New Year’s Message from Tele Vue Optics
This was my first total eclipse. My father has seen four. Experiencing a total solar eclipse was a far more profound event than I could’ve imagined. It’s kind of like trying to describe the feeling of parenthood before versus after having kids; no matter what you’ve been told or your expectations, nothing prepares you for the actual event. I now get what my father was trying to tell me (about eclipses and parenthood). Sharing it with family and friends (new and old) was an incredible bonding experience.
While 2018 brings no total solar eclipse, the one piece of news we look forward to is publication of the results from Dr. Don Bruns’s attempt to recreate Sir Arthur Eddington’s 1919 experiment which made Dr. Albert Einstein (and his Theory of General Relativity) a house-hold name. The goal was not merely to recreate the experiment, but to measure gravitational deflection of starlight passing near our Sun to an unprecedented degree of accuracy using equipment readily available to amateur astronomers. We were quite pleased to work closely with Dr. Bruns throughout his preparation for his attempt. Supplying the necessary performance data of our Tele Vue-NP101is APO telescope design allowed him to understand the contribution the telescope would make to the images and positions of stars. How well does production meet design? Without spoiling any surprises, Dr. Bruns sent us an update shortly after taking his shots from Casper, WY saying he had perfect exposure, focus, and timing. Dr. Bruns will present his findings at the 2018 NEAF convention, where we will display the very scope that he used. If you’re coming to NEAF, (and why wouldn’t you?) stop by our booth to meet us and Dr. Bruns.
I’ll be doing the first telescope show of the year at European AstroFest, February 9 & 10, at Kensington Conference and Events Centre, London, UK. Please stop by the Widescreen Centre stand to speak with me about your observing kit or just say “hi.”
I’d like to close by thanking the many new subscribers to this blog and I invite you all to stay subscribed for sale announcements, events, advice, and information.
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- You’ll be able to touch and feel all our eyepieces, scopes, mounts, and accessories at the yearly spring NEAF show in NY.
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