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Since my 10" Newtonian construction overview took on so
much attention from the astronomical community, I decided to share and
showcase other construction projects I have taken on to aid others in
fulfilling their dreams of building telescope components. I plan to host
a growing number of construction projects that will hopefully assist many
an amateur. We all know how expensive astronomical equipment can be. But,
with a little know-how, perseverance, and help from resources like this,
many an ATM'er can strike gold in producing his
or her own astronomical equipment at a drastically reduced cost. I have
been inspired to share my limited knowledge to the others within the
astronomical community in an effort to give back some of the great things
this hobby has done for me. I hope and pray that by showcasing my
projects, it will foster and manifest great things within others.
To begin your tour of any of the above
VSC/ SAO construction projects, just click on any of the above projects
of your interest.
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Hello
Fellow Amateurs Astronomers, and Welcome to the Sirius Astronomical
Observatory Gleaning Pages! When I was first drawn to amateur astronomy
back in 1970, never did I imagine that I would be this engrossed in this
fascinating and rewarding hobby. But, during the late 80's and early 90's,
I placed this pastime on hold to hone in on family responsibilities and the
like. At that time (1986) I purchased a 10" f/5.6 Coulter Optic Pyrex
mirror set. It took me several payments to procure the optics, which cost
$143.00. The set remained in its original packaging until 1999 when my
interest in amateur astronomy was rekindled after reconnecting with my
friend, mentor, and colleague Gary Barabino. Since I had worked in the IT
arena for a good number of years, in 2000 I decided that once I start
building my telescope, I would create a little website to provide a
step-by-step overview showcasing its construction. This is how the Vega Sky Center's Astronomical
WebHub came into existence. As the WebHub grew with additional pages
reflecting my 10" fork mount telescope project, it captured the
attention of the astronomical equipment magazine "Astronomy Technology Today". Thanks to
Gary Parkerson (Managing Editor of ATT), I was
given the privilege of writing an article covering its construction in the
April, 2007 debut issue. What an exciting achievement that was!
As
webmaster of our website, or "WebHub" (as we refer to it), I have
continued to modify and upgrade the site since its induction on the web in
the year 2000 to help other interested amateurs. It is now being accessed
throughout the world. Via these "SAO Gleaning Pages", it is my
sincere wish to make this WebHub one of the best amateur astronomy
resources on the web.
So please
check out my personal projects above as well as the rest of our WebHub, and
I hope its content will aid each visitor who peers within.
To see some of the projects and goings on at
the Sirius Astronomical Observatory, just click on any of the items shown
above...
Please stay tuned. There's more to come...
Sincerely, Mel Dawson
...and "Clear Skies, Forever"!
vsc-astronomers@vega-sky-center.com
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