Getting The Best Views from Your Telescope
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- Опубліковано 13 кві 2023
- Want the optical quality and resolution of a 12.5-inch apo refractor but at the price of a Newtonian reflector?
I first met Bruce Kaczmarek at Florida’s Winter Star Party where he showed me the views of Jupiter through his optimised Newtonian under near perfect seeing. It was amazing! You could identify each moon from their relative size and its colour.
Under close examination it was possible to see subtle markings on their tiny disks. Surface markings on the Jovian surface were obvious! Features were easily seen inside the Great Red Spot.
It was clear Bruce had a winning setup so I have always wanted to understand his approach.
In this video, Bruce talks us through his homemade, ATM, optimised Newtonian telescope and how he seeks optical perfection:
• A highly-polished, smooth primary mirror
• Optimised secondary
• Thin spider veins
• Baffling, flocking, blackening
• Primary cooling
• And a rock solid, tracking mount! - Наука та технологія
That's a spectacular telescope! Primary done right, secondary done right, baffling, cooling. Must be an absolute monster under Florida skies. Great stuff!
It really is! It was wonderful seeing details inside the great red spot through the binoviewer. Not very grab and go but the views are amazing!
What a wonderful instrument, the views sound spectacular. What would we do without enthusiasts like Bruce? Thanks for taking the time to interview him.
Glad you enjoyed it, Rob and yes the views are amazing!
Wonderful instrument made by a great guy! Bruce takes the time to share his knowledge with whomever asks and has the patience of a saint! Nicest person at the star party! Nice thorough interview as well!
The design, engineering and detail of construction of this scope is unbelievable. Congratulations to you and your friends.
It's quite a set up isn't it, Ken? Defo not a grab and go set up but once in place it is truly wonderful.
My secondary is 1/30th wave Ostahowski. The box the primary came in still had newspaper clippings from the local June 1979 Idyllwild newspaper!
Wow - that's pretty interesting. Enjoy those fine views, Dan.
That was hands down one of the coolest things I’ve ever seen! 😁
It’s quite something isn’t it, Scott? Bruce is so passionate and loves sharing the views.
That is an amazing piece of kit! Thank you so much for sharing!!
Glad you like it!
That's jaw dropping amazing. What a clever resourceful guy.
You’re right Kerry. Hand polished the mirror and then built the scope and mount. What a setup!
What a fantastic DIY scope and mount, especially the mount! Thanks for sharing
Glad you liked it, Chris. Defo can't get this setup in the post from FLO!!
What a brilliant mount.
It's quite a set up isn't it? Defo not a grab and go.
Simply wow! What a beast this optical machine, nice work sir!
Thank you very much, glad you enjoyed it.
What an amazing scope. My best Newtonian was an 8" F7. Longer focal ratio's rock!
They give great views don't they? Albeit much harder to mount with the longer tube and increased moments.
Great video again mate, and what a scope!! Glad you had a fab time in Florida :)
Thanks, Dave. Hope you and family are well.
I also made a 12.5" Edmund from scratch! I was maybe 16 when I started and it took me about 2 yrs to finish the mirror working on it part time in the basement. Thought it would never be done! I figured it the best to my ability using a home made Foucault tester and just finally quit when I couldn't get any more change in the figure. I don't have any clue how well it is figured all I know is it gives pin point stars! I was going to make it into a classical cassegrain and even had the blanks to grind the secondary but I graduated HS and went to college and that part never happened. I did bore a hole in the mirror in anticipation of someday doing it but... It's a nice 12.5" newt with a central hole! lol
Oh wow that’s an amazing story. You must get that finished - it would be quite an instrument. Good luck with your plans and thank you for reaching out.
Wonderful construction! Great video.
Thank you very much and you're right, it is amazing isn't it?
What a joy to watch. I’m always blown away by these ATMs particularly in the US. Their craftsmanship is phenomenal - I struggle with IKEA furniture!
Yeah they do it pretty seriously over there. At Kelling, a 16-20" dob is quite something. Over there, it is the 28-30" dobs that steal the show!
That tube rotator is amazing, need to know more about that please - as do all Newt owners!
I remember the old Meade Researach newtonians had these Rotating tube rings. I don't know why they or any other company stopped making those :(
You can still get these ones, Tulga: www.parallaxinstruments.com/ringprice.html#ringprice2. Get your credit card ready though!
Hi Lawrence! I messaged Bruce and he replied saying "The tube rings are lined with felt". You can also get rotating tube rings - but get your credit card ready: www.parallaxinstruments.com/ringprice.html#ringprice2
Such a beautiful scope.
It's stunning isn't it?
@@RefreshingViews yes, absolutely.
Looks at my Orion xt8 plus...when you grow up, you too will be spotting scope.
Great Scope, love the "English Yolk" (and not because I'm English!)
Cheers, Dave. And yes, the English do it best don't they!
Yoke
Identical to mine: I bought a 12.5" f/8 Coulter mirror on Astromart. I hade the tube made locally. Ity has a very low profile focuser and I believe the secondary mirror is only 1.83" minor axis.
Oh wow, those views must be amazing! Big scope, tiny secondary and low profile focuser. Perfect!
8:05 NO. IMHO
Quality trumps Aperture.
Of course some minimums apply.
The views WHOLLY depends upon your targets of choice.
For extended sources Moon/planetary
CONTRAST EFFICIENCY matters most and THAT depends upon the concentration of light energy. AKA high Strehls.
Smooth figure and the best special dispersion glass...fpl-53
Or fcd100 or fpl-55.
Scatter the REAL enemy and mirrors scatter light, nature of the beast, of course you can go quartz and silver to minimize mirror bounce scattering. Obstruction and its size and its focal length or F ratio the most critical factors IMO.
Great content for astro-nerds.
❤❤
SEEING😢😮🎉rules ALL.
Great video! Does he have a UA-cam channel or photo's anywhere?
Alas no - wrong generation!
Really cool, the views must be amazing. I am a visual only person like you and would really appreciate you weighing in on weather or not I should get a Stellarvue 127 Doublet or a 10” Meade LX200 SCT. My bortle is between 5/6 but mostly 6. One source says you will get more resolution with the SCT like you will see more craters on the moon but the other says with the refractor you won’t see as many but what you see will be much sharper. Since you also use a refractor, I was wondering what you think would be the most rewarding?
Well both will be great choices. I would suggest thinking about how you will use it - and don't forget the mount is a big part of this. Will you have to carry the set up outside each night - and even worse pack it away in the small hours? If so portability will be key. Do you have sufficient storage space or do you need to think about size. Will you want to do photography / imaging? If so an f10 SCT may not be the best setup. All of these answers will guide you better than the views in the eyepiece.
@@RefreshingViewsSure appreciate you taking the time to help me out! The Meade is very heavy so I’ll be better off with the 127D, thanks again.
@@elray4932 yeah - it's a bit like choosing a car. There are so many more variables than just engine size! I don't think you will be disappointed with either, it's more a case of HOW you will use it that counts. Let us know how you get on.
The frac
Without a doubt.
Hope you get a gooder aka high Strehl.
A true amateur... Astronomer *
You can feel Bruce's passion can't you, John?
@@RefreshingViews Good evening. Mark. Passion yes indeed, but also technical insight into the inner workings, of both optics and expert astronomical observing.