Thanks for visiting my Astronomy Home Page. If you're wondering, the image of the moon above depicts the
current phase for this date and time. It's updated every four hours from the U.S. Naval Observatory (neat).
I've been interested in Astronomy ever since I was a kid. My first telescope was my brother's old Skill Craft
(remember them?) refractor. It was a total piece of junk and the only thing I ever saw was the moon (although
I do still have the wood tripod to hold my HeNe laser). My brother was also responsible for my modern observing
career when he purchased a Coulter Odyssey One 13.1" Newtonian reflector. This dob was a beast but it really
gathered light. After he sold the 13.1" I picked up an Odyssey Compact 10.1" for myself. I really enjoyed
this telescope but wanted to do astrophotography. I was also getting sick of the size and of hunting around
the sky to find things I wanted to observe. I decided I needed a motor driven SCT. I bided my time (and
saved money) trying to decide which SCT was for me. During that time I picked up a used Edmund Scientific
AstroScan 2001 for informal observing. After getting my hands on a few telescopes I decided that I wanted
a Meade LX-200. Despite what you may have heard Meade telescopes are of excellent quality with many more
satisfied (and quiet) customers than dissatisfied ones. The newest Meade telescopes are truly excellent with
most of the more blatant bugs worked out. I decided on a 10" telescope despite the extra weight and bulk.
After a little looking I found a bargain deal on AstroMart for a three month old LX-200 10" with all sorts
of goodies. I've added a bunch more items to my collection in the short time I've owned the LX-200. Primary
among these is a Milburn Wedge and dovetail system. The dovetail system holds my newly aquired Meade 2045 4"
SCT. This is an amazing telescope and I use it with the LX-200 as a guidescope and for great views of
extended objects. I also just purchased a Meade Pictor 216XT CCD imager/autoguider but I haven't had time to
really mess with it yet. I've also just purchased a Meade ETX Astro to go along with my Celestron 80WA and
the rest of the bunch. Will it ever stop? Nope. I also just purchased a 2 meter dome for my observatory
in the San Bernardino Mountains.
For Sale: I have a new (in the box) Meade piggyback adapter for the 10" SCT that I can't use any more. I also have
a new Bogen swivel/tilt head with adapter. New they'll run you about $70 plus tax or shipping or both. I'll sell mine
for $60 including shipping via UPS Ground anywhere in the continental U.S.
My telescope equipment. I've put together a comprehensive list of all
my telescope related equipment. I've also put down my impressions and opinions on the quality and usability of most
of the items.
The North American Nebula. This image was taken piggyback
on a friend's Meade LX-200 8" using my Konica AutoReflex T3 camera with 50mm lens. The exposure was ten minutes
on Fuji 800 film. 
The Andromeda Galaxy. This image was taken piggyback
on a friend's Meade LX-200 8" using my Konica AutoReflex T3 camera with 135mm lens. The exposure was ten minutes
on Fuji 800 film. 
The Pleadies Star Cluster. This image was taken piggyback on a friend's Meade
LX-200 8" using my Konica AutoReflex T3 camera with 55mm lens. The exposure was ten minutes on Fuji 800
film. 
Comet Hale-Bopp. This image was taken with Fuji 1600 film. I can't remember if
I used my Konica or Minolta camera and I have no idea which lens. What a pro eh? 
The Moon. This image was taken using eyepiece projection through my Edmund
AstroScan 2001 and Konica AutoReflex T3 camera. It's pretty poor but not bad when you consider I was
holding the whole assembly durring this quick exposure. 
The Moon, again. This was taken through my Celestron 80WA and was very close
to the horizon. The illuminated portion is quite washed out, even on the print. The shadowed portion looks
great. 
Here's a pretty cool shot of the Keck telescopes (and some others) on top
of Mauna Kea in Hawaii. It was COLD and I spent a few hours looking for a good shot. 
Okay, so it's not REALLY astrophotography but you can see stars so... This is
light and smoke from the Kilauea Volcano in Hawaii. The bright light and smoke at the left is from the
vent itself. The others are skylights in the lava tube leading down to the sea. There was also a bright
plume from where the tube met the ocean. This was very amazing to see and looks even better on film. 
We see a lot of launches from Vandenberg Air Force Base here in San Diego. This is
the vapor trail from a Delta launch seen from my house. The vapor trails at dusk are brightly light from the
sun. If you think the trails are impressive, you should see the rocket as it's boosting. Amazing.
Brett Barden's Astrophotography Page Bonney Lake Astro Works (Makers of the Milburn Wedge) AstroCruise - Astrophotography by Phillip Perkins Amateur Astrophotography and CCD Links Meade LX-200 Modifications Page Chris Vedeler's Astronomy Gallery Space Telescope Science Institute Telescope and Binocular Center (Orion)
Feedback <
schriber@hotchip.com > (Rev. 12.31.98)
This site is best viewed with Netscape Navigator and will NOT appear correctly with Microsoft Internet Explorer because it does not correctly interpret HTML standard markup tags and formating.
