jambouk

Has anyone set up 12v CCTV for an observatory which can either connect to WiFi or be accessed remotely by directly connecting to 4G via a mobile data plan SIM card?

Tilt was the thing which came to my mind. As above, worth trying to image with the camera rotated 90 degrees. James

That is very nice. Well done.

If you are in a dark location, I’d just image and see what you get. What size filter does the lens take? You’ll be able to find a UV cut filter, and I’d always put even a clear glass filter at the front of all my lenses to keep them clean and to protect them.

We've put together a 50 question quiz for out local Society (Nottingham Astronomical Society) but others may like to have a go. There is no prize. The answers will be revealed in out online meeting a week tonight which anyone can attend, but I'll share the answers here subsequently. https://forms.office.com/Pages/ResponsePage.aspx?id=PrdgGU4TREmznWHm9tumvdoay5d8lh9DuHOFokKiygZUN1JSVjdKUUdTRThRTTkzUzVYQlVURUNYQS4u James

Yes, whaz the ISO up for focussing then turn it back down for imaging.

Louis DJ’s post answers the question. Nice.

They are all very similar. Dedicate 20 minutes in the day light to figure out how it works; the instruction manuals are usually awful, but you can figure it out with a bit of patience and time.

If wired, these are good and pretty cheap. Wireless versions are much more expensive. https://www.amazon.co.uk/intervalometer-Remote-Shutter-Release-RS-60E3/dp/B01EWRTLEM

I think the issue is due to COVID hindering manufacture and shipping, combined with the massive increase in sales which retailers have seen online during the pandemic. Buy second hand.

I don’t think there is any harm Re-reading what you have. I love this book which is old but still pertinent: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Astronomy-Explained-Gerald-North-1997-08-08/dp/B01K0S8292/ref=mp_s_a_1_3?dchild=1&keywords=astronomy+gerald+north&qid=1608111660&sr=8-3 The other thing to do is to use software like Stellarium and set the time and date to your location, and just learn the names of the very brightest stars, and the names of the constellations they reside in. The accompany this, there is an even older book, another of my favourites, written just about the nature, cultural significance and physics of the 21 brightest stars in the night sky: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Brilliant-Stars-FRAS-Patrick-Moore/dp/0304349038 James

The setting circle on the HEQ5s I’ve seen just don’t work as they should - if you confirm this, just ignore it.

If you’ve read those books you are already well equipped. What exactly do you want to learn more about?

Have a read of this: https://britastro.org/node/10878 James

Nice summary. I’d like to know if you found the writing style fluent and easy to read and follow, whether their were references to modern astronomy, whether you felt enveloped in the story, or if it was more a collection of factual chapters. Did it teach you anything new and were there any factual inaccuracies or aspects you might have wanted describing in further detail or written in a different way?

I stumbled on this 28 minute video from the 1950s, which although feels like an Ealing Comedy at the start, is a fascinating look at the history of radio astronomy and the building of Jodrell Bank: https://player.bfi.org.uk/free/film/watch-the-inquisitive-giant-1957-online It makes you wonder how many similar films from this era exist on astronomy and astronomers. James

Thanks for this. I've made the researcher aware of these links and he is most grateful. James

Flats for each filter.

Lovely first go. You have a big gap between one set of images and the longest run of images; was this intentional? lots of things to experiment with; look forward to seeing your future trails. I wrote a brief guide on them you may or may not find helpful: https://nottinghamastro.org.uk/members-articles/ James

Is the severity of chromatic aberration linked to aperture?

This section of the synscan manual suggests there are two sets of encoders; all synscan GOTO mounts have a set of GOTO encoders. “8.11 Synchronizing Encoders If the mount loses the correct position of any of its two axes (for example, the axis is manually moved), the pointing accuracy will be poor when the SynScan hand control tries to locate an object. Providing the base of the mount is not moved, users can recover the pointing accuracy with the “Synchronize Encoder” operation: 1. Access the menu “Setup \ Sync. Encoder” and press the ENTER key. 2. Use the scroll keys to select an alignment star and press the ENTER key. The mount will point the telescope towards the alignment star. 3. After the mount has stopped, use the direction keys to center the alignment star in the eyepiece, then press the ENTER key to confirm. 4. The SynScan hand control will display “Sync Encoder Completed”. Press any key to exit.”

The synscan manual also says: ”6.4 Enable/Disable Auxiliary Encoder Some Sky-Watcher’s mounts are equipped with auxiliary encoders on their primary axes to support manually rotating the axes without worrying about losing the mount’s alignment sta- tus. Users may turn off the auxiliary encoder to obtain the best pointing accuracy. The auxiliary encoder can be turned on again at any time for manually moving the mount. 1. Access the menu “SETUP\Aux. Encoder” and press the ENTER key. 2. Use the scroll keys to select between “Enable” or “Disable” and press the ENTER key. Note: • After re-enabling the auxiliary encoders, it is recommended to use the direction keys to move both axes for a little bit before asking the hand control to locate an object. • For mounts which do not have auxiliary encoders, the hand control will display “Not availi- able !”

The manual calls the freedom find encoders “Auxiliary Encoders” which suggests they are not the primary ones. If these can be turned off, yet the GOTO still works, there must be another set of encoders [or the like] on both the RA and Dec.

If this mount has “freedom find” then there are two sets of encoders. It is known with the AZEQ6 that if you turn the freedom find encoders off, the GOTO accuracy improves.