Hey, check it out. My latest creation, a ten inch f / 3
Newtonian. This 12 inch tube is just 33 inches long. It
contains my first meniscus mirror. Pyrex, and the fast f /3 curve
in the face, matches on it's back. So it's uniform throughout (
3/4 inch thick, and light ) thin Pyrex, with no change in correction,
as the temperature drops, because of the uniform thickness of the
lightweight mirror. I made the mirror from what was a ten inch
tool that I had used for years to make other mirrors with. As high as
Pyrex is now, it needs to be a mirror instead.
With just a 30 1/8 inch focal length, it's very easy to take out and
transport around, and it gives fantastic very low power views on big
objects. Awesome wide field views with the 21mm TeleVue Ethos
eyepiece in it. It does require the new Paracorr type 2 coma
corrector in use with the eyepiece of choice. The
views are crisp and sharp edge to edge. It also does real good, with
higher power eyepieces, for more magnification when needed.
I've covered the tube and rocker with the gorgeous African cherry,
called Makore ( mac or ee ), along with Ebony, and Birdseye
Maple. My first time to ever do the end rings with a black
wood, rather than light maple or similar. All was brushed
with epoxy, sanded down, and sprayed with satin finish
varnish. Uncounted hours of work.
There is a small red dot finder ( object locator ) that goes on above
the focuser and end of the tube. The mirror is glued with
silicone glue to one of two wooden rings I made for a mirror
cell. The back ring is bolted to the tube. Collimating
bolts with springs and wing nuts hold the two rings together. It
works excellent, and holds collimation well.
