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A Community Devoted to the Preservation and Practice of Celestial Navigation and Other Methods of Traditional Wayfinding
Re: Venus transit June 8 and sextants
From: Frank Reed CT
Date: 2004 May 12, 16:16 EDT
From: Frank Reed CT
Date: 2004 May 12, 16:16 EDT
Fred H wrote:
"What's the problem with the shades that go over the eyepiece of the telescope overheating and blowing up? They were a fixture of sextants for years and still are in some models. Is there a history of this occurring or is this speculation?"
There is a history of this occurring in small, cheap backyard telescopes. You used to be able to buy solar filters that would screw into the base of a telescope eyepiece. Those would often crack from the heat of intense sunlight, and eye damage would follow. Now I don't think anyone makes those filters. But there's no reason that filters like this shouldn't work just fine if they're properly made --and hence expensive.
Frank R
[ ] Mystic, Connecticut
[X] Chicago, Illinois
"What's the problem with the shades that go over the eyepiece of the telescope overheating and blowing up? They were a fixture of sextants for years and still are in some models. Is there a history of this occurring or is this speculation?"
There is a history of this occurring in small, cheap backyard telescopes. You used to be able to buy solar filters that would screw into the base of a telescope eyepiece. Those would often crack from the heat of intense sunlight, and eye damage would follow. Now I don't think anyone makes those filters. But there's no reason that filters like this shouldn't work just fine if they're properly made --and hence expensive.
Frank R
[ ] Mystic, Connecticut
[X] Chicago, Illinois
