Shimrod

4 hours ago, Donald MacMillan said:

Why isn't there a skyportal app for laptops or PC's

The Celestron equivalent is CPWI - available from here  

If you don't want to use CPWI directly, then it can still be used for telescope control and other packages (I have used Starry Nights) can connect and control the telescope via the CPWI interface.

15 hours ago, Beardy30 said:

Greenland’s not an option really for me as I’m hoping to make a family break of it - I image well opt for Spain 🇪🇸 

It will depend on your budget as well. Iceland is expensive, more so in August, and with an eclipse I should imagine most of us will be priced out of a stay! East Greenland will be on an expedition cruise ship at around £8k per person....

Spain will be much cheaper - you could always stay a distance from the path of totality and travel into the area on the day. It also has more scope for choosing where to go in the path of totality based on weather. The eclipse only cuts a corner of Iceland which gives limited travel scope to avoid any cloud.

edit: You could always consider a cruise - see this thread - Eclipse Cruises although be aware the one to Spain will have you on ship for the eclipse (compared to Iceland where you overnight). I would not want to be jostling for position with 2,700 other people to get a view and no doubt there would be no room for photography

26 minutes ago, Nigella Bryant said:

Hi all, just over 2yrs away is a relatively close to travel to, Total Solar Eclipse. I was looking at tours to observe this having originally booked with Astro Tours but cancelled due to probable cost. 

I've since found Cunard will be doing a cruise to observe this eclipse at a reasonable price for a weeks cruise. 

Sounds good to me, I nice cruise including the eclipse, very civilised, lol. 

Just thought other's might be interested. I've no association with Cunard so I won't get rich by highlighting the above, 😂 

Not as expensive as I thought! For the one I looked at you will be in Reykjavik for the eclipse, so greater scope  to travel somewhere with clear skies (although such a thing is even rarer in Iceland that it is in the UK).

The cruise will probably cost less than one night's accommodation in Iceland during the eclipse!

6 hours ago, Elp said:

More info is needed, but you don't screw in an eyepiece into a scope to use it, they're push into focuser and tighten via brass compression ring usually by default, you may unscrew or screw an adjustable eyecup or do the same if it's an adjustable zoom eyepiece. If the lens has fallen out there's usually a very thin black lens retaining ring holding it around the circumference within the lens barrel which you'd need a special/custom tool to tinker with, the lenses don't just fall out.

Note quite the same scenario, but the reducer for my Edge fell apart in my hands. The retaining ring for the lens came loose while removing it from the back of the scope. It's possible the eyepiece was not fully tightened in the first place

10 hours ago, Starshooter1 said:

I tried the factory reset you described but it’s still the same. Any ideas would be appreciated. The attached images shows wpa2 encrption is in play so it’s not an open network. Any ideas anyone ?

 

I'm slightly confused by the screenshot - shouldn't the SSID for direct connection be showing as Synscan_xxxxxxxx? There's nothing like that on your list - have you changed the SSID or are you trying to connect to the synscan adapter via you home network?

3 minutes ago, bomberbaz said:

Hello all. I am sure this question has been asked before but I am sure people won't mind imparting their views again so here goes!

I am planning visiting Iceland later this year, beginning of 2025 depending upon what views and/or opinions are on here.

The trip will be an 11 day self drive tour of the Icelandic circle and as you might expect I am hoping to see aurora as well as some of the beauty of this volcanic island.

I am thinking either October 24 or March 25 will offer the best opportunity of reasonable weather for sight seeing and with skies still dark enough to see aurora. 

Any advice gratefully received.

Steve

My recommendation would be October, you'll do much better with the weather. If you go in March you will most likely still have a lot of snow and ice in the north. October time can be cold but still with some nice days - although it's possible to still have snow in the north. We did have a day snowed in one time in Akureyri as both passes were closed. It can also be incredibly windy, so do be prepared for some travel disruption.

We've been to Iceland eight times, seven of those in October and have seen the lights every time - you need to keep an eye on the cloud forecast at en.vedur.is and be ready to travel to clear spots. Just about any location will do for lights once you are outside the main population areas.

2 hours ago, PatrickO said:

Can anyone tell me what model/age of 8" Celestron SCT this is. Is it different from recent models? I'm thinking of buying it for lunar/planetary imaging.

Many thanks

 

There's a long thread over on cloudy nights that collates C8 serial numbers and age of OTA. Based on your serial number (905605), it puts this OTA early to mid-nineties as a best guess.

https://www.cloudynights.com/topic/402734-celestron-c8-registry/#entry5161309

7 hours ago, SaturdayTV said:

I updated to the 3.39 and it caused the dec motor to malfunction. I've been through every step of troubleshooting. I want to try rolling back the firmware... if I can just find it. It's the firmware for eq3, eq5, eqm35 3.xx motor controller with the USB port. Thanks in advance.

You could use the wayback machine to navigate to the older versions of the firmware - https://web.archive.org/web/20221115000000*/https://skywatcher.com/download/software/motor-control-firmware/

Here's a direct link to the 3.09 firmware version:  https://inter-static.skywatcher.com/downloads/mc019_firmware_v0309.zip and the 3.15 version:  https://inter-static.skywatcher.com/downloads/mc019_firmware_v0315.zip

You can see by changing the filename you can pick out  the firmware version you are after.

18 hours ago, Stu1smartcookie said:

 

The "silent " running on the ioptron is a real plus point , the last avx i tried briefly was a bit noisy ( but that may have been down to other factors ) . 

 

You can set the maximum slew speed of the AVX to limit the noise. In normal tracking operation you won't hear a thing, but it is noisier (although I don't think noisy) when slewing between targets. Setting maximum slew speed one down from maximum eliminates the noise issue for me. It takes a few seconds longer to move between targets at opposite sides of the sky, but if moving between targets in the same area of sky you probably won't even notice the difference.

On 31/01/2024 at 18:54, maw lod qan said:

First of all if the mods wish to delete this I understand.

First, I'm just passing on the info.

I've been following a man's posts on FB. He's been posting Lunar images and also information I've enjoyed.

He gave me permission to post his name here and tell what he us offering. 

His name is Robert Reeves.

He has come by original Lunar prints from the 60's that were thrown away after deciding they were taking up space and not needed.

After going through them, sorting out into sets, he donated those to astronomy clubs.

The left overs he is selling. He can send you files with thumbnails.

I've decided on 4 from the far side.

It's my understanding these are the original NASA prints from the 60's. The size is 20" x 24".

If something he posted is true, he's got a good personal reason. But that I won't mention 

 

Is this the same Robert Reeves that lends his name to this telescope from Celestron?  https://www.firstlightoptics.com/beginner-telescopes/celestron-firstscope-signature-series-moon-by-robert-reeves.html

On 31/01/2024 at 10:51, pie_in_the_sky said:

Hi all,

I know these types of questions are quite subjective and can be pointless as there is no right or wrong just personal preferences but...

What are your thoughts on the Canon Ra? I'm someway off upgrading my gear but am still interested to see what's out there. I see the value of a dedicated Astro-only camera (like the ZWO-type cameras) but I like the interactive element of a DSLR/Mirrorless and also would ideally like the dual purpose of an astro camera and a daytime camera which in theory the Ra would give you. I know some post prod is needed though when using the Ra in the day time.

 

I think your biggest challenge will be finding a Canon Ra at a sensible price - it was launched in 2019 and discontinued by 2021. I don't think they sold a huge amount, and a quick search reveals only two on ebay - one with a starting bid of £1850 and the other with a price of £4000 (both body only). 

It's probably cheaper to buy a dedicated astro camera and the R6 full frame body and you will have the reassurance of a warranty on both.

3 hours ago, FLO said:

So, the distributor's price, available via their eBay store, only to UK customers, is over 25% lower than their UK retailer's price! It is also lower than our cost price, so we cannot price-match. 

I have no idea how or why they are doing this. I guess Bresser's plans for retail in the UK have changed. 

Steve 

They did only have two available at that price and both have been sold - possibly just a clearout of old stock?

On 12/01/2024 at 00:16, Urumiko said:

Hi all.

Thanks for taking the time to reply.
Sorry if I wasn't clear enough, I take the point on not buying from amazon however the person who bought it for me opted to return for store credit so I'm locked in with them for the replacement. I will bear that in mind for accessories if I get the bug though. FLO seem a good store.
Also  I am not afraid of the computer/software/imaging side of things, I'm an IT professional, serial tinkerer and was a competition photographer for a while. I just know little of telescopes, but I assume all of that is mostly a  separate consideration.
 

If you need to use the Amazon credit, it might be worth confirming that it can be used with Amazon payments - I had a quick look at the T&Cs of Amazon Pay and it seems like it is only gift cards that can't be used on third party sites.

One astronomy shop that take Amazon Pay is Tring Astro. I had a quick look at a few stores but this is the only one I could find on a quick check.

20 minutes ago, Zermelo said:

No, I didn't see that message when I ordered.  I just now checked the order details on my phone eBay app, and it doesn't say that taxes are payable, however it does say "to view the tax invoice associated with this order, visit the order details on desktop".  But the order details on the desktop eBay do not seem to mention any tax invoice.

I just repeated the order as far as the first payment screen, and I do see the message that (FLO) Steve posted. But if you then click on the "learn more", you just get taken to a generic information page, with nothing specific to your order.

Of note in that information page, it says "If additional tax is applicable on your eBay purchase, you'll see this indicated on the listing page and the tax amount will be shown on the checkout page before you pay", neither of which was the case with my order. The info page also says "you can view and download a tax invoice from the Order details page in your Purchase history" which, as I said, doesn't appear to be there. In the section "Items delivered to the UK", it says "prices on eBay.co.uk are shown inclusive of VAT", but there is also a section "Goods shipped to the UK from abroad" (is that different?), which suggests that VAT on items exceeding £135 is not collected by eBay, so I'm none the wiser. I've hardly ever bought stuff of this value from abroad before.

Anyway, the estimated delivery date is last week of Jan, so I'll let you all know.

 

 

I may have this wrong, but a quick look seems to indicate that if the seller is UK based, then even though the item is shipping from abroad the price should already include VAT. In this case, the seller is Bresser UK with a regiestered UK company and address.

They only have two scopes available, so looks like a genuine sale. I did notice a similar bargain before Christmas with the Bresser Binoviewer from Ebay compared to buying from Bresser UK.

Edit: It would probably be expensive if you need to send it back to Germany though!

14 minutes ago, Simon Pepper said:

Thanks Richard a bit annoying but totally understandable. 

It's worth checking the warranty of the individual manufacturer - some, but not many will offer a transferable warranty - although that does tend to be the more expensive items. Unistellar for example offer a 2 year transferable warranty.

11 minutes ago, Elp said:

The Rasa 6 is intriguing, if they do decide to sell as an ota, but how much would it be, 1500? I'd rather they fix the 8 and put it back on sale.

I see it's using an rpi 4, so it's already outdated tech on the computing side but should be sufficient to do the task at hand.

Alt az is a hindrance but it states it'll support the wedge so EQ will be possible down the line.

You can use your own 1.25 and 2 inch filters so that's a positive.

The sensor is 8.92mm diagonal so is tiny, so the widefield FL isn't that wide due to the sensor size.

If the above price is right my C6+HS6 in comparison is an absolute bargain.

Listed as $4000 at Astronomics Assuming that translates to pounds, you'll want to add another £1000 or so if you want the wedge and the Starsense Autoguider. It makes it a very expensive package.

I can't see there being a huge market for this at the price - doesn't seem like it is pitched at expert astrophotographers, and there other packaged devices are half the price (or less) of the Celestron, with the exception of the Unistellar evScope 2.   

2 minutes ago, mcrowle said:

Intriguing!

I hope it's a new C11 that weighs 3kg, fits in carry-on luggage and has an automatic rain cover 😃.

Regards, Mike.

I think that is going to be the new Takashashi Origami range. Choose the waxed paper option if you want water proofing.

I would be hoping for a harmonic drive mount, but the picture would hint at a RASA (presumably 6" guessing by the focal length - although that doesn't tie up with the tag line of innovation. or something 'BIG'. Could they be pairing up the starsense/autoguider technology to be making a large Seestar/Dwarfstar equivalent?

Any thoughts as to what might be coming?

28 minutes ago, David at Bythel Obs said:

Tried but still not recognised

It looks like the ASI715 is quite a new camera - does the ASIAIR software need an update to be able to recognise the new camera? Given the ASIAIR only works with ZWO cameras I assume there's a config file somewhere on the system with a signature for each of the  ZWO cameras.

23 minutes ago, Leo S said:

It's actually not looking too bad here after midnight according to the forecast. Hopefully it hits early as I can't do very late these days.

Good luck to all!

It looks more like early morning than late at night.  These times are UTC:  https://www.swpc.noaa.gov/products/3-day-forecast

1 hour ago, assouptro said:

Thanks to all that have shared their thoughts 

Backup, Backup, Backup seems to be the consensus 

Has anyone had anh success with data recovery from an m.2 Drive? 
 

cheers

Bryan 

I have recovered data from disk drives in the past (both SSD and mechanical) using r-studio that @Adreneline has mentioned above. It all depends on what has failed on the drive  - you mention that it cannot be seen by other laptops when mounted in a caddy. Is this not seen as in 'can't seen any physical disk at all' or just 'can't see the formatted drive'? The screenshot below shows  part of the disk management screen (search create and format hard disk partitions in windows) with allocated drive letters. If the disk can be seen but shows as 'unformatted', it could just  be the partition data or MBR has been damaged and that might be recoverable. If nothing shows for the disk, it most probably indicates a physical failure (or a defective caddy - you might want to check with another disk). 

3 hours ago, Dr_Ju_ju said:

That's one of  the problems with silicon drives, they just fail with no warning  unlike spinning rust, which usually give you some warning.....

I don't save anything locally, on the imaging computers, but directly on a pair of Synology, network attached storage devices which mirror each other.

55 minutes ago, Elp said:

This is unfortunate. It is one of the reasons RAID was invented but most people don't use it. You can split data across multiple drives to boost performance or have said data duplicate to multiple drives.

Although you are protected from a single disk failure using these approaches, there is still a risk of physical failure - of the whole device, power surges, theft etc. I back up in this manner, but also use a cloud back up service. You could set up some simple scheduling and copy to OneDrive (if you have an MS Office licence) which will give 1tb of storage.  I've used backblaze for quite a few years now to back up my server. This is very much a backup service, not a cloud drive, but it is cheap at $99 per year (black Friday discount code BLAZEITUP23 gets 20% off) and you can also restore versions of your files for 30 days/1 year depending on subscription. A small utility runs in the background to automatically update to the cloud service.

This isn't going to help the OP restore the data, but it can help avoid future data loss. Other companies offering similar services include Acronis, Carbonite and Crashplan.

The SVbony 3-8mm eyepiece is now in the Black Friday sale on Amazon at £110 for those who don't want to order from abroad. https://www.amazon.co.uk/Svbony-Planetary-1-25inches-Magnification-Observations/dp/B0BLTY9JBX/ref=sr_1_3?crid=2MH8LJ12W3OUK&keywords=svbony&psr=EY17&qid=1700307900&refinements=p_89%3ASvbony&rnid=1632651031&s=black-friday&sprefix=svbony%2Cblack-friday%2C61&sr=1-3&ufe=app_do%3Aamzn1.fos.23648568-4ba5-49f2-9aa6-31ae75f1e9cd

24 minutes ago, Bugdozer said:

Argh! My diagonal unexpectedly slid out of my scope while I was changing eyepieces and fell down, bouncing off the tripod and fortunately landing in a plant pot which cushioned the fall - I was braced to hear the tinkle of smashed glass, but fortunately not. It got some bits of plant and water from the wet foliage up it, but I have done my best to clean those out. Thank goodness I had just taken the expensive eyepiece out when it happened. It's never done that before and I am always vigilant with screw tightening. 

As far as I'm concerned, you're not a real astronomer until you've dropped a piece of kit on the floor. For reference, I'm a really, really real astronomer.

19 hours ago, ZS1RA said:

Hi. 
I’m sorry to admit that misery enjoys company. I cannot believe that I made this mistake too. 
Would you please let me know where you ordered your boards from. I don’t have the wherewithal to fault find at the moment but I will keep the old boards and fix it sometime. Hopefully to give it to some poor soul who makes the same mistake. 
Thanks

Shaun

You can get the board from RVO or Grovers Optics. You could also try FLO, they have some Skywatcher boards listed on their website but not for the HEQ5, but worth asking.