fwm891

On 10/12/2022 at 08:38, Alan White said:

Clear and raining, I thought that only happened to me, clearly it’s a shared experience.

Is this with the 12”?

@Alan White Yes the 12 inch VX12. Tried again on NGC891 still not nailed the PA on the EQ platform. Great for visual but still off for photog.

I remember helping to put the cladding on the outside quite a few years ago. It's had a few changes since then.

Clear Outside is showing clear Thurs/Friday this week (Full Moon!) Although showing as 90% low cloud for now but skies are very clear? C.O. can be quite hit-n-miss...

5 hours ago, GeorgeP said:

 

Nice to see some local people on here! Thank you for the recommendations, Francis. I'll have to check those areas out. I have been thinking of getting over to Bucklebury Common, only 20 min drive for me and apparently Bortle 4 as opposed to my Bortle 6 near the centre of Reading! Either of you been there before?

You might want to check with Newbury Astro Soc as they have an observing site around there. Part of a nature Reserve I think and possibly on the Kennet & Avon canal ?

The two holes when exposed will help you with focusing. As you rack the EP in and out two images of a star will move together/apart when together you are in focus (don't use a double star 🤔!) You can also use just a single hole for very bright (Moon) objects as a way of cutting down it's brightness. THE SUN will still need the proper solar film over the single hole.

Hi @GeorgeP

I lived in Woodley for 30+ years and enjoyed the astronomy for my back garden or out to Dinton Pastures or Silcot for slightly darker skies. Reading has an active Astro soc as does Maidenhead I'm sure you would be welcome either.

Enjoy the sky

Francis

After the last session I've changed the focuser as I've found the previous focuser could not handle the weight of the DSLR. I've changed it for a Moonlite CR2 manual focuser.

I've alsoo changed from the DSLR to my ASI533MC Pro (used without cooling).

I used a green laser to align the EQ platform with the NCP and a two-way spirit level fixed to the baseboard.

The M45 (Alcyone/Merope area) was shot as a white light test with the 533, The Crab (M1) was shot twice. Initially as a white light tyarget then with an IDAS NBZ NB filter. These were combined in PS after being stacked and processed in PI.

Lots of issues mainly sensor plane tilt. Attached image is 20x 5 sec subs, 800 iso using a Nikon D5100 mono mod camera (DX/APS-C sensor). Processed in PI only.

Comments welcome.

First time I've been out with almost completely clear skies yet it was raining 🌧️ !

Mmmm, like the counter weight idea. I find the altitude clamp on my 12 inch f4 dob needs excessive tightening when I put a camera or heavier ep in the focuser.

My EQ Platform thread: Has photos of the TS 10 inch Dob on the platform

@skybadger & @Alan White

Re  the mono mod. I bough this off a Guy in Finland? who stripped the chip's bayer matrix and filters completely. I think there's a threat on here about the stripping process...

Alan - will get round to that. Raining at present so doubtful today.

I think I've posted a thread on the EQ platform....?

Just recently bought myself a s/h OO VX12 dobsonian which I've been initially trying out visually. But me being me I had to put a camera on it (supprised I've taken so long!).

I had built an EQ platform for a TS 10 inch dob probably 4-5 years ago mainly from bits on flea bay, so I tried VX12 on it last night.

The attached used a Nikon D5100 mono modified camera @ 400 iso to capture 20x 10 second subs. I didn't adjust the track rate well enough as stars show some drift, but good enough to want to try again.

RAW files: Processed (stacked in) PI and further tweaked in PS CS3.

I hope you like

Do you take photographs through your telescope?

If you only do visual only observing and your mount will track the sky a guide camera is a useless addition.

If however you do or intend to take photographs through your telscope then a guide scope/camera combination will enable you to take long exposures of night sky objects.

There is a difference between tracking and guided. Tracking is regulated by the mount to simply reverse the Earth's rotation and keep and object within the field of view. Guidance however locks onto a star within the field of view and sends pulses to the mount to adjust it's speed to precisely follow  that star, essential when taking images of more than a few seconds duration.

Well I've spent well over 2 hrs on different nights looking for NGC891 (edge-on in Andromeda). I've viewed it before in a smaller scope (8") but last night with a 12" f4, it was not to be seen use 35mm, 19mm and 13mm EP's! (x34, x63 and x92 respectively)

After a few nights ago when previously trying (and failing) I preped some finder charts to aid my rediscovery. I moved down from Almach, I moved up fromAlgol via M34 I even found the line of stars in my finder chart but i simply couldn't 'see' ngc891.

Moan over. I hope it's still there for my next try....

Brushes fitted inside the L S would act similarly to foam (toothbrush’s come to mind) 

I see the same pattern on my 662MC and use the RG in FC. The pattern does not show on images when opened for processing.

I hope this may help some people who are confused by the 1 1/8th, 1¼, 1½... chip sizes quoted or the format framing. These are for ZWO cameras on the FLO web pages (Nov2022).

I've given the model name, a graphic to indicate it's relative physical size and it's individual pixel size.

I hope this might be useful....

I got cheesed off with SGP V4 due to guiding and plate solve issues and I’ve now switched to AstroArt 8 which I’ve found more stable (not faultless) especially plate solving and guiding.

On 04/11/2022 at 22:20, Alan White said:

Francis

OOUK dobsons are nice and light for the size, used to love my 10

I saw the one you are buying and was highly tempted, so pleased you have taken that temptation away, enjoy your new scope.

Alan

Thanks Alan.

After spending time yesterday adjusting mirrors I caught a short break in cloud cover tonight so first light was of a great big moon to align the finder. Then over to Jupiter with it’s four main moons stretched out in a line… I used my 13 & 5mm TV Delite’s superb and very dramatic with clouds scudding past. Good belt detail seen.

 I then went for M31 & Co., which given the nearby moon was a very easy find. M32 & 110 were quite plain to see in a TV Panoptic 24mm. Packed away as moisture looked imminent.

Lots of promise for darker nights…

@Stu Stu, take a look at David Lakehurst’s web site. He uses a single piece curved spider to reduce/remove spikes without increasing other defects.

Thanks All for your comments.

 I’ve taken the plunge and bought a s/h VX12 with 1/10th wave optics from  guy on UKABS which I pick up later.

 I’ll let you know how things go (favourably I hope). I intend using it in dob mode first ‘as is’ and on an EQ platform built for a heavy 10 inch dob but which I have put 16 inch on so should cope with a 12 inch f4. Later I’ll try it on my cem60 as it comes with extra tube rings and losmandy style mounting plate for some imaging.

Thanks again

Francis

As @LaurenceT said 👍

Hi @imakebeer

Welcome to the forum.

I used to live in Woodley under the orange glow!

Don't dissmiss the secondhand market either this forum or UKABS that way you should get a higher spec kit for your dosh...

Many thanks to the responders. Quite a variation in experiences.

One thing that is making me seriously consider the VX12 is it's size and weight as being in my 70's, scopes like the lightbridge and similar are both bulky and just too heavy to easily move around the garden or transport to darker sites  and club viewing evenings.

Interested by the @NGC 1502 comment on the 3" foam on the car's abck seat when travelling. That does seem to indicate how thin the aluminium tube might be? Does anyone know how thin the tube walls are on the VX12?

Again @ONIKKINEN comments about not using it for imaging! This again looks to be aimed at the thin tube. Imaging is one of my main objectives with the scope to try photography off an EQ platform.

Thanks again.

Hi SGLer’s, I’m interested in user comments on OO’s VX12 dob please.

Ive been looking at their website but details other than sizes are absent. I had hoped for user reviews but couldn’t find any. So I’m turning to the greatest band of reviewers anywhere ☺️😉🪐

I’m looking to use for both visual (I have a number of tv eyepieces) and imaging (building an eq platform) for brighter dso’s.

Im under bottle 4 skies. Thanks.