Re: [ATM] How far from the telescope should an artifical starbeplaced

["Jeff Baldwin" <bald@centurytel.net>]

I've always used Suiter's formula, which was from Sinnot.  Distance in feet 
= 28(D/F)^2 where D is in inches and F is the focal ratio.  Then I make sure 
my distance is more than that, hopefully many times more than that.  Keep in 
mind that the closer the object is the furthr out on the focuser you will 
have to position the eyepiece to examine it.

I luckily moved to an area that has tall snags over a forest.  I am going to 
mount my false star on a snag that is about 2 miles away and about 1200 feet 
higher than me.  I'm going to mount three or four of them, of different 
sizes.  I had one in my last location that was on top of my neighbor's roof 
mounted air conditioner.  He let me mount a 12' pole ascending from his AC 
unit with a ball atop it.  What a nice neighbor.  When I moved I asked him 
if he wanted me to remove it and he said no.  My new location has National 
Forest between me and the ball with a nice elevation gain, looking north to 
the ball.  It's about 10,000 feet away, which is cool
JBald

Jeff and Glenda Baldwin
Beaver WA
http://home.centurytel.net/bald


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