Customer Reviews

Choosing and Using a New CAT: Getting the Most from Your Schmidt Cassegrain or Any Catadioptric Telescope (Patrick Moore's Practical Astronomy Series)

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I am familiar with "Uncle" Rod Mollise's writing from several astronomy websites he owns or is a member of. Most deal with the type telescope known as the "SCT", short for Schmidt Cassegrain Telescope.
He is an acknowledged guru of this scope type, and I have found his advice to be very good.
If you are just thinking of getting your first SCT, or have already bought one, but are swimming in deep water, this is the book for you. It covers most of the subject matter you would be asking about, and even includes a profile of certain scope makes and models, plus a section on eyepieces and accessories to use in them. I highly recommend this book.

If you want to buy a CAT or already own one this book is fantastic. It is up to date and has a great amount of useful data for the future or current owners of these telescopes.

A must have book for possible buyers or owners of CATs.

Uncle Rod is THE expert on CAT's and this book does not disappoint. Much down-to-earth advice on these telescopes, written in the author's readable, conversational style. My only regret: Wish I'd read this before I bought my own CAT.

this is one of those books that no only expresses but achieves the aspiration to be a classic. for the reader who is relatively new to amateur astronomy generally, or new to the catadioptric (CAT) telescopes specifically, this book is as essential and useful as "norton's star atlas", "sky atlas 2000" and several deep sky observing guides besides.

although every chapter title is a play on the acronym cat ("Care and feeding of a CAT", "Inside a CAT," "Hacking a CAT", etc.) in a way that suggests a limited topic coverage, i found some amusement in trying to find a topic that *is not* discussed in this 335 page guide. collimation? a 5 page discussion. mandatory items, like flashlights or dew heaters? check. the use of a hartman mask for precise focusing? pages 294-95. how to deal with telescope dealers? yep. how to use a dark hood, and the importance of warm feet? it's in there. a review of telescope brands and models, astronomy software and a long list of astronomical dealer and web sites? oh yeah. i did finally stump him: there's no formula to compute an eyepiece true field of view using the star drift method (mollise gives the optical formula instead).

elsewhere i gave a negative review of another CAT volume in the patrick moore series because it nohow lived up to its title. with mollise the circumstances are just the reverse: until you pick up this apparently humble book, you'll have no idea how much useful stuff is in here.

essential reading before you buy a CAT telescope, and very helpful reading for every night that you use a telescope, no matter what kind it is.

This is a no-nonsense book that tells all. Telescope brands by name are compared, giving strengths and weaknesses. Techniques for success are described in detail. The author leaves nothing to guesswork. He evens covers the psychology of making the commitment to become an amateur astronomer. If it is not for you, do not make the financial investment. It is rare to fined as balanced a guide, especially considering the scope (so to speak) of the topic. Very highly recommended. (And the basis for MY financial commitment for a hobby to last me the rest of my life.)

Found it to be informative, reviews may of the sct's on the market today. It does need to be updated for Celestron CGEM mounts,and Edge HD.
Great source otherwise!

I had become familiar with "Uncle Rod's" wealth of experience from his entries on Cloudy Nights forums. Then I discovered his online "Used CAT" guide. Wow, what a lot of information for an equipment junkie or anyone interested in astronomy. Then the coup-de-gras, this updated guide on Cat scopes and almost every other topic of interest to an amateur astronomer! I have read every word several times over. If I had only read it BEFORE I whipped out the old credit card and bought that last scope trying to reach observing nirvana I would have saved a lot of money and frustration. I am a CEO of a popular educational publishing company and I know how much work and love goes into such a tome. It is extremely up to date and that is not easy in such a fast moving hobby.

This is a very good guide for the persons that are thinking about buying a cat telescope since it covers most of the cats on the market todey.
It is also interesting for those that already owns a cat but wants to know more about cats in general, it also gives you lot of tips you can use to fully utilize the time when you are "out in the dark"
That the writer is higly knowlegebly about Cats and has lots of experience whit this telescope type shines throu and he writes in a way that everyone understands what he is talking about.
A must on every bookshelf

Excellent overview of the current SCT's available on the market...clear and level-headed advice without bias. An entertaining read as well with plenty of backup material on his website for those who wish to go deeper. An outstanding service to the newbie and seasoned alike by a very seasoned and experienced veteran of what has to be the most complex type of scope on the market.

What can i say: this book is a must if you have a Schmidt Cassegrain telescope. I found it covered everything i needed to be able to operate my LX90. If you have cat go buy this book, you wont regret it.