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[katodog]

Boy, that title sure got your attention, didn't it??

I bought myself a new eyepiece, and it arrived today. It's a tiny little thing, called a TMB Paragon. Would you like to see it?

"Excuse me while I whip this out..."





For size comparison, here it is next to a 2" Barlow, and a 1.25" 32mm Plossl. I used to think the 32mm was big, and when I got the Barlow, I thought that it was big. I guess I have a new winner now.






Now for the tech stuff for Joe. It's a TMB Paragon in 40mm. It is a 2" eyepiece, and has a 69° field of view. I'd tell everyone how it is, but it's raining due to this little thing called the Astronomy Curse. I apologize for ruining the skies for everyone.

Blurb from High Point Scientific's website:

.Designed by Thomas Back of TMB Optics
.Radical new 6 element, 4 group design
.Every Air to Glass surface has Multi Broadband coatings
.All lens edges are blackened
.Coatings have 99.98 to 99.99% transmission (less than 0.02% loss per surface)
.Fully internally baffled
.Internal spacers have flat anodizing and micro-baffless to reduce reflections.
.Flexible two position eyecup
.Apparant Field of View (AFOV) of 69°
.True AFOV of 68° (meaning that there is virtually no magnification increase across the FOV)
.Lightweight design
.Lettering with a special, red-light reflection (see picture below, taken in red light)
.Tapered safety undercut
.Oversized locking lens cap with TMB


What they forgot to say is it makes a great defensive weapon. If someone bothers you, simply pull the lens cap and throw. After it knocks the person out, you just pick it up and continue viewing with no degradation of the view.

[Chicago Astronomer - Astro Joe]

What a monster sized eyepiece there!

I like wide-field glass in observing and await your review.

Quite cool.

[erikruud]

That thing IS huge. It almost looks like it can outperform my little scope all by itself!

Hmmm...

Big scopes, Big eyepieces, it makes you wonder if somebody is compensating for something. ;D

[katodog]

Yes, I am compensating for something. I'm compensating for a whole life of not having quality equipment. It took a long time to be able to start getting some decent equipment, so I'm taking full advantage of it. Maybe you should come over and see what real equipment can do. You'd probably go home and take a hammer to your scope!! Don't worry, I know you were joking. Heck, I still use my DS114.

I don't know how it happened, but it actually cleared up last night. So I got to use the new eyepiece for a while. The seeing wasn't all that great, but it was good enough to look at Jupiter, M57, M11, M15, and others. Even in the long focal length of the big Cat, the field was huge. I can't believe how much more stuff can fit into the view. It's almost too much. I've been watching the posts on Cloudy Nights about the Ethos, and always wondered why everyone made such a big deal about 82° and 100° field eyepieces. Seeing what only 69° does, I can see what the fuss is all about. I hate to say it, but I think I might be putting myself on the list for an Ethos (although my cousin will laugh at me until he's purple).

The views through the Paragon are awesome. The whole field stayed sharp to the edges. I made a comment on CN that if the ep didn't have sides, the field would have been sharp all the way into the garage, and it would have been. Boy, that's a lot of glass to look through. Even in the Cat, I was still swinging my eyes around to look at the whole field. I can't wait to get out to the inlaws, where it gets darker than dark, and see how it fairs under dark skies. I'll bet there's going to be a huge sensory overload with everything that fits into the field. I might come home crosseyed and dizzy from viewing through the Paragon.

When I was looking at the Ring Nebula, I couldn't believe there were that many stars around it. I never realized what I was missing with the smaller fov eyepieces. I definitely might look into getting one or two of the Naglers now, and maybe the Ethos, too. I think the experiece with the Paragon made me realize that the cost of those eyepieces is probably well worth it.



But, to go along with the original intent of the joke, no, I have nothing to compensate for. I leave them very satisfied, and usually begging for more.

I can provide references if you need them.

[erikruud]

But, to go along with the original intent of the joke, no, I have nothing to compensate for. I leave them very satisfied, and usually begging for more.
I can provide references if you need them.

TMI

One of these days I will have to come on over and see what real equipment can do, but for now I am actually enjoying the challenge of getting the most out of this scope.

By the way, I am about to lose my best possible viewing site before I even get to try it out. My father lives on 11 acres of former farmland out in the Tennessee countryside. No lights and no trees. I happened to be there for the Perseids several years ago and it was fantastic. This weekend they are moving up here to unincorportead Saint Charles.

[katodog]

Don't feel bad. I think I'll be in that same boat soon. My inlaws live outside of Galena, and where they are it's the darkest I've ever seen. On a clear night, the Milky way gives off the only light you'll see. But, they keep talking about moving out this way to be closer to the rest of the family. I may loose the best observing site I've ever been to. Which means I either have to find another one somewhere, where I won't know anything or anyone, or I'll just be stuck in my light polluted yard.

[gryphter]

Wow, that IS hug.... err... damn, now I'm envious

Tell your folks / inlaws to keep their current homes, I'll simply rent myself out to housesit ;D Hopefully I'll be getting my new scope soon, if B&H would stop screwing me around.

[Chicago Astronomer - Astro Joe]

Isn't that thing insane?

It should be illegal to obtain one of those without a permit.

At the Adler, we use the two inch eyepieces in the Observatory, (and sometimes on the smaller scopes), and I must say...going back to 1.25 ain't too cool.

Tonight will be clear...kinda. Perhaps Kdog will offer us a follow up review.

[gryphter]

Ok, can't be shown up here



Too bad the only use it will see right now is the DS114 ....

$%#@ Kato! I'm still envious. hehe

[katodog]

Don't be envious, it will just turn you into me. I was always jealous, and maybe to a degree still am, of people who had the expensive stuff. You know the guys, always talking about their TMB APOs or their 14" RCX, or their Astro Physics APO, or the observatory they just built in the back yard, or, well, you get the idea. I used to get so jealous that I think I got a serious inferiority complex. Every time I looked at the stuff I had, I wanted to kick it down the driveway.

I started out just like everyone else...buy the cheapest darned McDade catalog scope you could get and blow your brains out trying to make heads or tails of just the moon. Burn your retinas out with the Sun filter, and black out the Moon with the lunar filter. Then, you tear apart the scope and use the cheap objective as an ant terrorizing device. About 7 years ago, I got a Meade Saturn DS114 that my sister bought for me. It was incredible!! I could actually see Saturn's rings, and Jupiter's cloud bands!! The Moon looked awesome!! That just fueled my desire for bigger and better. I stuck with that scope until the motors and the tripod finally cried Uncle. Once I was out viewing, and Jupiter started moving out of the field fast. I thought maybe there was something wrong with the motors. So I just slewed back. But it moved again. It did this about three times before I reallized one tripod leg was slowly collapsing. That ended the DS114 saga. About 3 or 4 years ago, I got a cheapo 6" Newtonian off of eBay. Which, believe it or not, was actually a darned good scope!! I paid $150 for it, and it worked like it was worth $500. That started me into wanting to take pictures of what I viewed, and most of my earlier Moon shots were from that reflector and the 25mm eyepiece that came with it (which I still use, even in the expensive scopes).

It's only been within the last few years that I've finally got to the point where I can get some decent equipment. Now, lately, after the purchase of the LX200R, I think I've gone a bit overboard with my purchasing spree, but it will end soon (won't it??). I wanted an LXD75 setup, any LXD75 setup, since I saw the very first ad for them. Something about all that white paint just made them look so sweet and clean. I dreamed about one every time I looked at an ad. So, it was only fitting that when Christmas rolled around, I'd ask the boss for one. And, being a typical guy, I had to get the big monster refractor. I mean, size matters, right?? Boy, now I was in astro heaven! I couldn't walk past the scope without touching it. I would stare at it for a while, and then I would just have to get up and touch it. Seriously, I did. I could not walk past it one time without putting my hands on it. Still, every time it is set up, I can't resist teh urge to just walk up to it and rub it.

And then...I really got it. I got such a fever brewing in me to go deeper and see more, that I started looking at Cassegrains. And, once again, being the typical guy, I had to make my decisions based on how big I could afford. At this point, it would have been very easy to order a 14" on a CGE, but after looking at the various scopes, I decided on either an LX90, or an LX200R. Everyone seemed to lean towards the LX200R, because of it's better optics, so that's what I got.

But, after all the waiting, and after finally getting the equipment of my dreams, I still only want the most basic things; A nice, clear dark sky, and people to enjoy it with. At least here, and on other forums, I get to have the people to enjoy it with, even though it's over the internet. The clear, dark skies, well, I have to wait until someone invents the light bulb that doesn't give off light, and the telescope that sees through clouds, to have that.


I will end this long ramble by saying this; Anyone and everyone who gets the urge, come on over when it's clear, and I'll provide the beer. One of these days I'm going to get out to the Adler to meet everyone. Maybe when I don't have to get up at 6 in the morning to go to work.

[erikruud]

katodog said:

I apologize for ruining the skies for everyone.

Hey not only did you mess up the observing, I had to help my dad move in the rain yesterday.