[ATM] Time for a "new standard" ATM telescope project?

[Goo <vorblesnak@peak.org>]

There is room here for several approaches.  Using a cheap achromat and camera the task comes down to the mount and the guidance.  A simple barn door mount will provide accuracy adaquate to the task of first imaging attempts.  In S&T, February 1988, is an article on a double arm barn door mount that will provide extended accuracy.  The problem is mounting a scope to a barn door. A simple achromat is possible but as the scope size increases the structure of the mount must increase accordingly.

I could see a very light weight scope in a ball mount sitting in a socket on a barn door.  Jerry Oltion built a tracking ball scope and those plans are somewhat complete and can be found at .. http://www.sff.net/people/j.oltion/trackball.htm

Mr. Oltion himself says the tracking is adaquate for visual but not for photographic purposes.  However, that could be as simple as tuning the system he has designed.  A ball scope would be a new project that an amateur could embrace.  Tom Conlin of the Eugene Astronomical Society built a ball scope but I cannot find my link to his pictures of Luceal.

A ball scope and tracking.  That would be a new scope design and one that could be adapted to photography.

David Davis
Toledo, OR 97391


Gil McFarland wrote: 

I have been thinking for some time about ways to
spread the experience of ATM.  I have settled on the
thought that a new standard telescope project might be
needed.

< snip >

The advent of digital imaging, however, has created a
demand for a type of telescope system for which most
amateurs must go to a manufacturer to obtain:
1.  Wide flat field optical system.  (Thus the many
small APO scopes showing up - even one at my house -
ACK!)
2.  Precision Equatorial mount.
3.  Auto-tracking.



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