11.17.03 -  Initial Impressions of the CGE mount

I don't know what I like better, using new equipment to get good images or the thrill of pulling a new acquision from its box.  Even if its just an eyepiece, the tactile sensation of holding the object in your hands is reassuring; you finally know that you didn't get ripped off and that "Brown" didn't break your package while playing football with it.

Though I haven't had a chance to setup my new Celestron CGE mount under the stars much less see how well it works with my scopes for astrophotography, I can say, most assuredly, that the muscle pulls and back spasms I now have as a result of pulling this large German Equatorial Mount (GEM) from its box doesn't come close to offsetting the excitement of handling and drooling over one-hundred plus pounds of black anodized steel...woof, woof, woof!

First Impressions:

It arrived a day late, but the three separate boxes of 45, 50, and 60 pounds made me happy.  You always like getting something for your money, which is partly why I love Tak scopes so much.  Holding one in your hand you can feel the quality that goes into those scopes.  Well, that's the impression I got from this CGE mount.  It looks like a Losmandy G-11, which should be expected as part of its pedigree.   But instead of a separate control panel, the CGE incorporates its electronics into a mini-pier that rests just below the mount base.  I had worried that this would cause a little unnecessary flexure in the system, and I might just be right to worry, but it is a neat concept.  But hopefully the three bolts that attach the mini-pier to the tripod and the other three bolts that hold the mount to the mini-pier will unite to make a stable system.  

The tripod is rugged and heavy.  A single hand bolt tightens down on the legs to keep the telescoping legs in place.  The spreader bar is mounted about a foot below the top of the tripod, which lends more rigidity when tightened into place, unlike my Meade LX200 Classic that mounts too close to the top of the tripod.   

The mount comes with two 21 lbs counterweights, enough for a variety of configurations up to its listed payload capacity of 65 lbs.  I mounted my Tak FSQ-106, see above, atop the dovetail attachment so that I could test the electronics.  This 13 lbs scope balanced perfectly with a single counterweight placed close to the azimuth arm.  Lesser scopes would require smaller counterweights.  I'm certain that I could add a 10" or 11" SCT tube in addition to the Tak and it would balance quite easily with the additional counterweight added near the bottom of the bar.  As far as imaging goes, it will not be a question as to whether or not the mount will handle all the weight.  The question will be whether or not the mount will guide well enough with that much weight while imaging through a 2500mm to 3000mm scope.  That's a question I hope to answer sometime soon.

Turning it on:

The mount came with a DC power cord, so I attached it to my smaller, portable field battery for some power-up test.  I basically wanted to get a grasp on how the Nexstar system measures up to the older Meade Magellan system from my venerable LX200 classic.  Well, as with anything new, I suspose I'll get used to the Nexstar system.  The menus are laid out logically, but the handpad seems a bit difficult to hold.  It's just not as hefty as the Meade handpad and the cord isn't long enough.  Because the cord is integrated into the handpad, changing to a longer cord, like I did on my Meade, will require a bit surgery.  I also don't care for where they attached the cord to the handpad; to the back.  Makes it more difficult to hang the pad on its holder, which itself attaches via velcro to a tripod leg.

Whereas the Nexstar system will allow me to input object names with a few strokes of the number buttons, a feature I love on my older Meade, you have to take your menu to the root menu before you can key in new objects.  I also don't care for the descriptive nature of the object database when you push the INFO button.  Instead of useful information like magnitude and angular size, you get a scrolling message that seems more in place during a skytour. For example,  I don't need the handpad to tell me that "canali" were once seen on the surface of Mars.  I can read that in a book.  What I do need is an immediate indication of its angular size.  Perhaps this ability exists in the Nexstar, but I haven't found it yet.

I also didn't care for the speed of the drive system.  Rated at 4 degrees per second, which is half the speed of my LX200, the CGE actually seems more than twice as slow.    But I will say that the motors are extremely quite, something that cannot be said of the LX200.  I also would appreciate it if the handpad would relinquish control sooner in the startup process.  The Nexstar system requires a one or two star alignment before you can set the other settings.  If I had my choice, I'd rather the system give me complete control sfrom the beginning so that I find my own star and merely sync the computer to it with a simple keystroke.  The Nexstar requires me to navigate through an object list before I can align on the star of my choice, something that I do quite often with the Meade during a typical session.

One thing about the Nexstar system is that a control panel for the PC can be purchased to emulate the handpad.  At $59, HCAnywhere duplicates the handpad on the PC screen while also allowing other control programs, like The SKY, to function simultaneously without the need to take up other ports.  Its susposed to be quite slick, even providing the ability to use a wireless gamepad to control the software, and thus the mount.  This will undoubtedly be the way I control the mount the majority of the time, some combination between the PC or a wireless game controller.  I just need to buy or make the cable to make the connection...and buy a wireless gamepad.  

Final thoughts:

I don't want to leave you with the impression that I'm not pleased with the mount.  Truth is, I haven't began to scratch the surface of its features, nor have I been outside to test the accuracy of the GOTO system, nor of its drives.  That will come in a future review, hopefully if the clouds clear away anytime soon.   

But going from Meade to Celestron is like loving hot coffee and then switching to the cold, fru-fru stuff.   The Meade is like hot coffee for me.  It might take a while before I get used to the fru-fru stuff.  But undoubtedly, the Celestron CGE is better equipped right out of the box for astrophotography, something that my LX200 just couldn't do as consistently as I would have liked.

   11.04.03 -  Good deal on a new mount

The only imaging platform I've ever had is my 10" LX200.  I've put blood, sweat, and tears into squeezing the most performance from this scope that I can.  Unfortunately, I discovered over the last year that the amount of periodic and random error inherent in the gears just didn't make the LX200 a good platform for prime focus imaging at the OTA's 2500mm focal length. Obtaining images without oblong stars has been nearly impossible.  The only chance I've had is to train properly the periodic error from my drives. But this has been very difficult since my drives don't seem to respond to the guiding corrections from my autoguider, at least consistently.  I've had good results from piggybacking upon the LX200 with 300mm lens (and less), but that's only because such short focal lengths give much greater lenience where trailed stars are concerned.  

Therefore, I've been looking for a good EQ mount for quite a while now.  I've been looking for something sturdy enough to hold the 10" LX200 optical tube and perhaps also my Tak FSQ-106, at the same time.  Such a configuration would provide great flexibility; I could image with the Tak and guide through the LX200, or I could do CCD imaging through the SCT without all the fat stars.  

Such a mount, one that also gives room to grow, costs over $5000.  I'd pretty much narrowed it down to either the Mountain Instruments MI-250, the Takahashi NJP, or the Astro-Physics AP900, each with their own GOTO configurations.  But finding a good deal on these mounts is difficult at best, and I don't want to go into this winter without a mount that I can depend upon to give me some good images, at least with the Tak 106.  

So when I saw the new Celestron CGE mount advertised on Astromart for only $2000 plus shipping, I knew that this was my opportunity.  I also knew that I'd better be the first to place a bid, because this mount wouldn't be around for much longer at that price.  Fortunately, I caught the advertisement very soon after it was posted.

The new mount is produced by Celestron as the successor to the Ci-700 and to compete with the Losmandy G-11 mount, an outstanding value in its own regard.  Like the G-11, it has a rated payload capacity of 65 lbs. but with a GOTO Nexstar system right out of the box (the G-11 uses the third party Gemini GOTO system).  Celestron provides this excellent mount at $2999, a full $150 cheaper than its Losmandy cousin.  

Early reviews of the new mount are few, but encouraging.  The amount of periodic error is quite good (not great) and the pointing precision is quite accurate.  Skynews Magazine suggests that the CGE mount works well with the 11" Celestron Schmidt-Cass OTA for prime focus, CCD imaging. Certainly the same could be said with my own 10" Meade OTA.

I should take delivery of the mount next week, which is new except for a couple of scratches on the tripod feet where it met the ground the two times the previous owner used it (he bought it with the 14" OTA and quickly realized that it was too much scope for the mount when doing imaging...so he bought a Paramount ME to go with the tube...drool).  

It's certainly not my dream mount, nor is it in the quality of mounts that I had my eye on, but the Celestron CGE might be just what I need to get some solid images with my current scopes.  And at two-grand, it's hard to find a better deal on any mount.  

I look forward to putting it through its paces and reviewing its performance. More than that, I look forward to finally getting some good images of the great winter sky objects. My gallery pages seem naked without them.

   10.28.03 -  A Mecca, of sorts...

Living in the DFW area, there isn't a well established, telescope store.  I mean, we've got "The Observatory" in Dallas, which might be okay if I actually visited it, despite some of the things I've heard.  But I'm talking about actually going to one of the great stores like OPT, Anacortes Wild Bird and Telescope, or Astronomics; stores that have great reputations and tons of great stuff.

On my way back from a technology conference in Galveston, Texas, last Saturday, I decided to take a detour to a place that I consider a Mecca, of sorts.  Not knowing anything but the address and not having a Mapsco in my possession, I figured I'd take an eastern turn towards NASA off of I45 in Houston hoping to find "Sheppard St."  Having only been in Houston a handful of times in my life (Texas is a big place, afterall), certainly Sheppard St. would be around NASA, right?  You know, must be the street right in between Armstrong Ave. and Glenn Drive?!?

So when I drove around NASA for 10 minutes and didn't see any signs of streets named after astronauts, I decided to do what most people would have done in the first place: I picked up my cell phone and dialed information.

Once I got the phone number, I called the store for directions where a man named Darren immediately informed me that I had another 30 miles to go, back toward the center of town.  Equipped with this new found knowledge and knowing that it was only a few minutes out of the way off my route back to DFW, I decided that I had the time before the store closed at 4 PM.  

I made it to Land, Sea, and Sky Texas Nautical Repair at 3 PM.  Plenty of time to spare.  

Those unfamiliar with this rather strangely named store will not have known that every Takahashi telescope purchased in the USA, at one time or another, made its way through this store.  Being the sole distributor of Takahashi telescopes and mounts in America, Texas Nautical Repair (TNR) ships each and every one of these scopes and mounts to the aforementioned, high volume stores where the majority of such Takahashi equipment is purchased by the end consumer.  TNR also sells this equipment directly to the consumer; however, one trip to their website to check out their price lists and you'll understand why so many people purchase their Taks through the other retailers.

I knew I should expect a bunch of other stuff than Takahashis.  I mean, any store based on the themes of land, sea, and sky might have some interesting things on display...and I wasn't wrong.  

Parking was in the back, which meant that the back door was my entrance. Nautical stuff, like compasses, model ships, and other sea stuff that I don't have a clue about was all over place.  There were globes, clocks, microscopes, binoculars, eyepieces.  Since I expected the sole distributor of Taks in the country to have EVERY model of scope on display, you can imagine my slight disappointment when the only two Taks were an FSQ-106, which I currently own, and an FS-78, which I used to own...and only the FS-78 was on a Tak mount, a small one at that.  Heck, the sacrilege of the Tak 106 on a Losmandy G-11 mount in the midst of Takahashi-heaven was almost enough to make me cry.  Hmmm...

I asked Darren, "Where are the Baker Ritcheys?  The classic FCT triplets? The big honking NJP and EM500 mounts that I've been lusting over for months now?  TEMMA????????"

"Not enough room," Darren said simply.

Sigh...

Having once talked to owner Art Ciampi on the phone regarding questions about Tak adapters, I thought maybe the owner of the store would be there. "It's a Saturday," I thought to myself. "I wouldn't be here either."

Didn't matter.  Darren was quite adept at answering every question I had, and believe me when I say that I gave him quite the beating!  I brought in my existing Tak adapters so he could tell me what I was missing. I found some books that I'd been wanting.  I looked all over the store at the neat stuff, including the sweet Starmaster truss dob in the store window.  I looked at color filter wheels for my SBIG ST7e.  I played with the microscopes and looked over the wonderful binoculars on display.  

The hour flew by, without a single regret that I didn't get to see more that the two Taks on display.

So what did Darren help me to purchase?  3 books, a 7x50 finder and bracket for my Tak 106, and a 2" EP adapter.  Oh, and what the heck...a Garmin eTrex Vista GPS device.  

You didn't think I'd enter Tak-heaven without spending some money, did you?

   10.27.03 -  Copperbreaks astrophotos posted...

Jeff Barton and I had a good time at the most recent StarWalk at Copperbreaks State Park on October 18th.  We set up a video display using an SBIG STV on my LX200 and showed a crowd of over 200 people images of DSOs and the moon as they integrated in real time on a 19" computer monitor.  I controlled the camera and the scope control software (Software Bisque's "The SKY") while Jeff talked shared information on what was being imaged.  I've placed the final pictures on the Astro Showcase page.  Not bad for a quicky session!!!

The images below were taken by Fred Koch, the benefactor of the Starwalk. The first shot is Jeff and I in front of the imaging setup.  Jeff is in white and I'm the fat guy in black:  

Fred used hit night vision camera to take a picture of me in the dark while doing the imaging.  Neat little toy...need to put one of these on my wishlist:

The final shot is of me ready to do some imaging at dusk.  The white, covered imaging tent was ingeniusly designed by Jeff from a portable voting booth that he bought off of eBay.  His wife, Nancy, sewed the heavy cover. Light from the monitor was projected toward the road, not the visual observers in the field.

It's not only a thrill to show off the night sky using great technology such as CCD imagers, GOTO scopes, and green laser pointers, but its even better getting to know so many great people with a PASSION for sharing the hobby.  It's even better when a couple of those people I have known for years, only to meet face-to-face for the first time.  Astronomy.com forumites Jeff Barton and David Ryle are a delight to work with, but more than that I'm proud to list them among my friends.  I look forward to learning tons of stuff from them at future StarWalks.

   09.29.03 -  Observing at Copperbreaks State Park

I attended my first Star Walk at Copperbreaks State Park, near Quanah, Texas, over the weekend.  I really had a good time meeting a couple of forum buddies Jeff Barton and David Ryle while doing some observing with my girlfriend, Trista, in some pretty dark skies.

This first part of the evening was spent walking around looking at all the Obsession dobs dotting the observing field.  Obsession Company owner Dave Kriege was present and it was quite a thrill to meet him while Trista bowed at his feet.  The 8" TMB refractor on the AP 1200 GTO mount was tremendous as was the 12.5" binocular scope.  Other equipment present were 3" and 5" Takahashi apochromatic doublet refractors and a pair of 4" Televue apochromatic refractors, not to mention Jeff's 6" Celestron CR-150.  

At sunset, at least 200 visitors from the small, neighboring communities sat down in the observing field while guides pointed out objects in the sky with green laser pointers (note to self: must get one of these).  Oohs and aahs were the sound of the night as guides pointed from object to object, asterism to asterism.

After 15 minutes of planetarium viewing in what was now ~6.5 mag skies, the guides turned the crowd loose to enjoy the views through all the equipment on hand.  Scopes pointed at various different objects as the next couple of hours past.  Because this was my first Star Walk, I didn't volunteer as a guide, though I did walk the infield to help where I could.  I enjoyed speaking to a few people who had questions.  One lady in particular was very interested in understanding how the stars rotated in its celestial sphere.  I enjoyed every bit of it but owning one of those green lasers would have been very sweet.

Once the crowd started to thin out a bit, I walked around an got a few views of my own.  The views through the 8" TMB were astonishing, especially when they put an i3 intensifying EP on it for the Hercules Cluster (M13). Mars looked good though the seeing was a bit unstable when I did my TMB viewing.  For me, due to timing, the best views of Mars were through the 5" Tak FS-128 refractor. The Eye of Mars (Solis Lacus) was prominent on this night.

But the observing thrill of the night was viewing the Ring Nebula (M57) through the 12.5" Binocular scope.  I didn't think it was possible, but the view of the Ring through this scope was actually too bright!  I couldn't make out any of the ring structure for this reason and I'm sure that the brightness of the ring itself had to be obscuring the central star.  An amazing view!  A close runner up was viewing the Veil Nebula with an OIII filter through one of the 20" Obsession dobs.  Every piece of lattice work in the nebula was viewable and even showed some subtle shades of color.

Even though I didn't setup any of my own equipment (except for my camera on a tripod for some star trails...stay tuned), I did pull out my binoculars and did some observing with Trista as she pulled out her 8" Orion XT-8 dob for some Messier viewing.  We had a good time exploring through Aquarius and Capricornus, a weak part of the night sky for me.  M2, M30, M72 and M75 were ripe for the picking.  M2 was especially impressive, easily seen through my 16x70 Fujinon binoculars and easily resolved in the 8" dob.  

Because we were a bit tired, Trista and I decided to say our goodbyes but not before I spent a little time with Jeff and David.  Jeff was enjoying his 6" Celestron refractor and Ci-700 mount while doing a little planet hunting. David was busy bouncing around between the dobs and the TMB refractor, but I did manage a few moments with him near one of the dobs.

Kudos to Jeff for giving me a hint as to how to turn off the running lights on my Chevy Tahoe, something I've been trying to do for two years.  "Just press down one click on the parking brake," Jeff explained.  So as Trista and I left the few diehard observers at around midnight, I slowly drove away from the site with no running lights.  Of course, that didn't prevent me from giving Jeff a good blast of my rear brake lights...sorry about that, Jeff!

   09.04.03 -  Webcam upgrade

Wow, I hardly realized it's been almost a month since I did a front page update!  I've been working pretty hard on a new job so time and energy has been limited, but I have been finding the time to do some observing and Mars imaging.  Still can't get that perfect seeing night, but I'm hoping...

I've been somewhat pleased with the Mars images I have captured but I have feared that my older Logitech Quickcam wasn't quite as good as the newer versions I've heard so much about. Consequently, I went ahead and purchased a new Logitech Quickcam 4000 Pro and have managed to MacGyver together a housing for it.  As you can see in the photos I used two 52mm camera filter rings and sandwiched the board between them, taking out the filter glass, of course.  All it took was a little trimming off the corners of the board to fit securely atop the filter threads. The board rests firmly between.I then placed one of my 2" camera adapter tubes atop the filter ring.  The threads on the bottom of the tube snapped perfectly into the filter ring.  It is secure without a drop of glue.  Perfect fit.  If you've got a couple of filter rings laying around, you might consider this method of mounting the component board.  This way, it will slide perfectly into my 4x Powermate or over the top of my 2x barlow.  Note that I removed both the on/off switch and the IR filter from the board giving a bare chip and very little loose wiring.  A simple lens cap should cover the bottom, with a hole for the cord.  There is a green LCD (the ON light) pretty close to the CCD chip (!) so you'll need to affix a little electrical tape (or something) to shield it.

I hope to put my new converted webcam to use this weekend with the LX200 and TV 4x Powermate (I love this thing).

I've been keeping my digital camera in my car lately in the event that something atmospheric might occur.  DFW has been bathed in some interesting cloud formations during the day as of the last few weeks.  Driving home today from work I managed to take a couple of shots through my wind shield of the western horizon.  I put one in the Misc.Gallery for your pleasure.  It pays to keep a camera close at hand. 

   08.06.03 -  Feel the power of a Powermate

Something I've been wanting for quite sometime is a Televue Powermate. I'm intrigued by the ability of these non-traditional barlows.  With Mars fever hitting hard, I placed my order today for a 4x Powermate in the 2" format.  It should allow me to try some webcam imaging with the Tak FSQ-106 or even with the LX-200 should the seeing be good enough.  It'll be fun to experiment with.  It will also put my Tak to the test visually.

For those unfamilar with hot weather, come down and try Texas sometime. We hit 109 degrees today here in DFW.  I guess that rules out doing some solar imaging!  BTW, it doesn't cool down much either.  It was 95 degrees at midnight last night.  That's the difference between Texas heat and Arizona heat.

   08.04.03 -  Mars Webcam Images added...

I had the opportunity to experiment with my converted webcam on an increasingly growing Mars last Saturday night.  I took my color Logitech Quickcam and placed it in a 2" camera adapter.  It mounts very easily in a standard 2" focuser.  I placed an extension on it so that I could also slide it over a barlow.  I am very pleased with the results even though I've still got a lot to learn about the Registax program.   Luckily these will be only a precursor to better shots toward the end of the month.

Sorry I've been away from the site lately.  I started a new job that is occupying too much of my time.  Keep checking in from time to time for web updates and Mars shots.

   07.26.03 -  And the winner is...

Congratulations to Daniel O'Malley, winner of the "1st All About Astro Photography Contest" with his entry from Meridian Township, Okemos, Michigan.

Daniel is the winner of the 4mm Vixen Lanthanium eyepiece.  

Thanks to all participants.  I look forward to seeing more participation in future photography contests.

Click here or on the image to see more about Daniel's terrific photo.

   07.21.03 -  VOTE NOW!!!

Time to vote for the winner of the "1st All About Astro Photography Contest." Click here or goto the Astro Showcase page to see the entries. A winner will be determined by your votes!  This winner will be announced on July 26th, 2003.

   07.20.03 -  Observing report...

I went to the Fort Worth astro club site last night to get in some viewing.  I decided to use the club's 12.5" Meade Dob last night with my own eyepieces.  I also set up my Fujinon 16x70s on a binocular mount.  Since the night began with slight cloud cover I didn't feel like setting up my own scopes.  By 10PM, the sky cleared and gave a great window of viewing until the near 3/4 moon arose around 12:30 AM.  I estimate > mag 6.0 as all little dipper stars were clearly seen naked eye by midnight.

Just thought I'd give some of my impressions of several of the objects I observed last night:

M57 and M13 - Always my first objects to get me started.  Looked good and proved that my collimation effort was satisfactory.

M27 - The dumbbell took on its very distinct shape at around 50x.  At 100x and with an OIII filter, M27 showed its true, rounded shape.

Cr. 399 - The coathanger asterism is always so cool!  A super binocular object that fits perfectly with the 4 degree FOV of my 16x70s.  Looked good in another smaller pair of 10x50s as well.

M8 and M20: The Lagoon was clear and the Trifid showed its lobes distinctly in OIII light.  The Lagoon was especially appealing through binoculars. M8 was visible to naked eye.

M16 and M17 - The M16 nebulosity was a bit faint but still seen with a narrowband filter.  I recognized this object initially by the arrangement of stars around what should have been the "pillars." M17 didn't need a filter but it looked awesome in OIII light.  The "swan" is very obvious and looks beautiful surrounded by the twinkling star cluster which surrounds it.

M22, M10, M12, M14, M28, M80, M3, M4 and M5 - A globular feast.  All resolved easily.  M22 is still my favorite, even better than M13 (omega excepting). Always appears more 3d to my eye with a string of stars seeming to spiral into the core.  The Ophiuchi clusters (M10, M12, and M14) were super when viewed in binoculars.  I spent some time studying this area of the sky since it's one of my weak areas (among many).

M6, M7, M11, M18, M21, M24 - Open clusters and star clouds were beautiful, especially in binoculars.  M7 and M24 were visible to naked eye.

M31/32/110 - The Andromeda Galaxy arose just before the moon did.  M32 and M110 were still obvious in the dob.  Andromeda was a big huge, honkin' blob.  I still loved it!  Much easier to find in the binoculars.

M51, M81 and M82 - Objects didn't show much detail because I had to catch them too early before they fell too far to the western horizon.  Didn't detect galaxy arms in M51 at 10PM.  M81 and M82 were obvious and bright, though I couldn't get both in the same field of view with the 26mm plossl in the dob.  M81 showed its true shape but galaxy arms were not detected.

North American Nebula and the Pelican - These objects eluded me in binoculars.  Using the OII filter and the 26mm EP in the dob, the "gulf coast" showed itself slightly.  After a minute or two, I started seeing the dark lanes surrounding the Pelican, though couldn't see detail in the nebula itself.  

The Veil Nebula - HELLO!  Super sweet views with the OIII filter.  The area around 52 cygni, the western side, was especially sharp. The eastern loop was visible and I could even make out some of the filimentary detail in the central portion.  Just a reminder: this object isn't a hard as everybody always says it is, but big aperture does bring out the detail.

Anyway, I stuck pretty much with objects that were easy to find, just to cement in my mind the amount of detail visible with big aperture.  But these objects didn't necessarily need big aperture.  I hope to do some starhopping soon with the dob and try some of the more challenging NGC objects, where aperture is necessary.

   07.18.03 -  Don't forget the Red Cellophane (lots of it)...

This goes into the category of "important stuff nobody ever mentions."

Some beginners to the hobby may have yet to attend their first star party. They've heard that red lights are important to preserve your night vision, and they are.  But before you take a flood light covered in a single layer of red cellophane to a star party, you'd do well to heed this three-fold warning:

1.) Just because it's red doesn't mean that it will preserve your night vision. A bright red light can still constrict your pupils in the dark.  If you don't believe me, stand in front of a mirror in a dark room.  Shine a red light directly into your eyes and see what your pupils do.  If they close, even slightly, then you know the light is too bright.

2.) Computer software tricks you into thinking that its "night vision" mode is adequate for the field.  Truth is, if you take your laptop to a star party and turn on "night vision" mode without extra layers of red cellophane and/or a light shield, you are likely to get run off the field.  This is especially true at very dark sky star parties, such as the Texas Star Party, where the red lights of hundreds of people on the same field tend to accumulate.  If you do take your laptop or monitor, make sure that it faces away from others in addition to having shielded the light in the appropriate way.

3.) Film and CCDs are very sensitive to red light.  Just because you have a red light in the field doesn't mean that it's safe to point around.  Keep your lights pointed at the ground at all times.  It doesn't take much to make your neighbor mad when your stray red light accidently finds its way into an open camera shutter.

Truth is that it should be rather difficult reading your charts in the field with the red light you use.   If it is too easy, then chances are your light is too bright.  You might try a chart table that is evenly illuminated with several dim LCDs.Scattering several dim lights across a wide area is better than using a single bright light covering a small area.

You can learn this the easy way, by taking my advice, or the hard way. You don't want to learn this the hard way.

A friend of mine sent this picture to me after learning how much I loved baseball.  I thought it was great.

   07.17.03 -  Thanks for the good responses...

Having placed my 07.15.03 web update to the forum at Astronomy.com, I didn't fully expect so many people to post their compliments.  Thank you for your kind words.

I wrote and posted the update chiefly as a reminder that what we do here is a hobby.  Hobbies have their meanings for each individual involved in it.  I just wanted people to remember that not all of us are the same...and that's okay.

I've decided to post thumbnails of my most recent images on this front page.  As I take images, or as I reprocess old ones, you'll be able to click on those images from here.

Just to let you know, the All About Astro.com website is optimized for Internet Explorer 6 at a resolution of 1152 x 864 pixels.  Those using higher monitor resolutions (or Netscape 6) may need to minimize your browser window slightly to make the page more presentable.  

   07.15.03 -  What the hobby is all about!

After reading many of the postings over at the Astromart forums (where I usually don't contribute), I have been struck by the amount of people who seem to think that this "astro" hobby is singular in purpose. I guess the notion that "enjoying the stars" as the end (as in with a teleological purpose)  of the hobby is a noble thought; that discussions about the "peripherial" aspects of the hobby should take second place to respecting the cosmos.  

I enjoy hanging around all the forums that discuss astronomy equipment.  I suspect many of you do as well.  Afterall, there are always more postings in the equipment forums than there are in the stargazing or observing forums. Have you wondered why?

I think it's because many of us have other reasons for entering the hobby as well.  While each of us obviously has a great respect for the cosmos and enjoys seeing deeply in the past, is there anything wrong with loving other aspects of the hobby equally?  In fact, is there anything wrong with loving other aspects of the hobby MORE than the splendor of the cosmos themselves?  Where did this notion come from that tries to make us feel guilty for enjoying our equipment too much?  Or why do people frown down upon me for spending more time photographing the stars instead of looking at them?

I've often said that amateur "astronomy" represents everything that a hobby should be.  Nothing else incorporates so many of my other interests into one pastime.  At one point in my life or another, stargazing, photography, computers, model toys (robots), baseball, and other gizmos have been a great source of enjoyment, and remain so to this day.  What other hobby would let us to look at the stars while doing photography with a camera that is sitting on a telescope being controlled by a computer like a robot while listening to a baseball game and fiddling around with cool gizmos? I can't think of one!

Truth is, I loved photography, baseball, robotics, and computers LONG before I gained such an appreciation for the created order.  Why must I feel bad for loving these other pursuits equally?  

So the next time you are talking in the equipment forums with a certain amount of passion and somebody belittles you because you've spent ten times more than you should have to see the same stuff, just feel free to tell that person to quit being so closed minded.  

We are at an exciting time in the history of astronomy.  Whereas entry into the hobby, at one time, required a certain level of curiousity in the stars, newbies can now enter the hobby for other reasons as well.  Truth be known, if Isaac Newton himself had access to a Meade LX200, I would almost guarantee you that he would spend more time trying to figure out the miracle of this modern, technological marvel and much less time trying to figure out if the Earth actually does orbits the Sun.

Let's be excited about the stars, for they force us to think so much bigger than ourselves.  But don't feel bad about getting a little excited about the other cool aspects of the hobby.  Those things can cause us to think beyond ourselves just as well.

Oh, I added a shot of Mars I took the other night with my Tak FSQ-106 here. It is a stack of 5 exposures using my Sony Cybershot camera held by hand using an 8.8mm Meade UWA eyepiece.

   07.14.03 -  New article added...

I added a new article to the article page.   "How to Make the Best Use of Your Money" will show you what scope is best purchased for any given budget.  Though it's not to be considered comprehensive or complete in any way, the article will make you question what it is that you want out of your scope, especially for those purchasing their first scopes.

   07.13.03 - LX200 Limitations

Many who aspire to do astrophotography choose the Meade LX200 as their photography platform, and with good reason.  It is contains decent quality optics, precision pointing, a solid fork mount and tons of accessories, all at a very good price.  But those who actually own the scope soon find out that it too has its limitations for astrophotography, most notibly a slightly curved field, vignetting when used with focal reducers, and a mount/tripod that adds a bit too much vibration for high powered use under less than perfect conditions.

I've done my fair share of piggyback photography and have loved utilizing the LX200 for this purpose, so when I purchased the Tak FSQ-106, as shown atop the LX200, I thought that with the appropriate counterweighting and with my recent Dec bearing upgrade that I would be able to successfully mount the Tak to the top of LX200 until I got a good EQ mount.  For the most part, I thought wrong.

The performance of the Tak with the LX200 for general purpose visual work is acceptable at the low powers that give the Tak such great rich-field views. But when the wind picks up or I try to up the power on the Tak, such as for Mars, I get a steady oscillation in the fork arms.  This translates to less than perfect eyepiece views at high powers or in slight windy conditions. For this reason, I doubt I'll try much prime focus photography with the Tak while piggybacked atop the LX200.  The fork arms of the LX200 simply isn't constructed with the intent to piggyback 20 lbs. of scope and dovetail accessories, not to mention the other 20 lbs. of counterweight at the bottom of the tube.  Even though I can release the clutches on the scope and the OTAs do not move because of appropriate balancing, the extra weight still causes the fork arms to bob up and down with just the slightest influence.

For those considering doing piggyback work on their own LX200, just remember than this platform has its limitations.  Light weight refractors and smaller focal length camera lenses will work well atop the LX200, as testified by the quality of the 300mm Nikon ED shots in the Deep Sky Gallery.  But when you add 40 extra lbs. of stuff on the scope, not including my cameras, you can expect some vibrations that will make photography impossible.  So if you buy a 4" apochromatic refractor for astrophotography, you'd better plan on getting a solid EQ mount very soon thereafter.

   07.10.03 - My apologies...

...to those who have submitted photos for the photography contest.  I've felt pretty bad lately so I'm a bit tardy with my web updates.  Be sure to check out the Astro Showcase page for additions to the contest.

   07.05.03 - First contest entries in...

The Astro Showcase page now features the first entrants to the "First All About Astro Photography Contest."   Please continue to email them to jay52@excite.com and I will post them as I receive them.  Read the daily update below for information on how to send your entries.  

Thanks to Dan O'Malley for being the first to send his fireworks picture for the contest.  WOW!  

I am sorry to announce that I have been sick for the last couple of nights; therefore, I was unable to take any fireworks photographs for myself!  I am feeling better now, but I regret that I couldn't join the fun...anyway, I am happy to provide this opportunity for others to explore some of the joys of the hobby.

I received my Tak FSQ-106 two days ago.  It's beautiful!  I haven't had the opportunity to use it yet, but when I do I'll fill you in on my first impressions of this delightful piece of equipment.

   07.01.03 - All About Astro Photography Contest...

I'm proud to announce the "First All About Astro Photography Contest."    I am prepared to give away a prize (a used, but in good condition, 4mm Vixen Lanthanium eyepiece) to the first place winner in this very first Photography Contest.

Entries will be submitted to me via email (jay52@excite.com) beginning on July 5th until the entry cut-off date at noon on July 20th.  All entries will be placed on my "Astro Showcase" Gallery page as they are received.  And yes, the photo must be taken BY YOU!

Entries must be no larger than 200kb in size when emailed, in JPEG format.  Be sure to write "Photography Contest" in the heading, otherwise I might think it's spam and toss it out.  Any processing done to the images must be done beforehand, though I will resize them as necessary for proper placement in the gallery.  

You must include the following information with the picture:

• Full name of entrant
• Camera/Scope/Lens combination
• Film type (if applicable)
• F-stop setting, exposure length, and # of exposures, if necessary
• Date and time
• Any processing steps done to the image
• Image description

Once all entries are received I will post a web poll on the gallery page. The best image will be voted on by you, the All About Astro.com reader. Results will be tabulated at noon on July 25th and the winner will be announced the following day.

All About Astro.com employees and family
are eligible to play, but may not receive a prize!

Only ONE entry per participant!

Images remain the sole ownership of the participant.  In the event of a tie, All About Astro.com will cast the deciding vote.

Oh, and the subject matter of the contest would be...

FIREWORKS!!!

Participants will use their astrophotography skills on another aspect of the night sky...when man-made boomers light it up! What better time with the Fourth of July just around the corner? Photographs must be taken from this year's events only.  

Those living near a big American city obviously have an advantage.  Those in other countries, sorry, but perhaps you can fly to the U.S. for the big event.  The most interesting composition will undoubtedly take the prize.

In the event no entries are received, ALL ABOUT ASTRO.COM will keep the eyepiece for future contests!  

HAVE FUN AND GOOD LUCK!

P.S. No, I didn't take that picture!

   06.30.03 - "What Can I See in My Scope?"

I've added a new article to the Article's page.  For those interested in reading how your scope should perform on certain objects, I think you will find the article interesting.  

I haven't gotten much feedback concerning the "Scope Feet" other than to say that the price is a bit steep.  Remember that I'm just trying to gauge the interest in this item.  The price will be adjusted soon, perhaps into the $99.00 range.  If interested in purchasing at this price, please contact me at jay52@excite.com.  

   06.27.03 - Get your "Scope Feet" here!!!

I've got a couple of buddies who are pretty smart and I'm proud to help them market their new invention!

It's a wonder that nobody has come up with these.  For lack of a better term, "Scope Feet" are exactly what all us Meade LX users need!  I've tried them and THEY WORK...well...and fast!  I am currently trying to gauge the potential market for these tripod-levelers.  For now, "Scope Feet" can only be purchased exclusively through All About Astro.   Anybody interested in purchasing them can contact me directly at jay52@excite.com.  Supply is currently limited, so please allow 3 weeks for shipping.  I'd also be interested in your comments!  

   06.26.03 - Netscape Users...

Thanks to Ron Hodges who noticed that my links were broken when using Netscape Navigator.  Seems it's finicky about having spaces in file names (I did not know that).  I think I've fixed the problem.

Anytime a link is down, please feel free to contact me directly via email at jay52@excite.com.  Otherwise, you may miss out on some pretty great stuff...hey, I can think that, can't I?

   06.25.03 - It's good to be a little lucky...

I forgot to mention this the other night.  

I'm generally one of the most unlucky people in the world.  Kinda runs in the family.  But my fortunes changed the other night at our Fort Worth Astro meeting.  

One of the ways our club (and most clubs, I suspect) makes money is to hold a monthly raffle.  Usually the prizes aren't very big, such as a couple of books, a flashlight, and maybe a free year's membership.  I always buy a few tickets, and I always lose...until last Tuesday night!  I guess the astronomy gods are smiling on me.

Anyway, I got my choice of prizes.  I chose a couple of books: The Planet Observer's Handbook by Fred W. Price and The Cambridge Eclipse Photography Guide by Jay Pasachoff and Michael Covington.  Both books are a bit dated but contain some excellent information and tips.  

But regardless of how good the books are, it feels great to be a little lucky at least once in your life...and it brings my library of astronomy related texts up to around 40 books.  

   06.24.03 - First impressions...

I've taken the opportunity the last few nights to work a bit with my newly reworked LX200.  After having undergone the bearing replacement it takes some time to get things setup correctly so that the GOTO precision returns. I'm happy to report that the scope is performing much better now and I'm really close to getting my GOTO pointing back.  After spending some time adjusting the forkarms to get the proper level, I'm hitting objects within 15-20 arc minutes in polar mode, not far from the way it performed before the bearing replacement.  I'll continue work on it and see if I can make it even better.

The new bearings are smooth!  From what I've heard of the newer GPS version, Meade incorporates needle bearings into the fork arms, something they should have done with the classic version.  It's nice to watch the unlocked OTA flip around without friction.  The DEC drive sure seems to appreciate it.  The Dec motor sounds much more quieter now though I'm getting some noise in the RA bearings.  I might have to replace those too, but that'll be an easy fix, if I can find replacement bearings.

After using MaxIm DL/CCD over the last three days I must say that I'm VERY IMPRESSED.  It is very intuitive and very bullet-proof.  Hasn't crashed yet, something which I've grown to expect with CCDSoft and even The SKY, though those programs have improved since running them in Win98 emulation (I use XP).

MaxIm mixes in scope controls (with an object library), camera control, and image processing.  Stacking images are a snap, working automatically, similarly to programs like Registar and Picture Window.   I haven't felt the need to start up The Sky software to control my scope because MaxIm does that as well.  But the beautiful thing about MaxIm is its ability to set up image sequences without having to reacquire the guide star each time. It's a really great feature and something that CCDSoft and CCDOps needs to incorporate.  The Lucy Richardson deconvolution algorithm is slick as well.  

My seeing has been HORRIBLE lately.  Temperatures have been in the middle 80s throughout the night and the humidity isn't far from 80%.  I managed a few pictures but nothing to be excited about.  The tracking CCD doesn't like it when the star hops around all the time because of the unstable atmosphere.

The picture to the right of M57, the Ring Nebula, is a result of my experimentation. Seeing steadied up just a bit to give me this stack of five 30 second exposures, binned 2x2 on my ST-7E.  I performed the LR deconvolution on it (10 iterations).  Not too bad considering my autoguider was hopping all over the place on almost everything I was shooting.  It sure makes calibration difficult.  Guiding corrections were all over the place but at least the LX200 was performing to par. Skies were not very transparent, even with the moon below the horizon. I was fighting some cirrus clouds the whole time.  Visibly was only 3 magnitude at the time of this sequence.  

I should take delivery of the Tak FSQ-106 at the first of next week.  I'm looking forward to seeing what this thing can do.

   06.20.03 - Minor housekeeping

Because this home page and the article page are getting a bit full, I am slowly making sub-pages to hold the information.  These front page write-ups will be archived as space is needed.  I've archived my write-ups for March through May on a separate page.  You can access these, if you want, from the column on the left under "Home Page News Archives."  This way your screen refreshes will take less time.

I purchased MaxIm DL/CCD version 3.10 from Cyanogen Software, the top of the line image processing and CCD control software.  Haven't done anything with it yet except to work through the menus and try the scope control functions, which work wonderfully.  Once I can get some time to do a little bit of imaging, I hope to review this software.  Though not cheap, its versatility and easy of use could replace about 4 other programs that I am currently using.  

   06.19.03 - 35mm Camera article added

Those who are contemplating the purchase of a "new" film camera for astrophotography, or if you just need to know if your existing camera is any good, read this new article I just posted to my articles page.  I hope you find it informative and thorough.  

Please be patient with the articles page.  I need to split the articles up and place them with links on different pages.  In the meantime, sorry for the slow refreshes.  This main page needs some help too.

I've got my LX-200 back together after its major surgery.  Smooth, baby! Haven't tested its alignment yet under the stars but it looks like a success. I've have a detailed article posted soon on the entire modification, just in case you want to improve the performance of your ill LX-200.

I haven't received the Tak FSQ-106 yet.  I'll give my first impressions of this scope soon.

   06.13.03 - Dream scopes...

Astronomy is an addiction.  The longer you do it, the more you want to do it more!  Think about that for a second.  What begins with a small, inexpensive scope, at first, soon blossoms into a major investment over time; an investment in both time and money.  It begins when your observing skills become such that you understand the limitations of any scope (and every scope has them).  

It is then that you realize that no one scope can do it all.  Dobs are great for DSOs, but you can't image with one and planetary observing suffers from it's lack of tracking capabilities.  Refractors are great for planets, but DSO performance doesn't compare to the big reflectors. SCTs are a well-balanced scope, but doesn't do any one thing tremendously well.  Then there are issues of portability.  Sometimes we feel like dragging out the big Dob, other times we really need something smaller for quicker sessions.

And one day, you catch the astrophotography bug.  At this point, serious dreaming begins.  You contemptate owning many scopes of every type and size to accommodate imaging of the widest variety of objects imaginable. Then you have to ask if my mount hold up to the weight and precision requirements I will soon have? Since the answer to that question is always "no," we add a few mounts to our dream list.

As I mentioned on Astronomy.com the other day I have a dream list of my own; equipment that will satisfy my every whim and fancy.  It looks something like this:

- 20" Obsession dob for visual observations of deep sky objects.
- 6" Astrophysics AP155 EDT or 6" Takahashi FCT-150 apochromatic refractor for planetary observing and medium-field imaging.
- 4" Takahashi FSQ-106, 4" Televue NP-101, 4" Astrophysics Traveller, or 4" TMB 105/6.2 for wide-field imaging and highly portable observing.
- A 14.5" Ritchey-Chretian Cassegrain (any make will do) for narrow-field CCD imaging.
- One of several GOTO mount such as an AP900/1200, a Software Bisque Paramount, a Takahashi NJP, or a Mountain Instruments MI-250.

Any one telescope in each category will satisfy the requirements of that category and will be held onto for the rest of my life, and even unto death. Who needs a coffin when you have a big dob?

I said all that to announce that I've just purchased one of these "dream" scopes.  Though I wasn't anticipating winning that bid on eBay, nevertheless, I did.  And the item for auction was?

The amazing 4" Takahashi FSQ-106 f/5
apochromatic astrograph/refractor.

For those who don't know a lot about this scope, it is a 4-element Petzval design refractor consisting of a doublet in the front and another doublet in the rear.  The configuration allows for impeccible color correction, extremely flat fields, and very fast focal ratios.  This scope is designed as an astrograph:  an 88mm image circle due to the massive 4" focuser (no vignetting and medium-format/CCD capabilities);  a built in camera angle adjuster, a slick feature that allow you to spin your camera without unlocking it; and very fast f/5 optics at a 530mm focal length.

You will not find a bad report on this scope.  But the only two possible criticisms are that it's very heavy (13 lbs.) and it requires the optional Extender-Q to work well visually and to provide enough back focus for all eyepieces.

I would address these two concerns as follows: being built like a tank is not necessarily a bad thing (it's nice to feel like you've got something for your money) and the Extender-Q provides 800mm f/8 views that equal or exceed anything that the competitors can throw at it.  It's been said that only the longer focal length version of the TMB 105 can possibly exceed the performance of this Tak among scopes of the same aperture..

Yeah, these scopes cost some money...but don't all dream scopes?

But if you are going to get one you might as well get a good deal on it. Mine comes with the Extender-Q and adapters, a 2" Tak diagonal, Parallax rings, and a Tenba soft case.  I paid for the package close to what you would normally pay for OTA only; that is, on the used market.

Anyway, pardon me for my moment of glee.  It's a feeling I'll only get maybe 4 or 5 times in a lifetime!

I've updated the My Equipment page to reflect my recent acquisitions.

   06.12.03 - Misc. Gallery added

Those lightning shots I mentioned yesterday actually yielded a couple of usable images. Actually, I stacked them anyway to make a better composition.  I used Fuji Superia 400 for the first time.  The grain is pretty bad but stacking helps cancel that out a bit.

Since I needed a place to put them I've added a Misc. Gallery.  This gallery will hold various atmospheric shots that the sky might yield such as lightning, sundogs, moondogs, clouds, and aurorae.  

   06.11.03 - Don't give up!

As I stopped by my local Eckerds to get some shots processed of last night's lightning storms, I looked through the film in the aisle bin...you know, the film not good enough to keep behind the photo counter.  Much to my surprise I found 4 roles of Kodak Royal Gold 400!  Two of which were the "Select Series" and two were not.  Of course, I bought the two that were.  

It brings out a couple of important points.  First, don't give up trying to find this film (and other good astrofilms of yester-year).  Stores may still have some roles and they will probably not be behind the counter.  Second, remember that "Select Series" is the key to getting the correct Royal Gold 400 emulsion.

I got caught with my pants down when Kodak went to the newer emulsions. I hadn't stocked up on this film like I should have.  Perhaps I'll be able to find enough to last awhile if I stop into enough Eckerd's or Walgreens.

Speaking of those lightning storms, I hope to have captured some good shots.  The lightning did its part; I have to do mine.  If they turn out I'll post them in a new gallery specifically for such atmospheric phenomenon.

   06.08.03 - Iterative polar alignment method

Check out the Articles page for a new article on the iterative polar alignment method.  Great for those needing accurate polar alignments without the time for a "drift" method.

   06.06.03 - LX200 major dec fix!

Enough is enough...

I've resorted to drastic measures with my 10" LX200.

The beginning of the saga took place last year when I stepped away from the computer to find my LX200 strangling itself with its cords.  The fuse on the motherboard that is susposed to blow during such happenings, didn't. The result was a fried motherboard and a call to Meade for the $200.00 replacement kit, which included all electronic components and drives (not a bad deal, incidently).  

BTW, replacing the 2-amp fuse on the motherboard with a 1-amp fuse is NOT a bad idea.

Installation of new motherboard was simple.  It was the drives, especially the declination drive, that posed a problem.  For those faint of heart, unwilling to dig into the guts of their fancy SCT, you should know that it takes a lot of experimentation trying to get the drives working again in such a way that the motors are not stressed.  It requires precise positioning of the worm drive against the gear, then appropriate lubrication.  

To make a long story short, I've had problems with the drive ever since. Sometimes the two alien bolts that hold on the drive works themselves loose, a sign of two much play between the gear and drive.  Sometimes the drive binds up because there is not enough play.  

Most recently, the drive has not responded to guiding corrections sent from my autoguider, first with the Meade 208xt and then the SBIG ST-7e. Handpad movement in the slowest speed works intermittently.  Not good.

Therefore, I began a complete shakedown of my LX200, a "supercharge" of sorts.  Not only have I taken all drives and gears apart for a degrease and re-lube, I've decided to do a major fix of the declination system, as seen here in the MAPUG archives, which includes a complete bearing replacement.   

Like I said, NOT for the faint of heart.  But an expensive telescope that doesn't allow me to take pictures isn't of much use to me.  Afterall, if I want a scope solely for visual use, I'd just borrow one of the club's dobs.

The bearing replacement is the tricky part.  It involves complete removal of the forkarms from both the base and the OTA.  That includes removal of dec clutch assembly, whose rear plate is held on with Loctite.  Once I crack the two bolts holding on the plate, the arms and OTA can be pulled apart.

This reveals the posts on the OTA, each covered with a thrust bearing, a couple of thrust washers, and a rather silly nylon "bearing," shown in picture. This allows the OTA to spin in the hole in the fork arms.  This nylon bearing is the source of much friction, which is not good when you need your dec drive to work as stress-free as possible.  When replaced by needle roller bearings, a near frictionless movement in declination is possible.  

But replacing the nylons bearings requires re-boring the holes in the fork arms to accommodate the larger outside diameter of the needle bearings. This type of precision will require more tools and expertese than I have available at the house so I've taken the fork arms and bearings to a local machinist.  Hopefully in a week, and a hundred bucks later, I'll have the fork arms back ready for reassembly, which will include regreasing and installation of the declination drive.

One thing about the declination drive.  LX200 owners are probably aware of the amount of backlash and hesitation in the dec drive.  This occurs because of the amount of play, or movement, between the worm and the gear.  If the worm is too loose, the gear has to take up more slack before the drive can engage the gear.  If the worm is too tight, the gear can either cause tremendous stress on the whole system or even bind completely. So any excessive movement in the system adds to the backlash, which incidently can confuse a CCD guider completely.

While watching the drive work prior to disassembly, I noticed that there is a small rubber "O"-ring between the dec gears and the worm.  When I engaged the drive with the keypad, this joint would compress, adding movement to the system that should NOT be there.  Taking a hint from the MAPUG archives, I decided to pack epoxy resin around the "O"-ring. The resin should harden enough to make the joist immovable.  

As a result, when I get the fork arms back and I am able to reassemble the scope, the OTA should move in the fork arms like a free swinging pendulum (once the Dec clutch is disengaged) and the regreased Dec drive should have very little excess movement.

Oh, I know what you are thinking.  Don't worry!  Re-aligning the forks and positioning the OTA isn't that difficult...I've had tons of practice!  Incidently, poor GOTO performance is often symptomatic of poor alignments of either the fork arms and/or the OTA, that is, as long as your scope is level and properly aligned in the first place.

Anyway, I'll post the results of my MAJOR scope fix right here in a couple of weeks!

  06.03.03 - Canon IS 18x50mm Binocular Review

A friend of mine allowed me to put these binoculars through their paces last Saturday night.  Bottom line, they're pretty sweet!  You can read my full review of them here on my articles page.