Stargazer Steve: Steve Dodson (For Your Eyes Only - Maximizing Your Scope's Output) became interested in astronomy at an early age and has shared this passion with others throughout his varied careers over the years. As a high school science teacher in North Bay, he brought astronomy into the classroom. Next, he was the Physical Science Planner responsible for setting up the astronomy wing at Science North in Sudbury. Nowadays, he is known as "Stargazer Steve", entrepreneur, the manufacturer of telescope kits you can assemble in less than a day with only a screwdriver (product information: http://stargazer.isys.ca).

Today's amateurs are faced with a bewildering array of eyepieces to choose from. Which eyepiece is best depends not only on the type of telescope you own, but also on what you are observing and the characteristics of your eyes. In this workshop, Steve will describe the various types of eyepieces available today, their characteristics, and how to determine which types of eyepieces are best for you.

Eyepiece Evaluation Software: To help you evaluate your eyepiece collection, a special EXCEL workbook has been prepared and will be available on a computer during the workshop. This will create a customized table for you, showing the magnification, true field, and exit pupil of the eyepieces for your telescope. You will need to know the focal length and diameter of your telescope's objective (in mm), your eyepiece types and their focal lengths (eg., 20 mm Kellner), and if applicable, your Barlow magnification (eg., 2x) and your focal reducer magnification (eg., 0.63x).