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Re: (IAAC) Laptops in the field (was: Uranometria)



In addition to Red, I use several other strategies when using a
laptop while observing.

I put it on a table I have some distance from the scope, so any light
impact while actually at the EP is minimized.

Alternatively, after consulting the laptop, I just close it up. It is
set up to go to sleep automatically, and will quickly wake up
automatically when I open it again.

THis summer, I took my scope on vacation. One night I spent some time
observing from my mother-in-law's front yard in Southern Illinois.
The area is heavily treed and the only opening was to the south, in
the Scorpius region. I have DSC's, but since I could not see Polaris
and forgot to bring my compass, I could only do a rough align by
virtue of the fact the the street was N-S. With the aid of the laptop
and the program Redshift III I was able to locate several faint globs
nonetheless.


>I noticed you used the past tense, Jeff . . .  :-)
>
>Seriously though, dewing is a bit of a problem at our club site.  Several
>people use laptops extensively to reference charting software or to drive
>their scopes.  We have AC power available at our pads so the laptops are
>able to run all night without having to go into suspend mode to save power.
>The heat produced by the laptop during normal operation seems to be
>sufficient to keep dew from forming.
>
>Jeff is correct about the TFT screens being backlit by white light.  I
>generally keep my laptop in a cardboard box (turned on its side) to block
>stray light from the TFT screen.  The screens are also very bright.  They
>are designed to be used during the day, not during the night.  Multiple
>layers of red gel or a layer of red gel sandwiched to a layer of window
>tinting will help dim the screen.
>
>--
>Clear (and Dark) Skies,
>Mark Babik
>Dallas, Texas USA
>32°48'N  96°44'W  157m
>
>-----Original Message-----
>
><< snipped a bit >>
>
>. . . That was a 266mhz Latitude.
>
>
>To stop receiving all 'netastrocatalog' lists, use the Web form at:
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