Swoop1

Yet more fantastic imaging!

Oh to have a permanant set up in an obsy. And a horizon🤦‍♂️

Did your damaged obsy have shackles or locking bolts to keep the roof in place?

🤣 Every big spider that takes up residence in my house is christened Boris by my wife and I!

Beauty is in the eye of the beholder and, as my obsy is just a scruffy patch of back garden lawn, to my eye, any obsy building is an absolute gem.

Lovely images there Steve

I want one of those!

Here is mine. The red lines indicate locations of street lights or properties with permanantly illuminated insecurity lights. The green line is roughly South. The Blue line roughly aligns with Polaris. If I were to move to the oter side of the garden, I would open up my eastern horizon but loose a lot of South/ South West. The East/ North East is generally quite hazy due to London and High Wycombe North East South/South West

Nice image. This is the type of image that has resulted in a C9.25 being placed at the top of the 'wish list'.

Thanks for yoursuggestions folks. Solar is something I engage in in a basic, white light fashion, though ultimately I would like to take it further. I am a mathamatical dolt and not academic so projects that go too far down the science and maths/ physics path are beyond my capabilities. I partake of the simple joy of observing and imaging so things like the TLP project could be right up my street.

Due to the circumstances of my location and schedule limitations, I am contemplating specialising in Lunar and possibly Planetary observing/ imaging. My garden is quite badly affected by light pollution caused by nearby street lighting and insecurity lighting. Also relatively recent development work has fairly killed my southern horizon. I would love to have a pier as this would solve time issues but for the deep sky stuff, i'm not sure it would be worthwhile. I know planetary is a bit meh at the moment but the moon is always cooperative in position etc. What projects could I engage in to spice up my sessions? Thanks Matt

For me to be able to see it like the picture, i would need a free ride from NASA!

I envy your skill and 'penmanship' Achim. A wonderful sketch.

That is quite a clever rotation method and, as a bike shop droid, Iove the crank repurposing😀

I think in a lot of cases, it is to reduce the amount of concrete needed to be mixed. when you are in the building trade like you are, access to mechanical mixing is probably easier tht for mere mortal like me. If I were to build an obsy, or even just install a pier, mixing would be by hand.

I love watching it pass. I would like to try imaging but I haven't got a clue as to how best to proceed.

I thought the ISS orbited in an west to east direction but, tonight at about 22:10 (very about) I saw what looked to be the ISS passing overhead in a more NW to SE if not NNW to SSE direction?

Very nice detail there Steve

Yes that is about my FOV with the Barlow. When I originally started exploring imaging, I had a Sony a350 and bought a T ring with nose piece as a kit. I paniced when I couldn't get focus until I removed the nose piece and screwed the 1.25" adaptor directly to the T ring. When using the Barlow, I do end up with a lot of focuser tube exposed.

I use a Newtonian- currently a 150mm Skywatcher

James, Just a thought as I know you have purchased the drag strap (ooh er missus!) for the end flap but, how about a fashioning a socket in the top middle of the flap which you can shove the end of a broom handle of other appropriate legth of material when closing so that you just lean on and lever the flap into a managable position?

That last photo looks a bit like an in progress steampunk nuclear reactor!

Whatever you do, you've got this far on your build- you'll think of something👍

Foiled! Screw through the adapter and against the pier top to tension?