More Phun With Photons!



The snow stopped; the sky briefly cleared; I drag the Photon Instruments outside, because the Moon is visible. The viewing conditions are actually pretty good--not too much turbulence. But then the telescope has to adjust to the outside temperature (which, as you might expect, is quite low). I do some calculations, and conclude that the sky will be clouded over again by the time the objective has reached a good figure again. I was right!



Grrrr!



Unfortunately, I was down on the ground, because the Cave Optical mount has such a low saddle. Yes, it does appear that a Losmandy GM-8 is the right choice for a mount: light enough to pack in any car (maybe even the Corvette), steady enough to handle both the Photon Instruments refractor and the 8" reflector. Let's see, call it $1600 with the aluminum motor covers and the extra counterweight required for the reflector. Now, if I can find a buyer for the old Cave Optical mount....