moonomaly

Thanks Leo, interesting and helpful answer

Hi i hope all are well in these challenging times.

I read a few years ago about some kind of mega or super Taurid swarm, does anyone know when Earth will be in the thick of that ?

Thanks.

Nice, only got back to this project the other day, having trouble getting raspi camera to focus on output,, even with a macro lens. I think you're right about needing adjustability.

Finally got to grips with my cheap Chinese 3D printer and am making proper end caps now, should be usable this week.

https://dailygalaxy.com/2019/05/suns-11-year-cycle-powered-by-tidal-forces-of-venus-earth-jupiter/

Having watched some youtube videos of the stars through night vision devices i wanted to do the same and see it for myself, the light-gathering power of the P8079HP is impressive, the manufacturer's manual says it multiplies incoming light by 100,000.

Some specs on the tube here from the manufacturer's manual :

https://www.dropbox.com/sh/rnnkvasq5t6o2dy/AADmr9Ftu9FrdnRR2OohXQJpa?dl=0

It takes from 5 to 6.75 DC at 35mA max in my experience though the manual says 50mA max, these tubes are old so mileage varies.

To use it as a stand-alone unit it needs an objective lens in front of the input and an ocular/webcam/video-device-of-some-sort plus power to the device, usually in the form of an AA battery or project box with a switch, and maybe a power LED if you're feeling fancy. A few people have built some very nicely finished units, this thread is informative and has lots of photos, though most of it is to do with using it for hunting :

https://www.ar15.com/forums/Armory/DIY-Cascade-Tube-Thread-/18-359614/?page=1

I've been putting my one together, i'm gclarke66 on that thread, the most recent post since it's  a fairly inactive thread.

Thanks for replies, ended up getting a raspberry pi plus the IR camera. I was hoping i'd see something in the sky but i've seen nothing, i suppose the sensors are short-range, should probably read more before embarking on these projects!

What i have been wanting to do for years is skywatching with night vision, i finally bit the bullet and got one of those P8079HP NV cascade tubes, it's nearly done, will post a thread on it.

Cheers and beers

Lots of videos on youtube, mostly using a 35mm film tube for a housing but i can't find one that's about removing the IR filter AND attaching to a scope.

I opened up my logitech C270 webcam but the filter is part of the surface-mounted CCD chip so i'm not touching that, i need one where the filter is part of the lens assembly so that it's easily removable, or even breakable, but also one that is easy to fit to the star diagonal.

Any advice/experience/failure stories greatly received

Nice review of it here :

As an aside, can anyone recommend a smooth-moving tripod for this little Celestron travel scope 70?

The one that came with it is pretty bad, but i don't want to spend too much money since i'll be getting the 127 soon, but in the meantime it's annoying that it's so rickety and juddery when trying to pan around.

EQ for the win then I can't believe the price of some of the mounts, more than the scopes!

Thanks for replies, more thinking to do!

Hi,

i'm looking to by the 127 Mak next year for Moon photos, i awtched a short review of the scope and the guy briefly mentioned that AZ mounts may not be the best for astrophotography.

He didn't go into it at all, what are the reasons for that? I've not even held a proper mount so only have a vague idea how they rotate.

Happy new year