haitch

I haven't scanned back over the whole thread so this may have been mentioned but have you tried getting an image of a distant object in daylight? Edit: sods law - come back after making coffee, hit post reply and see the message above yours saying the same thing. Lol

Presuming it's Wi-Fi and works like my mirrorless M50, I reckon your best solution might be the Canon app on a smartphone (if you're an Apple user the Cascable app is a worthwhile updgrade)

SCTs aren't really flimsy though...

... but still it goes

That takes me back...I read all his Mars and Venus series when I was a kid. As for canals I thought the consensus was he was seeing blood vessels in his eyes?

Well they say don't dither but in this case that may be the best approach http://www.astrosurf.com/buil/us/spe9/lrgb22.htm

Thought I’d draw a line under this comet... or at least get some astronauts to do it for me 😂

Thanks and of course it’s yet another comet pic 😆

Not strictly an all sky camera as it wasn't fixed in place but I stuck my EOS M50 with Meike 6.5mm fisheye on the roof of my car in the middle of nowhere in Central France last week controlled with Cascable on my iPad for a temporary arrangement.

I see I'm not the first to be posting one of this target - I guess it's popular when its around. Anyway here's my effort from Central France last week (I've got a few pics to post up later). EOS M50 Canon 70-200 f2.8L @ 200mm on an Astrotrac (unguided). I'll need to check back but I think it's about 10 to 12 x 2 minute subs

I'll post mine in a separate thread

That's pretty low in the sky I imagine from West Dorset. I've just had a similar go at it but from Central France with my Eos M50 and 70-200 f2.8L (@ 200mm) and found it close to the limit of what the atmosphere would allow.

Yeah I think it's the one I'm thinking of. "Relatively" sheltered with hedges around. The fields either side slope away? Drop me a line if a formal Autumn Party thread gets started so I don't miss it. I'm gagging for a star party after the only ones I could make earlier in the year were cancelled.

Looking at a pic from the last one it’s the small field in the middle? (Where UKAI used to block book)

Great - count me in. Which field? Is it the main one that slopes down to the lane or the one over the back? (I did a couple of the original camps there and even got myself on tv when S@N visited in 2012)

Me too if I can get an EHU

The main problem is being able to get unadulterated files out of the camera. If you can get hold of an old Philips ToUcam (preferably one of the higher end models with a CCD sensor) you can update the firmware so it will output raw files. There may be other brands/cemeras but I don't know which ones.

If that's the sort with the thin aluminium walled focuser tube then you've probably stuck a dent in the tube wall. It may be possible to get it straightened out but given the tolerances it'll possibly never be the same

Lol, thanks. Ever since I’ve been there I realised how much it features in tv programmes set in LA. I’ve started trying to make it conditions of any holiday that we visit any local observatory during our stay. Last time I did was the Fabra observatory overlooking Barcelona last year for a lunar observing evening and tour of the museum.

Isn't PLA biodegradable anyhow? I once saw a program about recycling where even when certain things weren't currently recyclable they wanted them included in your recycling waste so they could gauge demand and build a case for recycling them. I've also seen a device that can turn scraps back into filament although the guy demoing it seemed to be struggling to get consistent results.

Beofre you finish making your mind up, have you seen the price of the Celestron 120 on Altair's site at the moment? (Same optically as the Skywatcher) https://www.altairastro.com/celestron-omni-xlt-120-optical-tube-assembly-2819-p.asp

Also, sorry - I was looking at Dave's RDF but in principle I was talking the same issue that John is trying to resolve for you. It looks like the holes in your tube are too far out to be able get it lined up.

I'm on about loosening the screw(s) that attach the shoe to the tube itself. So if you undo the 2 thumbscrews and take off the finder there'll be 1 or 2 screws fixing the base to the tube - I think that's your only option for getting it straight enough. Generally speaking that type are half decent RDFs.

Maybe try loosening and moving the finder shoe a little

I think I'm going to have to give it a go - Tinkercad has sufficed until now and it's really easy to get something in your head and turn it into reality but there's something about being about to create that technical accuracy that I like.