Troy, I have several dobs (main ones are an 8inch, 10 inch and a 15inch). I have the 21mm Stratus that I use in the 8 and 10 inch as a finder EP, a 17mm Stratus that was a gift. A 13mm Stratus that is my workhorse (92x is just wonderful!) and a 5mm Hyperion. I also have a collection of plossls I use in my school program and one is a 17mm. I also have a nice 13mm that I really like but I use that mainly with the 15 inch dob. If you want to hook up at a star party or link up at Pit n Pole one night and try them out in your dob let me know. If your a member of SLAS just go to the member directory and get my email and email or give me a call there. I completed the Messier list using an 8 inch dob and will say if you stick with it, and record your observations, over a year you'll see growth in the details you find. Your eye will improve and your attention to detail improves. Anyway, the offer stands. If you want to hook up at a Star Party or Pit n Pole let me know and you can try out the EP's. I'm planning on going up to Wolf Creek on either Friday or Saturday also so if your up there you could try them out. Jay On 2009-08-19 19:45, Chuck Hards wrote:

Some people like zoom eyepieces. Personally, I don't, mostly due to the fact that the field of view is very small at low powers.

If you bring your telescope to a star party, many people there can help you check your collimation.

On Wed, Aug 19, 2009 at 1:43 PM, Troy Davidson <clandaith@???> wrote:

...

Is there a good website out there that will show me how to properly align my mirrors?

Also, what's the opinion about zoomable eyepieces?

++++++++++++++++++ Troy Davidson Am I working - http://www.istroyworking.com

On Wed, Aug 19, 2009 at 12:49 PM, Chuck Hards<chuck.hards@???> wrote:

...

Hi Troy:

For most Messier objects, you will be using low powers. The 32mm is probably too low for most, the 9mm is too high for most.

I would recommend that you get some eypieces yielding magnifications in-between. 50X-100X is the range where you will be doing most of your deep-sky observing.

To determine what magnification any particular eyepiece will yield with your telescope, divide the telescope's focal length (in millimeters) by the eyepiece focal length (also in millimeters). This will give you the magnification of the combination.

Example: 2000mm telescope focal length, 20mm eyepiece focal length. 2000/20=100X.

Also make sure your telescope is collimated (optically aligned) properly.

On Wed, Aug 19, 2009 at 10:35 AM, Troy Davidson <clandaith@???> wrote:

...

Hello all,

I'm a relatively new person to the group. I recently (Feburary) bought an 8" dobsonian. I have a 9mm and a 32mm eyepiece.

When I take my telescope out to Skull Valley (pretty dark there) and look at Messier objects that are around 8 mag, I can hardly see them. All they look like are feint smudges. I have a hard time making out crisper objects. Also, all objects are just gray. There is no color to them. When I look at planets, I do see some color. I know that I won't get color like astro images, but I would expect some hints of color in these objects.

Could it be that the mirrors in my telescope need adjusting? Could I need better eyepieces? Is it just me being unrealistic?

My telescope is a Zhumell, and according to their site, http://www.zhumell.com/specialty/zhumell-telescopes-dobsonian.html , I should have a useful magnification up to 479X. I assume this is with a barlow or other magnifier added.

Any help would be great. Thanks.

++++++++++++++++++ Troy Davidson Am I working - http://www.istroyworking.com

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