Tag Archives: RTMC

An amazing mount.

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More updates from RTMC.

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Seated is Dann McCreary of McCreary Mounts next to his ingenious The Dickens mount.  According to Dann, this lightweight portable mount has so little error that it can track for hours.

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The inevitable question was asked…How does it work?  Well, being that there are two pivot points and one small motor it perplexed many people.

Luckily I know a little about astronomy, so I suggested that it was a super modified barn door tracker.  Close, but not quite.  Dann’s mount is much more accurate than the typical barn door tracker, but is based on some of the same principles.

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A closer look shows the two pivot points made from highly crafted, sub millimeter bearing with an unbelievable tolerance that Dann painstakingly searched high and low before purchasing them from Ebay for 12 bucks or so.  Sandwiched between two polyethylene pieces with tight tolerance holes drilled into them…just kidding.  Dann said that he just used a drill and a hole saw and made holes.  The hole point (get it?) of the mount is that by adjusting the two bearings to be aligned with the celestial north (quick quiz how many points does it take to make a line).

The Dickens

So by using this priciple Dann was able to construct this beautiful, and award winning, mount that tracks with extremely tight tolerances, without tons of machining time and other weapons of mass manufacturing.  Congratulations Dann, the award was well deserved.  If you would like more information about Dann and his work you can follow him here.

– Ex astris, scientia –

I am and avid amateur astronomer and intellectual property attorney in Pasadena, California. As a former Chief Petty Officer in the U.S. Navy, I am a proud member of the Armed Service Committee of the Los Angeles County Bar Association working to aid all active duty and veterans in our communities. Connect with me on Google +

Norman

Quick RTMC recap.

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This weekend was the annual pilgrimage to Big Bear for the Society for Astronomical Sciences meetings and  RTMC.

The 2013 SAS Symposium on Telescope Science was held on May 21-23at the Northwoods Resort in Big Bear Lake, CA.  Over 100 professional and amateur astronomers meet each year for this event.  The Symposium has become one of the premiere events for amateur astronomers and for building pro-am collaborations.  Amateurs, and some professionals, make presentations covering a wide range of topics, from imaging basics, photometry, spectroscopy, instrumentation, and more. Observing targets reach from near-Earth to the edges of the Universe.  If you’re at least a little interested in astronomical research, this is one of the events attend each year.  More information about next years event can be found on their web site (link above).

Immediately after the SAS conference RTMC opens the gates at Camp Oakes, a YMCA camp, near Big Bear City. 

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This is the booth for discovering all the activities and sign up sheets for …

… the Big Bear Solar observatory.  Please note, the picture above is not to scale or snow depth.  It was actually a warm 78 degrees this year.  Due to the altitude, however, I have spent some Memorial weekends in the snow.

For the rest of the week, I am going to show images that I took at RTMC and some of the events that take place each year.  If you are looking for a brief astronomical event that the whole family can enjoy.  There is swimming, hiking, horse back riding and a whole bunch of other events for everyone to enjoy.

– Ex astris, scientia –

I am and avid amateur astronomer and intellectual property attorney in Pasadena, California. As a former Chief Petty Officer in the U.S. Navy, I am a proud member of the Armed Service Committee of the Los Angeles County Bar Association working to aid all active duty and veterans in our communities. Connect with me on Google +

Norman

 

Back From RTMC

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I just got back from RTMC at Camp Oaks near Big Bear, California and I am a little tired.  The altitude and the Sun after last weeks eclipse adventure have worn me out.  Saturday started out really cold with a dusting of snow, but it the temperature quickly rose with the sun and the annual yard sale was under way.

Lots of things for sale and a lot of folks buying.  I didn’t find anything used that I wanted, but I found plenty of new stuff that had my attention…like this lovely item from PlaneWave.

A small trinket that I would love to have in my observatory.

Below is a picture of my friend John from Televue, showing his wares.  If you see John at a star party or an event like this, come back at night an take a look through some of the eyepieces and scopes that he brings with him.

My club the Riverside Astronomical Society had a booth at the event.  We are selling tickets to PATS at a reduced cost from the normal price.  Other vendors will also have discounted ticket for sale.  If you need an excuse to visit Pasadena in September, this would be it.

I’ll post some more pictures the rest of this week.

Have a happy and safe Memorial Day.

– Ex astris, scientia –