Re: ATM Houghton-Newtonian a.k.a. Closed Tube Telescope

[Atmj1@aol.com]

Roger:

Sounds like you have become a believer in the Houghton design. I have lost my 
right to promote it as I have these many years because I keep being pulled so 
far afield that I still don't have mine together. The optics are finally 
done. However, the back plate and focuser still consist of one 45 pound chunk 
of aluminum…..(read, "sigh!")

You also bring up a good point too often overlooked by ATMs building SMALL 
Newtonians. That is the value of an oversized tube. I see folks spending 
hours and hours designing a series of baffles for their Newtonians, when if 
they would simply increase the tube diameter to a few inches bigger than the 
"norm" (whatever that means to those really concerned for performance), most 
of the problem would go away. Light cannot reflect off that which it does not 
strike. In addition, heat leaving the tube wall is also a smaller problem in 
such instruments.

Kindest Regards,

Bill Cook
editor / publisher, Amateur Telescope Making Journal
www.atmjournal.com

PS #13 has been mailed to our overseas members / US shipments will occur as 
soon as the printer gets up off the envelopes we were promised days ago.