Re: [APML]: Chuck Vaughn's Prints in S&T

[Brad Wallis <wallis@pepe.jpl.nasa.gov>]

since without AO we all seem to tap out at around 2 arc second diameter
star images... we are seeing limited... not optics limited ... and do
note that I did not say ever ... anywhere... anytime ... to anyone ...
that BAD OPTICS were wonderful .. ( let's see .. if one take this and does
a few snips and runs it thru the js filter .. eeks <G> ) ... 

I work in sites with semi-dark skies .. 2-3 hr shots are my norm and have
never used a deep sky filter ... but do use red Schott filters for some
faint nebulae...  there are many times that with a nice dark gorgeous
sky that I have hung it up and gone to bed because the seeing was not
good enough ... and as one move UP in scope size.. the SEEING gets
even more critical  !!!!!    ...  on the other hadn .. there have been
nights when the sky was not so great ( haze.. not cirrus ) that I will
go ahead and shoot because the seeing is great and I know that the
dull looking sky will not do more than add a bit of fog to the negs ..
( and I shoot B&W.. not color so am more immune to fog ) ...

with AO .. which we so far can only use on CCDs with long FL scopes 
( C-11 at f/10 is minimal ).. we are geting down to 1 arc second
stars .. at this point, the optics do start to enter into my worries...
the C-11 OTa that I just bought has a semi-poor figure and Celestron
is going to do an OTA swap to replace this one that got thru their
inspection routines by accident ....  with the AO system I would
want a 1/4 wave system ....

Brad Wallis
http://voltaire.csun.edu