[CMAS] 16" mirror near complete, Foss Hill

[Colin Caissie]

The condenser was a spare...never used.  I did check the supply of
Barnesite polish we got from Brower as it was rumored to be
radioactive...State lab in Augusta found the granite counter in the office
was more radioactive than the polish....

On Mon, Apr 7, 2025 at 10:51 PM Dwight M. Lanpher CMAS <
groupcmas at lanpherassociates.com> wrote:

> Hi Collin, Josh,
>
> Sounds exciting. I have a Geiger Counter that I can use to check your
> titanium truss tubes if you like. 😊
>
> Looking forward to seeing Josh’s new Foss Hill Observatory.
>
> ---Dwight
>
>
>
> On 4/7/25, 8:54 PM, "CMAS on behalf of Colin Caissie" <
> cmas-bounces at maineastro.com on behalf of cscmachinedesign at gmail.com>
> wrote:
>
>
>
> Recent test report here. I don't 100% trust the readout, but it's
> good enough to put a coat of silver on it and load it in the scope for star
> testing.  It went from about one wave error to 1/4 wave when I silvered it
> and tried it out at the Maine State Star Party in 2023.  Wasn't perfect but
> boy did it pull in the light with the fresh coatings.....Silver is about
> 97% reflective, and with the secondary also silvered, it was like an 18"
> scope.  Now, it's smooth and should be fun to use.
>
>
>
> So, this mirror needs to go into a more portable 16"f/4.5 scope for
> outreach, my PreCambrian truck may not be in service, and the original
> MEADE Starfinder 16 dob OTA and mount is just too heavy and is
> failing.....There are designs for compact portable dobs, and the idea of a
> tracking equatorial base is exciting.  We have all the materials for all of
> this. The titanium truss tubes I suggest came from the spare seawater
> condenser from Maine Yankee Plant 20 years ago.
>
>
>
> We checked out the fit of the new motor mount for the Foss Hill roll-off
> roof drive and need to drill a few more holes.  Josh and I gave it the OK.
> Then it snowed on us. WE have had large star parties in the old days,
> especially when we offered food and beverages, so maybe a GALA OPENING with
> barbecue (STARBECUE) could be a big kick for CMAS membership and
> involvement.
>
> The building and site is impressive and could draw a huge crowd.  Josh
> mentioned camping...Wow. Organizing is not my forte...I'm just a member...
>
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>
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