AN OBSERVATORY FOR THE GARDEN

Hmmmm, I forgot to mention that to them!!

 

Technically true, Torgre.........to a certain degree. A reducer does reduce exposure times of exposures for images but doesn't actually add to the scopes light gathering power, only aperture will do that. The more aperture the more light gathering power. Focal length is only to due with the length of the light path from front of the tube to the primary mirror to the secondary mirror to the eyepiece, the shorter the focal length So the reducer by reducing the focal length in practice only gives a wider view but at a lower magnification.
You can use a reducer for visual work, Trogre, but why do that when by using a lower power eyepiece you can get the same effect?, only you haven't reduced the focal length by using an eyepiece.

 

I was trying to think of an analogy for how a reducer works, Trogre, and can only come up with this rough one:
Say you've got a 4' circular window, to get to the f10 point you would have to stand back 40' from the window, so your view is going to be narrow and to a degree not bright. [taking into account for the analogy a normal bright day], remembering that Aperture is the thing that controls light gathering powers.
So if you mimic a reducer you would have to move forwards, roughly, 24 feet towards the window to get to the 6.3 focal point, but the window [aperture]remains the same 6 feet size and so the light gathering power has not changed. What has changed, because you are closer to the window, is that you can see more outside the window.
What the reducer does is basically the same, but it to do that it has to change the focal length by widening the light path whilst still keeping the focal point at the eyepiece. Does that make sense to you??

 

Just as an update on the 12 inch scope that I bought. For starters the field tripod is absolutely huge and really heavy, i think it could support an Elephant sitting on it. As I don't need it I'll probably put it up for sale along with the LX200 Mount.
I'm more than pleased with the Scope as it is in perfect, as new, condition. But the Seller also sold me a hard case which he said had "bits and bobs" in it. I didn't really take any notice as the Scope was what I was after. However, on getting it all home I eventually opened the case and had to reach for the Whiskey!

In the hard case was:

40mm 2 inch XL Pentax eyepiece
26mm 1.25 inch Meade Super Plossi eyepiece
15mm 1.25 inch Meade Super Plossi eyepiece
9 mm 1.25inch Meade Illuminated reticle eyepiece
Meade Type 140 2X Barlow
Meade 2 inch/1.25 inch Star Diagonal
Meade Flip Mirror Type 644 System
Starlight MX7C Colour One Shot CCD Camera
Meade Variable CCD T-piece
Meade 2 inch Broadband Filter
Small Astronomy Torch
Cleaning kit

Why did I need to make sure what I'd got? Because the case of "bits and bobs" was just bundled into the sale by the Seller for the original price as a "sweetener" but actually was worth nearly as much I'd paid for the Telescope, mount and tripod.
The Starlight MX7C Colour Camera sells for £1005, the Pentax 40mm eyepiece sells for £335, while the rest of the "bits and bobs" total around £450. I rang the Seller and told him what was in the case but he said "It was okay. He wouldn't be using it anyway and he was glad it was going to a good "home"........I had another Whiskey.

 

Well, the seller, Sheal, was living in a gorgeous 6 bedroom House built in 1816, there was a separate huge 3 car garage/stable which you could have got 3 buses in, a top of the line big Mercedes and a garden of around an acre. He was a really nice chap but I think when he got interested in something he would buy the best and also anything he thought he might need regardless of the cost. But he seemed to jump from one hobby to another without getting hooked. He hadn't used the Astronomy kit for 5 years but kept it stored well and I think had lost sight of what he actually had. It was a shock to see all that kit.......but a nice shock!!

 

Well, he was just getting into photography and had bought a top end Canon Camera, several expensive lenses, but when I asked what he was going to photograph and why those lenses he grinned and shrugged his shoulders. He knew I was into photography so we had a bit of a chat but I got the impression he didn't really understand a digital camera and exactly what area of photography he wanted to do. He was interested in macro photography and seemed a bit bemused when I told him that most macro shots were taken without a tripod as he thought that was the only way you could do it. Don't get me wrong, he was a really nice chap, exceeding well educated, intelligent, and obviously had a top salary job but seemed to flit from one thing to another when it came to something to hold his interest.

i won't be able to use the Scope until I've taken it off the Fork that it's on and that's fairly major job and also it's for use when the Observatory is up and running. I've spent the day cleaning up the "bits and bobs" after their 5 years in the hard case but won't be able to test them out until we get some decent weather........whenever that is!!

 

This is the main scope for the Observatory that I will have to take of the big black fork.

 

Hi, Joolz, the glass corrector lens is 12 inches in diameter, the tube is 14 inches in diameter with what you can see weighing in at 75lbs. There's a huge tripod for it in the Garage weighing around the same so you've got a total weight of around 150 lbs so you don't want to be lugging that around, but I won't be using it as I only need the telescope.

 

I know you're not too far from ARMANDII, as the crow flies, but surely you need a big telescope to see that from your place?