Skipper Billy

8 minutes ago, Moonshed said:

One point I would make is that on this image I can see some red on the crater outlines at the bottom of the image and on the top, also some along the edge leading away from these. Is this due to data transmission and does it not appear on the original? I’m curious because whenever I see that sort of effect on my crummy images it’s because I have over worked it in the wavelets or over sharpened it. In this case though I’m more inclined to blame the transmission.

It's not there in the separate images so it must be down to me being cack-handed. I am under pressure to clear the dining room table of computers and screen - I can't think why 😉 - so I processed it in a hurry.  I will have a more considered go at it when this pagan festival/waste of money is over!! 😉  I would guess at wavelets being the issue.

Tonight's Moon through shocking seeing and high cloud but still the best I have achieved thanks to suggestions from @Yawning Angel  -  Thank You - I owe you a dram!!

Full res here - https://www.flickr.com/photos/113316085@N05/50752017418/in/album-72157662766199285/

1 hour ago, Marvin Jenkins said:

I want to say a big thank you to the OP, the esteemed ‘Skipper Billy’. What a truly remarkable thread from an observation of how the press report this stuff.

I don't believe I have ever been called esteemed before - even tongue in cheek!! 😉

Steaming - yes. Esteemed - never!! 🙂

5 minutes ago, iapa said:

do we know what he is looking to buy?

  On 29/11/2020 at 08:55, Lyndsay Smith said:

Hi  

Well Aston believes he is saving up for a better telescope (exact one not decided on) but my husband and I have bought him a Celestron Nexstar 8SE for Christmas  

Very nice - this is rapidly becoming one of my favourite targets!

3 hours ago, AngryDonkey said:

Excellent - I have never heard of this before - just ordered a copy from Amazon for £1.97. I fear I may wet myself reading it 😉 

This is my 6 year old grandson 'Ari' reading his copy! He doesn't read or speak English (Swedish) but his Dad (my son) is English and has translated it for him.

It has inspired him to build an observatory out of cardboard and he tells me that with the boxes from his Christmas presents he is going to build a rocket so he can come to Scotland to see his 'FarFar and FarMor' (Grandad and Grandma). Bless him 😉 

Ah - fair enough !!

Still not a star though is it !!! 😉 

'Star of Bethlehem' - I am seeing in the media more and more reports about next weeks conjunction being a re-run of the 'Star of Bethlehem'.

For a kick off they are NOT stars! Giving them poetic licence and ignoring that fact I looked the location of Jupiter and Saturn around the alleged date of the happening and they were nowhere near each other!! Not even close.

See attached and notice the date - Christmas Eve just before the 'event' - I also scrolled backwards and forwards a few years each way and they were never even close to conjunction !! [I am assuming that Stellarium is accurate for years BC?]

For the pedants - you are quite right my house was not there over 2000 years ago!!!

22 hours ago, ZS1RA said:

The only thing I’m still uncertain about is Carte du Ciel. I’m used to Stallerium for my Skywatcher and Celestron PWI, which I love. I guess I’ll just have to get used to CDC.

Drift alignment as detailed above will get you there.

Stellarium work every bit as well as CdC with this mount.

Congratulations on your mount - you will love it!!!

Launch in 45 mins planned.

01.15hrs UK time

To stop the keels of yachts rusting we use a product called 'Fertan'  https://www.fertan.co.uk/

I don't know what is in it but it converts rust to an inert product. Spray or brush it on - wait until it goes black - wash it off and paint it. Even iron keels immersed in salt water don't go rusty after treatment.

I am absolutely stunned !!!!!!

I have never entered a competition before and having seen the standard of entries I had kind of  pushed it to the back of my mind.  

Well done to everyone who entered - there are some real works of art amongst them.

One thing that has been strongly reinforced to me is that really good data doesn't need much doing to it. It was a joy to process.

Many thanks to all at FLO and IKO for providing this great opportunity - I look forward to playing with more data in the future when the weather prevents me from gathering my own.

All the best and clear skies to all the entrants for a great festive period.

David (aka Skipper Billy).

10 minutes ago, Sp@ce_d said:

🤣😂😆 How can you use that turn of phrase in relation to anything Astronomy related under "our" skies 

I was happy to pay what I paid for my Mesu mount and my Takahashi scope - there was a clear and obvious advantage and they 'felt' like value for money.

But £2300 for 3 tiny bits of glass ???? 

18 hours ago, tomato said:

Sorry, but just so I am sure, with the looming price increase I take it you are screwing up the wish list and not buying them?

The reason I ask is I use an impending price hike to try and persuade the Financial Director that now is the right time to buy my next item of Astro kit😉

Correct - I am NOT buying them. I was finding it hard to justify the cost/benefit to myself never mind my missus.

Given that we are two weeks away from the middle of the imaging season and we have had two clear nights this year I really cant put hand on heart and say its money well spent.

Fuelling underway now 21.41hrs

5 minutes ago, Alien 13 said:

Does anyone else think that the top bit looks remarkably like "fireball XL5"?

It does !!! Its the ugliest rocket ever!

Fuelling shouldn't take long - apparently they are only putting a squirt in it (few tonnes!)

Ooofffttt - I have been toying with a set of 2" Chroma narrowband filters. I have struggled to convince myself to spend that sort of money on 3 bits of glass. If the price is going up quite considerably then I can relax and screw up the wish list.

First world problems eh ? 😉 

Thanks Peter

The power suspend part cured the problem - a million thanks - handy page that - bookmarked  for future

Thanks again.

David

I have resurrected an old laptop for lunar imaging as I want to take video using my ASI 178 and a guide scope.

This will produce a huge file at a high frame rate and really needs USB3

The two USB2 ports on the machine work but the USB3 port is dead.

Its a reasonable spec machine - ASUS i5 - 16gb Ram - 256 SSD -very latest version of W10

Any suggestions ??? I am fairly certain that the USB3 port was working last time I used it.

Reprocess of the California Nebula. We got a (surprise) partially clear night so I imaged it again in broadband RGB. Removed the narrowband stars from the narrowband data and replaced them with the RGB stars using Starnet. 2 hours Ha, 6 hours Oiii, 1 hour each RGB. Processed almost entirely in Pixinsight.

CC very welcome.

California Nebula with RGB stars.tif

With a very quick attempt with RGB stars .......

21 minutes ago, tomato said:

I guess a mosaic is out of question to get it all in?

I have enjoyed getting this target and if we get a run of clear nights I must just get the two sides as well. I am just grabbing the RGB for the stars so we will see.

10 minutes ago, Davey-T said:

Can you tell me where you bought it ? can't see it for sale anywhere.

https://teleskop-austria.at/Epsilon160ED_Epsilon-160ED-nur-Tubus