The Walker Observatory under a 1st Quarter Moon

Jerry Logan received a Merit Award for
his 12" F/15 Maksutov

Loren Bjerke received a Merit Award for
his 6" F/7 Newtonian

The Valley of the Moon Astronomical Society
received a Merit Award for their 40"

Paul Johnson received an Honorable Mention
for his 16" Newtonian

Bruce Kelley received a Merit Award for the
motorized collimation system on his 17-1/2"
Dobsonian - Details below

Steve Swayze received a Merit Award for
his 30" F/4 with a cold molded veneer
tube finished in maple and walnut

Bill Russell received a Merit Award for his 24"
Dobsonian with thermal equilibrium controls

John Lightholder received a Merit Award for
his 18" F/5.5 on an equatorial platform

Attendance: 1,557

Attendance was down a little with the First Quarter Moon, but the Telescope Field was still bristling with activity. A new size record was set by the Valley of the Moon Astronomical Society (VMAS) with their 40" F/3.2 Dobsonian. The primary mirror, which is just 3/4 inch thick at the center, was ground by Harold Moore. It rests on a 114-point flotation system and weighs just 110 pounds.

A mechanical marvel was the 24" F/4 made by Jim Hannum. It has a wonderfully machined equatorial mount and a foam core fiberglass tube. It weighs 660 pounds and requires three people to assemble.

Gerry Logan checked in with a 12" F/15 Maksutov which gave wonderful images. He incorporated a new thermal equilibrium system that steadied the image within 30 minutes.

John Dobson provided an impressive telescope making demonstration. Along with a group of volunteers, he created a 10" telescope from a pre-curved mirror blank an a pile of wood. The uncoated mirror provided good views of the Moon before the evening program.

Finally, this was the 25th RTMC. A celebration honoring Cliff and Jackie Holmes and the RTMC, complete with cake was held Saturday Night. Clifford W. Holmes passed away three months later.

Speakers:

• Jim Stevens, "Backpacking with a Ten-Inch Telescope"
• Joel Harris, "Go South, Young Man! Two Occasions Occurring Offering Objects Occultations to Occupy Observer's Optics"
• Terrence Dickinson & Alan Dyer, "The Galaxy From Las Companas, Chile"
• Rick Shaffer, "The Spirit of the RTMC Awards"
• Bob Ashford, "Update on the 72-Inch Large Amateur Telescope (LAT) Project"
• Rick Blakley, "Resurrect The Herschel Doublet"
• Bob Buchheim, "A Low-Tech, Cheap Equatorial Platform"
• Chris Butler, "What's Up at RTMC93"
• John Dobson
• Douglas George, "CCD Image Processing"
• Phil Harrington, "Harrington on Binoculars"
• Tom Johnson, "Evaluating Telescope Optics"
• Gil Clark, "The Telescopes In Education (TIE) and Amateur Astronomy Program"
• Dr. Robert Jastrow, "Mt. Wilson - America's Observatory"
• Wayne Johnson, "Supernova SN1993J in M81 and the SunSearch Supernova Program"
• Steven Overholt, "Giant, Lightweight Telescopes - Why They Work"
• Perry Hacking, "Telescope Making at El Camino College"
• David Levy, "Especially For Kids"
• Dean Ketelson, "Large Optics at the University of Arizona Mirror Laboratory"
• Peter Ceravolo, "Interference Testing of Telescope Optics"
• Panel Discussion, "Telescope Making - The Past 25 Years, The Next 25 Years", Moderated by Steve Edberg

Merit Award Winners:

• Steve Swayze, Simple Yet Elegant Large Aperture Telescope
• Bill Russell, Well-Implemented 'One Person' 14" Telescope
• Valley of the Moon Astronomical Society, Outstanding Team Effort - 40" F/3.2 Dobsonian
• John Lightholder, Excellent Craftsmanship with Minimum Tooling
• Loren Bjerke, Outstanding User-Friendly Telescope
• Keith Lawson, Outstanding Design & Craftsmanship in Optical Mounting
• Gerry Logan, Excellent Execution of a Challenging Optical Design
• Jim Hannum, Outstanding Design and Craftsmanship

Honorable Mentions:

• Rick Yessayian, Embodiment of the True Spirit of Telescope Making
• Jerry Van Hofwegen, Innovative Pier & Trailer Combination
• Doug Ostroski, Innovative Clutch Modification
• Mike Spooner, Innovative Use of Materials
• Dave Wile, Simplified Cheshire
• Paul Johnson, Metal Craftsmanship
• Bruce Kelley, Skillful Integration of Innovative Ideas
• Las Vegas Astronomical Society, Group Effort on a Large Telescope Project
• El Camino College Telescope Making Class, Advancing the Cause of Telescope Making
• Randy Steiner, First Telescope Project - 8" F/4.5 designed for handicapped use
• Randy Johnson, Low Cost Construction

Warren Estes Award:

Scott Crosby

Clifford W. Holmes Award:

John Sanford

Clyde Tombaugh Award:

Del Woods

Perry Hacking and his El Camino College Telescope Making Class
received an Honorable Mention for advancing the art of telescope making

Randy Steiner received a Merit Award for his
  8" F/4.5 designed for handicapped use

Cliff & Jackie Holmes helping to celebrate the 25th Anniversary of the RTMC