Conditions don't look good in Sanpete for a star party tonight - how are they up north? I've often heard people at star parties make the same comments about having the best view through my telescope, whether it's been my 10-inch Newtonian, 8-inc SCT or 5-inch APO. One factor is good collimation, as Daniel intimates, but more than aperture it's a factor of selecting the right object and the right combination of eyepiece and magnification. Remember, our viewing public isn't as sophisticated and they don't know anything about aperture, contrast, etc. Using high magnification to show subtle detail in a faint DSO isn't going to impress. I like to select objects that can still look good in a lager field rather than have the object fill the eyepiece. People seem to appreciate such views better from my experience. I've also found that having lower magnifications when I don't have a tracking mount makes a difference by allowing people to study the object more before I have to interrupt to move the telescope. So, I've gone to using my Ultima 2000 (Celestron 8-inch SCT and tracking mount) almost exclusively for public star parties. See you all at Bryce, I hope. Kim -----Original Message----- From: utah-astronomy-bounces@mailman.xmission.com [mailto:utah-astronomy-bounces@mailman.xmission.com] On Behalf Of daniel turner Sent: Saturday, June 11, 2011 5:33 PM To: Utah Astronomy Subject: Re: [Utah-astronomy] Meade 16" LX200 From: Steve Fisher <iotacass1@hotmail.com> To: utah-astronomy@mailman.xmission.com Sent: Saturday, June 11, 2011 3:21 PM Subject: Re: [Utah-astronomy] Meade 16" LX200 Steve: The refractor does fit the idea of a telescope that most of the public has in mind when they first wander accross one of our public star parties. So it's a comforatable entry point for most of them. I have also had a steady stream of viewers tell me that the best view of the night was through my 17.5 inch dob. These are people who have looked through enough telescopes to make a comparison and form an opinion. The answer to this paradox is aperture. The Dob and SCT have it and the refractors don't. Do a comparison view of Saturn of all the telescopes on the field at the star party. The one with the most aperture always seems to win unless the owner doesn't know how to properly collimate. At least it does to my eye. Daniel Turner