Links

Below are some links to other web sites that we have found particularly useful and interesting, or to other businesses whose products we've tried or used with our own telescopes and found noteworthy.

- Reviews and Classifieds

Cloudy Nights  - Great source for user reviews and forums

AstroClassifieds - Free Classifieds and Forums

- Manufacturers

Advanced Telescope Systems - Very rigid and well made telescope piers (portable and fixed).

Particle Wave Technologies  - Innovative and very solid  piers (portable and fixed).

Telescope Engineering Company - Superb Maksutovs and Apochromatic Refractors.

- Amateur Observatories

Amateur Astronomical Observatories - a page linking to a large number of  observatory and related sites.

Rocky Plains Observatory - Our own backyard observatory.  Lots of construction details and astro images.

Taconic Observatory - Roll-off observatory construction in progress.  Nice site and layout (warm room).  Makes use of the roller/track design we designed for use in our own observatory.

- Astro-Imagers

Ray Gralak - awesome CCD images, even from a suburban location

Robert Provin - one of the original 'masters' of film imaging

Brad Wallis - He and Robert wrote the book (s??) on astrophotography...

Steve Mandel - CCD images and CCD widefield camera adapter:

John Gleason - More great images, CCD and Film

- Solar Links

Solar Spectrum eGroup - Great place to discuss Solar Spectrum products and meet other users.

Solar Observers eGroup - Another place for general Solar Observing (including white light).

Daystar eGroup - More good H-Alpha discussion, though some specific to Daystar filters (which have many similarities to Solar Spectrum).

- NexStar Links

Mike Swanson - NexStar Resource Site, a nice site with reviews, great NexStar GT advice.

NexStar eGroup - Great group for all things NexStar, including many users of Baader NexStar Brackets.  Other good groups are refractors, MakScopes, ap-ug, and digital_astro.

- Weather

NOAA Wind Profiler - Gives current wind velocities as a function of altitude (pressure).  In our region, the wind speeds and directions often are an indicator of seeing conditions.  If you are reasonably close to a profiler station, you might find this to be the case in  your area.

Last Update 03/17/07