[ATM] 13 inch DOB first light.. almost

["Russell Jocoy" <russjocoy@hotmail.com>]

    To all on the list,

                      As I said in my previous listing I have completed 
(almost) my 13" dob.
          I described the mechanical and alignment woe's  that I have 
experienced on my way
       to completing my scope.  All of these pains are echoed in the 
experienced telescope
       makers memories.  These are little hurddles to the final goal of 
clear and magnified views,
       and to suck the most photons out of a piece of the darkness.
               Well , after realizing that my new creation was totaly 
un-collamated, (after headlong
        viewing just to get first light) I was not pleased with the off 
center views., Duh!!
          Well,,  after collamating in day-lit blue sky the obvious came 
true.. Just to wait for the
         darkness... At dusk the cresent moon was telling me to take a 
look... This 13" mirror
            gathered more information to the eyepiece than I have ever seen. 
I have never seen
           hairline riles across craters or those massive white warts in the 
center of deep craters.
                  Twisting the scope to  Orion , and naturally focusing in 
on the Orion Nebula (whether
           Old or Newbie this is a tell-tale site to view)  The trapizium 
was there, the contrast in
             the nebula was deep, real deep ( not like and 8" scope.. 
deeper)  I focused back and
            forth and saw the two extra pinpoints in the trap, dim.. but 
they were there.
                O.K.   looking east at about 35 degrees above the horizon I 
decided to scope out
             Saturn through fuzzy skies.. This is usually a no no, but fuzzy 
as it was I could see the
               cassini division...  I am very impressed with this thin plate 
glass mirror.. 3/4" x 13"..
                               This mirror was pregenerated at f 4.5 and was 
part of a large aquisition
                of glass and other optical machines from a company that I 
can"t mention due to
                 a promise, but I call the company Coult-45 from 
California...
                     This 3/4" x 13" mirror was figured by Mike Lockwood. I 
have to give props to
                    his expertise.. It is not easy to figure thin mirrors, 
those who do , you know who
                   you are...My hat is off to Mike,  great job...
                      To see Photos of my new 13 inch DOB and Mike's process 
in making this thin
                      primary   goto

            
http://bi-staff.beckman.uiuc.edu/~melockwo/telescopes/jocoy/jocoy13html

                                     Thank you to all , and all of the 
information that this list gives
                                        ...we all have are own paths, but we 
are all brothers in this
                                              amazing hobby that we have 
found to be art combined with
                                                 Science
                                                                        Russ 
Jocoy

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