| 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 !"
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