Doug's Astronomy

I'm pursuing an interest in astronomy and am not yet sure whether I'll focus on some specialized aspect (for example I am interested in Jupiter and its moons). My telescope is Meade's UHTC 7" LX200-GPS Maksutov-Cassegrain (2670mm f/15, resolution .64 arcsecond) purchased at Anacortes along with Meade's set of eyepieces, Celestron's Micro Guide eyepiece (illuminated reticle, and a flexible dew shield. I also have SBIG's Deluxe STV (CCD, ~648x480 pixels @ 7.4 microns square, for ~.6 arcsecond sampling across 4.6+'), and Televue's 2x Barlow.

Although it is now repaired, my Mak was delivered with a defect: the supplied fan power cable didn't work. Tip & sleeve were soldered together, and after I unsoldered, there was no voltage measurable from the 12v DC Out jack of the control panel.

Popular sites include Yahoo! Groups : LX200GPS, MAPUG Topical Archive, and Doc G's Info. Also Seattle Astronomical Society. I followed instructions to build a cable for serial connection to PC which allows me to run software such as AutoStar Update. I put together an enhancement to the tripod's mounting bolt named the Springy Thingy.

Eyepiece focal length (mm)	Magnification (x)	True Field of view (')	Exit pupil (mm)
6.4	417	7.4	0.43
9.7	275	11	0.65
12.45	214.5	13.5 (apparent ~47°)	0.8
26	103	27	1.7
32	83	37.5	2.1
40	67	40	2.7

My 8x50 finder field is around 4.8 degrees.