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Luke

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Status Updates posted by Luke

  1. Remembered my password, whoop, whoop!

  2. I do enjoy irregular images when they show up on Gong of h-alpha images of the sun. I particularly enjoyed this one!

    20210427023234Sh.jpg

  3. I'm visual only, visual only, not tempted to get a camera. Camera, bad, bad. Must stroke eyepieces.

    1. Luke

      Luke

      Gosh, to my surprise, there is movement from my wife Sarah. I need to get a job first. Although I could maybe raise funds from selling some board games, she thinks my £200 lappy might not be up to the job! Might need a few other bits n bobs. Yeah maybe if I am going to get back into it I should wait until I can do it in a way that feels like an upgrade on where I was at. More pixels, bigger chip, new h-a filter. <off to check job ads>

    2. Luke

      Luke

      Hmmm, and now I am changing my mind again! Yes, BAD camera!

      <sigh> Will the temptation ever go away? Is there no hope for ex-imagers? I shall try using my binoviewer as spectacles for a while, see if that helps.

  4. Wohoo! I did my first night time observing in over a year, I think! Woke up early, couldn't get back to sleep. Orion Nebula, M81 & 82, three clusters in Auriga, the Double Cluster and the Orion Nebula in my 10 inch dob. Not bad as I had to fight patches of cloud and am out of practice finding stuff manually! Then to cap off a beautiful morning, I saw the lovely new sunspot on the limb after breakfast using a Herschel wedge.

  5. After using Photoshop since I think 1999 (I still have the disc for version 5.5!), I have switched to GIMP lately! (I can't justify buying Photoshop at the moment while out of work).

    I am just starting to feel a bit more at home in GIMP. It seems very capable, but of course does some things differently. I wonder how many folks here use GIMP? Or does Photoshop rule the roost? Are other image editors also popular? Do you like GIMP? Hate it?

    So far what I like best about GIMP might be the G'MIC plugins. There look to be a bunch of useful things in there, I have started using some of the sharpening tools it has. And Split Details looks fascinating, where it breaks your image up into multiple layers with different details, making it easy to focus on certain details of your image.

    I also quite like GIMP's curve editor. Feels a bit more roomy to me than Photoshop's.

    spacer.png

  6. I don't believe it! Weekend forecast is 100% cloud, yet again! Where are the sunny weekends?

    1. Show previous comments  6 more
    2. Luke

      Luke

      It's not looking good now, I was luckier than I realised this morning. Lucky I can do solar brekkie as I seem to be having reasonable luck mid-week of late. Fingers crossed for Friday morning. they were talking it up on the radio as I drove in to work.

    3. David Smith

      David Smith

      Tomorrow morning looks good here as well. Itching to have another play with that new FR.

    4. Luke

      Luke

      I hope we are lucky in the morning, David! Look forward to seeing how you get on with the reducer. If it is really clear (I would settle for any clear) I hope to sneak some white light in too if seeing is better than it was today!

  7. Have packed most of the solar gear away, rain has suspended play. I wouldn't bother with such small, fast-moving gaps but the seeing looks decent, the gaps are a beautiful blue and the big AR was smoking away. ! Hope some others are sneaking a view or shot in.

    1. Show previous comments  2 more
    2. JB80

      JB80

      I was late getting started and we had things to do and now it's too hot and windy to justify setting up. :(

    3. Pig

      Pig

      Same here Luke pretty crabby... there are conflicting forecasts for tomorrow !!!

    4. Luke

      Luke

      Jarrod, those pesky things to do always happen when it is sunny and spotty.

      Shaun, glad you got some views in I take it? I got a second bite of the cherry but have abandoned stations now. fingers crossed for tomorrow :)

  8. Am rolling the dice this morning, have set up for solar imaging with Quark and Equinox 120, hoping to get some images before the clouds get here. Will be a long 20 minutes waiting for the sun to clear the tree! Good luck to any other early birds.

  9. Beautiful crisp morning out there, hoping to take some solar snaps for brekky. Good luck to those at the Sunnyside Cafe this morning or tuning into Pig Radio.

    1. Show previous comments  1 more
    2. Luke

      Luke

      Yikes that happens to me too, Shaun. On my Summer hols last year, when I couldn't be with my beloved Equinox 120 and Quark, I had images every single day! :-o 17 days of 'em. Anyway, the filaprom was looking magnificent, and there were a few nice filaments either side of it. I noticed some faint plasma jutting some way out from the disc, looks like a little burst happened earlier and I caught the latter stages. Have a nice time in Italy, I would drink a Peroni to you if I had one :D

    3. Luke

      Luke

      Shaun, I'm glad I got my solar fix in in the morning. It was meant to be sunny most of the day but we had a lot of cloud.

    4. Pig

      Pig

      Luke sorry for the delayed reply,I am Italy at this time with work... shame about the cloud, its 35 degrees here :-)but I am without a scope !!!!

  10. Still cloudy here, am hoping a few gaps will show up this avo for a bit of solar, I can't get enough of the prom -> filaprom -> filament big 'un, looks to be still there in good shape on Gong?

    1. Show previous comments  4 more
    2. Pig

      Pig

      Ive just set the SCT up so I am going to keep popping in and out so I don't get cold :-) good luck with the processing.

    3. Luke

      Luke

      Good luck, Shaun! I've just read a post by John saying that the seeing is good his way :)

    4. Pig

      Pig

      Its Excellent here Luke... Jupiter looks fantastic :-)

  11. Wowsers, well I have to see how it stacks and processes, but I have just taken some full disc single tile captures with the Quark and my Tele Vue 60. All the talk of the Quark and its 4.3x Barlow and I am imaging not too far from my SolarMax 60 at prime focus! I need to see what the results are like, but I am so surprised to be seeing a full disc in the capture software! :-o

    1. Show previous comments  2 more
    2. Luke

      Luke

      Hmmm I may have jumped the gun. my early stacking and processing does not look promising! Complicating matters is that the seeing was horrendous, I took a few white light full discs too and they are not that great either. So I may need a second shot to check if it is viable! :-o Shaun when are you gonna get imaging, you know that ASI174 is a good deal :D

    3. Pig

      Pig

      LoL I don't want to buy a motorised mount, I enjoy being a puritan :-)

      The thought of AP is very appealing though.

    4. Luke

      Luke

      I don't use tracking with my Tele Vue 60, Shaun, it's on a Manfrotto tripod with a mini giro mount. The Eprit 80 would work on my setup :-o Shaun, it is your destiny :D Tee hee, not worth doing though if the visual is your main thing!

  12. Lost: sunny weather forecast at weekends. Last seen: January 2015. Suspect: BBC Weather. Reward for safe return: dose of Vitamin C.

    1. Show previous comments  2 more
    2. Pig

      Pig

      LoL.... I think Monday is forecast as sunny for both of us Luke... lets hope it doesn't change

    3. Luke

      Luke

      It's still saying cloud and rain here for Monday, Shaun. Hopefully some of us will get lucky on Monday though, I'll be ok with tan n tablets if needs be :D Few little spots coming over the border on SDO? :)

    4. Pig

      Pig

      Sounds like the forecast has changed... I am not going to look :-(

  13. No solar this weekend. Boo hoo! Right, I am going to try a four day weekend next week.

    1. Show previous comments  5 more
    2. JB80

      JB80

      I have that book to get too as well David! Maybe when I have finished with multiverses.

    3. Luke

      Luke

      What, Easter is looking bad too? Can't remember so many iffy weekends in a row :-o Snap on the book, David :) I guess I'll try and catch up on my processing a bit and finally get around to some jobs at home that need doing. I did manage to see the sun today after all, must be nuts to have set up out there. I got rained on for my troubles and was rewarded with some really poor captures. Serves me right for being greedy! Nice quick view though the eyepiece and on the lappy screen th...

    4. David Smith

      David Smith

      Spending the evening playing Tilting Sun, image presentation format and sketching templates. The most fun I can have without my solar filter on :-0

  14. Lucky break with Sol this morning, just managed an hour of h-a before the clouds came in, and I even managed to get a flat! Ran outta luck before I got to white light, I am destined to not try the ASI174 on a big spot at high res :-o No amazing proms but a few nice ones, the big AR was lively but not on fire, lovely fliament by it. Seeing looked reasonable but poor contrast with thin cloud/haze. Lucky to catch some Sol though given forecast, good luck all.

    1. Show previous comments  7 more
    2. Luke

      Luke

      Nice one, Shaun :)

    3. JB80

      JB80

      Luke, we get 300+ days of sunshine a year and you can guess which week is the cloudy one. Honestly Friday is not looking very good at all. I may cry.

    4. Qualia

      Qualia

      Friday isn't looking too good down here either, Luke. Looks like it may rain all day. Oh well :-(

  15. Another fairly rubbish weekend for solar here, that's three in a row. At least I got something yesterday, though I can't recall the last time I ended an imaging session with more hard drive space than I started with :D On the BIG plus, the sun is getting higher, solar brekky is closer, and Foul Feb ends soon. Roll on Magnificent March!

    1. Show previous comments  3 more
    2. Pig

      Pig

      Those hot & sunny lazy solar days are fantastic, especially so when combined with the wine marinated melon cubes aaaaahhhhhhheaven :-) I cant wait

    3. Luke

      Luke

      I thought you were off the grape juice, Shaun? :D I have really missed observing Sol in warm conditions, it's just bliss and I can't wait. This year I will make sure the cat does not eat my breakfast, that was a bit of a low point of last year :-o Wonder how many times she'd had a nibble before. Ughh, sorry folks!

    4. Pig

      Pig

      I will resist only until summertime Luke :-)

  16. I hate clouds.

    1. Show previous comments  1 more
    2. Luke

      Luke

      Taking a mauling here! Multiple layers multiple speeds and directons plus the dreaded little magnet cloud that sticks to the sun, I wwait the four jet contrails when a gap arrives :D

    3. Luke

      Luke

      Just been hailed on, I give up! :D Hope you caught a few gaps, Shaun!

    4. Pig

      Pig

      I got hailed on also Luke... a few bright gaps but no joy yet

  17. Our new (second) Quark for solar h-alpha arrived today from SCS Astro, that was quick! Really looking forward to first light, will be great to have two Quark setups, as the Mrs and I are both solar nutcases! Also, hoping for good viewing tonight, the dob is outside cooling down. Good luck everyone hoping to view tonight!

    1. Pig

      Pig

      Nice one Luke :) I hope mine isn't far behind

    2. Luke

      Luke

      Hope it arrives shortly for you, Shaun! Looking forward to your first light report. Just finished up observing tonight, what a fab session, I think M42 was the best I have seen it!

    3. Pig

      Pig

      It has been a Lovely starry night :)

  18. Wowsers, it is really bucketing it down here! Not sure solar will be on for today, the wind is maybe too strong even for a 60mm scope!

  19. We've ordered a second Quark from SCS Astro. We sort of have his and her solar setups and this will complete the switch from a pair of SolarMax 60's. The Quark just has such an edge in a bigger scope, and for grab and go, the Quark and Tele Vue 60 is a neat little combo.

    1. Show previous comments  2 more
    2. Luke

      Luke

      I hope I haven't been too mean to the SM60, it still has some advantages over the Quark and we are probably keeping our remaining SM60, it's been a fab scope that has shown us incredible views! The best thing I like about it is how quickly you can get it up and running at short notice! I also like the relatively short focal length, very handy for full disc imaging and for non-tracked imaging!

    3. Twisted Lip

      Twisted Lip

      I definitely agree, I find it handy to just grab and get full disks. However for close ups, particularly mega detail close-ups the Quark I think is unparalleled at the mo :)

    4. Luke

      Luke

      I'd have to agree, the day before I heard about the Quark I'd given up on a larger solar scope than my SM60 because of the cost. I really wanted 90mm aperture upwards and a PST mod was a non-starter after my two failed DSLR mod attempts - I couldn't even get the screws off the DSLRs(!), so decided to leave the potentially dangerous solar tinkering well alone! :-o

  20. Hoping to grab me some lunar shots with the SCT tonight. Off work tomorrow, late night is on! :)

    1. Show previous comments  2 more
    2. Earl

      Earl

      I managed 8 panes before bedtime routine, then it clouded out.

    3. Luke

      Luke

      Sorry to hear that, Earl. How many panes were you going for? I hope I have grabbed a full disc in three tiles with my Edge 8. I have tried using the 0.7x Celestron reducer double stacked with a 0.5x reducer on the camera nosepiece. It looked okay on the lappy screen at the time, though it was late and I had to test some rum first. Was a bit nippy out, shoudda had the rum after!!

    4. Pig

      Pig

      Unfortunately I didn't get time Luke, the weekend is looking promising though :-)

  21. Solar Saturday, and it's raining, ho hum! Gonna get desperate if it's a third blank weekend in a row! :-o Good luck, solar soldiers!

    1. Show previous comments  8 more
    2. Luke

      Luke

      Don't think it's gonna make it in time before Sol dips behind the rooftops. Looks like it will be lunar imaging then!

    3. David Smith

      David Smith

      That's harsh Luke, feel for you.

    4. Luke

      Luke

      Thanks, David! The clouds timed it to perfection! Sol right on the chimney pot when it cleared! Managed to find a place for the mount where I could catch the sun between houses though, so I was very lucky indeed considering! Hope everyone had a chance today. Got a quick grab of the moon too but no stamina for getting the SCT out after all the fun and games of the day :D

  22. The 400P is out and cooling down, had it out once this season so far, I think! Was considering selling it, but an hour on Thurs night with my trusty 10 inch dob reminded me how amazing DSO's look. I will sit down first before taking in the Orion Nebula. Good luck anyone hoping to get out tonight!!

    1. Show previous comments  5 more
    2. Luke

      Luke

      That's good news Craig. That's it's clear I mean, not the dust! I have a Greenwitch scope cover that I keep on the dob when it's stored. Just as well, it would have been mucky by now :-o So excited, just hope there is no stealth fog etc.

    3. Matthew

      Matthew

      All clear here luke, im picking up my 400p goto next week, Christmas has come early for me.The cpc is out cooling jupiter with the bino viewers for me tonight.

    4. Luke

      Luke

      Good luck, Matthew, and congrats on the 400P goto! The goto really impresses me, if I take a little care to level it, it's fab. Especially now I use little plastic height adjusters to get the height right instead of cereal packets :D Cor, 11pm for Orion nebula is going to feel like an age, it's been so long since I had the 400P out that it feels like Christmas!

  23. Crazy! Awful, awful weather forecast for this week for solar, yet I've been lucky to catch some rays on all three days so far! The weather forecast is still rubbish, but ya never know. Good luck to anyone who's running low on Vit. D...

    1. Show previous comments  1 more
    2. Luke

      Luke

      Hope you get the top-up, Jarrod! Looks like it might be game over here today and not so hot for the weekend either, but I'm just glad I got three days! I almost feel like giving up on DSO's though, my 16 inch dob has not been used for 2 months and it's not looking good! The first time really that I am losing faith in DSO observing! I wonder whether just to focus on solar and keep the fracs and the SCT for lunar.

    3. JB80

      JB80

      Did get out in the end, it's still 20ish degrees in the day here. Not sure how long that'll last. Seems like there is a bit of shuffling in a few heads lately re their kit. A 16" dob sound like it's worth hanging onto though, tough call!

    4. Luke

      Luke

      Glad you made it out, Jarrod! I did manage to see some DSO's for an hour last night with my trusty 10 inch dob, despite fog/patchy cloud. WOW! I had forgotten just how stunning the jewels are up there. Ahem, might just keep that dob :D Just the usuals, Double Cluster, Auriga Clusters, Owl Cluster, Orion Neb (hurrah!), etc. even an iffy view of Jupiter in the heat haze of a roof before I called it a night.

  24. My replacement Quark has arrived. Hoping to test it properly tomorrow morning if the clouds play fair! BIG thanks to SCS Astro, who have let me hold onto the previous Quark while waiting :)

  25. What a solar transit that could have been! Out imaging the Sun when I hear a big noise up in the sky. I could see five jets in formation, heading vaguely towards the Sun. Hit the record button just in case... All nine jets as it turned out missed the Sun, what a shame! I guess that was the Red Arrows then!

    1. Show previous comments  2 more
    2. DrRobin

      DrRobin

      You should be so lucky.

    3. Luke

      Luke

      Nine chances and I still didn't get one :-o

    4. jabeoo1
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