FreeLists / az-observing / [AZ-Observing] Re: Weather in AZ

["Richard Harshaw" <rharshaw2@xxxxxxx>]

Likewise, Gene, it is amazing to me that Charles Messier did so well =
from Paris with instruments of 4.5" to 6" apertures, and speculum at =
that!  With modern lighting comes the modern curse of Urbanis Auroris.

Dick


-----Original Message-----
From: az-observing-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx =
[mailto:az-observing-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx] On Behalf Of gene lucas
Sent: Tuesday, January 29, 2008 10:51 AM
To: az-observing@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
Subject: [AZ-Observing] Re: Weather in AZ

Speaking of poor observing conditions.... Ol' Will Herschel moved from=20
one awful observing spot to another during his observing career, but did =

pretty good... (He bagged the "original" Herschel 2500.....)  Maybe the=20
40 ft mirror just sucked up all the photons ???  :>))
The big 48 inch (and other more productive scopes) were set up in his=20
front garden in Slough (pronounced like "Cow"), which is just down the=20
road from Windsor Castle near London.... 'Course in those days, there=20
wasn't any "light pollution" to speak of....
(AJ can fill you on in on what a "slough" or "slew" consists of, I=20
think....at least back in Louisiana....)
Gene Lucas
(17250)
NB, the old Observatory House and the telescope(s) are long gone, only a =

placque remains on the nearby office building erected there...
Richard Harshaw wrote:

>I don't know, AJ.  But then, don't forget Gumperson's Inverse Square =
Law of New Optical Systems, which states that when an amateur buys a new =
optical unit (telescope, finder scope, eyepiece, binos, etc.) that there =
will be awful seeing centered on his location for a radius in km equal =
to the square of the aperture of the gizmo in cm; this awful seeing will =
continue for as many days as cm of the objective.
>Example:  AJ buys a new 20 cm scope.  He can expect to have 20 nights =
of bad seeing, and this mess will cover a circle 400 km in radius =
centered over AJ's house.
>Friedrich von Gumperson developed this law after living next to William =
Herschel for thirty years.
>DH (tongue in cheek)
> =20
>

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