April 22, 2018
My new telescope, a Celestron 8 inch Schmidt-Cassegrain, model C8-A SCT. This is the first real telescope I've owned. My 500 f4 camera lens and my spotting scope are refractors, using internal lenses to focus light. This telescope is a reflector, it uses mirrors instead of lenses, so there is no chromatic abberation, a common problem with refractors. An eight inch aperture refractor would cost a small fortune, the cost of this 8 inch reflector is pretty modest. The big difference with this scope is I need to make sure the mirrors are perfectly collimated, which isn't all that hard to do but it takes time. So far, it seems to be OK. It has a focal length of 2000mm, four times what I get from my 500 f4. I can put a Televue Powermate 2.5x on it and the focal length will be 5000mm! Perfect for planets and other very small things.
I found this spider in its web, perhaps two inches above
the water in a pool in Madera Creek. The web is parallel to the surface of the water.
The spider has its back to the water.
Here it is from above. Seems like an odd setup for catching insects, unless
it is catching aquatic insects emerging from the water.
UPDATE: I posted this on BugGuide.net. It is a Long-jawed Orbweaver. I copied the following from the remarks section:
"These spiders spin circular (orb) webs, mostly in the horizontal plane, often just inches above the surface of water where they can intercept emerging insects like midges, mayflies, and stoneflies."
The Virginia Opossum is a regular visitor now, always looking for a handout.
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