Rusted

Me confused?

And, preferably, live to tell the tale!

Have you been hacking the NASA computers again Charl?

I think Olly's speaking the same language as Gina. Try this: Google Translate

How do these low temperatures affect the PST etalon? Mine stays out in the dome, unprotected, with potential drops to -20C. Though not very often in today's warming climate. Minus single digits C are still commonplace. 26° above the horizon in midwinter? Mine scrapes past the Meridian at 11° ish!

I have to say these are easily the most incredible, solar images I have ever seen in over half a century. Bar none! As such, you ought to be amply rewarded for your incredible skills and considerable investment in time and equipment. This is not remotely a case of your needing to be flattered by your inclusion on these commercial, sales websites. Your superb results also reinforce the huge gap between your advanced processing skills and those who simply can't. [People like me.] Which is not to dimininsh your contribution one iota. Utterly amazing! Head and shoulders above the rest of we, mere mortals! Would it be churlish to suggest that the commercial vendors cannot possibly guarantee your incredible results from every sale? To use your images and animations, on their sales websites, as an example of what can seen or imaged with their equipment probably borders on false advertising. But that's just my jaded opinion. The QC of much of the equipment leaving the factories simply does not warrant comparison with your high art and scientific value.

What Sun? I thought it was just a modern myth?

We are not alone! 🤣

An internal D-ERF has the capacity to refocus the hot, unfiltered, converging beam from a large objective to cause a fire in the dewshield. Ask me how I know this? Cardboard aperture stop anybody? Flames in your dewshield? It could happen to anyone! Especially me!

Just a couple of clicks of contrast and a minus click of gamma. One has an extra dollop of colour saturation to bring out the green. All the work of free PhotoFiltre7. I've been using it for years on my landscape photos. I could never afford Photoshop. Nor spare the brain cells to learn how to use it. So I use PF7 on my solar and astro daubs too.

?

I'm still using a secondhand PST BF5. It's awful! If it wasn't for the clouds I'd never see a thing through it! Mind you, it's not my fault! Peter Drew made me do it! It was a dare! 🤣

Nobody could accuse you of not being thorough! You should get a job at CERN. They like doing things on a grand scale!

Since we are on the subject I thought I'd share a "live" video from my heavily modified [secondhand] CR150HD, 150mm f/8 H-alpha+ PST stage 3 refractor. Having no useful comparisons my own PST etalon may be good, average or poor. This is what I typically see on my 25" computer monitor during video capture. [BUT MUCH BIGGER!] The thermal agitation from the earth's atmosphere is very evident. It varies widely from hour to hour and day to day. I never saw much through my secondhand PST because the original ITF was opaque. It was soon replaced with a matching Maier ITF but by then Mr Peter Drew Esq. had me dismantling my poor little PST to become a donor for endless modification.

Deep commiserations Gordon! I wish you a rapid return to normal. Never underestimate the power of wind! Fortunately domes seem not to suffer too much from lift. I still have eight permanent restraints holding down the base ring. Just in case! The dome rotates past them. It gets a bit noisy in there above 20m/s but I have never noticed any lift so far. Lift would be very obvious from the inside. During one storm, my neighbour's entire, double garage, of heavy, old fashioned, corrugated iron roof rolled itself into a tight cylinder across the corrugations and flew 200 yards over our own roof to embed itself in the field beyond. It had to clear 50' trees to reach its final destination. My nearer neighbours now wonder why I point out their flimsy, corrugated tin, carport roofs are rattling in every breeze on their matchstick sized battens. Imagine the damage a thin sheet of metal would do travelling at 30m/second? It hardly bears thinking about!

I am sorry to hear of your loss.

Having seen a true scale solar system at a Danish rural observatory I'd definitely gloss over the distance between your "model" planets. Though you could always arrange for them to carry the inner planets in a ruck sack as a formal day's march. [With overnight camping after Venus.] Or, if you are feeling really adventurous add Earth and Mars as a decent cycle ride and then you can include the proficiency badge for cycling touring as well..

Thanks Julian.

Thanks Julian. Just had a look at the FLO blurb on Astrozap dew bands. It would seem that larger diameters are temperature self-regulating. Whereas only smaller bands might become warmer than needed. I'm trying to avoid costly regulators to start with and lack your electronics skills. Can they be run in series to self-regulate by rising resistance with temperature? Or are these new-fangled heating devices non-resistive?

Hi Julian and thanks for your response. I had better try to be clearer: My two storey, 3m domed observatory is deliberately well ventilated at all levels to aid seeing conditions. I have my 6" and 7" refractors permanently mounted in there. Literally everything is dripping wet with dew after a light frost. Inside the OTAs as well judging by the heavily misted inner lens surfaces. So I was going to buy suitably sized heating bands to combat dew by wrapping the objective cells. No idea which bands yet. I have never tried heating bands before now. I'm hoping one or more train transformers will supply enough current. The bands will need suitable connections rather than USB. I doubt a barrow load of silica gel would make a dent in the quantities of dew involved. Even the timber and plywood construction materials are wet!

Hi, In winter am losing hours of solar imaging in recent mornings to heavy dew on my refractor objectives. Wrapping the business ends in thick mattress foam hasn't helped at all. The dew is on the lens inner surfaces too! My recent purchase of a secondhand hair drier only works on the front surfaces with the low heat setting. Heating the cells and tubes with the hot setting had no obvious effect on the inner, dewed surfaces. I am tempted to use one of my old 12VDC train transformers for power. I have several of these by different makers. Including one with a "speed controller." Might be useful? I don't like having mains connected overnight in the observatory so isolate both legs with a two pole switch. A 30m long "mains" extension lead will run back to the 12VDC train transformer indoors. Is this workable or is there something I haven't thought of? Voltage drop shouldn't be a problem.

Another daub! 6" objective heavily dewed on all surfaces after a night of frost. Only the outer surface responded to gentle wafting of the hairdrier. Then the neighbour's tree is in the way. Then an hour of solid cloud! Feet like blocks of ice! Came back indoors and the sun pops out full strength! Am I having fun yet, Dad?

Excellent!

I live abroad and could do with a few more clear days myself. Provided I could be home for dinner and my own bed. One doesn't like to kill the messenger but who wants to be reminded of the futility of our expensive toys? Versus active hours of freezing your wotsits off while waiting eternally for the clouds to clear. Perhaps the real lesson should be that we should all maximise our productive time at [or near] the telescope. Mounting stored in a secure box out on the lawn. Make the box itself the permanent weatherproof mounting? Carry out the OTA, plonk, slew to voice search and start observing or imaging. Are we all humble mechanics or "riders of the sky?"

Hi BP and thanks for the link to your Flickr pages and for the Virtual Dub suggestion. You have been a busy boy! I can definitely feel some plagiarism is required. Copying being the ultimate expression of admiration. Or words to that effect. Your solar images are excellent.