blair_allen•25d agoProlific Poster

Saturn's rings looked like a toy through my 6-inch Dob last Tuesday

I was out behind the garage at 2am with my old Orion scope, and smack in the middle of a good seeing night, that planet just popped into focus like a photograph. Turned out the secret was letting the mirror cool down for a full hour before I even started looking. Anybody else found that just waiting around makes their views better than any fancy eyepiece?

2 comments

2 Comments

aaron_ellis4224d ago

Wait, are you saying a full hour of cool-down time? I used to think that was overkill and just go straight outside after pulling the scope from my warm basement. But a few months back I had a night where I was too lazy to set up right away and left my 8-inch dob in the driveway for like 45 minutes while I got a drink. When I finally looked at Saturn it was crazy sharp, way better than my usual views where the planet just kind of wobbles around. Now I'm totally converted, I just set the scope up as soon as it gets dark and go back to the garage to wait until it's properly acclimated.

cole_robinson24d ago

Same thing with my 10 inch. Patience really pays off.