Fred Ley

I suppose that one may be able to replicate thumbprints on a piece of iron in order to pass it off as a genuine meteorite. But, a meteorite identical in size to a piece of iron will weight more. In addition, one should test for the presence of nickel in the suspect specimen. Another test is to cut a piece of the meteorite and etch it. If it is a meteorite, it will display the Widmanstatten pattern. For the Widmanstatten pattern info check this link... http://www.google.com/search?q=widmanstatten&channel=linkdoctor As you know, there is always a learning curve when dive into something new. That is also what a site like this all about. Sharing knowledge. Enjoy, Fred

Hi Markhero, Here is a few sites that will answer quite a few questions pertaining to meteorites. I have randomly picked a few sites from my bookmarked list. Have fun. -Fred http://www.nevadameteorites.com/nevadameteorites/METEORITE_HUNTS.html http://www.meteoritefinder.com/index.htm http://www.mr-meteorite.net/ http://www.meteorite.com/ http://www.rocksfromspace.org/

Just thought that I'd let everyone know that the filters are still available. I'll let the C11 filter go for 100 Euros and the four 8-inch SCT filter for 80 Euros each. Postage is additional. -Fred

Hi Michael, I just went ahead and signed the petition for the National Observatory of Athens. I hope that it can be saved. Fred

Hi Everybody, Don't forget to Spring back one hour today as we go back to "normal" time. Fred

Hi Everybody, I came across an article in the newspaper today in reference to an ancient observatory in Crete. The article is also on the newspapers website. It can be found at... http://www.enet.gr/?i=news.el.ellada&id=321689 Fred

Hi Michael, The one main issue that I have with e-mail is that the inflection in what one writes is sometimes not clearly conveyed or interpreted which could possibly lead to a misunderstanding. As I was not fully certain as to how to interpret your inital reply, I proceeded with caution in my reply. Certainly, I have an opinion on things which is based on what I currently know of a particular item. That opinion is always open for revision as new data is acquired and parameter adjustments are called for. Perhaps I should list my telephone number on my signature so persons that become totally bewildered by what I post can call me for a clarification. Fred

Hi Michael, I came across this article this morning and simply thought that others might find this to be of interest. My calling attention to this is simply that-calling attention to it. Whether I concur with the contents of the article has absolutely no bearing at all. -Fred

Hi Everybody, Here is a very interesting article written both in Greek and English pertaining to the National Observatory of Athens and its future. The link is... http://www.gopetition.com/petitions/support-the-historic-national-observatory-of-athens.html -Fred

Hello Dreamnayts, I just read your posting and the replies that you have received. Based on the inputs that we have here, the Celestron 80mm Powerseeker 80 that Kkokkolis listed, should be a very nice first telescope. Granted, there are bigger, better, and more expensive instruments out there, but this instrument should be a very nice one to have and usher in the beginings of your interest in astronomy. A 3.1-inch (80mm) refractor will show you a quite a bit. WARNING: DO NOT ATTEMPT TO OBSERVE THE SUN UNLESS YOU KNOW WHAT YOU ARE DOING. EYE DAMAGE CAN HAPPEN AND THE DAMAGE IS NOT REVERSIBLE.Having the German Equatorial mount will allow you to easily follow an object. There is, more than likely, a motor drive available for the mount that one can add at a later time if they so wish to. The drive, as we know, moves the telescope in the opposite direction to the rotation of the Earth and this allows for the object to appear stationary in the eyepiece. That allows one to concentrate on the Moon or planet being observed and to wait for those moments of good seeing when further details come into view. If there is a star party near you, I would suggest attending one in order to see the various instruments and how they perform. I am certain tha the owners would be more than happy to answer some of your questions. Fred PS -I was going to insert the Google translation, but it did not come out very well translated.

Hey Konstantinos, I was thinking of drawing a Bahtinov mask from scratch using Autocad and then with my X-Acto knife, cut out the mask. Placing a print of the mask over a piece of black foam board should did the trick. In my situtation, I have an LX200 10-inch but the focal length is not the standard F/10, but F/6.3. This means that the diameter of the secondary structure on my corrector is slightly bigger then that of the F/10 system. So, in my case, it just makes sense to construct one on my own. -Fred

Do not forget that after one has collimated their system and adjusted their focus with a Bahtinov Mask, we have to contend with how steady the atmosphere is at the time of observation. There will be moments of good seeing and moments of not so good seeing. Some nights are just not worht observing at all. Patience is required on the part of the observer. -Fred

This outfit sells the same eyepiece Euros 159.00 and they are located in Italy. Here is a link to the page. http://www.unitronitalia.com/prodotti.asp?cod=ES&type=020# Hope this helps. Fred