system. But, for<br />
now, a manual system is fine.<br />
Regarding dew point, the NOAA<br />
website has very detailed hourly forecasts<br />
for anywhere in the U.S. (http://www.<br />
wrh.noaa.gov/psr/). Type in your location<br />
and press enter, then click on the map as<br />
close as you can to your observing spot. Towards<br />
the lower right of the page that<br />
opens, you’ll find the “Hourly Weather<br />
Graph” (Figure 13). Click on it, and it will<br />
enlarge.<br />
After using this site for the last year, I<br />
find it rather accurate. The winds die down<br />
about when it forecasts, and temperatures<br />
and dew points match too. For this mirrorcooling<br />
system, knowing dew point is critical.<br />
You don’t want to pre-cool the mirror<br />
to the temperature predicted for 11 p.m.<br />
when the present dew point happens to be<br />
above that temperature. I prefer to keep the<br />
pre-cool set-point at least 10°F above the<br />
dew point. Anything closer, and it may be<br />
raining soon anyhow. At my observing site<br />
in northern Arizona, which is considered an<br />
“elevated desert” at 7000 feet (with cactus<br />
too!), I’ve seen 9-percent humidity and -<br />
20°F dew points when the actual temperature<br />
is 70°F and expected 11-p.m.<br />
temperature was 40°F, but during our<br />
Monsoon Season in July and August, humidity<br />
is a problem. As with any telescope,<br />
“first, do no harm.”<br />
A recent addition is the use of 4-inch<br />
cam-lock quick-disconnects for the hoses<br />
(Figure 14). These give the Cool Breeze II<br />
system that “NASA” look, but really speed<br />
things up by allowing disconnection of the<br />
hoses from the mirror cover when removing<br />
it from the scope. Notice the color coding<br />
rings on connections and hoses (Figure 15).<br />
The cold and warm return ports have<br />
been reversed from the original configuration,<br />
with the cold-air inlet now porting to<br />
the “bottom” of the mirror box. This is not<br />
a problem for the system as fans mounted<br />
in the mirror box move the air around the<br />
primary, but in this configuration the spot<br />
on the mirror box wall to which the cold-air<br />
inlet points is now below the mirror. Previously,<br />
the cold-air inlet was on top, bathing<br />
the mirror from top to bottom and also<br />
forming a frost patch on the mirror box wall<br />
right above the mirror. Um, yeah, it melted,<br />
and during the fourth use of the system two<br />
long drips on the mirror were the result.<br />
With the switch of the hoses, that won’t<br />
happen again. With the cold-air inlet on<br />
bottom side of the mirror cover, any frost<br />
patch forms below the mirror, not above it<br />
Figure 16.<br />
The system works great – better than I<br />
expected, actually. The primary mirror cools<br />
inside the telescope while still covered by<br />
the roll-off observatory, waiting for Sunset,<br />
and the mirror is at temperature, ready for<br />
observing, when we are. In Figure 17, the<br />
Sun has set, and the observatory building<br />
has been rolled away from the telescope,<br />
clearing the 32-foot diameter of the block<br />
patio on which I roll the observing<br />
ladder from position to position. When<br />
not attached to the telescope, the mirror<br />
cover is placed on the wheeled cart that<br />
carries the air conditioner, and the hoses are<br />
draped on top of it. Then, I simply roll<br />
the whole assembly to a portion of patio<br />
block that’s not within the turning radius of<br />
the telescope.<br />
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<strong>Astronomy</strong> TECHNOLOGY TODAY 59
The Rigel Systems<br />
USB nSTEP and<br />
AstroSystems<br />
Collimation Tools<br />
Two Keys to Successful Imaging<br />
with a Fast Newtonian<br />
By Austin Grant<br />
When I started looking for my first<br />
“serious” telescope for astrophotography, I<br />
knew that the decision would come down<br />
to several tradeoffs. While the precisioncrafted<br />
optical masterpieces from the likes<br />
of Astro Physics or TEC would’ve been my<br />
first choice, my tradeoff simply couldn’t be<br />
my car. No, I decided to go for one of the<br />
relatively inexpensive imaging<br />
Newtonians. The money I saved was nice,<br />
but this setup didn’t leave me without<br />
plenty of hurdles to overcome.<br />
Imaging with a Newtonian has some<br />
basic requirements that must be met, and<br />
when the focal ratio is f/4, those requirements<br />
are significantly more stringent.<br />
First, a coma corrector is required. I used a<br />
Baader MPCC, and it works great. Check<br />
that off the list! Then, collimation must be<br />
spot on. Finally, perfect focus is the only<br />
way to get pinpoint stars. To get the most<br />
out of my scope, I use collimation products<br />
from AstroSystems, and I focus my<br />
telescope with a Rigel Systems USB<br />
nSTEP Stepper controller and motor.<br />
AstroSystems<br />
LightPipe/SightTube<br />
and Autocollimator<br />
I initially thought that proper collimation<br />
alone would be all I needed to create<br />
sharp astrophotos with my telescope. Even<br />
more naively, I’d hoped that the collimation<br />
cap included with the scope would do<br />
the job. I remember the laughs from one<br />
of our club members when I started collimating<br />
my scope for the first time. Turns<br />
out he wasn’t laughing at my tools or<br />
technique, but simply because, “those<br />
scopes come collimated from the factory.”<br />
It was a silly comment then, and was one<br />
of the reasons I’ve now decided to write<br />
this article.<br />
Many of us in this hobby assume that<br />
gear comes from the factory ready to use.<br />
While this may be the case for most of it,<br />
it’s simply impossible for Newtonians and<br />
other non-fixed optic designs. If the optics<br />
aren’t properly aligned, the images produced<br />
won’t be representative of what the<br />
scope can deliver. Furthermore, a simple<br />
collimation cap isn’t the best option, particularly<br />
at f/4! Fast focal ratios are great for<br />
minimizing image-integration times, but<br />
<strong>Astronomy</strong> TECHNOLOGY TODAY 61
THE RIGEL SYSTEMS USB NSTEP AND ASTROSYSTEMS COLLIMATION TOOLS<br />
Image 1 - The AstroSystems LightPipe-SightTube Combination tool is available in 1.25-<br />
inch or 2-inch configurations. The 2-inch configuration is further divided into a length<br />
appropriate for fast-focal ratio Newtonians and another for slower systems.<br />
are notoriously unforgiving of even the<br />
slightest misalignment. After several sessions<br />
of oblong stars, I decided to invest in<br />
more serious equipment, and I ended up<br />
ordering a set of collimation tools from<br />
AstroSystems.<br />
When my package of tools arrived, I<br />
was immediately impressed with the<br />
craftsmanship. I’d ordered the 2-inch<br />
LightPipe/ SightTube combo and a 2-inch<br />
autocollimator, and this setup would get<br />
me to perfect optical alignment.<br />
First up was the LightPipe/Sight-<br />
Tube, used primarily for the initial alignment.<br />
With longer or slower scopes, this<br />
can often be the only tool you’d need to get<br />
a pretty good alignment. At f/4, it’s only<br />
the beginning. The crosshair design quickly<br />
showed me some mechanical alignment<br />
errors, which had to be corrected before<br />
any collimation would be accurate. I used<br />
the tool to get the focuser square to the<br />
tube, verified by checking to see that the<br />
crosshairs intersected a spot directly opposite<br />
the focuser.<br />
Now, I reinstalled the secondary and<br />
proceeded to check the depth and offset of<br />
the mirror. One thing to note is that with<br />
a fast f-ratio scope, the offset of the secondary<br />
mirror will trick you into thinking<br />
something is misaligned. Knowing this, I<br />
still tweaked the secondary and primary<br />
mirrors to get the scope very close to great<br />
collimation. I can tell you that it was now<br />
better than ever, and my images would’ve<br />
been significantly better already.<br />
62 <strong>Astronomy</strong> TECHNOLOGY TODAY
THE RIGEL SYSTEMS USB NSTEP AND ASTROSYSTEMS COLLIMATION TOOLS<br />
The AstroSystems LightPipeSight-<br />
Tube Combination tool features a unique<br />
“non-directional” illumination cap. If<br />
you’ve used a classic Cheshire, you know<br />
how frustrating it can be to try and keep<br />
your flashlight in perfect alignment with<br />
the narrow illumination port with one<br />
hand while trying to make fine adjustments<br />
to collimation screws with the<br />
other. The AstroSystems illumination cap<br />
captures light from any angle, making it<br />
far easier and more enjoyable to use.<br />
After using the LightPipe/Sight-Tube,<br />
my collimation was better, but still not<br />
perfect! I moved on to the Autocollimator,<br />
which AstroSystems describes as “taking<br />
some practice” to use perfectly. Practice<br />
indeed! What first appeared difficult soon<br />
became second nature. At first glance, you<br />
install the tool and see multiple reflections<br />
of the center spot. It was so sensitive to<br />
alignment, that simply touching one of the<br />
focuser set screws caused several of the<br />
reflections to jump. No doubt this thing<br />
would show me any remaining issues! In<br />
simplest terms, the goal of the autocollimator<br />
is to get the reflections to converge.<br />
If you are close with the LightPipe, it won’t<br />
take more than a few small tweaks to get<br />
everything right. Once that’s the case, collimation<br />
is spot on.<br />
The cool thing about these tools is<br />
that they can be used in broad daylight.<br />
No need for a clear, steady night and a star<br />
test. No worry that some miniscule detail<br />
in mirror positions will keep you from<br />
excellent details in your observing or imaging.<br />
No, with proper use of this LightPipe<br />
and autocollimator, you can bet your<br />
optics will be well aligned.<br />
Rigel Systems USB nSTEP<br />
Pinpoint stars, here I come. Or so I<br />
thought. I was able to get much better<br />
images than ever before, but they still<br />
lacked the detail and sharpness of what I<br />
expected. Compared to images from similar<br />
setups, my results still looked soft.<br />
What was I missing? I’d corrected coma<br />
and tackled collimation, so why didn’t I<br />
Image 2 - The AstroSystems Autocollimator is also available in 1.25-inch and 2-inch configurations.<br />
Both are precision aligned to within 3 arc minutes.<br />
have nice stars? To answer my own question,<br />
I simply needed to focus.<br />
It’s not a secret that good focus is<br />
required to get sharp images. What is perhaps<br />
overlooked is just how small the<br />
range of good focus can be for some<br />
scopes. Small for all scopes, this range of<br />
focus gets smaller as the f-ratio gets shorter.<br />
This means that focus becomes more<br />
critical with faster optics. A few hun-<br />
<br />
<strong>Astronomy</strong> TECHNOLOGY TODAY 63
THE RIGEL SYSTEMS USB NSTEP AND ASTROSYSTEMS COLLIMATION TOOLS<br />
dredths of a millimeter is all that separates<br />
good focus from bad. As it turns out, even<br />
with a decent stock focuser, it was difficult<br />
to accurately put the camera sensor at the<br />
focal plane.<br />
Researching my options, it seemed<br />
that I could replace the focuser and hope a<br />
custom solution would be more precise.<br />
This would surely eliminate any problems<br />
with the hardware, but it wouldn’t remove<br />
the most significant source of focus error:<br />
me! The best option seemed to be a motorized<br />
focuser. I found many motor and<br />
focuser combinations that would work,<br />
but all were quite expensive. Then I discovered<br />
the USB nSTEP from Rigel<br />
Systems.<br />
Rigel Systems offers a plethora of<br />
astro-solutions, and one of its coolest<br />
product lines is centered around providing<br />
focus motors and control systems. These<br />
can be outfitted on nearly any focuser out<br />
there, and to the great benefit of my wallet,<br />
this includes stock focusers.<br />
I ordered the USB nSTEP stepper<br />
motor system with hand controller for my<br />
stock GSO Crayford, and eagerly anticipated<br />
its arrival. When the package<br />
arrived, it did not disappoint. The kit<br />
included the focus motor, control handset,<br />
installation kit and all necessary<br />
cables. Installation was simple with the<br />
provided instructions, and before long I<br />
was driving the drawtube remotely with a<br />
handset.<br />
I found that the ability to precisely<br />
dictate my focuser position, without the<br />
need to actually touch the focuser, was<br />
invaluable for achieving good focus.<br />
Whether viewing or imaging, it made<br />
every aspect of focusing more enjoyable.<br />
No more settling time after disturbing the<br />
scope, and no more stretching to reach the<br />
focus knobs while still being able to see<br />
the computer screen. Best of all, with this<br />
motor installed, there wasn’t a need to<br />
lock the focus knob. In the past, my<br />
biggest gripe had been the focus shift that<br />
resulted from the mere act of locking the<br />
focus tube down, but those days were<br />
over.<br />
With the USB nSTEP installed and<br />
running, my images were immediately<br />
better. Not just better, they were great.<br />
Stars were pinpoints, and I was finally satisfied<br />
with my imaging setup. This would<br />
have been a great ending, but then I’d be<br />
missing the coolest part. The focus controller<br />
connects to a computer for full<br />
software control!<br />
The included ASCOM-compliant<br />
software will control the focuser, allow<br />
you to set presets for different filter<br />
options, and even compensate for focuser<br />
backlash. That in itself is a brilliant addition,<br />
as the stock focusers are especially<br />
notorious for backlash. If the focuser<br />
knows the amount, it will adjust the steps<br />
accordingly. Now, if this thing would only<br />
focus itself. Oh wait, it will!<br />
With the right software, and there are<br />
several options, focusing can truly be<br />
64 <strong>Astronomy</strong> TECHNOLOGY TODAY
THE RIGEL SYSTEMS USB NSTEP AND ASTROSYSTEMS COLLIMATION TOOLS<br />
hands free. I used Sequence Generator Pro,<br />
and also tried it with Maxim DL. The<br />
basic premise is simple: Select and slew to<br />
a star, and the camera will start a series of<br />
exposures. Between the exposures, the<br />
focuser will move, changing the full width<br />
at half maximum value for the star. After<br />
several exposures, the software can predict<br />
a good focus point and move the focuser<br />
accordingly. This creates a “V Curve” that<br />
ends with a perfectly focused star. Don’t<br />
trust it? Put a Bahtinov mask on the tube<br />
and be amazed.<br />
Still not impressed? How about the<br />
ability to have the focuser compensate for<br />
variations due to temperature changes? As<br />
the optical tube cools, the focal point of<br />
most scopes will shift slightly. This happens<br />
in a predictable manner, so attaching<br />
the optional temperature probe and taking<br />
a couple of measurements allows the<br />
software to reposition the focuser automatically<br />
in concert with temperature<br />
fluctuations. Outstanding!<br />
I can’t stress how significant these two<br />
additions have been for my improving my<br />
imaging. Furthermore, it’s important to<br />
realize that they were both necessary to<br />
getting the most out of my gear.<br />
Collimation and focus are the two aspects<br />
of the scope setup that you can completely<br />
control. One without the other will<br />
simply leave you wanting more.<br />
Image 3 - Shown is the Rigel Systems USB-nSTEP focus-motor system with handset. The<br />
handset allows the system to be operated independently of a PC or with full automated<br />
focus control via a PC.<br />
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<strong>Astronomy</strong> TECHNOLOGY TODAY 65
New Mexico Skies<br />
<strong>Astronomy</strong> Enclave<br />
A Case for Living the Astronomer’s Dream<br />
By Gary Parkerson<br />
To many of you, perhaps most, what follows<br />
will reek of ad-copy hyperbole, yet I consider<br />
it among my most sincere works.<br />
Although I hope each of you find something<br />
to enjoy here, I’ll be pleased if just one of you<br />
takes this piece to heart and acts upon it.<br />
Some Dream; Some Live<br />
Dreams<br />
That I’m part of the team that produces<br />
this magazine is evidence of a significant dose of<br />
the later, but like most, I’ve far more dreams<br />
that remain unfulfilled than those I’ve lived.<br />
No, I don’t mean the vain, juvenile variety: inspiring<br />
world peace with one well-penned<br />
phrase, flying endlessly and effortlessly by the<br />
strength of my arms alone, playing center for<br />
the Celtics despite my 5-foot 10-inch stature<br />
(Spud Webb notwithstanding). I mean mature,<br />
personally-achievable dreams of the kind that<br />
become even more reachable once the kids are<br />
educated, grown and self-sufficient, and other<br />
major family responsibilities discharged. And<br />
Cloudcroft, New Mexico, has starred in my<br />
personal dreams since decades before astronomy<br />
was more than an occasional whim.<br />
Hot is Hot, and I’d Rather Not<br />
… Be Hot<br />
As a child of the Deep South, I was acclimated<br />
long ago to summer heat compounded<br />
by oppressive humidity, but I can’t claim to<br />
have ever actually enjoyed being so involuntarily<br />
hot. So, when roadside temperatures<br />
dropped from sweltering to a cool, dry, comfortably-low<br />
70s (F) as we climbed above 8000<br />
feet while driving from Carlsbad, N.M., to<br />
Alamogordo via US 82 during the summer of<br />
‘69 – in a worn-out Ford pickup without air<br />
conditioning, pulling a homemade camping<br />
trailer – it got our attention, and we stopped<br />
for more than awhile in Cloudcroft, N.M.<br />
I grew up in the Louisiana Delta, a lush<br />
subtropical region of meandering bayous,<br />
Azalea blossoms and stately Live Oaks enshrouded<br />
by Spanish moss, but mostly monotonous<br />
stretches of cotton, soybean and rice<br />
fields – flat, humid and all barely above sea<br />
level. And mosquitoes – big, hungry, tenacious<br />
mosquitoes all year round, where swatting<br />
them was as subconsciously automatic and engrained<br />
as breathing. So, Cloudcroft provided<br />
yet more favorable contrasts when compared<br />
to home: It had mountains, indeed, the gorgeous<br />
Sacramento Mountains, real mountains<br />
with elevations to 11,500 feet, towering Ponderosa<br />
Pine and Douglas-fir. And no mosquitoes.<br />
Not a one.<br />
There was alsoThe Lodge, a historic, classic<br />
Victorian-era resort constructed in 1899 at<br />
an elevation of 9000 feet and serving continuously<br />
since, with major renovations in 1908<br />
and post-fire restoration in 1911. We were traveling<br />
on the cheap in 1969, so we did nothing<br />
more than gawk then at its imposing exterior,<br />
but I’ve returned to it as often as possible in the<br />
intervening years, and will again in 2013, fates<br />
willing. The Lodge is a big part of what makes<br />
tiny, quiet, restful Cloudcroft one of the top<br />
100 resort destinations in the U.S. That, plus<br />
Burro Avenue, lined with its quaint, mom-andpop<br />
shops and restaurants.<br />
Consider the Source<br />
Of course, when I discovered astronomy<br />
in earnest decades later, along with the Cloudcroft<br />
region’s deep and still-growing involvement<br />
in that science (the National Solar<br />
Observatory and the Apache Point Observa-<br />
<strong>Astronomy</strong> TECHNOLOGY TODAY 67
NEW MEXICO SKIES ASTRONOMY ENCLAVE<br />
tory are both located just south of Cloudcroft<br />
in Sunspot, N.M.), my sense of connection to<br />
the area grew even stronger. Why all this extraneous<br />
personal background? So you’ll know to<br />
consider the source. When it comes to reporting<br />
on Cloudcroft and any of the wonders that<br />
surround it, including the New Mexico Skies<br />
<strong>Astronomy</strong> Enclave in neighboring Mayhill,<br />
N.M., I’m irretrievably biased. Cloudcroft is<br />
among the long-standing list of three cities for<br />
which I subscribe to permanent weather feeds,<br />
and I consult the N.M.-Skies Clear Sky Chart<br />
almost daily. So now you know.<br />
Delayed Gratification?<br />
Eating your brussels sprouts first still<br />
makes sense to me, so long as there’s a finite pile<br />
of them on your plate, but slogging through<br />
them endlessly as a self-imposed condition to<br />
enjoying the luscious steak and potato they surround<br />
is a fool’s strategy. Tom and Marla Simstad,<br />
N.M. Skies <strong>Astronomy</strong> Enclave’s<br />
developers, had long ago invited the ATT team<br />
to tour their <strong>Astronomy</strong> Enclave, and I kept<br />
telling myself that I’d do so just as soon as I had<br />
the time to truly enjoy the experience … which<br />
means that time went by, and it still hadn’t happened<br />
and may never have, given that nebulous<br />
plan.<br />
So, when daughter Rachel and I represented<br />
ATT at the November 2012 inaugural<br />
edition of the Arizona Science & <strong>Astronomy</strong><br />
Expo in Tucson, we resolved to make a couple<br />
of extra days available on the return trip. Responsibilities<br />
back home would have to wait<br />
and, of course, they did without incident.<br />
Oh, I apologize to brussels sprouts and to<br />
those of you who, as do I, actually like them. I<br />
just couldn’t think of a more clichéd vegetable<br />
or better analogy.<br />
With Neighbors Like These<br />
Just 16 miles west of Cloudcroft, 3 miles<br />
east of Mayhill, and 32 miles from Alamorgordo,<br />
the <strong>Astronomy</strong> Enclave offers the convenience<br />
of frontage on the area’s major<br />
thoroughfare, US 82, which forms its northern<br />
boundary, and the pristine isolation of the more<br />
than one million-acre Lincoln National Forrest<br />
that borders it to the east and south.To its west<br />
lies Mike and Lynn Rice’s famed New Mexico<br />
Skies Observatories, which offer world-class remote-observatory<br />
services as well as on-site<br />
guest accommodations.The region presents elevations<br />
from 4000 to 11,500 feet, displaying<br />
five distinct vegetation zones that range from<br />
Chihuahuan desert to sub-alpine forest.Two of<br />
these zones are observable from various points<br />
on the <strong>Astronomy</strong> Enclave, which is situated<br />
within altitudes of roughly 7000 to 7500 feet.<br />
We stood at one of the more open vantage<br />
points in the <strong>Astronomy</strong> Enclave and studied<br />
our surroundings. Back home, views of this rare<br />
distance would reveal pump-jacks, drilling rigs,<br />
tractors and other signs of such commerce,<br />
whereas here at the <strong>Astronomy</strong> Enclave we<br />
counted little other than private and professional<br />
observatories, some scattered singly and<br />
others arranged in clusters. Our count passed<br />
fifty, and with aid of binoculars, we were still<br />
counting more observatories. Unlike the drill<br />
sites and farming operations of our Louisiana<br />
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Durable to extreme<br />
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Non-reflective<br />
20+ years of thin film design<br />
Manufactured in Vermont<br />
68 <strong>Astronomy</strong> TECHNOLOGY TODAY
NEW MEXICO SKIES ASTRONOMY ENCLAVE<br />
home, with their discordant scatterings of detritus<br />
and spoils, astronomical observatories reveal<br />
the reverence with which their owners<br />
approach their favorite activity and, indeed, life.<br />
The view from the <strong>Astronomy</strong> Enclave left the<br />
impression of nature in harmony with man’s<br />
purpose as too few spots have during my travels.<br />
The view within the Enclave did as well.<br />
That said, the <strong>Astronomy</strong> Enclave’s layout<br />
was carefully planned to maximize views of nature<br />
and minimize views of others’ man-made<br />
structures. From the various existing and future<br />
home sites we visited there, we rarely saw the<br />
homes next door. Every lot conveyed a feeling<br />
of privacy and comfortable seclusion.<br />
The Climate<br />
I’ve already mentioned that Cloudcroft’s<br />
summer highs can feel blessedly low compared<br />
to other parts of the country. The month with<br />
the highest average high temperature is June at<br />
73.5°F, with an average low of 44.2°F. The<br />
coldest month is January with an average high<br />
of 41.6°F and low of 18.5°F, but those were<br />
measured at 8600 feet.Temperatures at the <strong>Astronomy</strong><br />
Enclave are higher on average, although<br />
not dramatically so. June there sees an<br />
average high of 82° and low of 48°F, while January’s<br />
average range is from 53° to 21°F.<br />
The <strong>Astronomy</strong> Enclave lies to the east of<br />
the ridge of the Sacramento Mountain Range,<br />
which serves to wring much of the moisture<br />
from air that flows to the area from the northwest,<br />
well before it reaches the <strong>Astronomy</strong> Enclave.<br />
Indeed, the predominant winds of the<br />
area are from the west-northwest. While annual<br />
precipitation is only 30 inches in Cloudcroft,<br />
it is just 20 inches at the <strong>Astronomy</strong> Enclave.<br />
The <strong>Astronomy</strong> Enclave has a unique microclimate<br />
that is superior to that of the surrounding<br />
areas.<br />
The Community<br />
Until last November, I’d known Tom and<br />
Marla Simstad only as folks I met regularly at<br />
astronomy events such as NEAF. I knew nothing<br />
of their backgrounds. As we visited in their<br />
home, Tom explained that they did not move<br />
to the Cloudcroft/Mayhill area to build an astronomical<br />
community, but they were inspired<br />
to build the <strong>Astronomy</strong> Enclave once already<br />
there. Having visited their home and gotten to<br />
know them better, I now understand the significance<br />
of that distinction.<br />
In their previous lives they had, as a team,<br />
worked as builders, developing more than 700<br />
properties in Indiana. Tom was educated in<br />
building construction, surveying and civil engineering<br />
while at Purdue University, but it’s<br />
the couple’s extensive practical experience that<br />
I know to value most, and the lessons of that<br />
shared experience are evident in every aspect of<br />
the <strong>Astronomy</strong> Enclave.<br />
For a development of such dramatic elevation<br />
changes, the private road that serves its<br />
interior is surprisingly wide and meticulously<br />
maintained. While most residents own a fourwheel-drive<br />
vehicle of some description, we<br />
drove our ground clearance-deprived Buick<br />
sedan over every inch of that interior road without<br />
incident, and Marla travels it regularly in a<br />
little car that is slung even lower.<br />
All intra-<strong>Astronomy</strong> Enclave utilities (a<br />
community-wide water system, electric, phone<br />
and Internet) are buried and those few fixtures<br />
that must be maintained above ground for ease<br />
of access are discretely located and, in most<br />
cases, are shielded by native vegetation as well.<br />
The gated subdivision I live in back home<br />
boasts a club house, swimming pool and tennis<br />
courts. The gated <strong>Astronomy</strong> Enclave invested<br />
instead in a 1500-square foot machinist, metalfabrication<br />
and woodworking shop, together<br />
with a 2280-square foot community center<br />
that offers services such as high-resolution<br />
wide-bed printers as well as the more typical<br />
work-out facility, pool table, arts-and-crafts<br />
areas and the like. And because astronomy is<br />
becoming an increasingly online activity, the<br />
<strong>Astronomy</strong> Enclave even exceeds my home<br />
community in the Internet bandwidth available<br />
to its residents.<br />
The formal covenants of the <strong>Astronomy</strong><br />
Enclave are, as you would expect of such a purpose-built<br />
community, both comprehensive<br />
and specific to the unique concerns of astronomers.<br />
The restrictions are certain as to<br />
those factors that are critical to any astronomer<br />
contemplating a life-changing investment, yet<br />
flexible enough as to others to pacify the most<br />
dedicated libertarians among us.<br />
“Who You Gonna Call?”<br />
Among the things you can expect from a<br />
community and region largely populated by expert<br />
astronomers is … well … ready access to<br />
lots of expert astronomers. With them comes<br />
the host of services required to support those<br />
astronomers, not that you’d have to leave the<br />
<strong>Astronomy</strong> Enclave for most of those, given its<br />
fully equipped shop and resident, experienced<br />
machinists and fabricators.<br />
When it comes to major projects, such as<br />
observatory construction, we toured the most<br />
recent roll-off observatory designed and constructed<br />
byTom and his team, and it is, simply<br />
put, the most perfectly functioning and functional<br />
roll-off I’ve seen. I could spend a day in<br />
it just rolling the roof back and forth without<br />
ever getting bored.<br />
Tom and crew have also become particularly<br />
adept at mechanizing and automating the<br />
popular Explora Dome Observatories, although<br />
their expertise extends to many other<br />
brands and designs as well. That’s not to say<br />
that residents of the <strong>Astronomy</strong> Enclave are<br />
limited to the choice ofTom’s professional serv-<br />
<strong>Astronomy</strong> TECHNOLOGY TODAY 69
NEW MEXICO SKIES ASTRONOMY ENCLAVE<br />
ices, just that they are readily available if occasion<br />
requires.<br />
A Sense of Community<br />
While on the subject of the astronomy experts<br />
within the <strong>Astronomy</strong> Enclave, I’m compelled<br />
to note that being among such a group<br />
is a singular experience. I have many cherished<br />
astronomy friends back home, but none for<br />
whom astronomy is as central to their existences.<br />
Those who choose to invest in the <strong>Astronomy</strong><br />
Enclave are, by evidence of that very<br />
act, people to whom astronomy is a defining<br />
passion. What do we know about those who<br />
are attracted to astronomy? What innate personality<br />
traits are most consistent with that interest?<br />
Focus, curiosity, whimsy, generosity,<br />
intelligence, courtesy, humor, dedication, competence,<br />
these are the predictable traits of the<br />
people who would be your neighbors there.<br />
Cloudy Skies and Other<br />
Disasters<br />
Being from the gulf-coast region, I’m<br />
enured to hurricanes, tornadoes, lightening,<br />
rain, floods and related disasters. Other regions<br />
of the country have hardened themselves to the<br />
threats of earth quakes and tsunamis. The <strong>Astronomy</strong><br />
Enclave is visited by none of these,<br />
other than the occasional rain and lightening<br />
flash during the mini-monsoon season (July to<br />
September). But it is home to wildfire concerns,<br />
as is the entire southwest U.S., and for<br />
those it is well prepared.<br />
Indeed, among the features that most impressed<br />
me was its degree of fire preparedness.<br />
Although the threat is, as most such threats are,<br />
remote, Tom and Marla have taken it quite seriously<br />
– after all, they live there, too. A deep<br />
well is dedicated to fire control along with a<br />
substantial water reserve. A high-pressure,<br />
high-volume supply of water (over 500 gallons<br />
per minute) is, therefore, constantly available<br />
to each home for fire control, and is so reliable<br />
and of such capacity that the local fire district<br />
has asked permission to call upon it when its<br />
own resources were stretched past safe limits.<br />
But fire prevention and control go even<br />
further at the <strong>Astronomy</strong> Enclave. Every home<br />
in the development is equipped with a ready<br />
supply of the bulk materials required for immediate<br />
deployment of a fire-retardant gel<br />
(Barricade Fire Gel is the brand name) –<br />
enough of the stuff to cover each home and related<br />
buildings and observatories. Tom<br />
demonstrated the gel while we were there, and<br />
its properties are simply amazing. Residents<br />
hope to never need these resources, but are all<br />
thankful they are available should wildfire<br />
threaten their community.<br />
Honey, Why’s My Index<br />
Finger Numb?<br />
Some consider their places in the <strong>Astronomy</strong><br />
Enclave as their second homes, some fortunate<br />
souls live there full time. For those of<br />
my age group whose life planning includes<br />
such factors as proximity to emergency medical<br />
care, Cloudcroft and Alamogordo are just<br />
minutes away. So, if your daily activities include<br />
Googling the symptoms of heart attacks<br />
and such, rest assured that the residents of the<br />
<strong>Astronomy</strong> Enclave are well covered.<br />
Cloudcroft is home to the Sacramento<br />
Mountain Medical Facility, a comprehensive<br />
family-care center, while Alamogordo, given<br />
its status as home to Holloman Air Force Base<br />
and the adjacent White Sands Test Facility, offers<br />
all medical services attendant to such areas,<br />
including the Gerald Champion Regional<br />
Medical Center. Plus, El Paso, just 100 miles<br />
away as the medivac helicopter flies, offers all<br />
medical services you would associate with a<br />
major metropolitan area.<br />
Did I Forget Anything?<br />
Let’s see, I’ve talked about the people, the<br />
climate, the scenery, the infrastructure and services<br />
– what have I missed? Oh, yeah, the skies.<br />
It was already dark when Rachel and I<br />
drove through Cloudcroft in route to the <strong>Astronomy</strong><br />
Enclave, so we pulled off of US 82<br />
70 <strong>Astronomy</strong> TECHNOLOGY TODAY
NEW MEXICO SKIES ASTRONOMY ENCLAVE<br />
once we’d cleared the negligible light dome of<br />
the town, turned off all lights and chatted while<br />
waiting for our eyes to become dark adapted.<br />
Sure, we could have continued straight on to<br />
Tom’s and Marla’s home, but despite our preoccupations<br />
with astronomy, it’s not everyday<br />
that we’re treated to world-class skies, and we<br />
didn’t want to wait a minute longer than necessary.<br />
When we finally stepped from the car and<br />
looked to the heavens, our naked-eye view of<br />
the winter Milky Way was as dense and rich<br />
and detailed and crisp and steady as any I can<br />
recall. Rachel whispered, “Oh my God,<br />
Daddy-O, this is AWESOME!” while I wiped<br />
tears from my eyes (it was chilly out, don’t you<br />
know). I make my living now producing a<br />
couple of thousand written words per work<br />
day and am nevertheless at a loss for those to<br />
describe that night sky. It’s something you<br />
must experience for yourself, if you haven’t already.<br />
What are the odds of that happening on<br />
a random night in November? Well, approaching<br />
80 percent, actually. With up to 300<br />
days and nights of clear skies each year, and<br />
with most cloud cover occurring during the<br />
summer monsoons, we needed no help from<br />
luck to enjoy a night of perfect viewing conditions.<br />
What makes these skies so remarkable?<br />
Minimal airborne particulates to scatter light,<br />
low relative humidity and a location typically<br />
well south of the turbulence of the jet stream.<br />
There’s nothing between you and the heavens<br />
but cool, clear, calm air and even 7000 feet less<br />
of air than I encounter back home under the<br />
best of conditions. And, yes, negligible light<br />
pollution and some of the most stable skies in<br />
all of North America (seeing averages about<br />
1.5 arc-seconds and routinely falls below 1.0<br />
arc-second). I’ve visited what I know to be<br />
some of the darkest spots in the U.S., and still<br />
rate the <strong>Astronomy</strong> Enclave as very dark indeed.<br />
This series of images demonstrate the effects of seeing on imaging. Simply put, the better<br />
the seeing, the better your images and the better your observing. Much of North America’s<br />
seeing varies between 2 and 5 arc-seconds. N.M. Skies <strong>Astronomy</strong> Enclave’s<br />
exceptional seeing averages about 1.5 arc seconds.<br />
Seize the Day?<br />
Rachel and I took lots of photos while<br />
there, but none that convey the <strong>Astronomy</strong><br />
Enclave as well as do the numerous panoramic<br />
images on its website, www.nmsouthernskies.com,<br />
so check those out if you have the<br />
time.<br />
I left the N. M. Skies <strong>Astronomy</strong> Enclave<br />
with a sense of urgency – a need to let you<br />
know. I’d assumed that most of its defined lots<br />
were still available, but that, sadly, is not the<br />
case. Fewer than ten mountain-top, 2-plus acre<br />
home and observatory sites remain from the<br />
developed phases. These are the stuff of astronomers’<br />
dreams, and less than ten more astronomers<br />
will live the N. M. Skies <strong>Astronomy</strong><br />
Enclave dream, at least of my generation. A<br />
once-in-a-lifetime opportunity? No, a lessthan-ten-in-countless-astronomers’-lifetimes<br />
opportunity.<br />
One of you reading this will leap from her<br />
or his chair, shouting, “I’m sick of brussels<br />
sprouts! Enough delayed gratification! I am<br />
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worthy of this!” Yes, you. I would tell you, do<br />
yourself the enormous good of seizing the day,<br />
but that’s not quite right, is it? Seize the night,<br />
fellow astronomer, seize the night.<br />
For the rest of you who are, as am I, still<br />
working stubbornly on that endless pile of<br />
brussels sprouts, at the very least, make the trip<br />
to the <strong>Astronomy</strong> Enclave yourself, enjoy a tour<br />
with Tom and Marla Simstad as your personal<br />
guides, book a couple of nights of imaging or<br />
observing at one of Mike and Lynn Rice’s New<br />
Mexico Skies guest observatories, experience<br />
the luxuries of a former era while unwinding at<br />
The Lodge, enjoy all that Cloudcroft/Mayhill<br />
and the Sacramento Mountains region have to<br />
offer. Then return home, and dream renewed<br />
astronomers’ dreams of reachable stars and of<br />
those glorious New Mexico skies.<br />
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<strong>Astronomy</strong> TECHNOLOGY TODAY 71
ASTRO TIPS<br />
Lunar and Monthly Calendars<br />
By Thad Floryan<br />
This edition of the ATT Astro Tip represents<br />
a bit of a departure from its normal<br />
tip fare. Friend of the magazine, Thad<br />
Floryan, has posted a collection of excellent<br />
calendars on ATT’s forum, http://tech.<br />
groups.yahoo.com/group/astronomytechn<br />
ologytoday/ and we thought we’d share<br />
them with you here. Downloadable PDFs<br />
can be found in the files section of the ATT<br />
group. Thad has also added links to the calendars<br />
at the <strong>Astronomy</strong>Hacks forum,<br />
http://tech.groups.yahoo.com/group/astro<br />
nomyhacks/, source of more than a few of<br />
the tips that have been shared in these pages<br />
recent years.<br />
About the calendars, Thad humbly<br />
notes: “They’re not actually ‘my’ calendars<br />
other than the fact I ran two programs that<br />
were authored by another person to create<br />
the specific calendars I posted. In other<br />
words, the only credit I can take is that of an<br />
operator of the two programs. :-)”<br />
“Here are the present author’s pages for<br />
the C versions of the programs: (1)<br />
http://pcal.sourceforge.net/ (PCAL and<br />
Submit Your Astro Tip!<br />
<strong>Astronomy</strong> <strong>Technology</strong> <strong>Today</strong> regularly<br />
features tips, tricks, and other novel<br />
solutions. To submit your tip, trick, or<br />
novel solution, email the following information:<br />
• A Microsoft Word document<br />
detailing your tip, trick or novel<br />
solution.<br />
• A hi-resolution digital image<br />
in jpeg format (if available).<br />
Please send your information to<br />
tips@astronomytechnologytoday.com<br />
tips, tricks and novel solutions<br />
LCAL PostScript Calendar Programs),<br />
which page can be considered to be the<br />
‘manual’ for both the PCAL and LCAL<br />
programs, and the page also has some<br />
examples of the output of both programs;<br />
and (2) http://sourceforge.net/projects/<br />
pcal/ for the downloads. Both the source<br />
code in a UNIX tar file and executables of<br />
PCAL and LCAL for Windows are available<br />
at the later URL.”<br />
“Again, please note both programs<br />
were originally written on and for UNIX<br />
systems and subsequently have been ported<br />
to Linux, MacOS and Windows.”<br />
With lunar-phase apps just a few<br />
swipes away via the smartphones and tablets<br />
that are becoming so integral to our daily<br />
lives, it’s easy to forget just how handy it is<br />
to have a printed calendar posted nearby –<br />
a calendar that tell us at a glance precisely<br />
what the Moon is about, no swiping needed.<br />
Thanks, Thad!<br />
72 <strong>Astronomy</strong> TECHNOLOGY TODAY
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