DeepskyWim

As the end of the year approaches, it is time to look back at 2014 and make a list full of good intentions for 2015. 1. Telescope Making    2014 I did not work a lot on the 35cm Dobsonian. Some varnishing was done and the telescope saw first light in France.  I started reading ' Engineering, Design and Construction of Portable Newtonian Telescopes ' by Albert Highe. I already learned a lot and plan to finish the book in 2015. I went to the very successful ATM-day in Ghent .   2015 Finish varnishing the 35cm Dobsonian. Add black self-adhesive foil in the mirror box of the 35cm Dobsonian to make sure straylight will not hit the mirror. Add Digital Encoders to the 35cm Dobsonian. Try to make the 35cm Dobsonian a bit lighter using some tips from the 'Portable Newtonian Telescopes' book. Find a company where I can re-coat the mirror of my 18'' Obsession Telescope. I received a 10cm Barco f/4 lens from Raf, a member of VVS Capella . I hope to test th

On December 5, I was invited to give a talk for Murzim vzw , the astronomical society of Aalst. The topic I talked about was : My astronomical trips in 2014 And indeed, I did a lot of astronomical trips in 2014, both private and work related. These are the topics I talked about : Tucson, Arizona, USA: Steward Observatory, Mirror lab. Leuven, Belgium: Premonstreit telescope. Paris, France: Headquarters of CNES : Centre National des Études Spatiales. Cruis, France: Observing in the garden, Montagne de Lure, Le Castellard-Mélan. La Palud-sur-Verdon, France: Observing in l'Enchastre, Mont Chiran. Saint-Véran, France: Sundials, Observatoire de Pic-du-Chateau-Rénard, Col d'Izoard. Greenbelt, Maryland, USA: Goddard Space Flight Center. Washington DC, USA: Smithsonian's National Air and Space Museum. Chantilly, Virginia, USA: Udvar-Hazy Center. Grandpré, France: Observing weekend with Murzim vzw and VVS Capella . You can preview the presentation here :