kirkster501

Yeah, I am looking for a somewhat lighter arrangment than the NEQ6 all the time too. I think it will be too heavy for a Star Adventurer. I am using a G2-8300 with Samyang, with guidesciope and autofocus. It weighs in at about 6 KG. Great image to the OP by the way!

Bought me an Astrozap 1.25" dew heater tape for my 50mm guidescope on my wide-field rig No more fogging up.

Yes I agree. I have a mount top fuse panel/distribution panel to feed the 12v from my PSU to the various pieces of gear fused at different amperage. However, the fuses will blow due to over-current, not a transient spike in voltage. So this is no protection. As James also says, the switch at least eliminates a 12v 2.1mm plug hanging in mid-air, waiting to short in some crazy, unanticipated way or on a slew. Remember the old adage; if it can go wrong, it will.... This is actually one of the main reasons I like big batteries. There is no way the battery can output a spike above 12.8v, whereas a PSU, if on its way out and cream-crackered, can. So even though I am using a proper Farnell PSU, I am still thinking of using a crowbar circuit across the 12v outputs, unless these PSU's already have such a thing in their design?

Thanks Ron. Kind of you to say.

Hello all, Here is my M13 with data from summer. 15 x 10 minute luminance and 14 x 5 minutes each of RGB. All with TEC140 refractor at F7 and Atik 460 CCD with Baader LRGB filters atop a MESU 200. I hope you like it. Steve ________________________________

Yep thats the problem with these big, large diameter tubes. In terms of sheer dead weight to lift, not so bad. Bt they are large diameter and hard to grapple with whilst trying to get the dovetail into the saddle - especially on your own.

Hi, say hello to Brazil and Rio and Sau Paulo for me, worked there many years ago for a year and I loved it! welcome to SGL.

Quit worrying about little things like this and enjoy your system is my advice to you.

14 each of RGB binned 1x1 G2-8300 and Astrodon filters. Rarely see these clusters like this with the background nebulosity of the Perseus spiral arm. M36 bang in the middle. I am doing a 15x15 degree high resolution mosaic of this fascinating area.

Three hours Ha (3nm) and 75 minutes each of RGB. G2-8300 Astrodon filters. Everything binned 1x1. October 2019. I opened the lens up to F2.8 but I've lost the corners slightly so need to go back to F4 I think. I know this is a very popular target in the SHO Hubble Pallet but I wanted my version to be HaRGB. Most examples of this are very red so I developed my image similarly.

Very good. A new one on me is that.

Very nice. Your next mission, should you choose to accept, is the same with Sirius and The Pup 🐶😀

Very nice mate, some lovely details in the galaxy.

Lovely edge on galaxy in Pegasus, 45 million light years away. TEC140 and Atik 460. Four hours luminance binned 1x1 and 75 minutes each RGB. Quite difficult to process because not a lot to go on such as no spiral arms etc, just the dust lane. I feel there is more in this data set than I have managed to process out and shall look again. I could not get a lot from my luminance considering how much I got.

In the comments section the comments from people are largely very positive about the guy and largely supportive of him and his obs.

Drive to a farm field gate in a darkish area and set up there. That's what I have done. Highly unlikely the farmer will want access to the field after dark. You may get plod occasionally pull up and ask what you are doing (oh sorry, I forgot, we don't have police that actually drive around anymore do we?)

That is a very nice picture. You could get some quick 2x2 RGB (say 8 x 5min per filter) and make a spectacular colour image out of that data blending the Ha in as the lighting layer on top of the RGB.

Very nice Geof.

Well done and good luck. I made a 8" one 30 years ago and it is still in a telescope not so far from here. It is very satisfying making your own. However, financially I am not so sure it makes sense anymore in 2019 when you can buy the mirror and diagonal ready made for about the same price when you consider aluminising etc. Key tip is to keep the abrasives away from each other at all costs.

It is easier to move a heavier object closer to you than a smaller object further away, all other things being equal and in proportion. This can matter with PHD guiding changing the mount directions minutely. So mount two weights closer to the mount rather than one at the end of the spindly extension bar. Also less in the way to accidentally bang into in the dark.

Loads of Hedgehogs snuffling away near my obs. I have got used to it and they have got used to me, they know I mean them no harm and are quite happy foraging a few feet away.

My thoughts too Paul and that’s why I did it. Other than the Pleiades and Praesepe, I rarely see open cluster images. I grabbed M37 and M38 data as well last night so will put those up too.

I doubt it’s the objective lens, any mark on that would be so far out of focus that you wouldn’t see it. It has to be something nearer to the chip.

12 x 2 minute exposures in each of RGB, FSQ85 and G2-8300.