How was your haul?

[High_Jumbllama]

What did everyone get for Christmas? I don't have a woman right now so nothing truly good.

DVDs - Shrek, some old version of Lord of the Rings, The Matrix Revisited, Star Wars The Phantom Menace

CDs - Hanna Barbera Cartoon Classics and Wacky Sounds (Why I got this, I'll never know.), Now that's what I call Christmas (2 CD set with a lot of classic songs and quite a few very good newer ones.)

Games - Star Trek Armada II, Total Annihilation Commander's Pack

2 Shirts, Pants, Buffy the Vampire Slayer Calendar, 10Pack CD-RWs (I never use the things. I now have 25 that I'll never use.), Ornament with my name on it, pictures of my cousin's kids with see through stand, gift card to Sam Goody, movie theater gift certificate book

[mdhome]

Vicar of Dibley and the Blue planet on DVD. Dont know if either of these are watched outside of the UK but both are real corkers. Also received Terminator 2 and Ralph Bakshi's Lord of the Rings.

...Oh and a bottle of Jack Daniels and Vintage Port.

regards MD

[KvHagedorn]

LOL I got the old animated LOTR for myself (this should be the best selling 23 year old movie in DVD history if this is any indication )

Anyhow, my "haul" wasn't that big.. I got some classical CDs, a 2002 World Almanac (a tradition), an HO model steam engine (a very nice one), $300 cash, and a bottle of Glenlivet. My aunt cooked an excellent turkey dinner too, which was probably the best of presents.

[Sasq]

Havn't got it yet, let you know tomorrow

Dan

[Technoid]

A Vacumcleaner!

[Dr Mordrid]

Not too bad here.

Disks:

Five for Fighting CD and The Godfather box set, Apocalypse Now, ST-First Contact and Taxi Driver on DVD.

Toys:

A new CCD imager/autoguider for my telescope.

Dr. Mordrid

[Greebe]

"A new CCD imager/autoguider for my telescope."

Type, make, model.. yadda yadda???

[mdhome]

Originally posted by Dr Mordrid
Not too bad here.

Disks:

Five for Fighting CD and The Godfather box set, Apocalypse Now, ST-First Contact and Taxi Driver on DVD.

Toys:

A new CCD imager/autoguider for my telescope.

Dr. Mordrid

Just recently bought myself a cheap Tasco Galaxsee unit from QVC. BAd mistake. Its going back and I'm going to save up for something that can actually focus. Its also the first time I've looked at the night sky in nearly 20years.

regards MD

[Greebe]

You mean something that doesn't have piss poor plastic lenses in the eyepieces?

[KvHagedorn]

Try binoculars, MD. They are a lot more fun for casual stargazing. Just get a GOOD pair. I got a pair of Celestron 9x63s a few years ago and love them. Make sure the ratio is in the 7-7.5 range when you buy binoculars for skywatching. That allows the maximum amount of light to enter your pupil.

[Joel]

Oh not a lot. Couple of shirts, socks and some underware. A Tennessee Titans baseball cap and shirt. 3 DVDs - The Terminator-Special Edition, ST-The Motion Picture-The Director's Edition and Planet of the Apes(the new one)-2-disc Special Edition.

But the kids racked up so there is other things to still play with.

Joel

[Jammrock]

I got you all beat...I got popcorn

Jammrock

[Greebe]

Chuck most astronomical binos have an objective lens in excess of 80mm... and magnification is typically dependent on the objective to focal length ratio (think that's right.. been awhile)... don't exceed 25x per 2.5cm (ie 1 inch) of objective if you want decient resolution and light gathering ability

[mdhome]

Originally posted by Greebe
You mean something that doesn't have piss poor plastic lenses in the eyepieces.

LOL, probably

Originally posted by KvHagedorn
Try binoculars, MD. They are a lot more fun for casual stargazing. Just get a GOOD pair. I got a pair of Celestron 9x63s a few years ago and love them. Make sure the ratio is in the 7-7.5 range when you buy binoculars for skywatching. That allows the maximum amount of light to enter your pupil.

KV, I was bought a terrestrial pair of bins of about 60*15 when I was a child. The comparison in clarity with all the el cheapo telescopes that I had when I was younger was astounding. Unfortunately they have been with my nephews for the past 5 years. I think I will do what I usually do when I want to invest a small sum in a product and that is read some reviews, check out prices and decide on a suitable product. Anyone here have any suggestions

Regards MD

[KvHagedorn]

The good ones with the 80mm objectives were too expensive and too large and heavy for my tastes. I like being able to hold the binos up and steady with just my hands for awhile. The first number in the bino specs is magnification power, and the second is objective size. The maximum size of your pupil when completely dilated in the darkness is about 7-7.5mm, which is why you want the first number divided into the second number to equal about 7. 7x50, 8x56, 9x63, 10x70, and 11x80 are the best for astronomical viewing, since the light gathering capability is the most important thing. You can find out more here.

The same site has an excellent selection of binoculars and telescopes at good prices, and they usually have a knowledgable person to help you out if you call them. Here are the binos we were talking about:

Celestron 9x63s

Celestron 20x80s

Mine are the older 9x63s and look like the 20x80s pictured there as far as styling. Check out the weights though.. It is a lot easier to hold a 2 pound pair of binos than a 5 1/2 pound pair!

If you wanna spend some money, the Zeiss 8x56s are really top notch.

Another good set, not as expensive as the Zeiss, with a bigger objective, are the Fujinon 10x70s. This pair is pretty heavy, though. Fujinon actually makes the most powerful binoculars available, a 25x150 monster that the navy uses on their ships (mounted to the deck, of course). I think these would run you around $20,000 if you could find them.

One last point about astronomical binoculars (with the 7mm exit pupil) is that they seemingly magnify the light in shaded areas, so if you are looking into a darkened room or a dark patch of trees you can see a lot more.