neil phillips

Just now, HesperLiz said:

Thanks for that tip - figures, the spring loaded altitude bolt on the EQ6R-Pro is a pain in the proverbial rear end. 😀 

I know i polar aligned recently with that mount. You have to slow down, and make sure its engaged before turning. Even then it still slips occasionally

Just now, HesperLiz said:

This is what has been frustrating me. Therefore the only other variable must be my eyes. 

 I doubt it. its really just out of view trust me. setting it at 52.5 gets you in the ball park. but it can still be slightly too high or low. A small turn of the lever hardly registers on those scales 

Just now, HesperLiz said:

I will start form scratch again and recheck the park positions and go through to polar aligning to make sure everything is where is should be.

I may have to mentally do a grid search around the area where Polaris should be.

 

First try up and down before east or west. its most often too high or too low

Just now, HesperLiz said:

Thanks, I will do as you suggest - silly of me not to try the PS in the daytime really.

I had to get the 90° eyepiece as I have a dodgy knee - I would not be able to stand back up if I knelt down. I had been using my teen child to look through the built in eyepiece.

As you state, full moon is not a great time to attempt polar aligning. I am is a semi rural area and my back garden backs on to other back gardens - it is quite dark usually.

I too suspect Polaris is just beyond where I am looking, it's a nuisance trying to lock on to it.

It sure is. It gets easier with practice. don't tell anyone I sometimes physically tilt the whole mount to see if it is on the periphery 

It always is 

Just now, HesperLiz said:

Thank you! I will definitely try that.  Good to know someone else has this problem. I was seriously thinking I must be going daft, being the only person who can 'see' past the reticule lol.

Your problem i will wager is either declination isn't straight, Which cuts off the scope, or Polaris is just outside the field of view. I've polar aligned a 1000 times. And even i can sometimes play cat and mouse up down left right. When its just out of view. 80% of the time its up and down that needs adjusting. If the mount is facing the general direction of Polaris. Hence explaining that's the first port of call  a mount can be in the home position. But Polaris can still be slightly out of view in the scope. The scope also should be checked for alignment. But didn't want to complicate this until you can see it in the scope

In the daytime test the polar scope on a far away object a building or roof or Ariel. Focus the polar scope so the far away object is sharp, that should at least determine your not grossly out. I also find it difficult to get under the polar scope. I have to raise the mount somewhat to make that easier. or i just can not do it. I don't turn the illuminated reticle on. when finding Polaris, it can make it difficult to see. first thing i do is try to eyeball the direction of the mount facing Polaris. just stand behind. look at the mount and where Polaris is, try to guess the direction of the mount facing Polaris. A compass is another option. Setting the mount elevation. will only get you close. Polaris could be slightly too high. or low in the scope.

In which case first going up and then down with the levers to see if its just out of view. It could also be slightly out of view on the sides. East and west. As was mentioned earlier if there is no obstruction in the scope, Make sure declination is straight, as that can cut off the polar scope if it is not. the declination locking lever has to be straight behind or in front of the mount. If all this is ok. I am guessing polaris is just out of view either up down left or right. Also to find your feet try all this on a dark sky. no lunar full moon. or foggy night. you want polaris to be bright so it jumps out to you the first time

5 hours ago, Nik271 said:

I enjoyed some of the best seeing conditions on Venus last evening and I believe I finally saw cloud pattern!

I started at sunset, about 9pm when I could just barely make Venus out and it was still high in the sky. I had set up my 127 (120mm) SW Mak earler on my trusty EQ5, and from the first glimpse in the eyepiece I realised that I'm havng a lucky day: Venus was rock steady at x100. I put in my 10mm Hyperion for a very comfortable and steady view at x150. Venus was still too bright so I added the 80A filter, which darkened the sky and at the same time softened to glare from the planet.

The terminator was a shade darker than the rest and making a very shallow curve. Right in the centre of the crescent there was a subtly darkish patch of irregular shape which I could not pin down. First I thought it was floaters but after blinking and shaking my head the same patter kept reappearing. I am sure it was not floaters because I tried with the other eye and it was still there. This was something very subtle, it took me 20 minutes of staring to reassure myself it is not an illusion. When I removed the 80 A for unfiltered view it was not possible to see it. Also when I tried higher magnification I lost it due to increasing turbulence lower down.

After 10pm it got dark enough to spot Mars, I managed to ramp  up the magnification to x250 with a 6mmEP and in brief moments of steadines saw the north polar cap. I finished at 11pm with some bright double stars: Izar, the double double and Rasalgethi.   The seeing stayed great at high altitude and I got very pleasing view in the Mak but the Venus clouds were the real 'star' of the evening.  

So there you have it: Venus has clouds and they can sometimes be seen. We all knew that but it's great to check it with your own eyeballs :-)

Clear skies and keep looking up!

 

Its almost a mythical pursuit. But your observation and the way you describe it  is actually tallying with Venus putting on a great show at the moment. Some color visible light images have shown cloud recently. So that coupled with the good conditions recently add a lot of weight to your report. From anyone doubting. I think its highly likely you are seeing cloud. So excellent stuff Nik. Its a rather special thing to be happening with any certainty. But i will wager you are seeing cloud on Venus. Amazing really

Superb result. Its just getting better and better. Cant get any better than this surely. Lovely fine wispy UV cloud. Amazing result

45 minutes ago, Saganite said:

An excellent reminder of things to come..can't wait !

Thanks...

Its a great reminder isn't it. Summer Saturn (and Jupiter) for all

58 minutes ago, Zermelo said:

Are you also that bloke who writes in to the Times each year when he hears the first cuckoo?

 

I think we in the west are getting more than our fair share of clear skies in this spell, so that's a good result, this early in the year.

I'm certainly cuckoo. But strictly astronomy related

Cheers

3 hours ago, Mr Spock said:

Good to see the old girl again 👍

Sure is Michael. Jupiter and the best UK opposition for many many years is trailing not too far behind. Doubly sweet

3 hours ago, Space Cowboy said:

Never known it clear and stable for such a long period here.

Hopefully your technical issues don't crop up when things get serious but I can still imagine the frustration at that time in the morning 🙂

 

Already tested. And i have the tower as a backup. I believe it was lappy related. Not camera. As soon as i tested this morning. The Dell was fine. 10 mins and i will be back in action. We hope lol.

3 hours ago, Nik271 said:

Its a good start despite the conditions! I notice how the rings have closed in since last summer, seems that visually Cassini division will only be visible around the 'ears'.

Will be a challenge to get the Cassini at the front in UK skies when imaging. But larger optics and superb seeing will make it possible. But As you say visually it will generally appear on the tips, and going in. 

Great to see Saturn emerge. It heralds the beginning of a great planetary fest this year

Cheers Nik

3 hours ago, skyhog said:

Not too shabby for the worst. I'd forgotten how closed the rings are at the moment on their way to edge on in 2025 so great you posted that.

Really showing my age when I start to measure my life in Saturn's ring apparitions. 😲

Much prefer them open. But still its interesting seeing the rings go through this change.

cheers

Just now, Kon said:

Well done on your first early morning outing. Not too shabby considering your issues.

Its going to rapidly improve. If the conditions allow the next 3 or 4 weeks i am expecting

Cheers

5 minutes ago, Space Cowboy said:

Crystal clear here in the west. Seems the east end boys are getting some of the fluffy stuff 😎

Happens a lot here actually. Maybe a coastal thing. 

4 minutes ago, Space Cowboy said:

Thar she blows! 💪

Lol i wish she blew a bit harder. So she wasn't playing cloud hide and seek 🤣 Hope to get a reasonable one by the time jupiter is up. That's not long trailing behind. 

Well sort of. Everything that could have gone wrong did. Cloud came in so managed 1 shot that i was pausing as cloud rolled over. unpausing in gaps It kept killing the histo.

Despite high pressure, cloud causing seeing disturbance, was another consequence. Sharcap also decided to get stuck on 17 FPS. I needed to do a system restore. which luckily cured the problem. But it was too late to carry on. For the life of me i couldn't figure the cause. I suspect a driver corrupted. It wasn't USB TRAFFIC.  Am i disappointed. Not really. Its early days. Long time members are probably aware its a bit of a tradition of mine to capture Saturn and Jupiter Low and early. Its usually quite bad and this is no exception. But for me it heralds the beginning of the outer planets season. So for that the ice is broken. hopefully this will be the worst capture i post this year

3 hours ago, Kon said:

Thanks for your comments. I absolutely agree that playing with the parameters is the best way to get a feeling. I am planning to do the side by side comparison tonight or tomorrow (depends on the passing clouds). But so far for the 462mm, I seem to be able to control the noise quite well. Stuart's first captures withe 462mm are looking great too. Christopher Go is beaming about the very low noise of the 678m. Regarding focusing, I usually start at high gain or exposure and adjust accordingly.

As I mentioned before, you are more than welcomed to try my 462mm. I will stop with Venus soon, and you could give it a good try with your morning sessions. Just message me.

Yes very happy with the ZWO result. I hope it means that I am doing something right with my captures 😉.

Much appreciated. Your a gentleman. Will have a read what Chris says, sounds interesting. Will think about that offer. Your very generous.  But really should try and get a new permanent mono camera. The 462c is still very capable i think. So a more sensitive mono would be a good addition perhaps. Probably not a total replace

cheers 

3 hours ago, Kon said:

I agree processing was a lot easier easier and it took less noise reduction.

Regarding focusing it massively helped under the conditions. I hope to have a bash this weekend again. Despite the seeing being good the focus kept changing and the wind was a killer too.

Great capture. And congrats on the competition. Well deserved.

Its usually a advantage i find to reduce gain somewhat if its excessively high. But this is a somewhat seeing dependent decision. It may not always produce the best result. The more you need a fast exposure to beat average seeing, and wind.  ( with higher frame rate ) the less slowing the shutter down will benefit.

So its a adjustable variable considered approach. Not a blind always follow those settings type approach. Under certain conditions  your original approach could produce the better result. despite the extra problems with noise. Focusing can always be done with lower gain. But adjusted higher for capture.

I think that's what i was trying to convey the most. One other thing i was trying to convey is, if possible try both approaches during the same session, that way you can tell which settings were, or are more optimal at any given moment. You get to see the effects of your decisions more readily. It improves your skill and understanding of these things during the same session not a week later. From that you can tell what you did or didn't do that worked better at any given session. Basically you start to become more in tune with your equipment, and location and variable seeing outcomes.  Anyway at this stage your getting beyond advising. But you asked me to elaborate earlier. And i am trying to make sure i am not misunderstood. That helps no one.  One thing i haven't really considered is how the camera behaves. Because i don't have one. You and Stuart will know more.

If i can can get one i will at some point

Just now, John said:

4 lens surfaces to figure, polish, coat, space and mount VS a single surface ?

The slower chinese achromats I've had have generally been quite decent to be fair but there is quite a bit of variability, eg: I've had two of the 127mm F/9.4's - the Bresser branded one was good but the Meade branded one was very mediocre.

 

 

Strange that i found the same distinction with the bresser 127l and a 80mm Meade i had. But 4 surfaces is another good point

19 minutes ago, Louis D said:

And yet the Far Eastern optical shops have been cranking out consistently well figure parabolic mirrors for some time now.  Why has this level of optical prowess eluded their refractive optics figuring lines of business?

I think the situation appears to be somewhat variable. But generally tolerances could be better with many of the lenses I've had my hands on. But to answer your question. Could it be attention to detail has been somewhat better with the mainstay of sales, namely Newtonians. With achro refractors being relegated to a sufficient  level of performance type attitude. That many customers will just accept. It also creates a good distinction between that and the somewhat better ED lines. It is strange. when you see the reputation Mak cassegrains seem to garner Though. With a much more consistent reputation amongst armatures. Could it be there is little incentive or presumed need to improve the achro lines ?

10 hours ago, John said:

That is pretty much my experience as well. If the CA is commensurate with the aperture and focal ratio then I'm OK with it but SA just undermines the performance to an extent that is frustrating.

 

 

Not so easy to figure good ones. As we would like. Agreed

38 minutes ago, Louis D said:

I actually bought both a used 6" f/6 KUO achromat and a used 6" f/5 GSO Newtonian and have compared them side by side on the same objects on the same night on my DSV-2B mount.  The Newtonian with a GSO CC walked all over the refractor with a TSFLAT2 except for the spider diffraction spikes on all objects I observed.  The lack of CA and SA really tipped the scales in the Newt's favor.  It also weighs about half that of the refractor, making mounting much more stable.  Crazily enough, the Newt cost 1/3 the price of the achromat!  I would struggle to recommend the fast refractor over the fast Newtonian aperture for aperture.

I'll have to find a tight double sometime to see if the refractor's lack of a central obstruction yields a better split or if the CA and SA negates that benefit.

All good points. I was wondering about double stars halfway through reading. But to up the anti throw in a 6 F8 and for double stars i will bet it will do well ( hypothetical of course ) As you didn't mention owning one  Price still much cheaper

33 minutes ago, Louis D said:

I've found that cutting all violet and blue as with a true Wratten #8 or K2 filter (same as a Baader 495) gets you 95% of the way to the sharpest image possible in fast achromats on all but Venus.  Venus really needs a deep red cut filter like a cyan filter to get all the way there because the violet/blue cut filter only gets you about 80% of the way on Venus.  The unfocused deep red is really strong on Venus once you filter out the violet/blue.

I don't know why, but the other planets, the moon, the sun, and Sirius really don't improve all that much with an additional red cut filter like Venus does.  Dimmer objects often don't seem to improve at all with violet/blue cut filtering.  If anything, they sometimes get too dim to observe.

Basically, try various filtering options on each object with an achromat to see which yields the best view to your eye.  It may not be the same as when imaging the object.

I only got the 495 after what Neil English was finding using one. Seems like you agree. I was surprised how much the elimination of out of focus blue light using it. Tightened up the image. But from what ive seen seen with numerous achromats over the years, under and over correction of mass produced Chinese lenses, can be quite damaging to there optical performance, If i ever get another achromat again (i sold 4 a while back)  would likely be a f15 scopetech As i may enjoy trying that..  But EDs are coming down in price. So for not a lot more. might be a better proposition. But i come from a time where long white refractors. Just look so darn cool. Sucker for old school maybe ?