[ATM] The wonder of it all

["Francis J. O'Reilly" <foreilly@verizon.net>]

Wednesday night I was standing in a local criminal court with a friend of mine. We were surveying the room and I commented that there was a rough bunch out there that night. My friend, Chris, another criminal defense attorney (At least that night we were) told me that they were a rough looking bunch, but that they were our rough looking bunch.

Today about noon as I was setting up my telescope an old Criterion RV-6 so that it would reach thermal equilibrium for observing tonight, I looked at the mirror and thought that it was pretty rough looking, but I brightened up when I realized that it was my rough looking mirror.

As the afternoon wore on, clouds moved in. They had cleared somewhat by the time I got home, around 8:00 p.m. but not enough to reveal my target for the evening, Saturn.

I went to the basement and began my first session of grinding my 7 inch optical flats. I engraved each of the disks on the edge to label the surfaces, A through F. (I am goign to try to make three two sided flats) After a while,  I came upstairs, my wife had long since drifted off to sleep. I decided to go outside, If nothing else at least I could probably sight in my new telrad.

The shy had substantially cleared and revealed Saturn. A top view of the rings and a moon, I suspect Titan. Correct me if I'm wrong. What a wonderful sight. 

Sometimes I lose track of why I make telescopes. Tonight reminded me.

Regards,

Francis J. O'Reilly
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