Where does a beginner go to find these answers?

1) How often will the seeing actually allow me to tell the difference
between Zeiss/Pentax/UO orthos even if I had them?
2) What is the proper % of time I should spend talking about, reading
newsgroups, web surfing, planning viewing sessions or playing with my
equipment to actual observing time?
3) When will I become neurotic over barrel marks?
4) Where is the list of "these are the best magnifications to look at
these objects?"
5) Why isn't there a 12 step program for eyepiece addiction?

On 22 Oct 2005 10:54:22 -0700, "Justin Uthadude"
wrote:

1) How often will the seeing actually allow me to tell the difference
between Zeiss/Pentax/UO orthos even if I had them?

You might not be able to tell under any conditions.

2) What is the proper % of time I should spend talking about, reading
newsgroups, web surfing, planning viewing sessions or playing with my
equipment to actual observing time?

When the observing conditions are good, you observe. The rest of the
time you do the other stuff. Occasional breaks to eat and sleep are
acceptable.

3) When will I become neurotic over barrel marks?

Are you neurotic about dings on your car doors?

4) Where is the list of "these are the best magnifications to look at
these objects?"

No such list, because no object has a single "best" magnification. The
best magnification depends on your equipment, the seeing, and just what
aspect of the object you want to emphasize.

5) Why isn't there a 12 step program for eyepiece addiction?

The best solution here is cold turkey. Sell all your eyepieces and buy a
camera. Eyepieces are highly overrated.

_________________________________________________

Chris L Peterson
Cloudbait Observatory
http://www.cloudbait.com

The best solution here is cold turkey. Sell all your eyepieces and buy a
camera. Eyepieces are highly overrated.

Careful! He's leading you over to the dark side!

Clear Skies

Chuck Taylor
*********************************************
Do you observe the moon? If so, try
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/lunar-observing/

If you enjoy optics, try
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/ATM_Optics_Software/
*********************************************

Justin Uthadude wrote:
1) How often will the seeing actually allow me to tell the difference
between Zeiss/Pentax/UO orthos even if I had them?

Unless you are using some of the worlds best optics you may never be
able to see any difference between these eyepieces (Ziess versus UO).
In addition, you are going to need to find some of the worlds best
observing spots for the differences to be visible, and you may need to
invest thousands of hours before you have the visual skills to detect
any differences, and then maybe 4 nights a year it might make some
minor difference (assuming you observe 50+ night per year).

2) What is the proper % of time I should spend talking about, reading
newsgroups, web surfing, planning viewing sessions or playing with my
equipment to actual observing time?

Here, I think the proper response is "all you spare time - 5%"

3) When will I become neurotic over barrel marks?

There is not need to ever become neurotic over barrel makrs. A) if you
can affort the scopes that make using these EPs worth while (Ziess)
then you can easily afford focusers that do not leave marks on the
barrels. B)even if you cannot afford the scopes to make the ziess EPs
shine, you should be aware that barrel marks do not degrade the value
to yourself of the eyepieces one iota.

4) Where is the list of "these are the best magnifications to look at
these objects?"

Best magnifications are aperture dependent, seeing dependent, and
dependent upon the visual acuity of your own eyes. Unless you are
observing planets, then wide fields are more often use than high
magnification. With planets, we often use as much magnification as the
sky permits. Some night you may be restricted to 250X, others 300X, and
that rare once a year night 400X.

5) Why isn't there a 12 step program for eyepiece addiction?

You must come to acknowledge that you have an adiction to expensive
eyepieces, and that no worldly power can ....