Hiya Leroy,

I think this was meant for the MAPUG group. I didn't see it in the groups
mail this morning, so here it is in case you need to resend :o)

Jan Miller
Albany, NY
(remove the clouds from my address to reply by email)



----- Original Message -----
Sent: Saturday, March 24, 2001 11:00 PM
Subject: [M]: 2" Intes Diagonal/Eyeopener/++


Well, I've had the star diagonal (I got the deluxe model) for awhile now,
but
didn't get to use it until last Sunday night on my trip to Big Bend N.P. in
West Texas. I managed another clear night at my club's dark sky site here
in
Colorado Thursday PM-Friday AM.

I must say that I am very pleased. I like the snap-tight (my words) dust
covers for the Intes, and only had a brief heart-pulse racing when the TV
55mm
Plossl didn't seem to want to slide into it at first. Fortunately, my quick
analysis revealed that it was because I was standing in pitch blackness
(YES!)
with no open lighting for 75 miles (and probably further if not to the
North)
in any direction. I just couldn't see the insertion angle properly.

The Eyeopener did not disappoint either. I do believe I could see the
difference. I know that some of you were skeptical about the ability of the
eye to detect the difference between eyepiece eye-relief limited viewing and
star diagonal limited viewing (I had used the stock Meade 2" diagonal), but
I
do honestly think I could see the difference. Maybe its because I've been
looking through telescopes so long that my eye was able to discern it.
Anyway, I still have to do the switch test, swapping the Meade diagonal back
and forth with the Intes. That will either cinch or destroy my opinion
here,
and I will report my findings.

In case you haven't heard, the Eyeopener is *the* visual back to have for
10"
and larger SCTs. Yes other products accomplish the same thing, but they can
not merely or properly be called a visual back.

Fortunately, I picked up the JMI NGF-S 2" insert that presents that 1.5"
opening with 50mm SCT threads, so it should be pretty easy to swap back and
forth. I plan to use the 56mm Meade SP in the Intes, and the TV 55mm Plossl
in the Meade diagonal. Focus should be pretty close too. If I can't see a
difference, then I'll use the same eyepiece just to be thorough.

One additional item I picked up for my Eyeopener was a Lumicon 2" plug. The
only thing is that it does not stay in place without tightening (some or all
of) the three Eyeopener setscrews.

All-in-all, I am very happy with this combination. Thanks to everybody's
suggestions that lead me down this path, I now have the best of both worlds.

Did I mention that Omega Centauri fills two-thirds the FOV of the UO 2" 25mm
Konig MK-70 in my 12" LX200? <G> Two-and-a-half degrees in horizon
elevation
distance (at N 29 15') for this cluster (as compared to the Tucson club's
Empire Ranch N 31 47') made an incredible amount of difference. I was in
Tucson for Christmas and Omega Centauri had nearly transited before Eos,
rosy-fingered dawn appeared.

I was also able to see Beta Centauri, a blue giant at -60 22' 22" (per
seds.org's rendering of the Bright Star Catalog) nearly 23 minutes of
declination above my "theoretical" horizon! It was RED with atmospheric
refraction. I kind of thought of it as my first Beta Centauri "sunset". :-)

Except for Alpha (a degree lower) and Beta Centauri, I can now recognize the
whole constellation and can spot Omega naked eye. :-)

Leroy Guatney
Aurora, Colorado
12" #126548
N 39 39'/W 103 56'
http://home.rmi.net/~lwlg/SCI/astronomy.html

"Astronomy: General" mailing list
http://home.rmi.net/~lwlg/SCI/ag.html
http://www.egroups.com/group/astgen

"If you can't take a little bloody nose, maybe you oughtta go back home and
crawl under your bed. It's not safe out here. It's wondrous, with treasures
to
satiate desires both subtle and gross; but it's not for the timid." - Q


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