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A mini star party with my son tonight. He seemed to enjoy viewing the moon through my little 66mm refractor.

It's a question that comes up regularly, but what is the difference between a Barlow and a telecentric amplifier (TA), otherwise known as a Powermate, ES Focal Extender. Meade Telextender, Bresser SA Barlow, etc? A telecentric amplifier does give a 2x magnification, just like a Barlow but that's where the similarity ends. A Barlow is a negative doublet (Smyth lens) that causes the exiting light rays to diverge and hence deliver the image amplification. If you move the EP further from the Barlow the magnification increases, whilst taking the Barlow nose-piece off and screwing it onto the EP wil

Measurement of Doubles and a Jovian Moon - Baader Micro Guide Introduction The reason for this rather long blog entry is to highlight what has been possible using simple and relatively inexpensive gear to measure the separation and position angle of a number of double stars and the sizes and distances of various objects within the Solar System. The preliminary goal was fivefold: to further skills in star-hopping and to gain a deeper understanding and appreciation of star magnitude. to garner some experience in measuring double stars as accurately as possible. to work out the sizes and