Wednesday, December 1, 2010

Merry Christmas!

I just got an amazing delivery!  Santa has come early with the most amazing gift--a Coronado PST.  Of course, the arrival of this wonderful piece of engineering guarantees another 10 days of cloud. I came into my office to find a large package standing in the corner.  I opened it up, and inside was a smaller package.  I could hardly believe my eyes when I saw the PST box in this smaller package.  So here are some pix and observations as I unpacked the instrument:



The box alone is designed to make an astronomer's heart beat a little faster!  Inside is a very nice and functional carrying case:




The case is sturdy and feels solid.  Unlatching it reveals the treasure within! 

The warranty is for 5 full years and the serial number and other information is hand-written on the card.  Also included is the user manual, which is a simple and clear instruction sheet.  I suspect this has been updated as, unlike earlier sheets, it contains information on tuning the filter.  Removing the paperwork reveals the PST in  all its glory:
 
The scope is a REALLY tight fit in the foam, so I removed it gently and carefully.  The scope itself is surprisingly hefty and the workmanship is first rate.  It feels like what it is--a high quality, precision instrument.

The scope comes with a 20 MM Kellner eyepiece:


 The scope itself is one of the new series with the blue objectives.  I have heard that these scopes are a little more accommodating than the old ones for imaging with SLRs.  I will have to check this out when the clouds lift (probably sometime around the New Year!).

I'm very impressed with this scope, and I can't wait to try it out!  Thank you, Santa, for a wonderful gift!









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