[Chaos-l] Farrington on Thursday (tomorrow/today)

[Michael Hrivnak]

I'll be there tonight also.  Last night was quite nice, although there was 
lots of dew.  Luckily my optics stayed dew free, but everything else was wet.  
Probably it won't be as bad tonight since there won't be such a drastic 
temperature change.

It was real clear, and quite dark as far as Farrington goes.  I had some new 
toys to try out, which is always fun.

A couple of weeks ago, I picked up a 4" refractor on the cheap- a Celestron 
Omni XLT 102, two months old, used only once, in brand new condition, and at 
a great price.  I want to learn how to use an equatorial mount, learn about 
refractors, and do some more serious lunar observing with it.  So far, so 
good.  It delivers very sharp images, good contrast, and passes the star test 
with exceptional results.  I was afraid that it wouldn't be able to compare 
to the light gathering of my 8" dob, but I am pleasantly surprised.  Of 
course the dob wins by a wide margin, but the refractor does well enough to 
be a lot of fun.

I also picked up a slightly used Burgess 5mm eyepiece.  Together with the new 
refractor, Saturn was breath-taking last night.

See you all tonight around 8.  Bring warm footware!  My toes are what finally 
convinced me to pack up last night.

Michael
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