Field rotation occurs whenever, and only when, motion occurs around two axes during tracking. Ideally, this wouldn’t happen with an equatorial mount except when the polar axis is imperfectly aligned.

Or take the shaft to Home Depot and try either their thread template or bolts from the specialty cabinet. I’ve found that strategy very useful! —howard

Rolando and Marge— Thanks for the encouraging responses. I’ve emailed Peter Tyson. As you say, the available time at Las Campanas may be wall-to-wall Big Astronomy, but seeing a human-scale A-P jewel

Hi, Rolando— Regarding the A-P Mak at the Carnegie station on Las Campanas: After years of hoping I could finally take part in one, I’m signed up for the upcoming Sky & Telescope tour of a number of C

OK, this time. Just don’t let it happen again. – Howard

But it was pretty funny…a John Deere “field flattener" for $2 million, just the thing for bulldozing your bottom land into a rugby pitch. Love to know Ontario Telescope’s thinking here… —howard

👍

“AM seller”?

Chip— Can you give me a link or specifications for the 600E parts? That sounds like a very good idea. —howard

That’s very generous of you, Roland, and a fine contribution to the whole community. —howard

That’s very interesting, Roland, and thanks for the additional background. Do you ever sell time on the Mak to remote imagers? —howard

The remote scope is mouth-watering, Roland! Thanks for posting the link. It seems to me that the cost of constructing such a large and robust building in that remote and forbidding place, laying the e

…curved? —howard

I have a 600E (I think an early version, with no special capabilities) carrying a 155EDT. Can any upgrades be made to it, internally or in the hand controller? I may have asked George this earlier, in

Congratulations, Roland! But if this is the 1000th, shouldn’t that be a “Full millennium“? –howard

Now that you mention it, I guess there’s really no reason to line a hole with a piece of pipe, is there, if the concrete of the patio is in good condition. With respect to locating the holes, it seems

Thanks for the tip. But with my 1-clamp Planet carrying a relatively light load, I may not need to do this. But I’ll have to re-think my idea of leaving the 2-clamp Planet with the 600E mount out on t

I have two Planets, a double-clamp model carrying my 155EDF on a 600E mount (a recent replacement for the 25-year-old original) and a single-clamp model that I scored on a special deal from a retailer

Hi, Roland— That’s a wonderful degree of mechanical and optical performance! My own 1600AE coming in May is going to be comparatively under-utilized on a portable pier under Northwest Ohio skies, I’m

Thanks for the link to a very interesting article! I don’t recall seeing it at the time, but I was living in cloudy urban Germany without my C8 Orange Tube, and my interest in equipment may have been