Comments for DaltonSkyGazer

Comment on Interview with Joe Lalumia aka TelescopeMan by Jeff T

Jeff T — Thu, 21 Jul 2011 04:24:00 +0000

Thanks for the feedback Bill! Much Appreciated! Yes, Joe has been a great asset to the forums with his years of experience, very dedicated and passionate about the hobby. I really enjoyed the interview with him.

Looking forward to more of your great images! I will finally have some images coming in not too distant future myself.

Comment on Interview with Joe Lalumia aka TelescopeMan by seal killer

seal killer — Thu, 21 Jul 2011 03:29:25 +0000

Jeff, I really enjoyed the interview with Joe. He has a LOT of experience and has watched changes occur in the hobby for more than HALF A CENTURY! Thanks for interviewing him. –Bill

Comment on The Power of Skype as an Educational Tool for Astronomy by Jeff T

Jeff T — Sun, 24 Apr 2011 02:14:59 +0000

Bill,

Skype has been a very useful tool, glad I was able to show you around the observatory.

It is tough to find many people nearby with the passion for astronomy, Skype has opened up new doors! Clear Skies! Enjoy your upcoming project!

Comment on The Power of Skype as an Educational Tool for Astronomy by seal killer

seal killer — Sun, 24 Apr 2011 02:10:20 +0000

Jeff–

I was really suprised how much Skype helped me when I visited with you. I had no idea it was so good. I wasn’t a Skype user, but I will be now!

–Bill

Comment on The Weather is Finally Starting to Break-First Light at DaltonSkyGazer Observatory by Keith Grice

Keith Grice — Mon, 21 Feb 2011 23:08:39 +0000

Hi Jeff…great web site and some very useful info…I like your observatory and the tutorials are very good………..Keith

Comment on Winter at DaltonSkyGazer Observatory by Jeff T

Jeff T — Sat, 22 Jan 2011 21:09:14 +0000

This is good test with high winds and all the snow of the first winter for the structure. Although, the structure was originally in a much harsher climate in upstate NY not far from Lake Placid, but I did make many modifications to the height of the dome as you know, since you helped put it up! So far all has been great! If weather doesnt break soon I will end up taking up cloud and snow photography! Clear Skies!

Comment on Winter at DaltonSkyGazer Observatory by Ray Shore

Ray Shore — Sat, 22 Jan 2011 18:44:37 +0000

Hey Jeff,

What a drag having such a poor weather pattern lately. At least it is a good test of the observatory and the warm room. I’m looking forward to some of your images when you finally get some decent skies.

Regards,

Ray Shore
http://www.astrophotography-tonight.com

Comment on Updated Pictures of Warm Room on DaltonSkyGazer Observatory by Jeff T

Jeff T — Thu, 23 Sep 2010 08:20:11 +0000

Thanks Jimbo! Hopefully will get some time out of work in near future and some clear skies!

Comment on Updated Pictures of Warm Room on DaltonSkyGazer Observatory by bsche77

bsche77 — Thu, 23 Sep 2010 02:12:51 +0000

Looking good, Jeff. I’m hoping to see some great pix of Jupiter.

— Jimbo

Comment on The DaltonSkyGazer Observatory Project by admin

admin — Thu, 04 Mar 2010 05:22:32 +0000

Rick,

Thanks! Looking forward to having the observatory setup. This will be the new mancave!

Comment on The DaltonSkyGazer Observatory Project by Adkstars

Adkstars — Thu, 04 Mar 2010 05:12:25 +0000

Best of luck with your “new to me” dome.I love mine. thanks for signing my guest book.Rick aka adkstars.

Comment on A few quick pictures of new Celestron Edge 800HD OTA mounted on CGEM by Jeff T.

Jeff T. — Sat, 16 Jan 2010 04:50:06 +0000

Jose,

I believe the CGEM will support the 11 inch ota without any problem. My setup weighs in at at about 29+ lbs. I have it very well balanced and feel the CGEM is more than adequate for my total weight. My feeling is that it is rated for up to 40lb payload and most companies I would imagine provide a certain safety margin to any posted max limits.
I have heard of user somewhere who is pushing 6-8 lbs over 40 weight limit without issue. For imaging gear and guidescope try to keep a good low profile and be sure to balance the setup favoring east so gears are preloaded a bit. If you look closely at my setup you will notice all gear and counterweights are set such that I try to keep the mass very close to the center of the mount body.

The 8 inch ota weighs in at 14 lbs according to Celestron. The 11 inch comes in around 28 lbs from what I have read.

I think you will be very pleased with the larger aperature and 2 inch connections of the 11 inch ota. I have a 12 inch Meade and I can attest that the large apperature is impressive particuliarly when viewing planets. The light gather capability of a large apperature is impressive stepping up from an 8 inch to a 11 inch will be a very noticeable difference.

So my lowdown is the following:

Pros
Larger apperature more light gathering capabilities
Excellent choice for planet viewing and imaging
Large but not too large like my LX-200 which is fairly heavy and requires a bit of brawn to setup and takedown by one person
add a small 80mm guidescope and you have some versatility
The CGEM mount rocks for the price

Cons
It is bigger therefor some extra time to setup and takedown, but much more manageable then a 12″ Meade Fork mount
You can piggyback but you need to pay attention to good balance of scope, this is not hard to do though
You will find in time with larger apperature scope that a permanent setup is most desireable
It will occupy more space in vehicle if you travel to remote sites and parties.
You will have sudden urge to invest in building your own home observatory, this is actually a good thing in my eyes.

Hopefully this information is helpful send me back some more questions if you like.
I will have some more information and impressions as I work with my own new setup.

Regards,

Jeff Turner