Difference between revisions of "John Haynes"

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==How I Got Started In Astronomy==
  
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==How I got started in astronomy.==
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When I was about 5, my family moved to a small city in the high desert of California.  My dad had always been interested in astronomy, even had a small refractor for a while.  When we moved to Ridgecrest, where the skies were clear and dark, he would take me out in the back yard, lay out a blanket, and we'd lay back and look up.  He taught me the constellations and some bright stars, along with the planets.  We'd sometimes use his binoculars to see the moons of Jupiter or see the craters on the moon.  Around my 6th or 7th birthday he bought me a build-your-own telescope kit.  We spent a couple weeks working on it, arranging the plastic lenses and f-stops, then gluing the plastic housing together.  It wasn't a great telescope, or even a good one, by any means, but it was really meant as a learning tool.  When I was 8, Nova on PBS premiered Carl Sagan's original Cosmos miniseries over the course of 13 weeks.  Normally well past my bedtime, I was allowed to stay up with my dad to watch it those Tuesday nights.  I remember parts of a few of the episodes pretty clearly, thought I also remember falling asleep during most of them.
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My dad passed in 2008. Soon after I found myself in the Houston, TX area and not long later I bought my first telescope: a really lousy [[Meade]] 114mm [[Bird-Jones]] scope on an even lousier [[EQ1]]-style mount. Soon after, I joined the [http://www.astronomyhouston.org/ Houston Astronomical Society] (HAS) and soon my interest became an obsession.
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I've served in leadership positions with HAS, including managing the Loaner Telescope program, serving on the board of directors, and a term as Vice President.  I am currently the chief trainer for the observatory at our dark site.
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In 2015 I bought a house northwest of the city and in early 2017 I constructed [http://astro.jmhastronomy.com/otherpages/ObsConst.php My Observatory] in my back yard.
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Whenever I'm out under the stars, whether in my observatory, at the club's dark site, or just somewhere looking up, I feel my dad with me, looking over me, staring up with me.  For me, it's a way to commune with and honor his memory, sharing in something he loved and loved to teach me about.
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==Main Astronomy Interests==
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My primary focus (no pun intended, for a change) is on [[astrophotography]].  I'm most interested in galaxies and globular clusters, but typically my imaging targets are targets of opportunity.
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I find globular clusters fascinating, and one of my goals is to complete the [https://www.astroleague.org/al/obsclubs/globular/globular1.html Astronomical League's Globular Cluster Observing Program] and earn my pin.
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I also have a general interest in the optics and mechanics of telescopes and mounts.  I've spent time maintaining and repairing several and I find it enjoyable to disassemble, clean, upgrade, and re-assemble them.
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=Equipment=
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Here's a list of the equipment I use.
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==Mounts:==
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===iOptron iEQ45===
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German equatorial GoTo mount with 45 lbs payload capacity.
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Purchased used from a member of my club along with the counterweight shaft extension and additional 15 lbs counterweight.
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Has both Losmandy and Vixen-style dovetail saddles (separate, not a dual-saddle, but only requires 4 hex screws to swap out).
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This is the original version with 8406 hand control and servo motors.  The newer models use steppers and are somewhat more accurate.  Still, it's a great mount.
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===Celestron CG-5-ASGT===
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German equatorial GoTo mount with 30 lbs payload capacity.
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Purchased used off AstroMart in 2010 along with GPS add-on.
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I originally hoped I could use it for AP. It really isn't accurate enough.  With a light payload and short-focal length, it can do some tolerable wide-field images.  Not much else.
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Great for visual use, however.  30 lbs of payload for visual goes a long way. I COULD run a C11 off it. Usually my SCT rides on it.
  
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When I was about 5, my family moved to a small city in the high desert of California.  My dad had always been interested in astronomy, even had a small refractor for a while.  When we moved to Ridgecrest, where the skies were clear and dark, he would take me out in the back yard, lay out a blanket, and we'd lay back and look up.  He taught me the constellations and some bright stars, along with the planets.  We'd sometimes use his binoculars to see the moons of Jupiter or see the craters on the moon.  Around my 6th or 7th birthday he bought me a build-your-own telescope kit.  We spent a couple weeks working on it, arranging the plastic lenses and f-stops, then gluing the plastic housing together.  It wasn't a great telescope, or even a good one, by any means, but it was really meant as a learning tool.  When I was 8, Nova on PBS premiered Carl Sagan's original Cosmos miniseries over the course of 13 weeks.  Normally well past my bedtime, I was allowed to stay up with my dad to watch it those Tuesday nights.  I remember parts of a few of the episodes pretty clearly, thought I also remember falling asleep during most of them.
 
  
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As time moved on, my interest in astronomy continued to grow.  But it was never a career interest, just a personal interest.  Shortly after graduating from High School I bought a film SLR camera.  Not long after I did my first star-trail photos.  I even attempted to build a motorized barn-door tracker, but never quite figured it out... sadly, this was before the Internet became widely available, and I was limited to a few books in my local public library for reference.  But I still took unguided pictures, dreaming of the day I'd be able to afford a tracking mount.
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===Vixen Polaris Copy===
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German equatorial mount without clock drive or GoTo.  Unknown capacity guesstimated at 30 lbs +/-.
  
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Somewhere around this time, I remember looking to the south through my dad's old binoculars and finding a fuzzy blob near Antares.  I wasn't sure what it was, until I looked it up in my dad's Field Guide to the Stars and Planets.  It turns out that it was M4, a globular cluster.  That launched my fascination with globlulars - an interest that continues to this day.
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Not sure who built this.  It might be an early CG-5, might not.  The CG-5 and a number of others are direct copies of the Polaris.
  
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I also took an astronomy class at my local community college before transferring to finish my Psychology degree at a four-year institution.  I needed a science elective credit, and jumped at it.  After the final, the professor asked me if I actually learned anything from the class.  He could tell I knew a lot about astronomy already.  In fact, I DID learn several things, in particular the Hertzsprung-Russel Diagram.  Still, he told me that he thought I probably could have taught the class, which I took as high praise from a professor.
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It had motors on it when I got it, but no cabling or electronics to power/run it.
  
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While I remained interested in astronomy, over the next 15 or so years I didn't have much time, and never had much money, to put into it.  I had a decent pair of binoculars, however, and would regularly use them to look at the night sky, looking for more globular clusters, and often looking at M31.  Living in Vermont for most of the 2000's, we'd get a lot of frigid, but crystal-clear nights with spectacular, if cold, skies.  I wish I'd had a telescope then...
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Currently gathering dust, but I intend to refurbish and use it for visual.
  
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In 2008, my father died of a massive heart attack.  I had just been laid off from the company I was working for, and considering a move to Texas.  My parents had been planning to move to the Houston area to be near my brother and their first grandkids.  I decided it made sense for me to start looking at Houston as well, to be around family, and because it had a significantly better job market.  When dad passed, we decided to get mom moved here as soon as possible, right down the street from my brother and his family.  I got here a couple months earlier, and settled into life in hot, humid Houston.
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===Unknown Manufacturer EQ3-class mount===
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German equatorial mount without clock drive or GoTo.  Unknown capacity guesstimated at 20 lbs +/-.
  
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About 1 year later, I bought my first telescope.  It was a really lousy [[Meade]] 114mm [[Bird-Jones]] scope on an even lousier [[EQ1]]-style mount. Still, it was something.  A couple weeks later, I joined the [[Houston Astronomical Society]] and started learning in earnest.
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Another unknown.  I bought this with an 8" f/4 Newtonian off a friend.  Be bought it a year earlier for $100 off Craigslist... sold it to me for the same.
  
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[[Astrophotography]] was a key interest of mine from the start. Part of my reason for joining HAS was to get access to the loaner telescopes and the observatory the club operates west of Houston.  
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The mount was missing the counterweight shaft and weights.  I had some that fit.  I was more interested in the scope.  This isn't a horrible mount, but isn't a good one either. Works ok with my 90 mm refractor for visual use.
  
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<to be continued>
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===Meade EQ1-class mount===
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Not much to say about this other than junk. EQ1 mounts are nearly pointless.  Came with my 114 mm Meade. Its gathering dust and probably will stay that way.
  
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==Main Interests==
 
  
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==Equipment==
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==Telescopes:==
  
 
==Other Interests==
 
==Other Interests==

Latest revision as of 14:51, 31 January 2019

I'm John, the guy who created this wiki.

I'm 46 years old (at the time of this writing), and live just outside of Houston, TX (on the Northwest side).

You can find me actively posting on r/telescopes and Quora. I also post occasionally on CloudyNights and Stack Exchange (Astronomy Beta).


How I Got Started In Astronomy

When I was about 5, my family moved to a small city in the high desert of California. My dad had always been interested in astronomy, even had a small refractor for a while. When we moved to Ridgecrest, where the skies were clear and dark, he would take me out in the back yard, lay out a blanket, and we'd lay back and look up. He taught me the constellations and some bright stars, along with the planets. We'd sometimes use his binoculars to see the moons of Jupiter or see the craters on the moon. Around my 6th or 7th birthday he bought me a build-your-own telescope kit. We spent a couple weeks working on it, arranging the plastic lenses and f-stops, then gluing the plastic housing together. It wasn't a great telescope, or even a good one, by any means, but it was really meant as a learning tool. When I was 8, Nova on PBS premiered Carl Sagan's original Cosmos miniseries over the course of 13 weeks. Normally well past my bedtime, I was allowed to stay up with my dad to watch it those Tuesday nights. I remember parts of a few of the episodes pretty clearly, thought I also remember falling asleep during most of them.

My dad passed in 2008. Soon after I found myself in the Houston, TX area and not long later I bought my first telescope: a really lousy Meade 114mm Bird-Jones scope on an even lousier EQ1-style mount. Soon after, I joined the Houston Astronomical Society (HAS) and soon my interest became an obsession.

I've served in leadership positions with HAS, including managing the Loaner Telescope program, serving on the board of directors, and a term as Vice President. I am currently the chief trainer for the observatory at our dark site.

In 2015 I bought a house northwest of the city and in early 2017 I constructed My Observatory in my back yard.

Whenever I'm out under the stars, whether in my observatory, at the club's dark site, or just somewhere looking up, I feel my dad with me, looking over me, staring up with me. For me, it's a way to commune with and honor his memory, sharing in something he loved and loved to teach me about.

Main Astronomy Interests

My primary focus (no pun intended, for a change) is on astrophotography. I'm most interested in galaxies and globular clusters, but typically my imaging targets are targets of opportunity.

I find globular clusters fascinating, and one of my goals is to complete the Astronomical League's Globular Cluster Observing Program and earn my pin.

I also have a general interest in the optics and mechanics of telescopes and mounts. I've spent time maintaining and repairing several and I find it enjoyable to disassemble, clean, upgrade, and re-assemble them.

Equipment

Here's a list of the equipment I use.

Mounts:

iOptron iEQ45

German equatorial GoTo mount with 45 lbs payload capacity.

Purchased used from a member of my club along with the counterweight shaft extension and additional 15 lbs counterweight.

Has both Losmandy and Vixen-style dovetail saddles (separate, not a dual-saddle, but only requires 4 hex screws to swap out).

This is the original version with 8406 hand control and servo motors. The newer models use steppers and are somewhat more accurate. Still, it's a great mount.


Celestron CG-5-ASGT

German equatorial GoTo mount with 30 lbs payload capacity.

Purchased used off AstroMart in 2010 along with GPS add-on.

I originally hoped I could use it for AP. It really isn't accurate enough. With a light payload and short-focal length, it can do some tolerable wide-field images. Not much else.

Great for visual use, however. 30 lbs of payload for visual goes a long way. I COULD run a C11 off it. Usually my SCT rides on it.


Vixen Polaris Copy

German equatorial mount without clock drive or GoTo. Unknown capacity guesstimated at 30 lbs +/-.

Not sure who built this. It might be an early CG-5, might not. The CG-5 and a number of others are direct copies of the Polaris.

It had motors on it when I got it, but no cabling or electronics to power/run it.

Currently gathering dust, but I intend to refurbish and use it for visual.

Unknown Manufacturer EQ3-class mount

German equatorial mount without clock drive or GoTo. Unknown capacity guesstimated at 20 lbs +/-.

Another unknown. I bought this with an 8" f/4 Newtonian off a friend. Be bought it a year earlier for $100 off Craigslist... sold it to me for the same.

The mount was missing the counterweight shaft and weights. I had some that fit. I was more interested in the scope. This isn't a horrible mount, but isn't a good one either. Works ok with my 90 mm refractor for visual use.

Meade EQ1-class mount

Not much to say about this other than junk. EQ1 mounts are nearly pointless. Came with my 114 mm Meade. Its gathering dust and probably will stay that way.


Telescopes:

Other Interests

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