FrenchyArnaud

I know it's formally IC1396A and is supposed to look like an elephant trunk (hence the name) but I propose a petition to have it officially renamed the Chris de Burgh Nebula.  

And you, what do you see?

(Never mind the quality of the astro pic - it's a WIP, quick and dirty stretch) 

24 minutes ago, Mike Q said:

I would be complaining about a very bright moon lol

Yeps but as it happens, I have a H-alpha 7nm on the way that should (?) arrive bang on time ! 😇🤩

Well, that's a new one. Bournemouth UK here - I don't remember ever seeing so much green at once! I guess I'll look like a very worn out zombie by the end of the week but who's gonna complain? 

Hey guys, 

Just sharing with you my satisfaction and two recommendations.  This is my first large paper print (60*40cm)

Recommendation 1 : print and FRAME your pictures! I am AMAZED by how nice it looks. This one was just a test run to see if it was worth it and hell yes it is!

Recommendation 2 : get it done by a pro. This was done by a local guy in Poole (Towngate Gallery & Framing) and I do not care what vistaprint or the like says, the extra money (which is really not that much extra actually, a few %) is absolutely worth spending.  

2 hours ago, Mandy D said:

I like the idea. Perhaps extend it using the available statistical weather data, which appears to be available here:

https://www.ceda.ac.uk/blog/uk-weather-station-records-now-freely-available-to-all-midas-open/

You have to register, but it is free. Then your app could be used to help observers decide where to view (say) an eclipse from with good chance of clear skies, months in advance. Obviously, this would make it a much bigger project, even just for the UK, but a lot more useful.

I like that! That sounds like a great way to increase your chances to schedule your days off or field trip on a good night 👍 I am going to look into it straight away.

2 hours ago, AstroMuni said:

 If someone could model which days are going to be cloudless more accurately then I am sure that person will soon become rich. :-)

You bet 🤣 I'd pay pretty money for a reliable forecast at 24H!

But again, it's not about the weather, it's about the darkness - for scheduling purposes.  The weather here is irrelevant

4 hours ago, gentlebear76 said:

I'm using https://www.suninfo.dk/index.php?lang=en for looking up when my site is usable. It is both in Danish and in English (small flag top right corner). I really like it as it makes it easy to see the moon phases i relation to darkness - and it's very visual which I like a lot 🙂 Unfortunately you can't use it to modify the darkness. Astronomical twilight is back-ish (midnight till 3 am) where I am but no night until mid August and then only for an hour between 1 am and 2 am.

I like the presentation for each day, but again, this lacks the critical ability to see the calendar at once. In essence, it tells you if a particular day is favourable, not when the next favourable day is...

3 hours ago, AstroMuni said:

Have you taken a look at the Clear Outside app/website from FLO? https://clearoutside.com/forecast/50.7/-3.52

Of course.  However because it is a weather app primarily, it's limited to a few days (and to be fair, it has repeatedly proven to be relying on a flawed model even within 12hours). So again, it lacks the ability to point out directly the next favourable days/times (dark-wise) for, say, end of the month when I am off. Or to tell me when I should book my hollidays in October if I want the best chances, weather willing, to go out at the darkest nights of the period. 

Well... I modified the 50D and tested it - extremely pleased with the result! So I will keep it after all.

The 450D is up for grabs now, see the "for sale/swap" subforum here:

As for the 50D, this is only just over one hour, the bubble 

Hi guys, 
pretty much every day, I need to look at different apps/website to have an idea of sun times, moon phase, moon times. It's the same story on repeat, groundhog day: "ok, the sun goes down at 20:01, count 21:00 or 21:30 for astro darkness, the moon is rising around 23:45, but it's only at 5% so I am probably ok until it reaches 15 or 20 deg up around 2 in the morning, so all in all, I have from 21:00 to 02:00 for imaging, with proper dark from 21:30 to 1am... let's see how it is tomorrow and this week-end and the next one...

I always thought it'd be just cool to have a calendar, a simple one-page-says-it-all calendar for astrophoto darkness: a calendar that would simply tell you WHEN both sun and moon are below the horizon. So that I could just look at the page and point at the next favourable day without any headache. 

But after long research, it just does not seem to exist! 

So I created it. The maths are a bit complex but I did it for now through a simple spreadsheet - it would be pretty simple to make it a purely graphical printable calendar, a website or even an android app; all of these options are on.  For simplicity reasons (and bulk access to the data I need) it's now only for london and only for the next 100 days, but again, doing it for any point in the world, at any time, would take one click provided that I get the moon/sun time tables. 

Right now the variables that can be customised are the ideal moon illumination and its maximum acceptable, the delay after/before sun times for acceptable darkness, and the minimum length of time of darkness within these settings to make the night favourable. 

Before I begin to really get my energy into coding an app/website, all input welcome! Especially if you already know of such a calendar  

 

6 hours ago, Alien 13 said:

Buy your girlfriend a 60D and mod the 600D 😀 

Alan

Actually that is not as ludicrous as it sounds, a 60D can be found under £150 : how much could I resell the 50D if I mod it, considering it has a grip, 2 new batteries, low shutter and a remote...? That's something I need to investigate. Pretty sure that for the resell price of the 50D and the 450D combined, I can find her a decent 60D or maybe even a 70D body only 😇 And I still would upgrade my 450D to a 600D in the process...

Hi guys!

Maybe some of you will remember that some time ago, I bought a battered 450D and converted it to full spect. myself - I was pretty proud of myself for that. 
Searching for an upgrade on this 450D who has seen better days, I bought a very decent fully functional 50D with low shutter count for pocket money - thinking that the sensor upgrade would be a nice project.

But here is the thing: the GF uses my old 600D (since I myself upgraded to a 70D) and as the astromod of the 600D does not require soldering (which the 50D does) and the 50D has a much better FPS, I am wondering if it would not make more sense to give her the 50D and mod the 600D (then get rid of the 450D modded if anyone is interested)

Or does it make sense to go on with the original plan to mod the 50D? As I want to upgrade on the 450D but I don't want the GF to "downgrade" in the process.

All thoughts and input welcome! 

3 pics taken with the 450D modded for tax (450Da+CC+CLS+130PDS+CG5-GT+Nina, all from Bournemouth UK, borttle 6) 

12 hours ago, SteveNickolls said:

Would you be able to provide a photo of the set up/connections on the mount side? What actual splitter are you using too? Which hand controller version are you using and which firmware version? 👍

Damned, I JUST did bag up! If I had seen your message 30mins ago, I would have taken pics/videos...

I do a full presentation next time it's up, promise. Which will be next time I have a sky, can be tomorrow or in 6 months, who tf knows  

Ok, so here is the verdict:
 (drum roll....)

You can't.  There is no way. I have however after a bit of fiddling figured a solution that proves as good as, and reliable : a good USB splitter and a very, very long USB cable. 

The splitter is on the mount side and is connected to guide camera, dslr and HC (via serial/usb adaptor), and the splitter itself is plugged on a massive USB extension cable. Unfortunately, there is no way to do without the HC, HOWEVER having only the usb extension to pull inside, up to the office (15 meters) is much less of a hassle than trying to extend everything including that pesky phone cable. 

It must be noted though that as it turns out, it is really imperative to have a "good" splitter (branded, USB3.0) and a "good" cable, properly insulated as the cheap ones I first tried gave me poor, unstable connections with data loss and corruptions (especially as I send the DSLR pictures directly to the computer, not using a SD card).  My theory is that cheap ones are more prone to interferences. 

Ok, so after HOURS of digging, googling and reading the doc... Nope, not possible directly. It looks like a big oversight to me from the devs, I am dropping them an email. I am left with two choices : 

1) as suggested, dithering on every frame and set a settle time for the mount that is much more than needed;
2) switch to APT.

I am installing APT and will try both as soon as I have a tiny bit of a pretend of a sky - we are closing in on a month with 100% overcast so I have no idea when that will be! 

EDIT - After a quick chat with the devs, I learnt that the sequencer has been upgraded for this in the V2 currently beta, which I will test immediately! When the beta becomes main, the sequencer should therefore allow precisely that. 

Hi all! I am experimenting with NINA and plate solving and the whole thing is very, very compelling. However, as I use a stock DSLR I would love to be able to set an interval in between frames so that my DSLR sensor can cool a bit and the shutter is not battered. Like, 150 seconds expo, 20seconds cooling, 150 seconds expo etc.  

I have been unable to find how to do that? Considering a £6 intervalometer can do it, I am sure it's possible but I can't figure it. Anyone knows? 
Thanks!

Hi all! 

Waiting for the day I can afford to upgrade, I use a Celestron CG5GT. 

Now, I am slowly coming to terms with all the softwares and connections to have it handled from the comfort of my office. However, that's miles of electrical spaghetti I am now trying to simplify. 

On the CG5, the connection to the computer / stellarium works by plugging an st4 with com port on the HC then onto a com>usb adapter. So it gives mount>st4>hand controller>st4>adapter to usb>laptop. 

Considering that the HC is totally redundant, is it possible to simply go mount>cable>computer? 

Hi guys, 
I have not posted here for a loooong time...

As I am, after a long break, returning to AP, the Skywatcher 130PDS is out and about again! However, I have a minor problem with dew, which will soon likely turn in a problem with frost. I am struggling to find a definitive solution, ideally a ready made heating kit for primary/secondary. I considered a shield but it occured to me that the tube is already a shield for the primary and it still fogs up. 

Anyone knows of a proper solution that would allow both mirrors to stay actually dry and bright?
Thanks, 
Arnaud.

My latest image for tax (DSLR, coma corrector and CLS filter, celestron Advanced GT, 130PDS, bortle 7)