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Independent Top Ten
The Independent Newspaper is running a series on astronomy and space and last
week published its 'Top Ten Telescope' list. We stock all the telscopes on the
list and have collected them together in a new section in the online catalogue
for your convenience. Please consult the list if you need somewhere to start
looking for the telescope that is right for you. We were pleased to see the
Infinity 76 included as it's one of our favourites and is ideal for children.
Star Parties at Green Witch
Our next star party is on Tuesday 28th November 2006 and we look forward to
seeing you if you can come along. The party runs from 7 pm to 10 pm and you are
welcome to drop in for as long as you want. There will be talks on what to look
for in the sky, as well as a quiz and refreshments. Weather permitting we'll
also have telescopes outside for you to try.
In addition, Leonard Honey, who supplies our range of finely-crafted
reproduction antique instruments, is coming along to talk about them and explain
how they work. So if you don't know your astrolabe from your orrery why not come
along? These delightful instruments make ideal presents.
New Telescope at Nottingham Trent University
Nottingham Trent University has a brand new observatory
on their Clifton Campus that will be used by students, staff and local schools. The telescope is a half-metre Cape Newise on a Software Bisque
Paramount ME and steel pier manufactured by Brian Brooks at Astroparts.
Green Witch acted as consultants on the design, location and choice of equipment, working with the
university's architects. We recommended an Ash dome that was procured directly and supplied
the complete telescope and control system.
With help from Peter Wise of Cape Instruments telescope installation proceeded very smoothly last
week and we were blessed with clear skies enabling initial alignment and
collimation to be carried out. The telescope produces very good images but final
tweaking in good sky conditions is needed to get the excellent images that the
Newise will deliver.
When the building is handed over by the contractors in the very near future the
university will have a superb facility to play with.
Courses
Our next Deep Sky Imager course runs from 10 am to 4 pm
on Saturday 2nd December and covers all aspects of how to get the most out of
this very capable piece of equipment. Meade's DSI is proving very popular and astrophotographers are producing remarkable images with
it. But it does take a while to learn how to use it to
full effect. Lee's course will get you going much quicker and
will help you overcome any problems you may have encountered already.
Don't forget that we run occasional courses on the ETX
and LX90. These are free to anyone who has purchased one of these telescopes
from us, and if you attend one before buying we will credit the cost of the
course against the price of your telescope.
Full details of these and other courses we run are on
our web site. Let us know if you would like a course on something we don't currently cover and we'll see if we can help.
Webb Society
The Web Society's 2006 Annual Meeting will celebrate the 200th Birthday of the Rev. Thomas William
Webb after whom the society is named. It will be held on Saturday
2nd December at the Institute of Astronomy in Madingley Road, Cambridge. Full details
are on the Webb Society web site at www.webbsociety.freeserve.co.uk We plan to be
there with a trade stand so please let us know if there is anything you want us
to bring along.
Alt-azimuth Mounts
John Dobson's recent visit to the UK reminded me of the simplicity of
the alt-azimuth mount. The Dobsonian mount is probably the best known example
but have you considered the tripod-mounted alt-az mount from Bresser that is
ideal for small telescopes. We used one to great effect at our Halloween Star
Party carrying an 8-inch Cape Newise. This is on the mount's limit but it worked well
and was great fun for browsing the sky at low and medium magnification. Views of
Comet Swan were especialy enjoyable. Please call us for further details.
Binoviewers
Affordable binoviewers are gaining in popularity and we have several
customers who say they have transformed their observing, making it much
more enjoyable. We recommend the William Optics Binoviewer complete with two
20mm Plossl eyepieces as excellent value for money. Why not have a word with
Father Christmas?
And Finally...
Looking for a present for auntie? Why not give a bird
feeder or a nest box? They are thoughful presents that can bring hours of
enjoyment and Christmas is a great time to put them out in the garden. Our range
includes several types of bird food designed to attract and nourish
different species, as well as squirrel and badger food. Our feeders and
other accessories are approved by the RSPCA and RHS so you know they are
designed with the birds' and animals' best interests at heart.
Clear Skies and Best Wishes
Neil
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