adyj1

I would certainly be interested in a 3d Printing Board. What is needed to make it happen? More upvotes? I've recently got a 3d printer, and trying to trawl through Thingiverse is painful, and personal recommendations from SGL-ers would be a massive plus. (I'd also love to see what Gina has done, given some of her work I've seen so far ) Ady

My very easy method just showed us nine planets (I know...)

It would be good to know what the label beneath the focuser says - if the focal length is 1000mm then it's a Skyhawk 114, or if it says 500mm then it is a Skyhawk 1145p. I prefer the 1145p, as I found the 114 difficult to focus.

This is the misleading bit, I think...Venus is currently very much visible in the night sky. I wonder what they meant?

Aaaaah. I see. They don't spin on perpendicular axes. That's a shame 😉 +1 new in today's Learning column. Thanks for the explanation. (and the picture helped a lot :-D) Ady

The way I see it is that in its orbit the earth moves roughly 149 million km* in a six-month period and the location of the pole star doesn't change for us during that journey. The moon is never more than 0.4 million km* from us while we're doing that, and so I therefore assume the distances involved (Polaris is 3 million million million million million km* away) means the difference is imperceptible... But that is based on schoolboy logic, which has let me down in the past... 😉 Ady * yes, I did have to Google all the distances... 😁 Edit: d'oh, it was never going to be this simple... 😔 - see below

Congrats! That's a good set of stuff there. The foldout screen will be especially useful for focusing and framing at weird angles! If you have a tripod, perhaps have a go at the Pleiades and Venus tonight with that zoom lens? Ady

Better forecast here for tomorrow night... Should still be close enough for good framing...

They are different things, done for different reasons; Polar alignment is necessary for an EQ mount to align its RA axis precisely with North so that no Dec movement is required to track a star, only RA movement is needed. (Guiding can help counter poor PA, but is a bit of a distraction in this explanation 😉 ) Star alignment is necessary so that your goto computer knows exactly where it is pointing in the sky and, together with accurate time and location information, will allow the it to accurately slew to the star location you ask it to goto. (On an EQ mount bad PA will result in poor got accuracy) .

I also don't want to be a party pooper, but it's not just about not killing Mel Brooks... 😁 There is a very real risk of the NHS getting swamped with COVID-19 cases if infections grow too quickly,. If this happens people will die - not just of the coronavirus - because they couldn't be treated in time. We are told that social distancing is the best chance of keeping the number of infections as low as possible for as long as possible, and therefore give the NHS a fighting chance. It is currently a personal choice as to whether you follow the recommended social distancing, but please understand why the powers that be are pleading with everyone to follow their advice... It isn't just simply about whether you catch something that is survivable for you. I don't mean to rant, but thought it worth making the situation clear (as I see it). And it definitely is a personal choice. Ady

I fit my AZ-Gti onto an EQ5 tripod using an adapter; Photo Adapter for HEQ5 / AZ5 tripod You'd need something like that for the CG-4.

I'll say! You've even got a radiator to keep you warm when observing 😂 More seriously, that is an impressive set of kit to buy as a job lot, and well presented in the different cases. I'm jealous! 😉 Good luck!

D'oh! Apologies... I misread the thread (late night, page two, on a mobile screen...) Hopefully my advice on the mount stands up to scrutiny... 😁

@alacantThe Onstep goto controller you link needs the stepper motor kit as well - the skywatcher dual axis motors aren't suitable. The mod OnStep controller recommended is listed at 330 Euros (with stepper motor kit). Remember also that it looks like the OP's Nikon is also not compatible with APT, and so even with the upgrade, computer-controller automatic plate-solving and goto++ won't be possible. To be honest, @Anthony1979, the kit that you have is almost identical to my starting kit and I found it is only suitable for doing really basic AP; - Your camera doesn't appear on the APT compatibility matrix, so I think your only choice is to use an intervalometer (this on ebay for a D3300 which *should* work for a D3500, but check first) to take multiple exposures. - Your mount and current motors will track objects once you've found them in the sky, but can't cheaply be upgraded to goto to let a computer do it for you. You will have to find your objects by using the finder scope and a star atlas or mobile app to 'star hop' and find your way around the sky (a useful skill once learned, but needs time and dedication). Once found, your mount will hold the object in your field of view for a reasonably length of time but it will drift. You may be lucky and get decent 60-second exposures with this mount, depending on your OTA. I started with a Nikon D3200 and a motorised (but not goto) EQ5. At one stage I was copying files from the camera to a laptop so I could do a platesolve on the Astrometry web-site, then try to adjust my view manually based on the results!!! Painstaking and slow, but you've got to use what you've got if you don't have the budget to upgrade. As a novice I truly marvelled at some of the photos I achieved - they were at the bottom end of the AP scale, but they were *on* the AP scale 🙂 I did eventually upgrade to stepper motors and added AstroEQ, (a DIY equivalent of the Onstep). The DIY aspect of doing this was fun, but to be honest I would recommend changing the mount for a second-hand goto mount as a better choice unless you relish the challenge. I also replaced the Nikon camera with a modified Canon 1000D bought from the forums to get the computer control and automatic platesolving, which was as @alacantsays, a game-changer. You are doing well in persevering. If you can afford it, money will improve your set up. If you can't afford it, don't give up and see what you can achieve with what you've got. Good luck! Ady * Disclaimer: there's a vast amount I don't know about AP, but budget AP is where I live 😉

I've done it on a small 1145p (needed moving a few inches to achieve DSLR focus) and a 150PDS (so that I could fit a Baader ClickLock) The adjustment screws were standard thread, and just needed to be countersunk metric bolts (sorry, the size escapes me). The tensioning screws, however, which have the knurled head for manual adjustment were a different matter, and were quite expensive for what they were. Ended up getting a flat wingnut-type things and ground the sides in a bit so they could turn properly next to the adjustment screw knobs... Hope this helps Ady

Hopefully this wouldn't be an issue if nothing is powered? (genuine question, I'm a beginner when it comes to electronics and the theory behind it...)

after soldering I normally run along all adjacent breadboard tracks (and isolated sections) with the multimeter in continuity mode waiting for the dreaded 'beep' where there shouldn't be one - like you my eyes wouldn't pick up faint traces...

This is what hampers my DIY projects more than all the other problems put together... 🙄

Yes, but Copernicus was viewed as 'off the wall' because he challenged conventional thinking of the time with a scientific theory that pushed forward our understanding of the world around us. I'm afraid I wouldn't put a modern-day flat earther (no matter how heroic their demise) in anything like the same category... Ady

Thanks a lot for the info - I have a Walimex 85mm 1.8 and this gives me a good starting point...

Awesome! Did you have the aperture stopped back at all, or was it taken at 1.8?

Can I just check, is it unable to connect in APT, but is visible in 'Computer Manger' in Windows - or can't Windows see it? You said it connects OK with qdslrdashoboard, which suggests the Windows side of things is OK... If this is the case, is the right version of digic being selected by APT?

Well, let's start with a 'well done' for volunteering 👍 A couple of questions come to mind; - is your adult presentation aimed at complete astro-novices? - have the scouts had any previous astronomy talks? My inclination would be to make it an astronomy talk building up to a big AP reveal with single short-exposures to show the sort of thing the eye can see, single longer exposures to show what the camera can do, then stacked images to show what all that money has been spent on 🤣

Go for it. Don't walk, run... I have that mount, and in your setup it will be the weakest link but a good enough budget starting place. The AZ aspect of the mount and the relative 'flimsiness' of the mount and tripod given the weight you are putting on it will limit some of what you can do, but it is manageable and there's plenty else to concentrate on in the beginning. Warning: once you catch the bug you'll be saving all your Christmas and birthday money and searching the forums for second-hand HEQ5's 😉. To answer your specific questions; I've mounted a 1145p newtonian with tube rings and a vixen dovetail on that mount, so no problem doing the same with your new 130PDS . Weight should be ok as well, however as the mount + tripod aren't the most rigid and this OTA is at the upper end of its capabilities, you will experience some shake. The excellent dual-speed focuser on the PDS will help with this, as will the motor focuser once you have fitted it. I have the Skywatcher 'Auto' focuser fitted to a 150PDS with the same Crayford focuser, so it does fit - although I can't vouch for whether you've got the necessary metal bracket and screws - you'll have to check when you get it. And finally, IMHO the 130PDS is more than comparable with the 130P for visual use, but you will definitely need an extension tube when using eyepieces. Hopefully it will come with it. Hope this helps, Ady

I plug the synscan handset from my old az-goto into my new(ish) az-gti, so that would suggest the pinouts are the same. Ady