Dave Mitsky
17-April-2005, 07:00 AM
I attended my eleventh Northeast Astronomy Forum & Telescope Show on Saturday. The NEAF takes place each April at the Rockland Community College in Suffern, New York, a three hour drive from my residence in Pennsylvania. As usual the event featured as incredible array of new gear and products to covet, educational workshops to participate in, and interesting lectures to listen to. Again, as usual, I ran into numerous friends and acquaintances from throughout the northeastern USA.
The NEAF is well known for the Tele Vue "blem" sale. The only cosmetically blemished Tele Vue eyepiece that I was considering buying was the 5mm Nagler type 6. I arrived an hour later than I had planned (don't ask why) and, since Murphy's Law was in full effect, the only T6 that was sold out was the 5mm. The same thing happened last year (again don't ask why), only with the 13mm T6.
I finally broke down and bought the new edition of the _Uranometria 2000.0_ when I ran into stellar cartographer extraordinaire Wil Tirion. He signed it for me then and there. Later on, after his keynote talk, he autographed my _Bright Star Atlas 2000.0_ and _Sky Atlas 2000.0_ too.
This year the Northeast Astronomy Forum & Telescope Show Solar Star Party featured an even more impressive array of H-alpha and white light solar rigs. Coronado was well represented, although at least two 0.2 Angstrom Solar Spectrum filters were in use as well.
I witnessed a solar flare occur through a 130mm f/7 Zeiss refractor equipped with a Coronado H-alpha filter and had equally fantastic views through Astro-Physics and Tele Vue apochromats. Two long filaments were visible along with some prominences, one of which I imaged with my Canon EOS Digital Rebel. A 10" f/5 Teleport Dob provided high magnification white light views.
In the late afternoon, I saw Saturn and Sirius through an 8" f/10 Celestron Nexstar SCT.
Although I missed Mel Bartels ATM talk because I got caught up in solar observing, it was another very enjoyable NEAF for me this year.
The NEAF will return today for a second day of astronomy geek heaven. For further information see http://www.rocklandastronomy.com/neaf.htm
Dave Mitsky
The NEAF is well known for the Tele Vue "blem" sale. The only cosmetically blemished Tele Vue eyepiece that I was considering buying was the 5mm Nagler type 6. I arrived an hour later than I had planned (don't ask why) and, since Murphy's Law was in full effect, the only T6 that was sold out was the 5mm. The same thing happened last year (again don't ask why), only with the 13mm T6.
I finally broke down and bought the new edition of the _Uranometria 2000.0_ when I ran into stellar cartographer extraordinaire Wil Tirion. He signed it for me then and there. Later on, after his keynote talk, he autographed my _Bright Star Atlas 2000.0_ and _Sky Atlas 2000.0_ too.
This year the Northeast Astronomy Forum & Telescope Show Solar Star Party featured an even more impressive array of H-alpha and white light solar rigs. Coronado was well represented, although at least two 0.2 Angstrom Solar Spectrum filters were in use as well.
I witnessed a solar flare occur through a 130mm f/7 Zeiss refractor equipped with a Coronado H-alpha filter and had equally fantastic views through Astro-Physics and Tele Vue apochromats. Two long filaments were visible along with some prominences, one of which I imaged with my Canon EOS Digital Rebel. A 10" f/5 Teleport Dob provided high magnification white light views.
In the late afternoon, I saw Saturn and Sirius through an 8" f/10 Celestron Nexstar SCT.
Although I missed Mel Bartels ATM talk because I got caught up in solar observing, it was another very enjoyable NEAF for me this year.
The NEAF will return today for a second day of astronomy geek heaven. For further information see http://www.rocklandastronomy.com/neaf.htm
Dave Mitsky