Sponsored By:

Subject: [M]: "First Light" with a ETX
From: Kiesche III, Fred
Reply To: mapug@shore.net
Date: Thu Oct 09 05:59:39 1997

Greetings All:

Well the second hand ETX that I purchased arrived on Wednesday. Mr.
Postman had left a note on Monday saying that he needed my signature,
but did not redeliver until Wednesday. Of course Tuesday night was as
clear as a bell.

I unpacked the box, and looked things over and read the instruction
book. It seemed pretty clear, but I did have one question (I'm guessing
that if you set the scope to polar align as shown you can use magnetic
north and get "close enough for government work"?...the problem is that
Polaris is more often than not hiding behind trees!), but it wasn't a
pressing question as I was just going to try a few prominent sights. I
also skipped over the drive section, as it was pretty hazy and I didn't
expect to be out too long.

I installed the eypiece and the legs (the finder had been installed by
the first owner) and brought it outside to the picnic table. First
target was Jupiter. Even with the eypiece that came with the telescope,
I was able to see all four satellites (three on one side, one on the
other) and some banding. Beautiful! I was able to acquire the target
using the finderscope and then use the slow motion controls to center it
in the scope and keep track as it moved.

Next up was the moon, peaking amont the backyard trees. Again, no
problem getting it in the finderscope and then the eyepiece. While 48x
is not super detail, I was impressed with the clarity of the picture
given and the almost 3D feel of looking at the craters along the
terminator. Good stuff!

Next up was Saturn, fairly near the horizon and pretty much lost in the
haze. The night was clear, but humid, so the haze was pretty thick. Even
so, and even at 48x, I was able to discern clearly the yellow color of
the planet and see the rings clear enough to tell their angle to the
planet. Not good enough to see gaps, shepherd moons, etc., of course,
but as good as I expected.

I left the scope out on the deck (with the large cap and all small caps
on!) and went into the house to make dinner. My wife came home at 8:30
from work and I brought her outside to show her the sights. The moon and
Jupiter were lost in the backyard trees, but I was able to show her
Saturn. Seeing had settled a bit more, so the picture was a bit clearer.

After supper I went out again, but things had hazed over. Also, the
scope had totally dewed over. Good thing I had capped everything! I
brought it inside for the evening.

I get up at 4:30 AM to walk the K9's, so after taking them out I brought
the scope outside again. I was able to acquire Saturn again, much
clearer than either of the two previous sightings. I also took a look at
Sirius and the Orion Nebula. Stars seem fairly pinpoint sharp, and the
same general pattern appears when its positively and negatively out of
focus.

The telescope looks to be in good shape, mint condition. There's a
little dust on the correcting lens, but no big deal. The eyepiece
appears to have a smear on it (fingerprint?), anybody have advice on
cleaning that or should I leave it alone?

I'm trying to find time to get over to either Focus Camera or Adorama,
both in NYC (where I work). But it's Crazy Time in the office, so I may
end up mail ordering (seems kind of silly when I'm so close, but travel
time isn't office time!). A Barlow is a must first purchase, I may get a
few other eyepieces as well as some filters and the like...

Finally I can say:

Clear Skies!

Fred Kiesche
(FKiesche@aol.com)