iPhone Moon
Category: Astronomy
Exploring the cosmos
Hydraulic
Snowy Dawn
Cryogen
First on the Mauna Panorama
First on the Mauna
Overhauling the Bogen 329 Tripod Head
For decades I have used a Bogen 329 tripod head atop a Manfrotto 3221 tripod as my ‘heavy’ setup. This tripod has been carried for miles on hiking trails, over lava flows, and has sat in the cold winds for many a night under the stars of Mauna Kea. Heavy and solid the tripod can hold a camera motionless for hours in strong winds.
This old tripod has also been showing its age, the pan and tilt adjustments becoming difficult to use.
The ScopeStuff 2″ Crayford Focuser
When shopping for a focuser you face a lot of choices. From the cheap eBay Chinese options to the top-of-the-line Moonlights and Feather Touch. I once again perused these options when buying a new focuser for the Cave Astrola.
I considered the cheapest end of the market, a few options found on eBay, and again at the top-of-the-line, machined works of art that cost as much as some telescopes. This time I was limiting the budget for restoring the Astrola, not wanting to spend much more than a hundred on the focuser to keep the cost of the whole effort down.
New Moon
During this new Moon a partial solar eclipse will sweep across much of Antarctica and the southern tip of South America. At maximum the Moon will cover about 60% of the Sun.
Restoring the Cave Astrola
I do enjoy a nice project I can work on, get my hands dirty, and use my skills. A classic telescope in need of restoration? Just the thing.
This telescope was literally rescued from the trash. Matt, the owner of the excellent Mountain Road Cycles in Waimea found the telescope at the transfer station.
Matt put a message into the folks at the observatory, who represent more than a few of his customers. The info was quickly forwarded to me, as everyone here knows I build and restore telescopes for fun.
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