[Leica] IMG: 6 inch reflector

[hlritter at bex.net (Howard Ritter)]

Congratulations, Douglas. A first astronomical telescope is a memorable and 
possibly fateful thing, potentially a trap as dangerous as a first camera. 
With me it went the other way: At about age 10, my parents got me an Edmund 
Scientific 3? reflector, and this was enough to launch me on a lifelong 
hobby. I got my hands on a camera at about the same age. It?s a tossup which 
hobby has consumed more of my time as well as money! The apex was a 25? 
Dobsonian (I?ve downsized to a mere 20? now, plus a 6? refractor and a pair 
of 100mm astronomical binoculars.)

The Dobsonian format is the ideal one for a neophyte, and a 6? aperture will 
show you wonders. I recommend getting a guide to the Messier objects, of 
which many look great in 6? of aperture, as I know firsthand. And you won?t 
need to be told to point your scope at the Moon! Dobson was a creative 
genius and the patron saint of amateur observers around the world, a 
tireless advocate of astronomy on the cheap for the masses.

Good luck with the weather next Monday. Ours in Florida looks unfavorable. 
Because of that, I took the time to get a picture of the pair last night, 
when they were still 4 times as far apart as they will be on the 21st. After 
moonset, be sure to have a look at the Northern Hemisphere?s deep-sky (as 
opposed to Moon and planets) showpiece, the Orion Nebula. If you don?t have 
dark surroundings, take a dark cloth or hoodie to shut out all extraneous 
light as you look at the nebula and so you can keep both eyes open while you 
look. Start with an eyepiece that will give you about 50x.

I put my images of Jupiter and Saturn, as well as the Orion Nebula, on the 
Gallery here <http://gallery.leica-users.org/v/hlritter/Nikon+Astro/>.

http://gallery.leica-users.org/v/hlritter/Nikon+Astro/ 
<http://gallery.leica-users.org/v/hlritter/Nikon+Astro/>

?howard

> On Dec19, 2020, at 1326, Douglas Barry <imra at iol.ie> wrote:
> 
> This is the telescope I got recently as a birthday present from my sons. 
> It works extremely well, even in light polluted suburbia. I haven't taken 
> it out to darker skies yet due to the pandemic.
> 
> http://gallery.leica-users.org/v/DouglasBray/Sky+Quest+Dobsonian.jpg.html
> 
> With the conjunction of Jupiter and Saturn coming up on Monday, I hope it 
> won't be too cloudy so that I can use this. It's pretty good for a 6 inch, 
> but with my back bothering me at the moment, I could with lightening the 
> Dobsonian base a bit without sacrificing stability. Maturer years don't 
> like heavy weights.
> 
> By the way, if you would like some marvellously therapeutic viewing have a 
> look at the great John Dobson making a reflector telescope by hand, 
> including hand grinding and polishing the 16 inch mirror.
> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=snz7JJlSZvw
> 
> Douglas
> 
> 
> 
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