Dave's 16
Inch Binocular Telescope Page
19 May 2002 From:
Clive Milne Subject: ATM 20" F5 Binoculars (first
impressions)
I don't have the energy (or the time) to give a full account of the first light with my binocular
telescope,
but here are a few impressions:
Firstly, they worked with only a few minor repairs and tweaks,
and that was a pleasant surprise considering that I took delivery
of the optics 2 hours before sunset. It would be fair to say that
setting the things up proved to be a little 'quirky', but that
was to be expected I suppose.
As they stand, the design is entirely valid for a permanent
set up, and the minor modifications I have planned should ease
the pain of using them on a whimsical basis. Currently, set up
is a 'non-trivial' undertaking, but the issues have relatively
simple solutions and all will be addressed in due course.
Some of the
positives include the off-set wire spiders, which amazed everyone
who tested their stability. And of course the OTA alignment joystick, which
streamlined
the operation by two orders of magnitude. People who had never
used a telescope
before found no difficulty in observing with this
instrument, and no one reported any
eyestrain over the two nights. What can
I say other than 'it works'.
The views
through the instrument are hard to describe. However, to give you an idea
of the compelling nature of observing with giant binoculars, consider that the
first night with them, they were effectively as good as an un-baffled
instrument. Every moment was so
precious that we elected not to trade
eyepiece time for that required to baffle the instrument
properly. I don't
think I have ever heard so many 'Ohhhhhhh myyyyy Goddddds' uttered in
a
single night. Except of course for the second night when the baffling was
greatly improved.
I also had the
opportunity to compare a few objects using a nearby 25" Obsession. While
there
is no denying that the views through it were quite stunning, and one
could argue the merits of one
instrument over the other based on limiting
magnitude or faint detail perception, but that just misses
the point
completely. The incredible sense of total immersion in the reality of the
experience is
what binoculars are all about. The one positive impression
that the 25" Obsession left me with
was that I simply must build an even
bigger pair of bino's :)
There is a negative side
to observing with a giant binocular telescope though, and that is that the comfort level
afforded by using both eyes means that people tend to
'hog' the eyepiece. I regularly had to suggest 'sorry, your time is up,
let someone else have a look'.
As
daylight now floods my eyes, I still vividly recall the visual spectacle of
those first two nights. It was like seeing all my old favorite object again for
the first time. The LMC
truly defies description, field, after field, after field, of ghostly
fluorescent gas studded with innumerable glittering diamonds. The stars of Omega
Centauri so impossibly bright that the subtle contrasting hues of the stars
themselves are clearly visible. Nameless planetary nebulae transformed into powder
blue cotton balls in the sky. I also found myself appreciating double stars,
star clusters and dark nebulae, classes of objects that previously never really
managed to capture my interest. I found it hard not to be seduced by the shear
beauty of them, they are truly transformed with the aid of binocular
vision And of course Eta Carina... I lack the words and the skill with them
to even hint at the staggering beauty of this nebula. You will have to come
down and see it for your self. Finally I must give thanks to a few people in
direct proportion to the assistance they gave me. Jos, thanks SO much for
trusting me with your workshop. Onya mate! ;) Horst, pitching in made the
difference. Christine, your patience with me made this possible. And lastly
Mark Suchting, not just for his help with the mechanical aspects of the
telescope, but also for the first class optical work on the primary mirrors. For the
record... these primaries show no visible defects in the diffraction pattern
when viewed on the test bench!!!!! I think that counts as a 1 on the Bratislav
quality scale? My views on astronomy will never be the same.
Regards, Clive.