callump

You might want to try plugging the USB -> Serial into another of the Pi's USB sockets. As James says - try running an lsusb to see what devices have been detected. Have you got anything else plugged into the Pi? /callump

Hi Mike, I'll post a write-up of the setup into the Discussions in the next day or so. Callum

I often get Safari tabs being reported as "this site is degrading performance" (or something like that) - quite often Facebook but a few others too. I was getting a MacOS crash, which seemed to be happening when switching from one tab to another - but it was not clear if that was the cause or not. I switched ti Chrome for a while, but having to re-enter site passwords was a pain, and Chrome has this lazy page loading which is annoying. I found an article about McOS crashes which poked a finger at Energy Saver | Enable Power Nap - switched that off and no more crashes. Still sometimes get slow Safari tabs though. I'm not sure it is much worse or better than 6 months ago though... I presume you are on the latest release of Catalina? Sorry - not much help I know... /callump

Thanks Martin, well, here is the Pal 10 image - negative view. Pal 10 is at the centre and I think you can make it out - certainly it is right by the astrometry.... Callum

Last nights sky was pretty rubbish, but I thought i would see if the 'new' setup would work better than my last attempt having fixed the back-focus 'problem' I had before. All taken with a C11 and 0.63 FR, and ASI174MM mini camera. All 12 x 10s exposures, stacked in Siril. No darks or flats (obviously from the images...). Tried also for Pal 10 but not a good enough image to share here (just about visible with extreme stretch), and NGC 7006 but the cloud had closed in too much by then. M27 M57 M71 /callump

Cody AS have an observatory at what used to be the RAE - they have a very nice 6" Zeiss Coude refractor. /callump

I use two Raspberry pi's running IndigoSky (one for the mount, one for cameras), and the CLoudmakers apps for telescope control and imaging. Polar alignment with PHD2 (Polar Drift Alignment is what I have used, but there are two other tools in PHD2). For post-processing I have most recently been using Siril, and then final tweaking in Affinity Photo. All these are MacOS native apps. /callump

I has been thinking about getting a Night Owl, but it is looking like it wont be in stock until 2021 now... /callump

Linton, I used matt black Correx - its a bit thicker (with hollow cores) but works ok imo. Callum

I've been using IndigoSky for a little while now - it all seems to work pretty seamlessly as a server. All controlled through a simple web page. (I did have a problem connecting to my home WiFi network but that was fairly easily solved). /callump

If you are interested in spectroscopy tonights BAA webinar will be for you. Visit https://britastro.org/node/21142 for details on how to join on Zoom or view on YouTube. /callump

Thanks for developing and sharing this Martin - great job. I was looking for something like this (to do live stacking from an INDI imager) and thinking I would have to write it myself (in Python). Haven't tried it live under the sky, but looking good with acquired fits files. Cheers, Callum

This weeks British Astronomical Association weekly Wednesday webinar is on the 22nd at 7pm. Jeremy Shears, director of the Variable Star Section, will be talking about two variable stars in Corona Borealis (R & T), and how to observe them. You can join the webinar on Zoom or view on YouTube - visit https://britastro.org/node/21371 for all the details. Clear skies /callump

David Arditti will be imaging Venus live (if not cloudy in London) - and talking about how to capture and process images. Starts at 7pm. Visit https://britastro.org/node/21142 for going links etc. And if you miss it live, there will be a recording on YouTube. Enjoy! /callump

And the recording is available on YouTube to watch later if you missed it. /callump

The BAA is now running a weekly webinar every Wednesday at 7pm. Tonight Comet Section director Nick James will be talking about comet 2019 Y4 ATLAS - which might become a nice naked eye object in the next few weeks. You can join the webinar on Zoom or view it on YouTube - open to all. See https://britastro.org/node/21142 for the web links. Enjoy. /callump

Still time to book for this event if you have not done so already. Hope to see you there. /callump

This years British Astronomical Association Deep Sky Section annual meeting will be held in Sheffield on Saturday March 14. Full details and and on-line booking form is available at: https://britastro.org/deepsky2020 All welcome. /callump

The British Astronomical Association is holding an Observers' Workshop coming up in just one months time - October 12th - at the Beacon Arts Centre, Greenock (Scotland). Places need to be booked in advance, and this can be done online or by calling the BAA Offie. The price is £6 for all, which just covers the refreshments that will be available on the day. Full details about the meeting can be found here: https://britastro.org/greenock2019 If you have any questions please do not hesitate to contact me. Clear, dark skies, Callum

If you are talking about the LX200 classic - then the communication protocol is just an RS 232 serial link, 9600 baud. If you mean the commands and responses, these are documented in the back of the Meade LX200 instruction manual. There is also some sample code, but in Basic so maybe not directly usable... Callum

I made a very successful finder using a pin rather than cross-hairs. The tip of the pin (or needle) is placed at the center, and in use it does not obscure the object you're aligning on (if you get my point :-) /callump