nicoscy

More playtime :)

Note: There are two swallows transiting - the one on the right side coming down is way off focus so it appears as a slight shading crossing the disk!

Animated GIF coming up. Did a bit of resizing to keep overall size manageable.

Equipment used: Lunt LS60 Tilt Tuned + SkyWatcher AZ GTi + ASI178MM

Software used: Firecapture+ IMPPG + Photoshop

Looks like there are issues with adding video, so here's a still of my visitor...

Had some good fun yesterday. First take of the Sun had a couple of visitors transiting the FOV. Those 25 frames turned into a neat little video. Then I decided to do a quick processing of a couple of interesting proms. And then I thought to push it to the max.

I got into solar imaging 3 weeks ago. This is pretty exciting and interesting and I am learning new tricks all the time. Getting there!

Outreach 3 years ago with a school's astronomy club. Was giving my intro into the night sky green GPL presentation. We move to my scope (Tak FS-128 + trimmings) and someone had loosened the mount clamp while I was giving the presentation. 

Tak was sliding out of the clamp. I was holding my iPad. Took a fraction of a second to decide to throw the iPad away and jump for the scope. Scope saved, iPad screen cracked.

Thankfully, I held it together, no change of undies required 🤣

@vineyard, it will happen hopefully in the near future, when all of this will end...

Thanks DP - a few hours left for what I hope will be a better attempt...

Will try this again tomorrow early AM when seeing is much better than at 3.30 PM!

Lunt LS60, ASI183MM, 1.000 frames, Firecapture, AS3!, IMPPG, Photoshop CS6.

Beautiful images!!!

Sigh, got my fix from these photos. I brought my 3" Borg achro with Lunt wedge at work to see the spot, but clouds... 😪

And credit given where credit is due. Marty's most excellent tutorials got me to the above results, which represent my third attempt at solar imaging - so a total solar imaging noob here...

Also this bit  

Oops, forgot to mention:

Lunt LS 60 Tilt Tuned Single Stack (I keep forgetting to use my DS module), on Skywatcher AZ GTi, set to Point and Track for solar tracking, and ASI178MM. 1,000 frames taken in Firecapture and processed in IMPPG and Photoshop.

Now please, someone, gimme good weather as I am itching to use the DS module for more surface detail and also try my 183MM  for more high resolution work...

The regular AZ GTi, which can be used for non-solar work, is very easy to use. Just ensure that it is completely level (there's a bubble on top), go into the synscan app or handset if you have one, activate solar tracking and then just point at the sun and select "point and track"

More fun and twice the Vitamin D!

And of course, now that there's finally a sunspot, weather has gone completely south

Great minds think alike!

Let’s put it this way - I could DHL the darned thing, but it would cost quite a bit - to the tune of maybe £600 or so. Best to combine with vacation and Cyprus is a favorite among you lot! At some point this will be over and someone can come over and take it - but until then, I will be the custodian of this scope.

Speaking of which, all my refractors have a date this weekend with a bottle of Renaissance wax I have - I like a well polished OTA!

Bah, still for sale, but nobody can fly here anyway 😷

Thanks both!

Yep, a nice prom there. There was some atmospheric haze and dust, otherwise it would come out better I suppose. Need to try my DS module and also imaging with a Barlow in the future...

Be gentle as this is my virgin Ha image!
 

Bit over processed, plus I am into visual and not imaging, but, being under mandatory lockdown in Cyprus, one has to keep busy somehow!
 

Lunt LS60 SS, ASI178, best 35% of 1092 frames.

Here and here

1.75" and 3" diameter knobs. Sir Connery would be pleased!

Actually Starlight Instruments DOES offer larger fine focusing knobs

8 minutes ago, Stu said:

No, the Vixen is 1986 vintage, 34 years old but still in excellent condition. They are not made any more, not sure when they stopped.

The Genesis is similar vintage, made somewhere around 1988 to 1993 and still in excellent condition. If cared for well these scopes perform beautifully for years.

They are very different in that the Vixen is an f8.8 fluorite doublet with excellent colour correction and perfect for planetary, lunar and doubles. The Genesis is an f5 Petzval design with a short focal length and a flat field of view so is ideal for very wide fields of view up to 5 degrees with the right eyepiece. Colour correction at higher powers on bright objects is nowhere near as good as the Vixen but at low power that doesn't matter. It is still pretty sharp and will split close doubles well. Both scopes are in excellent collimation with very good star tests, particularly the Vixen though.

Some info on both of them here for background reading.

http://www.company7.com/televue/telescopes/tv101.html

http://scopeviews.co.uk/TVGenesis.htm

http://www.company7.com/vixen/telescopes/vixen102fl.html

You can always email TV and give them the serial number - they'll tell you production year.

Yep, thought it was a 1.25" diagonal - but it is the Everbrite 2" one!

As another option, the APM 30mm 80° is "cheapish" and also the TS 35mm would provide max exit pupil. But agreed re Nag 31 - It is probably better corrected at shorter focal lengths...