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A little about myself.  I got started in astronomy when I was a young child.  A friend showed Saturn to me through his 60mm refractor, and I have been hooked ever since.  I went to the library, checked out many astronomy books, and enjoyed every page. A year later, my parents purchased my first telescope, the venerable Dynascope RV-6.  Over the last 50 years, I’ve made many observations with telescopes as small as 2.4” and as large as 48”.  The rest is history.

Currently, I observe with telescopes ranging from 22” to 48”.  My main observing targets are mainly obscure deep sky objects, such as the VV catalogue of interacting galaxies, galaxy trios, Shakhbazian galaxy groups, and super thin galaxies to name a few "lists".  

I'm a star hopper at heart and over the decades got pretty good at it.  My buddies sometimes wonder how I can find stuff so fast by just using a zero-power finder and 24mm Panoptic (my general low-power eyepiece). I just chalk it up as experience. I tried digital setting circles (DSCs) and found that it took more time to find stuff than just star-hopping using proper star charts and techniques. Figure that most of the objects I look for are not in the "built-in" catalog of the DSCs, so I would need to enter the coordinates. Those of you who own these things understand the pain of entering RA and Dec manually one digit at a time.

My primary methodology is to center the object with the zero power finder (Telrad or Rigel QuikFinder) using appropriate star charts, then further centering the field using a low-power eyepiece. Once centered, I generally bump up the magnification to at least 230x, generally higher.  Medium to high power observing yields detail that one would miss if it is observed at low powers.  Sometimes tight galaxy pairs, trios, or groups need high magnifications to "bust" them apart.  I observe between 230x and 500x more than 90% of the time.

I not only observe at high powers, but I also prefer to use very high contrast eyepieces. My current favorites are Orthoscopic eyepieces as I use those 90% of the time.  If I need to go wide field, I’ve found that the 72-degree TeleVue Delos is the best in class in terms of observing threshold objects. A wide field eyepiece goes in my focuser when I observe very star-poor regions, where very little if any field stars are visible at high powers.  There were several times when I was looking at something in Cetus or a star-poor region at 500+ power, I was getting lost due to the lack of field stars, so I had to pull back and throw in the Delos.  A bit more detail is in the Eyepieces section, which discusses which eyepieces I use and why. 

Once I’ve located the object, I generally observe at varying magnifications and note details visible.  Sometimes some detail is visible at higher powers and other detail at lower powers. My observing notes are generally a composite of what I see with varying magnifications.  Hence when I write my notes, I generally include not only the telescope and atmospheric conditions but the magnifications as well.  When I sketch objects, I generally observe at several magnifications, then sketch in the details as a composite of the different magnifications.  Since I observe at the edge a lot, I use different magnifications and mostly Orthoscopic eyepieces. 

Our observing sites are generally in the Sierras of Northern California at 5,000 feet and higher with fellow TAC and TAC-Sac observers. Our most used site at 7,600 feet elevation under NELM 7.0+ skies.  Since I have relocated to Texas Hill Country, my observing sites are at least 3 hours west to get equivalent skies as in the high Sierras. Or I can go 5.5 hours west and I'll be at the site of the world famous Texas Star Party (TSP).

For major star parties, I regularly attend the Texas Star Party, the Oregon Star Party, and the Golden State Star Party.

I’m not just a visual observer, but like to build telescopes.  I haven’t built one since 2011.  My most used telescope is the 22” I built in 1999.  I’ve built several smaller and larger telescopes, ranging from 16” to 28” reflectors.  Some detail can be seen in Telescope Components.

I spoke at some major star parties when asked to do so.  I was invited to speak at others, which I had to decline due to work commitments.  Some star parties or events spoke at are:
  • 2010 and 2012 Texas Star Party  – afternoon speaker
  • 2011 Oregon Star Party – evening speaker
  • 2009 Golden State Star Party – evening speaker
  • 2010 SVAS Star-B-Que – evening speaker
  • 2012 NCA speaker

There is one award that I was blown away when I received it.  The TSP Lone Star Award in 2009.  I was very shocked!  Thank you to the organizers of TSP.


Telescopes

  • 22" f/4  home-built reflector   I use this telescope the most as it is fairly light and very transportable. I feel that 22 inches of high-end glass is a good balance of aperture and portability. I can pack this telescope with all of my accessories and camping gear into the Volkswagen New Beetle (old vehicle) and now the BMW 330i. The primary was figured by the late John Hall of Pegasus Optics and resulted in a very fine figure. I've used up to 1200x with full aperture with no image breakdown, so it meets the 50x per inch quality guarantee. I am using the Crossbow Platform and it works GREAT! 
  • 30" f/4.3 Starmaster with Sky Tracker  I use this telescope only at major star parties as it is too big for one person to set up. It also requires a trailer to transport unless you have an Excursion or something similar.  It barely fits in there, due to the long truss poles and a 12-foot ladder.  The primary was figured by late Steve Swayze and is a very good sample.  I was able to use 1200x at Mars during the 2003 Oregon Star Party. There was astounding detail and many folks yelled that "You gotta see Mars in the 30."  Lastly, the Starmaster has the best customer support and best optics of any commercially made truss telescope in the market.  The late Rick Singmaster personally tests each telescope as a system over several nights before it leaves his shop.   
  • 4" f/11 AstroTelescopes refractor  This telescope is used mainly as a quick grab-and-go for quick views out of my backyard.  This telescope features an ultra-smooth focuser, feels very close to the famed Feathertouch, and has excellent hand-figured optics.  During the 2010 Golden State Star Party, I viewed Jupiter at 450x and was astounded by the level of detail with no image breakdown.  Yes, there is very little color in very bright objects.   But the amount of color is less than expected in an f/11 system.  Some folks commented that the views through this telescope rival those through the famous 4" f/15 Unitron.

Eyepieces

Narrow field and very high contrast

  • Zeiss ZAO-II (10, 6, and 4mm) and ZAO-I (25mm) - My current set. The Zeiss ZAO-II is my favorite Deep Sky eyepiece as it gives me the best chance to observe that last photon or minute detail that I'm attempting to fish out.  The Zeiss gives the highest light transmission, lack of scatter, and highest contrast of any eyepiece I've used.  And I've used many different eyepieces.  The only eyepiece that would outperform the ZAO-II is the TMB Supermonocentric, which I used to own.  I regrettably sold them as I initially determined that the TMBs and the ZAO-II's were redundant.  Best of all it is only 4 elements in two groups with incredible polish and coatings.  I use the ZAO-II's most of the time, the only time I don't use them is when I'm observing galaxy clusters or galaxy rich field in star-poor regions, where I tend to get lost at high powers...so I employ one of my Delos in that case.
  • Baader Genuine Orthoscopics (18, 12.5, 9, 7, and 5mm) - My current set.  I use these to fill in the gaps between the Zeiss eyepieces. A great alternative to the Zeiss ZAO-II’s as an entire set of BGOs costs as much as one ZAO-II eyepiece – used. They are excellent eyepieces and outperform the Delos, Ethos or any wide-field eyepiece when it comes to the ability to see threshold objects.  A couple of beginners at the 2009 Golden State Star Party saw more detail and background stars with the BGO than the Ethos.  We compared a 6mm sample of both eyepieces along with the Zeiss ZAO-II. The University Optics HD (I think it is the same as Baader) is closer to the Zeiss than the Ethos.  See the results here (scroll to the bottom).
  • Baader Classic Orthoscopics (10 and 6mm) – I got these just to compare to the ZAO-II and Delos as the focal lengths are the same, hence making comparisons fair.  In a nutshell, I’ve found that the performance of the BCOs sits in between the Delos and the ZAO-II, a little more than halfway between the Delos and the ZAO-II (closer to the Delos). At $74 a whack, it is a pretty good deal since the ZAO-II and BGO aren’t quite available anymore. 

 

Wide field

  • Televue Ethos (17, 13, 8, 6, and 3.7)  I do not own these as I replaced them with the Delos.  The Televue Ethos is by far the best ultra-wide field eyepiece on the planet right now. I compared several focal lengths with every major brand and the Ethos goes deeper and shows more contrast than any other. The Pentax XW comes very close and is a great alternative if you don't want to spend that much (See note regarding the Delos below). The Explore Scientific 100-degree series is a good alternative too but doesn't perform as well. Those who want the best should stick with the Ethos. 
  • Televue Delos (17.3, 12, 8, and 6mm)  The Televue Delos is currently the deepest wide field I've ever tried so far.  I think it has 6 (or 7) elements versus the 9 elements in the Ethos. As I was told, the Delos and Ethos have very well-polished surfaces with glass-matched coatings, giving the highest contrast (or lack of scatter) and transmission for a wide-field eyepiece. So I've got to see it for myself as the true performance of an eyepiece is what the observer sees through the eyepiece, not theory and numbers.  So...

At OSP 2011, I borrowed the 6mm Delos from Televue rep, John Rhodes. The skies were very dark, NELM = 7.5. I've observed two objects namely Hickson 99 (components D and E) and IC 1296. For more detailed notes, click here.    To sum it up, I found that the Delos noticeably outperforms the Ethos, but not the Zeiss, while observing extended objects.  The objects used in threshold observations are Hickson 99, component E (mag 17.7), and IC 1296 (a good low surface brightness galaxy by M-57). 

The Delos is basically a narrow field Ethos with extra eye relief with even more contrast and transmission. Very impressive. The end result is that after my experience at OSP 2011, I sold all of my Ethos and acquired the above Delos.  

        The Delos is my wide field of choice when it comes to observing deep. 

  • Televue Panoptic (24mm)  This is my primary finder eyepiece as I leave the 2"/1.25" adapter in my focuser 100% of the time.  This is the widest practical 1.25" eyepiece. I would like to see a 22-24mm Delos in 1.25" format in the future, but given the basic understanding of how the Delos is made, I don't think it is physically possible.


Several thoughts of eyepiece comparisons when observing faint deep sky objects.

I generally compare several eyepieces at the SAME focal length against each other. Even 1mm of focal length difference especially at high powers makes a huge magnification difference. Test objects are generally threshold objects, such as a mag 17.7 example I used at OSP or a very low surface brightness object. Also the larger the scope, the wider the difference between two given eyepieces. For example, the difference between the Ethos and the BGO is pretty obvious through the 22” reflector, while I could not discern the difference in my 6” refractor. The diagram below shows that the difference between eyepieces increases as the aperture increases. The graph is a bit exaggerated, otherwise, there wouldn’t be space to insert text or brackets. 

Some may report that they can't see the difference.  At GSSP 2009 and OSP 2011, even a beginner noticed a difference between the eyepieces. 


Other Visual Accessories

Barlows

  • TMB Barlow 1.8x ED  Wow, this Barlow is excellent. The coatings are so well made that the glass is very hard to see under normal light. The glass is made at the famous Zeiss Jena facility and is regarded by many to be in the same league as the famed Zeiss Barlow, a few think it is actually even better. It has only two elements in one group as far as I know! Someone on CloudyNights.com has recently performed the transmission test with a laser and sensor...has determined that the TMB Barlow has a greater than 99% transmission! 


Deep Sky filters.  Note all links below are to actual scans as produced by Cary at Lumicon.   I've also noted the age of the filters as I understand that the quality of filters changes over time as companies constantly change and/or improve the filters.

  • Lumicon UHC filter – Workhorse narrow-band nebula filter.  The current version is far better than the original 1990s version as it rejects the red wavelengths.  This filter has replaced the Orion Ultrablock filter as my primary narrow-band filter.  The filter was picked up at about 2014.
  • Orion Ultrablock filter – The original, made in Japan, back in the early '90s.  Not the current version, which is currently made in Korea.  Solid everyday nebula filter.
  • Omega Optical NPB Filter – Outstanding filter and a good alternative to the Ultrablock or Lumicon UHC filter.  The stars appear natural versus greenish as this filter also passes some red.  Some observers sometimes prefer this over the O-III for planetary nebulae.   Picked this up in about 2010.  You can pick it up here or here
  • Lumicon O-III filter – Workhorse planetary nebula filter.  I think this is the best O-III filter. I picked it up to replace my older Lumicon blue box O-III filter in about 2007.
  • Lumicon H-beta filter – The well-known "Horsehead Nebula" filter.  Best used on the "redder" nebulae, such as the California, IC405, IC 5146 (Cocoon Nebula), etc.  This replaced my old blue box Lumicon at about 2007.
  • Astronomik CLS filter – Good filter for protoplanetary nebulae and reflection nebula where the Ultrablock/UHC doesn't work.  Outstanding filter for the younger (bluer) galaxies, such as NGC 253, M-33, etc.  Don't let the "budget" marketing label fool you.  This filter actually passes quite a bit more than your standard broadband filter, while rejecting a majority of the light created by artificial light sources, such as street lamps.  Jimi and I have used this filter to enhance the view of Hanny's Voorwerp with his 48" reflector.
  • Lumicon Deep Sky filter - rock solid broad-band filter.  Picked it up in about 2014.
  • Lumicon Comet Filter Picked it up in about 2014.
  • Baader Moon and Skyglow filter – Interesting filter that really works in enhancing the lunar and planetary contrast.  Acquired in 2010
  • The Celestron LPR Nebular Filter was my first filter of any kind to reduce light pollution. I picked up way back in about 1983.  It still works well, considering that it was probably among the first generation with the early Lumicon filters.  I actually saw the Veil for the first time ever with this filter with a 6" reflector in west San Francisco.  Yes, in the city of San Francisco in 1984.



Other accessories

  • Mickel's self-centering collet 2"/1.25" adapter with both 2" and 1.25" filter threads.  This adapter lives in my focuser.  This adapter is no longer available in the market.
  • I'm still considering the AstroDon Sloan G filter for visual use as my buddy, Jimi, and I have found it effective for protoplanetaries or objects like Hanny's Voorwerp (offical site of discoverer or an image).


Collimation Tools

  • Catseye sight tube, Cheshire, and Autocollimator
  • Lasermax holographic collimator – Got this in 1995 and was the best one out there back then.  There are many current offerings from Glatter, HoTech, etc are also very good.  I haven’t tried many of them as I got one that work and works well for me.  It is also very hard to find anywhere now.
  • Glatter’s The Blug barlowed collimation plug – Great tool for those times I arrive a bit too late to use the autocollimator, which requires a bit of ambient light to work.  It works great. 


Contact me by email at alvin dot huey @ faintfuzzies period com

 


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