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October 2003 Newsletter.Pub FORT BEND ASTRONOMY CLUB P.O. BOX 942 STAFFORD, TEXAS 77497-0942 VOLUME 17, ISSUE 10 The FBAC Observer OCTOBER, 2003 INSIDE THIS ISSUE: Aperture Fever: Building The Dobsonian Of A Lifetime Calendar Of Events 2 By Dennis Borgman Galactic Coordinates 4 The beginning been prompt with my be a better way. East Dome Schedule 5 decision to purchase. Aperture fever had Wheel-barrow handles Book Review 6 been getting stronger My intentions for some and loading ramps to by the day. My chance time had been to pur- ease the pain of trans- Chasing An Eclipse 7 to pacify this desire chase the optics and porting were only the Astro Bits 8 came about quite sud- build the mount, but beginning. denly in that of course, would Club Officers 9 “The whole scope Decem- have meant completing Personal background wasn’t quite ready ber 1992 construction before I Building and fixing Meeting Notices 9 for the one ton club, when Ed had a useable instru- things has been a pas- Editorial 9 but it was close.” Sczce- ment. Here, for little sion of mine for many panski, a more than the cost of years. In fact home prolific buyer, builder the optics, I had a use- shop machining was and seller of telescopes able scope and could my primary hobby be- in Houston, put his build my own mount at fore I became interested home built 20" DOB up a leisurely pace. Ed's in Astronomy, so I have for sale. Upon inform- home-built scopes are a well equipped home ing me of it's availabil- seldom light-weights shop and the basic ity, I immediately asked and this one was no ex- skills to use the tools. I him to consider it sold ception. The upper am a computer techni- IN THIS ISSUE and advertise no fur- cage alone weighed in cian by trade and a self • In this issue, Dennis ther. I soon found out at over 40 pounds! taught hobby machinist Borgman shows us how that my speedy reply Nothing wimpy here! and woodworker. to build a premium Dob- was indeed fortunate, The whole scope wasn't sonian telescope. for several Houston quite ready for the one- The design • FBAC has a new arrival amateurs had heard ton club, but it was I used Generic CADD through the grapevine close. I sprained my software to do most of • Joe Dellinger chases the that it was for sale and back the first time I my design work. Solar eclipse of 1999 would surely have loaded it in the truck, (Continued on page 3) • Astronomers are at odds snatched it up had I not and decided there must with the media Leonard Pattillo Retires As Observer Editor After more than challenge of gathering keeping things simple is 8 years and over 100 is- and editing articles for the best way to go”, said sues, Leonard Pattillo is the newsletter but be- Leonard. stepping down as editor lieves that, due to health He also heads up of the FBAC Observer. concerns, he should let the Astronomy On Leonard, who someone else take the Wheels program for was one of the charter job. FBAC and will continue members of the Fort “I’ve tried lots to administer that public Bend Astronomy Club, of different formats over outreach arm of FBAC. said he has enjoyed the the years but found that -Wes Whiddon PAGE 2 V OLUME 17, ISSUE 10 Astronomy Day, 2003 This annual event is held in October at the George Observatory in Brazos Bend State Park. This year’s affair is on Saturday, Oc- tober 4. Astronomy Day brings the four Houston area clubs together in a combined effort to present the science of astronomy to the local public. Outdoor and indoor dis- plays show all aspects of astronomy and talks on observing will be presented by club member volunteers. The highlight, of course is the actual observing through one of the three domed telescopes or one of the host of “deck” scopes provided by various club members. Admission to the park is $3/ person and there is a charge to observe through the 36” research telescope. What’s Happening In October Wednesday, October 1—15 minutes after sunset look early for Venus, very low in twilight. Visi- bility will improve as autumn progresses. Thursday, October 2—Jupiter and Mercury are visible in the east one hour before sunrise. The moon is just past first quarter. Friday, October 3—Saturn is high in the southeast. All clubs meeting at Houston Museum Of Natural Science—Herzstein Hall Saturday, October 4—Astronomy Day at the George Observatory 3-11 PM. Monday and Tuesday, October 6-7—Uranus at mag 6 is 3.6 degrees from Mars and 1.4 degrees north of Iota Aquarii. Thursday, October 9—Full moon. Sunday, October 12—The Pleiades high in the east 3 1/2 hours after sunset. Thursday, October 16—Northernmost Moon rises far north of east tonight within 4 hours after sunset from northern U.S. Saturn rises 6 degrees below Moon within 3/4 hour later. Friday, October 17—FBAC meeting, 7:15 PM, 3232 Austin Parkway, Sugar Land, TX. Tuesday, October 21-23—Predawn, best mornings for Orionid meteors from particles once part of Halley’s Comet. Saturday, October 25—New moon. Saturn begins retrograde motion in Gemini. Highlight Of The Month—Mars will fade sharply from mag –2.1 to –1.2 as the distance from Earth grows from 42 million to 58 million miles. The disk will shrink from 21 to 15 arcseconds and become noticeably gibbous. Other Highlights—Remember that there will be a lunar eclipse visible from Houston early in No- vember. In February of 2004, there will be simultaneous visibility of four of the five naked-eye planets in the evening sky. THE FBAC OBSERVER PAGE 3 Aperture Fever (Continued From Page 1) CADD allows you to correct mis- secondary holder. ondary holders use a push-pull ad- takes before they are discovered af- justing/locking design that can be a ter hours of construction in the shop. The rebuild bear to adjust even in the daylight, I can't claim a lot of original ideas in First to be rebuilt was the upper Steve's design is based on a single my finished scope, but I have dili- cage assembly and serrurier truss socket head cap screw at each of gently scoured the pages of tele- system. Both cage rings are identi- three evenly spaced radial points, scope making publications and duti- cal octagonal segmented solid oak, with enough built in friction to fully observed the craftsmanship with biscuit joinery to insure eliminate secondary movement un- and ideas of others. Through this strength. After glue-up of all but der telescope use or transport. Bel- process I have gleaned the ideas that one of the eight joints, the inside ville spring washers hold the adjust- appealed to me most and attempted radius of the ring was formed by ment screws under constant tension to apply them wherever possible in fastening it to a one quarter inch to the mounting plate fastened to the my own design. So while there are thick backup panel to provide a cen- secondary support rod. Small many great ideas from others in my ter pivot and then band-sawing. Af- threaded brass balls between com- design, the overall finished product ter removing the ring from the band- pression plates allow for tilting of is my own. My primary desire was saw and the remaining backup the portion of the holder glued to the to build a DOB that was reasonably panel, the final joint was glued and secondary mirror with silicone adhe- easy to transport and assemble. clamped. The eight separating struts sive. This sounds complicated, but Telescopes that don't meet these cri- between the two cage rings are one it is in fact quite simple. The whole teria are seldom used, they just sit (1) inch diameter .062" wall alumi- design depends on friction forces and collect dust! Secondly, I num tubing with epoxied solid alu- applied after the whole unit is as- wanted a tracking telescope. Sev- minum filler pieces where cross sembled and works extremely well. eral years with a Celestron Ultima 8 holes or tapped fasteners needed to In practice, the screws are adjusted had spoiled me with the ability to be located. Recesses, matching the with a small hex wrench and are study star charts and return to the tube diameter, are milled .062" deep simply turned clockwise or counter- scope with the same star field still in into the oak cage rings to positively clockwise at each of the three ad- the eyepiece. (I seemed to spend an locate the tube struts. To provide justing points to align the secondary undue amount of time back at the fastening points for the spider vanes mirror WHILE you are looking charts determining how to star hop that were rotated 90° to the eyepiece through the focuser, alignment tube with those mirrored images!) After position, four cross bars were or autocollimator. Some nice pic- talking with Andy Saulietis about mounted horizontally between adja- tures of the holder may be seen in getting a copy of his 'Polar Roller' cent tube struts. Short .25T x .5W x Sky and Telescope magazine, Vol design, he informed me that there 1.5L bars fastened vertically at the 83, #1, January 1992, page 14. was something better and brand center of each of the four cross bars I use a JMI 2" NGF focuser new, a true alt-az drive system.
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