Hi Chuck; I have had too many problems with getting an artificial star to work well. In the first place, there are not any telephone poles any longer (at least in newer neighborhoods), and even if you do have one, climbing a telephone pole can get you in trouble. I guess you could use an extendible pruning hook or something to jockey an ornament up there. Once you get the artificial star up, then even a slight breeze can make the ornament move, then you have poor contrast due to being in the daytime even with a black card as a background. After trying to make this type of artificial star work, I wondered, why? Just make the telescope and do a real star test at night. Also, that way when you are done with the mirror, you are automatically already done with the telescope. On the other hand, the advantages of an artificial star are that you don't have to wait for nighttime, seeing is not an issue, and the artificial star does not move across the sky. Over time, I have found the star test with a real star to be first rate. Yes, you do have to wait until dark, etc, etc, but waiting is what we amateur astronomers do best, right? Having said all that, I actually have been thinking about asking a neighbor if I can put an ornament up on his ham radio tower. I might go down that path again. See above for problems to overcome, but overcoming problems is another characteristic of what we do. Mat -----Original Message----- From: utah-astronomy-bounces@mailman.xmission.com [mailto:utah-astronomy-bounces@mailman.xmission.com] On Behalf Of Chuck Hards Sent: Monday, October 17, 2011 9:30 PM To: Utah Astronomy Subject: Re: [Utah-astronomy] ATM session report and next planned date Hang a Christmas ornament (silver) on a telephone pole about a block away. Instant artificial star. _______________________________________________ Utah-Astronomy mailing list Utah-Astronomy@mailman.xmission.com http://mailman.xmission.com/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/utah-astronomy Visit the Photo Gallery: http://www.slas.us/gallery2/main.php ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- This message and any included attachments are from Siemens Medical Solutions and are intended only for the addressee(s). The information contained herein may include trade secrets or privileged or otherwise confidential information. Unauthorized review, forwarding, printing, copying, distributing, or using such information is strictly prohibited and may be unlawful. If you received this message in error, or have reason to believe you are not authorized to receive it, please promptly delete this message and notify the sender by e-mail with a copy to Central.SecurityOffice@siemens.com Thank you