I wasn't suggesting anyone buy that ridiculous colour filter collection. I regard it as a joke!

I think the idea is that the #58 Green dims out the brightness of both stars - as from just the general brightness that stars have - as well as the violet-scatter of chromatic-abberation. If so, it would help in all types of telescope. As for the Light-Green filter, who knows - but I was wondering the same thing myself. It sounds to be a very worthy experiement. And other filters, too! Hell - throw the whole damn Orion 20-Pc. set at 'em!

I've always suggested experimenting with filters. There's more than enough room in the field of colour-perception and uses. It's nowhere near a fully explored field of endeavor.

$229US is $390CDN?? That can't be right! What's the current exchange-rate?

Off to answer some questions on Crayford's and types of diagonals...

<sLaM!> - sorry 'bout that - it was the wind!

 

I think the #58 is more useful than the #56 for lunar viewing. Its lower transmission helps with glare on a bright Moon and the colour is more natural.

I think my three most used Wratten filters are the #11, #82A and #21. With the #58 as a close fourth. Although I tend to use the Baader Orange equivalent of the #21.

 

Well, Yellow-Green is good on all those, especially Mars and Saturn. I found the #11 had as much efficacy as a Baader Neodymium for revealing maria on Mars, which surprised me to be honest. A few weeks after the Mars opposition you should get a better view of the polar caps (or at least the northern one). Basically, Mars is going to look small even at 200x.



You can just see the northern polar cap at the bottom of this Virtual Planet Atlas image, the white patch at the top is an albedo feature often mistaken for the polar cap.



This is an enlarged VMA view of a few weeks after the last opposition showing the northern cap at the bottom. The southern cap wasn't visible to me anyway but I did see the albedo feature.



I've used PhotoFiltre 7 and GIMP to represent using blue and green filters. I don't think I've got the colour shade particularly right (especially with the blue), but you can see the effect they have in making all albedo features including the northern polar cap, more contrasted in a tiny target.



I found the #82A Light Blue and #56 Light Green really good for revealing the northern polar cap. I didn't try the #58 Dark Green on Mars, but I would think it would act in a similar way, especially on a 200mm aperture.

 

I'd get the .357! Place it to my temple. And squeeze the trigger! <!!BANG!!> Before I pulled the trigger on a set of filters that would only be used a few times. I'd save the money, acrue the interest, and then buy as needed. Read: Hang onto your principal.

But that's me. Please to do as pleases you. <WooF!!>

Now then -

Very cool pictoral on colour-filters on Mars (sounds like a poor 1950's horror flick) and the Northern-Polar Cap. A lovely thing it is, too! The 2003 opposition showed me BOTH Polar-Caps like two tufts of cotton in my eyepiece. And the Zeta-Reticulan Saucers busily filling in the canals they'd dug in the 1880's to drive Ol' Percy* straight up a wall!

Keep hunting that filter! 'Used' market. Damn you, Sirius Optics!!

And on the Dark Lords' Manor front: Screwy Stu-ey PUD censored a top members' post recently when he followed my lead in talking to Avani - in Portuguese (with translations). So PUDdles tore his post up! It was 'Mars' (I forget the letter & numbers after that - from Australia) - so I sent him a PMand invited him to come over here and see what he thinks. And to please keep this place under-his-hat.
Lowell
So don't be surprised if.....

Bombs' Away!

R & D

* Percival Lowell

 

The Zeta Reticulans have always denied originally digging the canals.



How do they explain these photo's then?

 

Opinions on filters are often quite divisive but I find they're very useful. It depends on a lot of factors I think. The way an individual perceives colour being a major contributor to their efficacy in use.

I'm looking forward to the Mars opposition, I think I should get a lot of Martian observing with my 150mm Newtonian, and hopefully some with my 235mm SCT. The 10mm Delos and 18.2mm DeLite will get used in the SCT. The DeLite Barlows (and reduces) very well. I originally bought the DeLite for the last Mars opposition.



I'm hoping to try the Baader Contrast Booster, Semi-Apo and TeleVue Bandmate Planetary filters particularly.

 

The SCT is a Celestron NexStar Evolution. I can assemble it but it takes time. It has a GOTO though and I have a StarSense for it. Once it's set up the GOTO will do all the finding and I'll just be along for the ride.

 

Mak? Where in the devil did you get those pictures?!

Did YOU do those? They're VERY good!

R & D


PS - No change in status in the USPS Tracking of my Skyglow and 6mm Eyepiece! It only say 'DELAYED' with no location data available whatsoever. Now Amazon wants to know if I like the products and wish to re-order more!

<strapping-on my .40 Isreali Jericho pistol...(cue 'Shoot-out Music)>

 

It's big.

 

The Zeta Reticulan pictures were from their website: www.sneakyzetareticulans.com

We have about half a metre of snow to play with here so I've been informed some things will be delayed. It's really quiet where I live and it's not often cars drive through my street. Last night I saw a Range Rover pulling a couple of people on skis go right past my house. I kid you not. If only the Old Bill had seen them lol.

 

Snow didn't hamper the delivery of the 1.25" UltraBlock though.

 

People on skies being pulled by cars & trucks is very Norman Rockwell/Vermont. Utterly normal stuff. Snow I'm not phased by. Ice-Storms are my hate.

The Ultrablock looks just like mine - same package. Stiff platic-foam. My Skyglow just arrived. Off to un-box it and the 6mm Astromania EP.

'Ta,

Woof!

 

It will be interesting to compare the UltraBlock with the Lumicon UHC, I'm guessing I'll have to wait for the snow to thaw though. lol

I've been in the Austrian Tyrol and Bavaria in winter and they deal with snow relatively easily. They can have huge snowfalls in New York and very little stops. A couple of centimetres of snow here and the whole bloody country grinds to a halt.