iamjulian

Thank you.

Hello. I have checked in the software, the user guide, and the Google but cannot find whether the 'time' (or UTC time) you can include in the image file name is the start or end time of the image. I assume it is the start time, but it could be either I suppose. Haven't got the camera attached to test else I would. Many thanks if anyone knows.

Thank you very much. That sounds really helpful and I will definitely give that a try because siril does look good. I found another bit of software called fitswork which convert to monochrome luminance, then saves as FITS. Saving one image into a separate file for each channel seemed overkill for my needs but I can see how it would be useful.

Hello, wonder if anyone can point me in the opposite direction to most people. Just to be awkward, I would like to take a RGB image in Siril, and convert it to grey/mono so that I can save it as a FITS without it being a 3 dimensional FITS (ie RGB). Everything I can find online shows the opposite - converting to RGB. Thank you!

Thank you, that makes sense. I'll risk it 🙂

Trying to download ASTAP from sourceforge. Says 4,522 downloads this week, but my PC is blocking the download 'astap_setup.exe ... Could harm your device'. Any ideas why I get the message? I'm assuming it is actually fine but is it wise to ignore the warning?

Sorry, this has probably been asked many times but cannot find anything specific in search. My power cable runs from the external garage wall to the obsy. Two gang sockets go inside a dry box then power out of there to the mount and computer. My extension cable died. I have another on a reel, but it won't fit inside the dry box. Will it work inside one of these big plastic storage boxes? The dry box is IP55 but everything is taken down and packed away indoors at the end of the night, so only(!) concerns are dew/frost. I have RCD protection but don't want to mess about with mains power. What do you think, can I get away with a big plastic box, or do I need to buy another cable with sockets that I can fit inside the dry box?

Excellent. Some smart ideas there, thank you. I just know the neighbours are going to look out tomorrow and see me in a neoprene wetsuit, spraying the inside of my weird little roofless shed with mint water.

My observatory keeps everything dry, but it breathes through various gaps. Probable futile but in an effort to keep the spider population below six figures, has anyone experience with filling the air gap around the pier with expanding foam? Or will this defeat the object and transfer vibrations? Opinions and advice very welcome, thank you.

Thanks everyone, all sounds reassuring, especially the heat they produce protecting them a bit from dew, makes sense. The computer will only stay out while in use. Computer, cameras and cables all get packed away indoors at the end of the session. The observatory is wind and rain proof, but not insulated. Or spider proof. Thanks for the eBay links. I run an extension lead to the observatory then power the laptop from that. I'm guessing these mini PCs have something exactly like a laptop transformer brick for their power.

I am looking for some advice please. I have an observatory in the garden. With the mount (HEQ5) connected to an old Vista laptop. It still works, but the screen is getting temperamental when it gets cold. Bit like me! My setup is a Canon 550d and a small QHYCCD hooked up to the finder scope. I am running PHD2 for guiding, then APT and Cartes du Ciel. I am thinking about changing to a mini PC that I can then wifi to from the house. Given that the laptop probably has 2GB RAM and runs everything without a hitch, I shouldn't need anything expensive - is my thinking!? Is there anything to look out for? I have my power sockets and transformers in a sealed dry box, but the laptop just sits in the open. Do these mini PCs cope well with frost and dew? A couple of usb ports will be enough but anything else I need to consider? Thank you.

Looks great! We should call them Todmorden Piers. That's where I got the idea from too. They don't look much in photos but really solid.

Scorpious, thanks,a valued opinion and you may be correct mine is intended to be shortish term and an experiment. Frost heave shouldn't be a problem as I take the mount off after each session so polar align needs doing each outing (though it is quicker than the tripod). Toppling isn't an issue as the total weight of the pier is about 85kg, it only stands 88cm high, and the bottom paver is about as wide as the structure is high. I am reasonably confident nothing is going to topple over I chase asteroids so the 60 second sub's I am getting are fine else it's my targets that start to trail, even if the stars do not. I completely understand why people decide to build it once and forget about it. But so far in my experience, a cheap and less permanent pier can still perform pretty well.

There isn't enough for the mortar to grip to, plus as Zakalwe says, the type of glue I used should be about as strong as the block itself. Why bother with glue at all? The base footprint is about 20cm, the height just under a metre, so it wouldn't fall over easily, but I don't want it moving even a fraction of a mm so leaving it freestanding, heavy though it is, probably isn't the best idea.

Glue has gone off and it all seems very solid. Bolted together with two m10 bolts with big washers and nylocs. I swapped out the flag stone in the earlier picture with a beefier one. Just took legs off tripod and drop a length of threaded rod through a hole in the top concrete block. A handwheel then locks it in place. Once I have aligned it properly I shall glue some markers in place, allowing me to just drop the mount on the pier and know it is very close to being aligned. I don't plan on leaving the mount on the pier between sessions.

Ground has been broken. The ground here is clay and sinks quite rapidly. I have decided to sight the foundation paving slab on top of an old tree stump. Made more work for myself but the root system should be giving the ground a bit more stability. Gave the slab a quick test before putting the sharp sand down and wouldn't you know it, it was bob on. Ah well, another 20 minutes playing with sand and I am happy. Though no doubt it will settle wonky, especially once my 5 year old spots it in the morning and starts bouncing up and down on it

Thank you, Tinker, looks like the kind of thing. If it is easy to drill I may bolt and glue the two blocks, and just glue the paving slab. Thanks Keith and Peter. I met Peter at last year's NWAF. I may well ask you further questions about the best way to proceed. They whole thing is really heavy and stable even without anything attached to anything else. I love the simplicity of it.

I suppose if I mark its position, maybe glue some metal strips in place then I can just drop it into position each time. Which would probably be just as good or better than loosening the azimuth adjusters each time if I went the pier plate route. Sorry, thinking out loud in case anyone knows better

Sorry yes, HEQ5. The existing bolt is thin at the top, then widens out and is only part threaded, I just assumed a standard bolt would not be suitable. That would simplify the task. Downside would be that I would have to leave the top part of the tripod in place permanently, else I'd have no set up time saving over the tripod. There is no cover so it would probably rust maybe I will have to have some kind of pier plate.

After spending far too long thinking about it, I have sort of decided how to start building my pier. I am a fan of low tech solutions and although I could get permission to sink half a tonne of concrete into the back garden, I don't see the point. For a good while I planned to copy the excellent brick pier someone posted here (apologies,forget who it was). Then I saw the hollow concrete block pier they have up at Todmorden and knew that was for me. Picked up a couple of blocks from a farm in deepest Wales and am planning to attach them to a big paving slab. Now my questions for you knowledgeable lot From what I read, I should just be able to glue block to block and block to paving slab. I also read some of these trade glues can be stronger than the concrete itself. Sound reasonable? Bolting them together was the other option. Second problem is how to attach the telescope head. The top bit of concrete is 5cm thick so I cannot see an easy way to bolt the head and top bit of tripod (minus legs) with the existing bolt. Although it would save me messing about with pier plates and pucks and all that. Any ideas or inspiration very welcome! Thanks

Just the other day I discovered the seagull finder plus a 32mm plug from wicks solution. Cannot believe I spent the last six months kneeling or sitting on the freeing cold floor, straining my neck. Almost looking forward to polar aligning this autumn.