Swoop1

A cautionary tale.... I have been wanting to use Stellarium as my sky atlas software of choice for some time but could notm getn telescope control to work, Green Swamp Server being my installed ASCOM software. I did some digging and found a couple of tutorials which shopuld have made it work by downloading EQMOD etc. I did all of this and then spent 3 nights outside trying to make it work. No joy but very (and I mean VERY cold feet). Mrs Swoop1 saw my dissapointment and asked what the problem was. After explaining she said that No.1 Son (the tech geek) had told her that not all USB ports are the same and had I tried a different port. Guess what......

Hi @LaurenceT. I can see what you mean by overcooking. It does look a little too pushed to me though I don't have enough knowledge of processing to say where you need to knock it back a little. I suspect there is a cracking image in there so keep trying!

Very nice report @Fraunhoffer and then sketches top it off very well. I was out for a couple of hours last night bedding in some software. Just got life back into my toes.....

The screw in the brass collar looks to be steel so, if you are able to remove the focuser knobs, take it into a bike shop or similar- we often have little grub screws laying around. Plastic headede bolts like that are notorious for loosing theirm grip on the shaft. If the plastic head comes right off, try bonding it with araldite or similar?

My take on it (uneducated oik that I am!) is that Star A is moving towards the left side of the screen and Star B towards the right.

Never give up! In the words of some Mid Wales visitors- Who Dares Wins.

Thanks to @PeterCPC, I received my new ZWO ASI533MC Pro👍

I like that! I rushed out last night after work to set up but the moon had already passed behind a neighbors tree. Ho Hum....

Sky is crystal clear in SL7 at the moment so, I guess I may be setting up and playing with Stellarium and PHD2 to get the software running right tonight.

When measuring to achieve back focus, where are the measurments take from and to? I am working out what spacer I may need to get the 55mm for my RVO Horizon 72ED field flattener and Sony a6300 combo. Thanks, Matt

So, you initially thought you needed a binochair?

My @bosun21 recommended light pad and an additional outdoor 2 socket box to add to the pier.

I have a 290MC which I use on my Celestron C6 SCT for lunar and planetary. With lunar, to capture a full disc I need a minimum of a 4 pane mosaic- gives you an idea of the FOV. I run mine on the ZWO software and it works beautifuly. What telescope are you attaching it to? Knowing that, you can use the field of view simulator to get an idea of what you will see- https://astronomy.tools/calculators/field_of_view/

A little while ago, I tried using Stellarium as my scope controlling software but it didn't like it so I returned to CdC. Whilst trying to diagnose the reasons that the mount said NO! I read that alignment is done via the Syscan handset before switching to Stellarium. Is this correct? Admittedly, the article I read was based on a Celestron mount so, has anyone seen a good tutorial for the Stellarium/ Skywatcher interface? Thanks.

Just the info I needed. Thanks!

@bosun21 What light pad did you go for? How well does it work? Thanks, Matt

You have fitted the dew shield upside down 🤪

I've just upgraded the CCTV at the shop using a Swann kit purchased from Screwfix. They do wirelss options or wired cameras that have 18m cables with options for 2, 4 or 6 cameras. Also very simple to install though you need to be aware of the inbuilt lights that the cameras have if installing to protect imaging kit.

Anecdotal data suggests that 'planting' a human appearing bone somewehere within the curtelage of your excavation might result in the police doing the digging for you....

Also unscrew the black part that the lens screws into. It may be a little snug but it will unscrew. Like this-

I'm gonna need a bigger man cave......

On your image above, the black section attached to the camera marked CCTV lens with a measurement in mm after will unscrew from the camera body. The T ring and nosepiece will replace this section by screwing onto the camera body.

One small step for CedricTheBrave- one giant leap ......

@PWS- have you seen the last post on this one? Matt

@Ags- not a comment re the book/ format, but a question about the amount of work you are doing. Does the observers latitude have any noticeable effect on plotting things like the above occultation?