[ATM] ATM: Stoney Ridge Observatory

["David Harbour" <stainless_steel@suddenlink.net>]

For All:

Consider these ideas: is it possible that instead of focusing on the 
"impossible obstacle" (not enough money) as the insurmountable problem, and 
running around in our little cars with eight poles on top, a mirror 
tailgaite box and rocker box and its coffee table top or Porthole glass 
mirror, we could think of finding ways to find the money for more proper 
telescopes, like the gentlemen and gentleladies did at Stoney Ridge 
Observatory; they have a telescope that is very, very large, and it is 
beyond beautiful and useful. So much so that NASA paid them to make a 70 
millimeter roll film photo-survey of the moon, before the Apollo trips. At 
750" effective focal length as a Cassegrain, the moon was pretty large, at 
the Cass focus on that big instrument, when focused on a frame of 70 mm 
film. I believe the film was motor advanced (roll film).

I almost want to apologize before I say it, because of the continual 
drubbing I get for pointing out that other kinds of mountings than the 
Dobsonian are possible popular, that the Stoney Ridge Observatory has a FORK 
EQUATORIAL mounted reflector; and before someone points out that it is an 
awfully long effective focal length instrument, useless for deep sky 
observing, remember than in a trice, it can be converted back to a Newtonian 
for wider angle views with its big 30" f/5 primary. They must have read Tex, 
who says, about Cassegrains: "Don't give up your Newtonian option."

What do Stoney Ridge atms (the members built the telescope) have in common 
with all of us who run around with our big, thin, mirrors, poles, etc.?

Why, they have to drive quite a ways, too, to find dark skies. But the 
wonder is, they do not have to haul this non design-compromised instrument 
with them- all they have to do is get into their cars, and they can be very, 
very small cars, and drive to their observatory; no setting up time; just 
open the dome and start doing astronomy.

I have some beautiful pictures of this observatory instrument (f/5 f/25, 30" 
Newt/Cass reflector) on my hard drive. Why don't one or two of you ask for 
them, and see that it is possible to do something other than follow the 
crowd?

Also, I just wanted to point out one more thing: most of the seminal 
advances in cosmography, astrophysics, were accomplished with the 
Hooker/Hale 60", 100", and the Carnegie Hale 5 meter reflector; all 
symmetrically equatorially mounted instruments. And a modern, SPLIT RING 
mounted equatorial reflector can come very close, for an amateur, as being 
nearly as compact as a Dobbie.

That's this morning's report from the guy with insomnia.

Sometimes the way forward is the way back.

ZRS-1 "Shenadoah"

(Shenandoah is a Native American name meaning: "Daughter of the Stars"- we 
would have honored our natives by naming one of our space shuttles after the 
name of our first big home-built rigid airship; but of course, why would we 
want to do something that is so appropriate, when we didn't have to?).

Pictures of the Beautiful Stoney Ridge scope, anyone? Free for the 
asking.... 


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