Hi NPN



 > Crash course in elementary telescope optics:



 NP> Thank you very much for that Roy.



No probs. I only picked it up myself in the last few weeks. Now I

gotta work on eyepiece theory and practice - how to evaluate one,

what "exit pupil" really means in practice, what "coma"
is and why

a "coma corrector" costs as much as an eyepiece, and why four 2"

diam wide angle eyepieces will cost as much as the telescope I'm

getting.



 the yank Sky & Telescope magazine ran an eyepiece test

feature this month. Three weeks after I ordered a new eyepiece, of

course.



There was also a nifty idea for a binocular stand. Drive a short

length of steel pipe into the ground at an angle (until it's all

below ground, if it's in the lawn). Insert a ten foot length of

electrical conduit (i dunno what diameter would be stiff enough),

and from the end hang a long bit of bungee cord or elastic. Hang

the bicocs off the cord, and lie back in your easy chair or beanbag.



Cheers



--- PPoint 1.88