Alien 13

Nice but far too red, need some Skywatcher green in there Alan

I had downloaded it a while ago direct from Affinity but recent digging has shown that the MS store options of software hide it so well that its difficult to play with the software folders/files/data, which is something I like to do especially with ini files and games. Alan

Drilling holes in a scope is never a problem if you keep a scope forever but I would imagine a hole in a Takahashi would devalue it by 50% or more much more. Alan

An informal get to know, introduction session for members might be nice.. Alan

As a non observer I found the latest talk brilliant, my interests are transient events like meteors/comets (lightening) and Lunar imaging but never thought about osculations before or Noctilucent clouds for that matter. So a big thank you Dave. Alan

Hi and welcome to SGL. You are correct in that an unprotected sensor will act like a dust magnet and that a coma corrector or similar helps to reduce this, you can sometimes fit a filter into any 2 inch accessories you might use or a clip in filter if the camera is a DSLR. Alan

My scope was brand new and had no felt etc inside the dust cap, I bought some very thin sticky felt for it cut into 3 small pieces.. Alan

I actually use a M42 to EOS chipped adapter which is about 1.2mm thick in conjunction with a 10mm T extension tube to give a total of 44.2mm which is perfect for my WO FR/FF spacing requirements. Now this shouldnt work as the M42 and T have differing thread pitches but mine screw together fine and are never taken apart, the big benefit of the M42 adapter is it is a much tighter fit to the camera body. Alan

I recognize that scope/hand/Jedi gown its me. I use sticky backed felt from a craft shop in all instances where I need a padded spacer like camera lens foot rings, protective caps etc. Alan

This is worth a new topic in SGL, there are so many methods available..Similar to catching Lightening strikes. Alan

It depends, some barlow lenses come with a built in T thread so you can connect directly but any extension has the effect of increasing the barlow lens "magnification factor" so a X2 can become a X3 which is sometimes useful for certain targets. For DSO imaging you want to keep the distance between the lens and camera as short as possible. Alan

I got the lens for less than £350 with the foot, looked at the price of a genuine Canon foot on its own and nearly fainted.. Alan

I have a non IS 70-200mm f/4 L lens and got it very cheap second hand from MPB, bit of a bargain as it came with the tripod foot. Good lens for Astro but so versatile as a general purpose walkabout lens too. Alan

The best option for DSO imaging is prime focus however some scopes especially reflectors do not have enough inward focus travel to achieve this with a DSLR, the fix is to shift the primary mirror further up the tube which can work if the distance is small or use a barlow lens to move the focus point further out. In my opinion a barlow lens works far better than an eyepiece for this but you do end up making the scope much slower, fine for Luna and Planetary imaging but not ideal for DSO but in some cases its the only option unless you just use the camera and a lens on its own. Alan

I have to ask why are you using an eyepiece rather than prime focus or a Barlow lens, both offer better image quality? Alan

Are theory's of the Universe being nothing but a holographic projection still floating about as this would mean that space was never created and only time came out of the big bang and it is this that dictates what we observe? Alan

Lovely images and I agree vinyl is best but the cost can be eye watering for the top end stuff (makes any scope look cheap). Alan

I would use a version of option 1, cut the cable and solder directly to the camera board. Another option that I would personally use is to replace the USB connector with a military style plug and matching socket like the hypertac. Alan

If you want to keep everything portable and self contained then go for a used Canon 600D from WEX or MPB photographic or look at the classifieds if you want an astro modded one although yo can do plenty without a modded camera. Alan

I have noticed that Afinity Photo along with lots of other software is available for direct download from the manufacturers website and also from the Microsoft store, was wondering which is the best option? My thoughts are that direct download lets you easily control where the software is installed, useful if you have a small SSD main and larger HDD secondary drives. The Microsoft store makes it easier to auto-update but from memory its not easy to choose drives its installed on. Alan

Nice, the 90mm Mak done good.. Alan

It might seem daft but if a large manufacturing plant is producing normal camera chips at a few pence/pounds each the extra cost of having a bloke removing a batch before the process is finished so you could have mono chips and the extra costs involved with handling this "batch" could increase the manufacturing costs per item by 1000% or more. Alan

I think so, I gave up visual because I couldn't find a low power eyepiece/scope combination that worked for me. Alan

I might be getting old but see no mention of the camera you are using, can make a difference. Alan

I expect some mono cameras are just a by-product of general compact/DSLR camera manufacture, a way of selling off the over manufacture/scrap of unfinished chips. Alan