The Table Mountain star-party was very good this year. I finally ran my TV-85
through its paces. I was extremely happy with my set of Nagler eyepieces, they
were phenomenal. I still need to familiarze myself with the Gemini goto system
though. My father's 6" Celestron refractor provided one of the best views of the
Trifid nebula with my UHC filter. My friend Jim had his new 29" StarMaster out &
Veil nebula stole the night through a 22mm Nagler. I purchased a 9mm Nagler
type-6 but didn't really test it much.
I met a guy named Andy who owns a 6" Takahashi refractor. It had a 5" refractor
mounted on it & at least three finderscopes as well. Costing upwards of $48,000 &
weighing in around 600 lbs, it rivaled Jim's massive dobsonian for the best view
on the field & looked like a damned missle-launcher!
One of the highlights was when the Space Shuttle & the International Space Station
flew overhead in tandem. Comet Linear was a disappointment, but what can you say
when you've seen Hyakutake? Half of the vendors cancelled out this year. Too bad as
I really need a dew-prevention system. All in all we had a fun time.
Photos 
