INTENSITY²

Start here => What's your crime? Basic Discussion => Topic started by: Peter on February 01, 2009, 04:16:18 AM

Title: Oldest maps of the moon
Post by: Peter on February 01, 2009, 04:16:18 AM

http://www.takefreetime.com/2009/01/history-corrected-by-400-year-old-moon.html

I've got a telescope that mum picked up in a charity shop, but although the optics are good enough to give a nice clear image of the moon, the tripod and mountings are loose, wobbly, cheap pieces of crap that make it almost impossible to aim, even at a target as large as the moon, which explains why it was in a charity shop in the first place.  There are also very few nights here when it's clear enough to view anything; most of the time we have a big thick blanket of cloud that glows a garish orange-yellow from the reflected low-pressure sodium street lighting.  Still, it beats the crap out of whatever this guy was working with.

Title: Re: Oldest maps of the moon
Post by: Callaway on February 02, 2009, 09:47:06 PM

 8)

He made some good drawings.

I wonder if the wobbly tripod and mountings on the telescope you bought could be fixed?

Title: Re: Oldest maps of the moon
Post by: Parts on February 02, 2009, 09:50:22 PM

Go to a second hand shop and get a photographers tripod they are usually much better

Title: Re: Oldest maps of the moon
Post by: Peter on February 03, 2009, 03:02:35 AM

I've got a couple of photographic tripods already, but the mountings aren't compatible.

Title: Re: Oldest maps of the moon
Post by: DirtDawg on February 03, 2009, 05:40:55 AM

Quote from: Peter on February 03, 2009, 03:02:35 AM

I've got a couple of photographic tripods already, but the mountings aren't compatible.

It's not like "rocket surgery."  Just find the proper mechanical adaptions. My most stable tripod, which I can actually climb up and stand on, is a video tripod and it is quite adaptable to other mountings.

Title: Re: Oldest maps of the moon
Post by: Peter on February 03, 2009, 06:41:20 AM

Quote from: DirtDawg on February 03, 2009, 05:40:55 AM

Quote from: Peter on February 03, 2009, 03:02:35 AM

I've got a couple of photographic tripods already, but the mountings aren't compatible.

It's not like "rocket surgery."  Just find the proper mechanical adaptions. My most stable tripod, which I can actually climb up and stand on, is a video tripod and it is quite adaptable to other mountings.

Can you give me any suggestions for where to start with these?  All I can think of is making some sort of wooden plank arrangement with a couple of holes that screws onto the camera attachment of the photographic tripod, and then duct-taping the telescope to it.

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Title: Re: Oldest maps of the moon
Post by: Peter on February 03, 2009, 06:52:24 AM

.

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Title: Re: Oldest maps of the moon
Post by: renaeden on February 04, 2009, 02:49:22 AM

Some of your books look interesting. :)