Ratlet

2 hours ago, Sulaco85 said:

This has me very intrigued. I think I might pick up filter as well. I already have the yellow one. So do you stack them together? 

 

Had a very frustrating session  last night. Break in the clouds and the views were incredible but as was inevitable the clouds won in the end. 

You just screw one filter into the other and away you go.  The threads on the ones I got weren't great, but worked perfectly well.

As a caveat, I'm using a 130pds (so 650mm focal length and F5) have been observing since August 2022 (so very new) and have only used the combo once.

However, for the £10 I'll be happy with just last night's views if it never works as well again, just for finally seeing what is possible in planetary observing.

Managed to get out again this morning briefly around 0500 to observe C2022/E3. I'm slowly getting better at aligning the mount and was only abou 0.5° off when it slewed over.  Unfortunately there was some haze that extended quite high up.  Some faint nebulosity visible, but largely indistinct.

I phoned the wife to get the scope up the shed to cool as this might be the last clear night for a while.  Been working since 0600 this morning and got home at 1900 but oh boy, was it worth it.

Over on the svbony 3-8mm zoom post @Louis D suggested I order a cheap yellow and moonglow filter from eBay to improve contrast on Jupiter and mars.  Total cost was £10.  They both turned up today so I went out to excellent seeing getting straight to 3mm with the svbony for 216x power.  Jupiter looked very steady without the filters.  With them it just looked astounding.  Amazing detail and it almost made the atmosphere look even more steady.  It almost looked photographic and the colour cast was most pleasing.  I couldn't dwell for long before moving to mars as I need to go to bed shortly.

WIt's the filters Mars was hands down, no contest the best view I've had.  I could see definition to the light and dark areas so clearly.  I would swear on my life I could see a distinct white area on the north limb.  It felt a lot more like I was looking at an object where as previously it was like looking at a light, if that makes sense.

I tried without the stacked filters and whilst the viewing was good, the atmosphere seemed more unsteady and the light darker areas were more blurred.  I'm not confident I could see any white at the north again.

I'm certain that the seeing helped massively but for £10 I've had the best views of mars and Jupiter I've had.  The previous best coming because I bought the svbony zoom based on @Louis D review of it!

I've linked the filters I bought below.

https://stargazerslounge.com/topic/399997-svbony-8-3-zoom/page/5/#comment-4334138

I picked up a bit of gear recently and there were some oddities in the box including a BST h-alpha night sky filter.

Near as I can tell it's for black and white film and filters out everything below 640nm and allows the h-alpha and IR light through, although I'm not completely certain.

Is this likely to be useful with a CMOS osc camera?  My Hypercam has an inbuilt uv/it cut filter which will cut frequencies longer than 690nm so I guess it would function is a broad h-alpha?

I've struggled to get my pixel 6 to work at the eyepiece but I'm for sure going to try again now with a proper holder.

Going to be honest as well that after I've processed my ap images I'll often put them through the pixel 6 built in software and it does a good job getting a bit more range out of it too.

If you have issues with the foam, give me a shout.  I've got miles of underlay from a vinyl laminate floor I put down.  2mm thick, light as a feather and tough as boots.  I'll sling some in a tube and post it.

Very nice sketch 🙂.  Nowhere to hide with only two stars to sketch.  I'm going to have to get a look myself.

Just now, Beardy30 said:

Did it require a mount adapter ? 

If you get the tripod with the 3/8" thread it doesn't.

2 hours ago, LaurenceT said:

I put mine on the Skywatcher stainless Steel tripod, very stable.

https://www.firstlightoptics.com/skywatcher-star-adventurer/sky-watcher-stainless-steel-175-tripod-with-38-thread.html

I use this tripod with an azgti and a 130pds.  Very nice mount and setup.  More stable imho that az5 and same tripod.

1 hour ago, Stu said:

It was a cracking night here, seemingly similar to the previous night for others. Seeing was pretty good, and transparency excellent. I used the AZ100 Goto and FC100, probably should have grabbed the 130mm f6, but didn’t have too long so stuck with the smaller scope. I do enjoy Goto, whizzed around quite a few favourites just to enjoy the skies, nothing too exotic. Then played around with a Pixel 6 Pro phone I picked up used, and managed to grab this image of M42. My processing skills leave something to be desired, particularly the sky background, but otherwise I’m chuffed with it. Even caught the Running Man 🏃👍

 

How are you holding the phone to the eyepiece?  I struggle with mine as I can never align it.

I prefer stars over no stars, I just think they always add something to an image.  They can provide context and can show how the structure is shaped by them (sometimes).

Ultimately though it's pretty much up to the imager.  There is no such thing as a real image, like this is how it should look.  They're stacked and sigma'd and stretched, so one more bit of wizardry isn't that big of a deal.  Heck, I'd argue that star suppression is no different than filters.

So long as what you are doing adds to the images, then fill your boots.

Only Jupiter tonight.  The transparency was amazing, but the seeing isn't.  Probably something to do with cool air coming of the hills to the north.  Got to be up for work at 0400 so hoping it doesn't get any better.

6 minutes ago, Stu1smartcookie said:

First official light of the Star Adventurer GTi and the Skywatcher ED80 , tracking was spot on. But I am no Astro Photographer, and I can’t help thinking that a 12” Dob is calling me ( @bosun21… I’ve got aperture fever after seeing the Stellalyra on Saturday ) 

Anyway an enjoyable if very chilly 2 hours of mainly star watching , and the inevitable Orion Nebula and the Beehive cluster which is always a welcome sight . 
 

That is a stunning looking setup.

Cloud was fairly heavy north of the wall today, however I was Adam Ant that I was going to test out the AZ-GTi before I returned to work on Tuesday.  Managed to get an alignment on Betelguese, Castor and Mars whilst the scope cooled and with some troubleshooting got it talking to Sky Safari.  How foolish of me to think that Sky Safari should talk to the mount, when it is really needing to talk to the app…

Beehive Cluster was first and looked stunning.  The scope had cooled down and the stars were tack sharp in the 32mm Plossl (20x).  A beautiful target and a fantastic advert for low power plossls.

I got a cracking view of Mars through the clouds.  It was completely monochrome, but the seeing was very stable despite the hazy clouds (not sure how that works).  I managed to get the svbony 3-8mm zoom right up to 3mm (216x).  I could make out some darker regions on the eastern limb I think, although it was not constant and kept coming and going.  Having a look about there was total cloud cover at this point ( I could only just see Mars naked eye) so I probably looked a bit of a Charlie sat at the scope looking at clouds.  This won’t have been helped by me having rotated my hat so one of the ear flaps was over my left eye.

I rounded out with M35.  I’m going to be honest and say that before I started observing clusters I thought they sounded about the dullest thing imaginable.  I think that’s because I only ever saw photos of them.  They just don’t capture the magic at all.  The SVBONY at 8mm(51x) did a good job but I swapped to the 12mm BST (54x) but either way it was incredible.  No sign of NGC 2158, but I didn’t know to look for it.  I’ll need to make a note and try again next time.

I’ve very impressed with the goto, but ultimately the tracking is the biggest boost.  It’s nice to be able to change eyepieces and not have to re-find the target. 

I was also using the extension pillar without the legs extended which put the scope at a good height to observe whilst sitting down on the back of a summer chair.  That was a massive game changer.  Incredibly comfortable and the extra stability makes the views so much better.  I’ll need to get started building that observing chair next month.

16 minutes ago, josefk said:

You've 100% nailed it - absolute conviction required (and i wait for my partner to go out so i can use the big kitchen knives). 😇

I'm fortunate that my wife is fairly crafty and has a fairly impressive collection of sharp knives.  Fortunately she's not also got an obsession with "Women Who Kill".

58 minutes ago, josefk said:

I'm really enjoying this shadow foam stuff now i've gotten to grips with how to cut it relatively neatly - here used for an accessory case. My first efforts looked like small mice had nibbled the foam - I've realised the secret is use a big broad bladed knife (for straight cuts at least). 

 

 

That looks proper swish.  I bet you feel like a Bond villain about to assasinate a diplomat and plunge NATO and the Warsaw pact into war when you take stuff out

Shadowfoam is like dough.  It can sense fear.  You must cut with absolute conviction that you are correct because if it sense a hint of uncertainty it will take you.  I ended up making stencils for all my eyepieces by measuring them and printing them out (used Fusion 360 as I have it on the computer).  Then I printed them out, stuck them on the foam and started cutting.

I love it.  I've got a massive wheeled case now which had some poorly pick and pluck in it, I've got just enough Shadowfoam to do the whole case if I do it two layers deep.  Not sure what I’d put in it though.  Too big for just the AZ-GTI, too small for the 130PDS.

21 hours ago, LaurenceT said:

I have been mounting my Maksutov 127 on my AZ GTi in Alt Az mode for lunar and planetary. This tube weighs only slightly less than the 130pds, I found that when using the Point and Track function it was much better when the mount was balanced with a counterweight, tracking was almost perfect.

When not balanced there was much more drift noticeable. I was just using the single Star Adventurer counterweight with adapter.

 

Cheers @LaurenceT.  Clouds galore up here just now but have had a play around with it.  I'll put the counterweight in and it works okay.  It's pretty handy for manually slewing it about (or it is inside anyway)  Updated the firmware and thought I might not get on with the mount as I had to view on the side the counterweight sticks out off.  After a bit more poking I realised I had installed the Right hand side version of the firmware!  Big fan of the extension pillar. 

The mount is a good bit noisier than the GEM28 that I use for imaging.  Anyone get complaints from the neighbours when slewing?  I'm very excited to try this beast out.  I love a bit of sketching but find the constant tweaking of the position on the AZ5 detracts a bit from the fun.

That's me done.  I decided to do away with the recessed text and instead go for a recessed block instead.  Makes it much easier to write/stick things to.

Features:

• 32mm ID internal cell for holding filter securely.  If you want it to be super snug you can add small strips of flocking material.
• ‘Wing and cut’ system internally allowing you to get good access to remove the filter without getting thumb prints on it.
• 1mm Internal rebate for foam insert.  I use +/- 2mm craft foam cut to a 33mm diameter circle stuck with glue.
• Range of depths to accommodate filters from 7mm to 23mm.  This includes the craft foam, so up to 25mm could work.  The largest case holds a variable polarising filter.
• Quarter turn lid which is held on by friction from the base and lid.  The lid can fit either way as the design is symmetrical.
• Recessed section on lid (50mm x 18mm) and on long axis of case (14x18mm) to allow writing of contents with an element of protection.  Personally I’m using glow in the dark vinyl sheet cut to size in case I drop the case in the dark with a coating of clear nail varnish to seal.
• Designed to be stored with the long axis up in an eyepiece case (hence the recesses on the ends) to minimise space and make a simplified storage option.
• 10mm recessed dot in the base.  Again so that that I can put something glow in the dark in the bottom to help finding it in the dark.
• Internal stops to prevent the case being turned past the closed point.

I’ve designed and tested this with esun PLA using prusa slicer default 0.15mm (Quality) settings. Other filaments will probably work. You might find the case is too tight or too loose though.  I’d recommend using fine sandpaper to remove material or to use some of the self adhesive flock to add material for adjustment.  stl's are here.

https://www.printables.com/model/368783-standardised-125-telescope-astronomy-eyepiece-filt

20 minutes ago, saac said:

You know in all seriousness the idea is not that far fetched. Look at current satellite technology and the proliferation of so called "shoe box" satellites.  It would not be too far fetched to conceive of one of these carrying a few suitably designed and configured imaging cameras.  Satellite technology that used to be the preserve of governments (military, scientific) are already within easy reach of commercial organisations now and it is only going to increase as launch costs come down. 

Jim 

I think it would be doable.  SpaceX Rideshare will launch a 100kg satellite into a sun synchronous orbit for about a million dollars.  If you won the Euromillions you could probably do it solo.  Probably be able to do some decent science with it too, even at short focal lengths.

To keep Ed Ting happy we’d need to include an 8” Dob, so you’d have about 92kg of weight to play with.

1 minute ago, saac said:

Aww man that would be a remote imaging rig for sure - count me in. Do you think FLO would deliver upgrades  

Jim 

Hopefully not.  Knowing our luck, they'd deliver clouds along with the upgrades!

I have joined the ranks of the azgti owners!  I'm planning using it with my 130PDS in alt-az mode.  It came with a counterweight (which I realise is normally used in equatorial mode) I was wondering give the weight of the scope, should I use it to try and balance it in alt-az mode?  I can see it helping with the gears and for balance/stability, but not sure if it is required or not.

Got a good deal on an AZ-GTi and Celestron 80mm.  Absolutely delighted as these were both on my ToDo list this year.  Keen to get both out and tested ASAP.  Will probably test the mount with the 130PDS and the ST80 manually.  Guess I'ma refractor guy now though.  Need to keep away from the Takahashi catalogue, I'm turning 40 this year though...

1 hour ago, bosun21 said:

Wonder what this can be?🤔

 

I'm starting to feel like a time traveller when I check this thread.  Serious Deja Vu.

WHAT DAY IS THIS??!  WHAT YEAR!

Woops.  I got confused for a moment and thought Astro_dad had bought another dob

48 minutes ago, edarter said:

I don't think the coating is on the back of the mirror though on the 130PDS?  Not 100% sure though.

Nah.  It's on the surface.  Traditional mirror do it on the back, newtonians on the front.

Been through a few iterations of the design.  Just about there.  Adjusted the depth so a craft foam insert can go in to help protect the filter.  Now includes a stop point to prevent over extending, but need to adjust the design so that friction will hold it shut.

It works as is with a small bit of flocking material stuck to the case, but would like to do away with that.  Experimenting with glow in the dark vinyl for the text in the recesses

Acetic acid is fairly volatile and won't hang about for too long.  It's been a while since I looked at siloxane chemistry (spent ages researching it about 15 years ago for high temperature use) but the acid cure tends to be be more tolerant of dirty surfaces where as neutral cure is more picky if there is any grease or oils on the surface.  Obviously your surface should be clean before sticking though.

The bigger issue with the acid cure is for a traditional mirror where the coating is on the back of the glass so you'd be sticking the silicone on the mirrored surface as the acid can become trapped and cause the mirror to discolour (if memory serves it can make a traditional mirror turn brown).