I will be able to wait; for as long as it takes: for the wintry weather of the Northeastern U.S. to cooperate - just a little. So that my friend Scott can undertake the long road trip, to deliver those wonderful vintage telescopes to me.
But, the weather has not been behaving. However, I have seen some outstanding photos of those particular telescopes (I have pictures of them hanging on my refrigerator!). So my patience has been restored.
It doesn't look like it will happen this weekend either; but that's totally ok.
It's not just The Waiting ...It's the fact that I don't have any good optics to observe the night sky with - That's what was making it really tough. We have another clear night tonight (as I type this). A small Newtonian reflector would be ideal right now. Even a 4" - something to just pop out onto the deck with.
I must confess: I have tried to do some binocular astronomy, On the past few clear nights: and at these temps, I can only last about 10 minutes! And I doubt it would be much longer if I changed out of my pajama pants 😁
Over the years, I've owned many different types and sizes of telescopes and binoculars for astronomy. And although Dobsonian reflectors certainly have their advantages, and their unique merits: They haven't been the most comfortable instrument to observe with - especially, for long periods of time. When making pencil sketches of DSO's, for example.
However, the telescopes we're discussing here, are not Dobs...but Newtonian's! I've never owned a large Newtonian...
With a binocular telescope (even a small one), you do have the simplicity of just the optic itself, attached to a good photo tripod. And away you go! They come with eyepiece tubes built at either a 45 degree, or 90 degree angle (either of which is very comfortable in use). Especially when trying to create a decent-looking pencil sketch of Deep Sky Objects.
Until next time, Clear & steady skies!
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