To: "atm" 
From: Mark Suchting 
Reply-To: Mark Suchting 



Atm list may be interested to hear of my success with a PLOP inspired
mirror cell recently.

The 12" F5    28mm thick mirror   for my light weight Eclipse telescope
sits on a 5mm thick ring of silicone at the 58% zone,as optimised by PLOP.
No mirror clips. Star images at all powers were perfectly round.
Collimation was maintained at all angles.  Ventilation holes drilled in the
12mm back board allowed easy drainage when washing off the dust of the
Australian Outback at Lyndhurst, South Australia.

Efforts were rewarded when I viewed the Totality on December 4th  with the
a 32mm 2" eyepiece fitting in the whole visible Solar Corona. The
prominences were a continuous `ring of fire' . This was the most beautiful
eclipse visually I have seen due to the sunset colors and the proximity of
the Sun to the red hills which made it look huge... At night the
transparency of the sky was such that the Horsehead Nebula was  visible
with direct vision in the 12" with no filters. I  suspect averted
vision would have shown it in much smaller aperture.

I watched  the eclipse with another Aussie ATMer,  Clive Milne , who is
still a bit lost for words !

~Mark Suchting

--- BBBS/NT v4.00 MP