michael8554

He certainly has ! Looks like he doesn't need help from us. But I'd say as fast an exposure as gives a reasonably bright image. 3X Barlow will either improve or ruin your resolution, you'd have to try. Michael

From what I can see of the OAG construction on the ZWO site: You set and lock how far the prism intrudes into the FOV with one set screw. Then move the camera carrier up or down the locked periscope with the other set screw, to achieve focus. Tricky if you don't have a distant daytime object :-< Temporarily move it into the front garden ? If there's not enough range, add a spacer. You don't want to throw away the advantages of OAG by introducing a wobbly nosepiece connection. Michael

Hi Andy Why is the Mini easier to focus? Focus the imaging camera on Altair, then use your frame to put Altair on the guidecam, and focus. Sorry, I don't understand why that's hard to do. Michael

Hi Andy 1) I thought from your description that you had focus, that finding stars is the problem ? Check daytime on a distant object as knobby suggests. 2) Dunno, but doesn't look implausible. 3) Dunno 4) Hardly makes any difference. 290MM is a modern sensitive camera, ought to be good enough. Armed with the excellent frame you've generated, couldn't you rotate the OAG next time to this position ? Michael

Are you hoping to image details of the ISS such as it's shape ? You will need a very long focal length, what have you got ? Or do you just want to have a "star trail" ? Michael

What is the issue, you haven't said ! Michael

Were you using Live View, sounds like you were taking exposures? If way out of focus the stars may be difficult to see as they're so spread out. So get focus approximate right during the day, framing a distant landmark during the day - bottom of the garden is too close. Lock the focuser. Then at night fine focus on a bright star near your target using Live View. Michael

I'm not sure a USB converter will supply enough current - my mains powered dummy battery has a 2A supply, USB is usually 0.5 Amp max ? Michael

Rotate, crop to the smallest square that contains all of Venus, and resave each image separately. Then paste them as New Layers on a suitably large canvas. Michael

Hope someone can help you because your post is total greek to me........ I think this must be about updating mount firmware, but which mount doesn't come up in my crystal ball. I hope you didn't really plug your motor into the 240 volt mains because motors are usually 12 Volt. Seriously, give us some clues here. Michael

Me too - built like the proverbial brick outhouse....... 🙂 Michael

Hi Philip Most of that sounds okay. Balance Dec slightly off to take up the Dec Backlash The RA drift will be Periodic Error. Worth training and then updating the permanent PE Correction in the mount, something for a moonlit night 🙂 Up the Guide rate to 0.90 to help PHD2 corrections. Polar Alignment needs to be down to about 5 arcmins. ST4 or ASCOM guiding ? If ST4 then run a Calibration every night and every time you change targets. You mention Calibration is never good. Before Calibrating you must move north at slowest slew until you see the guidestar move, to take up Dec Backlash before you Calibrate. Then run the Guide Assistant before guiding, accept the recommendations. Have a read of these Best Practices from the PHD2 Developers: https://openphdguiding.org/phd2-best-practices/ Post a Guide Log that includes a Calibration and Guide Assistant run, then 10 minutes of guiding without tweaking, at around Dec 0. Again a good use of moonlit nights Michael

Hi Philip What makes anyone think it's the Meade mount that's the problem, not inexperience, and that switching to an AZEQ6GT will miraculously solve the issues? You'll have exactly the same learning curve with that mount. Look at all the posts here where inexperienced EQ mount owners are struggling with Lat/Long/Date settings, with PA, with worm adjustment, with wrong EQMOD settings ? It seems the norm on this site is to rubbish Meade and promote Skywatcher. You'll get proper help if you Itemise your difficulties rather than generalise. Michael

Myth - mount doesn't need to be level. Michael

Looking at your equipment I'd guess you're imaging and guiding? Not imaging unguided ? The PHD2 developers say PA need be no better than 5 arcmins, this is easily guided out. If you can quickly and easily get better than this easily then go for it. But you're wasting imaging time if it's already at 42 arcsecs !! Michael

There's a lot of talk on the PHD2 Help Forum about a recent CPWI version being faulty, confirmed by Celestron. Michael

I'm not familiar with your mount but I'd guess rate 1 is the same as Sidereal. So it slews west at +1, but just stops the drive to move east at -1. MIchael

Is it sleeting there 😆 ? Michael

What's the typical "Seeing" like where you are ? In the UK anything below about 1arcsec/pixel is considered Oversampling. Michael

Well I looked up this Reducer and read the requirements..... T2 Adapters for DSLR's are usually M42 x 0.75mm thread, but this Reducer requires a T2 M48 x 0.75mm adapter : http://www.opticstar.com/Run/Astronomy/Astro-Accessories-Imagers-Opticstar.asp?p=0_10_5_0_3_815 The back focus of the reducer is quoted as 55mm, so with this T2 adapter the spacing on your 1100D should be correct. Michael

Tried google ? https://www.williamoptics.com/globalDealers/europe.php But they may not stock these items due to current conditions.... Michael

A serrated knife and lots of heaving will separate the quadrants. You can buy silicon sealant remover, but it will still be hard work cleaning the edges. You should be able to lift the sections over your neighbour's fence panels with two people either side. Seal the bottom edge to the concrete with the very best waterproof external, or aquarium, silicon. Michael

Two directions suggests Periodic Error on RA, and backlash on Dec. You say the PA looked good ? The overall movement across the sky suggest it wasn't very good. Michael

Those aren't very good reasons for your choice of camera. Do you mean Image Scale or Dither Scale, very different properties? If you do mean Dither, those are large motions that any mount will manage, it's the fine motions involved in guiding that some mounts will struggle with. Are you Off Axis Guiding, because you seem to be talking about Imaging and software binning one one hand, and then the impact on guiding???? Michael

We were shown round an Air Ambulance base not long ago. Apparently the laser light is refracted into the curved plastic windscreen and the whole forward view is obliterated. Literally flying blind. Even after the laser has stopped they are obliged to land ASAP and cannot fly again until their eyes have been tested. Michael