{{raising my hand vigorously....}}
ME!  ME!
The MI-500 would be way, way overkill for a 14 inch telescope  but would be more than adequate for the 16.  This is a simply huge mounting; the precision is unbelievable. I use a MI-500 with 16 inch scope at one of the observatories nearly nightly.  It tracks WITHOUT PEC applied at better than 1.4 arc second periodic error....you read that right.  After getting the telescope mounted I ran the gears to marry them for several revolutions with a very slightl (about .7 pound) load to the west, thus lapping the gear teeth and troughs perfectly.  The mount is more than adequate in terms of mass for the 16 inch scope and vibration is not even a factor, not even in high wind.

This is a permanent-sized facility, however; the MI-500 is not a portable mounting at all.  The actual load capacity, not counting counterweights, is about 180 pounds.

Dr. Clay

What an outstanding catch and excellent work; congratulations on the well-deserved recognition.  ASO is proud to have been the benchmark for your original posting.
Keep up the fine work and continue to amaze us!

Dr. Clay

Please examine the attached image carefully.  This is a single, unprocessed frame (CCD) from the morning of August 16, showing no less than 13 individual components of some type of catastrophic event recorded when a routine image of the new asteroid 2007 PP9 was being captured at Harvard MPC H45 (Petit Jean Mountain South) by P. Clay Sherrod.  Looking carefully, there are at least 13 components to this event, although the two parallel lines at the LEFT edge of the frame do not appear to be related to the major "breakup" recorded.

There appears to be a major trajectory of debris, followed by several "spin-off" components with short trails in differing trajectories than the main defined pathway as identified by the bright streak and other lesser light paths appearing parallel to it.

Details:
SOUTH IS UP
EAST to right
TIME (UT):  09:24:57 start of exposure, duration, 60 seconds
DATE:  August 16, U.T.
Right Ascension, center of image:  23h 11m 31.0s
Declination, center of image:  -05d 38' 17"
Total field of view:  18' x 12'
0.51m R.C. telescope at f/3.3, ST402 ME Class I CCD, dark subtracted, flat frame applied

Limiting magnitude (high clouds) 18.6

Note that my impression of at least part of these remarkable features is that some may be actually glare from a brighter component not in the frame but very nearby outside of the actual field of view.

I am encouraging comments and remarks as to the nature of what we are seeing here.  Never in tens of thousands of images have I seen anything quite like this one....

Good luck on your speculations and have fun.

Dr. Clay

Hello to all.....
A reminder that the PERSEID Meteor shower should put on quite a show this year, August 11-12 with no moon in the sky.
Please read my updated GUIDE for this meteor shower via the LINK on the "Important Guides for Upcoming Events" on the ASO home page.

We look forward to your reports of this year's Perseid Meteors.

Enjoy!

Dr. Clay

Today the Arkansas Sky Observatory website will reach 600,000 visitors/hits to the site since its inception six years ago.  It is now one of the most visited and utilized astronomical websites throughout the world and grows daily.

When my brother Brian started the website it was with some reluctance on my part, but both he and the webiste proved me wrong very quickly.

On the downside, minor as it is, you might be interested to know that there are over 100 attempts to join and log onto the Forums DAILY by spammers, cult groups and inappropriate postings.  Each membership is now carefully reviewed and approved or rejected.  Today alone I have already rejected 23 attempts by spam monkeys to register on the Forums.  But, so far we are dealing with that.

The ASO Forums have reached nearly 800 participants (...and these are carefully selected and approved for membership...) and we thank each and every one of our supporters for our growth and continued outreach.  The ASO monthly calendars (Sky Events) are read and used by school groups worldwide in at least 17 countries that I am aware of; the Guides sections are vital for observers and telescope users of all levels, and our Forums have the best moderators that money can never buy.

Much thanks for your support and we know we can depend on our visitors and Forum members as we grow toward our 1,000,000 benchmark next Spring.

Dr. Clay

Ouch....this does not sound particularly good.  Very likely you have both a capacitor and the main voltage regulator chip going bad.  I suspect that your telescope has been subject to a very strong electrical surge or perhaps was plugged in during a recent lightening storm.

Have you tried using just batteries (internal) to rule out a bad AC connection?

Dr. Clay

Playing the Devil's Advocate here....
The LX3 mount was a pretty jazzy thing to have around once upon a time and those that are still working do so very well.
However....that being said:  if you ever need replacement electronics, you are dead in the water, unless you can find a source of no longer produced PCB components that have many similarities to Tyrannosaurus Rex both in size and sightings.

Note that the LX3 OTA cannot be mounted directly on any of Meade's newer fork mounts if you could find a used one, BUT the OTA can be removed from the existing mount and used effectively on a German Equatorial.

NOW....from testing and experience:
The LX3 optics are NOT equal in any respect to the more modern configured LX200, etc. computer generated and controlled optics.  At best they were hit or miss in quality, so please be careful in your selection.

Best of luck on this.

Dr. Clay

I totally agree with Ron on the LXD75 scope and mount.....run away.
The optics are indeed very nice, but very difficult to collimate and keep collimated...many frustrated owners our there.  In addition, the LXD mount is simply NOT suitable for dedicated astrophotography.  If I were you, I would be looking for a good USED LX200 GPS (not "R") 10-inch telescope and acclimate yourself with the fact that it can provide you with more objects and challenges in a lifetime than you could ever achieve.

Dr. Clay

You have hit on my main pet peeve with the Meade Microfocuser arrangement.  It is a major source of flexure in the optical train and will result over time in degraded images to one side of center from the mechanical flexure of the weight of your equipment.  What I have done, and you likely can do this yourself, is to DRILL AND TAP A THIRD hole, opposite the other two, this putting THREE points of pressure on your connector rather than the two.  It really makes a huge difference in the optical precision.

That is quite a load you are carrying there!

Dr. Clay

"A Picture is Worth a Thousand Words"

Jupiter in excellent conditions, seeing a steady 9/10; note the incredible reddish barge
spanning longitudinally across the STrZ, this seen particularly vividly in BLUE light
(south is UP).  Following this feature is a large and prominent festoon bridging the
SEBs to the STrB.
Note also the very turbulent nature of the NEBn, as well as areas north of that in
higher latitudes.  Much activity is noted within the NEBzone and within the NEZ.

An incredible night with so much detail and activity that one has difficulty knowing
where to start in descriptive narrative.  An outstanding sight

Welcome aboard...
I agree whole-heartedly with Dave on this; however, the 10" can still be managed pretty well for portability and the increase in light gain in most suburban conditions may not warrant the larger scope, just as Dave has stated.

One thing I would like to add:  the RCX telescope is nice, but buggy.  If I were you I would do exactly as Dave recommends and look for an excellent "pre-star-filled" LX200 10" GPS or even Classic LX200.  You can save a lot of money and if you buy from a reputable seller, get a scope that has not only been well maintained, but also broken in properly and without some unexpected pitfalls sometimes found in new ones.

Let us know if we can help further.....I have a difficult time checking the forums often, but Dave and the many other fine ASO contributors can help you a great deal.

Best of luck.

Dr. Clay

What a wonderful world we live in.
To preserve the efforts of Clyde Tombaugh, American Astronomy and the rich heritage of Lowell Observatory (in Arizona, not NM), the state of NEW MEXICO has hereby decreed that PLUTO is indeed a planet.

My hat is off to them. 

Below is the link to this new legislation:
http://legis.state.nm.us/Sessions/07 Regular/memorials/house/HJM054.html

And an abstract:

HOUSE JOINT MEMORIAL 54

48th legislature - STATE OF NEW MEXICO - first session, 2007

INTRODUCED BY

Joni Marie Gutierrez

A JOINT MEMORIAL

DECLARING PLUTO A PLANET AND DECLARING MARCH 13, 2007, "PLUTO PLANET
DAY" AT THE LEGISLATURE.

     WHEREAS, the state of New Mexico is a global center for astronomy,
astrophysics and planetary science; and

     WHEREAS, New Mexico is home to world class astronomical observing
facilities, such as the Apache Point observatory, the very large array,
the Magdalena Ridge observatory and the national solar observatory; and

     WHEREAS, Apache Point observatory, operated by New Mexico state
university, houses the astrophysical research consortium's
three-and-one-half meter telescope, as well as the unique
two-and-one-half meter diameter Sloan digital sky survey telescope; and

     WHEREAS, New Mexico state university has the state's only
independent, doctorate-granting astronomy department; and

     WHEREAS, New Mexico state university and Dona Ana county were the
longtime home of Clyde Tombaugh, discoverer of Pluto; and

     WHEREAS, Pluto has been recognized as a planet for seventy-five
years; and

     WHEREAS, Pluto's average orbit is three billion six hundred
ninety-five million nine hundred fifty thousand miles from the sun, and
its diameter is approximately one thousand four hundred twenty-one
miles; and

     WHEREAS, Pluto has three moons known as Charon, Nix and Hydra; and

     WHEREAS, a spacecraft called new horizons was launched in January
2006 to explore Pluto in the year 2015;

     NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF
NEW MEXICO that, as Pluto passes overhead through New Mexico's excellent
night skies, it be declared a planet and that March 13, 2007 be declared
"Pluto Planet Day" at the legislature.

-------------------------

Good luck on this Ben and everyone....
It should really provide some excellent photo opportunities particularly for your location and east of that.  Since the moon is so bright anyway, dark sky is not required which means that foreground objects such as distant trees, tall buildings, bridges, waterways, etc. can easily be framed in the picture of a rising eclipsed moon.  I STRONGLY recommend for those looking for such artsy pictures to go out the NIGHT BEFORE and see where the moon rises from your selected location and be prepared to set up about an hour ahead of time at just the right spot for the following night.  Don't assume that the moon will rise "in the east" because it will not....

Dr. Clay

UPDATE from the March 3 Eclipse! - March 4....

The Eclipse made a spectacular showing for many observers from western Europe to the middle of the United States....results and photos are coming in from observers who enjoyed their first full lunar eclipse in years.

Below is an early posting from our beautiful Petit Jean Mountain:

A snapshot taken from the Gravesite (eastern point) of Petit Jean Mountain on the
evening of March 3, 2007 showing the rising moon as it emerges from a total lunar
eclipse.  The Arkansas River and its valley, hundreds of feet below, and cattle ranches
in that valley can be seen in the twilight sky.

Photo by Patsy and Clay Sherrod, Arkansas Sky Observatory
Olympus 4040 digital camera, 12x zoom.

Even without a short going up into the DEC axis, it sounds as though one of the wires has lost continuity....you must check each one with the output (in the RA base) as well as the eventual connection in the DEC axis; from your description I strongly suspect that you may have merely pulled a connection pin wire loose from the connector plug; check each carefully and re-seat all of those.

Removing the DEC wire assembly causes more problems in the ETX than any other single factor.  I suspect that you have a broken wire, one of those going up through the main turntable up into the DEC.

Dr. Clay