SteveNickolls

Thanks for the heads up. I'd like to think it may be possible to witness an aurora. We would probably miss the Second Coming happening from here because of the dratted clouds. I've writen to my MP but to no avail. This is the current forecast- Cheers, Steve

Excellent spot. Cheers 👍

For sometime I have been keeping a watching brief on the release by ZWO of their ASI678MM model camera and after contacting their support some little time ago to verify the camera was soon going to be released. At the time I anticipated maybe a June release but it was quietly added to the ZWO line of models these past weeks. The price seems to be $349 on the ZWO page. More from ZWO here- https://www.zwoastro.com/product/zwo-asi678mc/ I also see the model is currently also available to pre-order at Telescope Service for 467 Euro with the camera expected to be available from the 10th May 2024. I found more detail at- https://www.teleskop-express.de/en/asi-zwo-129/deep-sky-cameras-uncooled-17/zwo-asi678mc-color-usb3-0-astro-camera-sensor-d-8-86-mm-2-0-m-pixel-size-17893 Hope this helps whet the appetite of some other SGL members on what is otherwise a rather wet and cold day here in the UK. Cheers, Steve

Amazing how time flies for sure. Glad you have made a lot of progress. As regards plate solving v4.1 of SharpCap Pro now integrally has SharpSolve to replace using ASTAP etc. It has to be selected in the setings. I hope to transfer over from ASTAP to SharpSolve in time for the new season this autumn. Good luck with whatever you decide to use. Cheers, Steve

Intersting question. SkyWatcher produce a weekly webcast, more here. https://youtube.com/@SkyWatcherUSA?si=IMaR3Aa4yywmToFH Maybe worth posing the question to them though I don't expect a necessaily straight answer. 🤐 Cheers, Steve

Well done catching such an early sliver of a Moon. Cheers, Steve

Thanks for sharing. It will be intersting what comes from NEAF this year on this product and the price of course. Cheers, Steve

In my 'umble opinion this is all because so many SeeStars were sold that the karmic balance of the Universe was broken and attempted repairs have since run into serious problems. It's like the repairs to the A1(M) only taking longer. 😁 Cheers, Steve

Hi, interesting post. As regards polar alignment you might consider taking advantage of the fov through one of your telescopes + camera pairings when in EQ mode and directly polar aligning using SharpCap Pro's (SCPro) polar alignment tool. SCPro does require a fov between I recall 0.5 to 5 degrees. If you are intending planetary/lunar/solar imaging just don't bother trying to make an EQ set up just go Alt-Az. Good luck with whatever you decide to do. Cheers, Steve

HP laptop (Intel 7500U) with 16GB RAM and 1TB SSD. Use SharpCap Pro to capture DSO's and Deep Sky Stacker for stacking then StarTools to process. With lunar/solar data I capture with SharpCap Pro and then stack and process using AstroSurface. Cheers, Steve

Hi Ratlet, thanks for sharing how you got on last night. Agree about night time not being good for resolving IT issues. 😬 Was the issue with the iPolar down to new software? I've not used mine for a long while now preferring SharpCap Pro's polar alignment tool. The GEM28 is indeed a very quiet mount and am really glad you have found you can save money not having to get another mount for your 102ED. I presently use a holster that came with my CG-5 to hold the hand controller of the GEM28 but you could have a nice business selling printed adapters for the iOptron. 👍 Here's to more clear sky nights ahead. Cheers, Steve

Hi, sorry to hear of your issues. You can safely deal with OneDrive in Win 10/11, more here- https://support.microsoft.com/en-gb/office/turn-off-disable-or-uninstall-onedrive-f32a17ce-3336-40fe-9c38-6efb09f944b0#:~:text=You won't lose files or data by uninstalling OneDrive,signing in to OneDrive.com. Windows Updates are a constant source of bother, who'd have thought? It might pay you to turn off automatic updating to give you some breathing space to either check updates before manually installing the safe ones and avoid known issues at least for a month or so. The overriding issue with our hobby is that sometimes an astro-programme will require the latest Win updates to function. Cheers, Steve

AstroSurface will also stack and process .ser data. Cheers, Steve

Hi Cindy, pleased you have devised your own means of setting a good 'Zero Position' to begin sessions. The GEM has four RA lock positions-the 'Zero Position', an 'East', 'West' and storage positions. The 'Zero Position 'is the one with counterweights pointing straight downwards, the 'East' and 'West' positions can be useful when you employ the iPolar or some other polar alignment tool that requires you to move the mount by 90 degrees. Now I've found that these three lock positions are more felt by the fingers than can be visually seen-when the rig is in just the right location (be it the 'Zero Position' 'East', or 'West' position the lock will fully engage. It feels like a definite engaging clunk. Maybe it was designed that way to be able to feel the right lock position at night in the dark (and after all the lock knobs and mount are all black coloured)? Let's call it an iOptron feature. Rather envious of your conditions allowing you to actually get out and use your mount-enjoy! Cheers, Steve

Hi, thanks for your feedback on first using the GEM28, your results with such a big fl are especially very encouraging. As Elp mentions the axes are very sensitive to imbalance and its my suspicion the internals aren't symmetrical-the GEM28 has connections for an iGuider which I think helps balance things. Enjoy what you have and I hope you have more clear nights to image and test things out. I did find moving from having to star align the mount to plate solving quickened the set up time and it can be done from indoors. Getting out under the stars can be good fun too. Cheers, Steve

Hi Cindy, thank you so much for your very kind post. Yes, it's usual to get rain after buying new astronomy equipment but hope that soon clears away so you can properly use the GEM28. I also hope you find this thread of continuing value-please do feel free to post any comments, successes, ideas if you can to help anyone else in the market and thinking of buying the mount. I haven't any personal experience in pairing the GEM28 with an iPad unfortunately and a lot of sleeps have passed since I looked into the wi-fi aspect of controlling the GEM back in October-November 2021. When I first got the mount I did sucessfully try out all ways of controlling the GEM28 including wi-fi but that was to my laptop running Windows 10. subsequently I have moved to controlling the mount from indoors using USB over Ethernet which is very useful in the Winter. You likely know the wi-fi module for the GEM28 is located in the handset and is similar if not the same as iOptron's iStarFi adapter that other mounts have to add as a separate module. I think each owner finds the way that best suits their use of the mount and their circumstances and we amateurs are never afraid of trying out new things. Do let us know how you get on and we wish you clear and dark skies. Cheers, Steve

Yes, there's a few cameras now with NIR ability. Wish I had enough ££ to buy more things. I recently also contacted ZWO regarding a future ASI678MM. Cheers, Steve

Seems not. Cheers, Steve

Further to my recent post I've had confirmation from ZWO Support in the US confirming the ASI585MC-Pro comes with an AR cover slip. Cheers, Steve Added 29.2.2024 13.44 PM-FLO now list the camera as having the AR slip cover/protection window-

Thanks ratlet and elp for helping answer Sathya's concern. 👍👍 Cheers, Steve

Hi Sathya, thanks for your post. I've had the GEM28 for around 28-29 months now and apart from my recorded issue with the iPolar USB port the mount has performed well for me. I haven't had any pointing problems, I use a combination of iCommander software and Stellarium to control slewing and both have worked fine. iCommander has the useful return to the Zero Position capability and Stellarium its useful planetarium. In addition I have used SharpCap Pro's 'go-to image' tool to slew to past positions to add extra data to targets. I hope this account is helpful to you. Perhaps other contributors to this thread can give their views on the matter? I can confirm the GEM28 is light enough to be readily moved into position each night. Cheers, Steve

I've enquired over whether the Pro version will have an anti-reflection cover slip like the uncooled version. No one is sure right now. I'd like to try out the sensor's NIR capability. Cheers, Stdve

Hi Paul, thanks for your post. You will have been rightly pleased to capture those images of the eclipse. The hobby has moved on and despite the present costs is more affordable now to more people and technology has come on in leaps and bounds though it mostly involves a computer or more somewhere along the line. That can be either off-putting or an added interest to astronomy since it allows so much more. Sometimes I wonder how far removed we might get with the AI ability to make changes to images and if it crosses the invisible 'cheating line' of letting the technology produce something that isn't there (and would we know anyway?) but that's a whole other avenue and views will range over that. There has lately been frustration over the poor weather, certainly in the UK it has dramatically curtailed the number of sessions possible. In response my hobby has diversified to include lunar and white light solar imaging on a shoe string using older gear repurposed to get me back under the sky. Pehaps the least affected by the weather is radio astrostonomy, the detection and recording of meteor trails, again using parts from DIY stores and a small software defined radio, but again it relies upon a computer to run. Others in the hobby instinctively go for their wallets and retail therapy which last a wee while until there's no dark, clear sky to image under. You could still use your old photography gear and try to replicate under the coming eclipse-there's a lot more choice now. Alternatively you could watch the event on the Internet. So to sum up I'm not frustrated by image processing or computers but by the weather. I do hope you can feel that you can return to this satisfying hobby out under the stars. Cheers, Steve

Good to read others view on this topic. This sums up my feelings on the matter, so 'yes' to being a stargazer- "I stood and stared; the sky was lit, The sky was stars all over it, I stood, I knew not why, Without a wish, without a will, I stood upon that silent hill And stared into the sky until My eyes were blind with stars and still I stared into the sky." From 'The Song of Honour' by Ralph Hodgson (1913) Cheers, Steve

Totally agree. With engaging the clutch knob its more feeling the knob is properly engaged rather than anything visual. Maybe that's helpful at night when its difficult to see. Cheers, Steve