This is the text of an email from a longtime friend in the NE valley.

He is currently using an 8” Meade LX90GPS SCT, and a Vixen NA 140SSf refractor on Vixen Sphinx equatorial mount.

Text of email 05/19/07

It's definitely not a good night for stargazing. Nevertheless, I set up the telescope in the hopes I might see my first asteroid.
Success! Vesta is currently around Magnitude 5.2, higher than Jupiter and a bit westward. I spotted it with no problem with my 8" SCT, even though I'm looking trough a cloud bank. I can't find it with binoculars yet. I'll try again if the clouds break.

Eureka! Vesta positively spotted with 10x40 Zeiss binoculars.