Getting The Best Views from Your Telescope

Want the optical quality and resolution of a 12.5-inch apo refractor but at the price of a Newtonian reflector? I first met Bruce Kaczmarek at Florida’s Winter Star Party where he showed me the views of Jupiter through his optimised Newtonian under near perfect seeing. It was amazing! You could identify each moon from their relative size and its colour. Under close examination it was possible to see subtle markings on their tiny disks. Surface markings on the Jovian surface were obvious! Features were easily seen inside the Great Red Spot. It was clear Bruce had a winning setup so I have always wanted to understand his approach. In this video, Bruce talks us through his homemade, ATM, optimised Newtonian telescope and how he seeks optical perfection: • A highly-polished, smooth primary mirror • Optimised secondary • Thin spider veins • Baffling, flocking, blackening • Primary cooling • And a rock solid, tracking mount!