Chriske

Thanks...!...👍

Hey Stu, thanks for the reply.
I can shift the SP 20mm sideways in both directions.
The third movement (optical axis direction) planning to adjust even further. Depending on the F value of the eyepiece I think that needs to go even further(or nearer)
But the latter is just a guess, not done this before at all.
I'm jumping in a dark and deep hole here.
Love it to do this project together with my son Steven...🤗

Anyway I'll keep you informed about our progress.
Problem is now...it doesn't look good for the next days ....it's cloudy again...😟

Well, as a matter of fact, it crossed my mind. But owning a few printers I'd rather make my own.
That's (to me that is) part of the fun.!
this is what I've got so far...  Almost done.
I can adjust the SP in three directions with this holder.
Busy printing the first part already.
The longer part on the left fits around the focusserbarrel, 70mm diameter that is.

The picture above is taken handheld as I mentioned before.
It is very hard to get the SP perfectly aligned with the scope's optical path. The SP holder I used before(see higher up) is not perfect. It is off by (not even) 1mm. So I will make me another holder. I intend to make it so that all three directions can be corrected if needed. Never gave it a thought that it should be so precise.
Has someone else had that same problem...?

Yep, I am very proud indeed.
Time to move on to our next challenge. It will be even bigger...!

This is one of the last pictures I will be posting.
Standing on a ladder three four meter high, seen from behind HST, you see JWST in the background

Todays Moon again done with my smartphone.

This time handheld. This is just one picture, so no stack and no Gimp

I'll ask Tom.

Woow thanks for the fast replies...!

A while ago my friend died and left me with that solarscope.
There was no manual in the trunk that came with that little scope. So I do not know how this scope works.
I do know how telescope work, I build/grind my own telescopes/mirrors. So that's not the problem.
But this little scope left me with a few questions.
Can someone please explain how to use that little Lunt.

Thanks in advance.

Hi,

Thought I post it here also because not all of you guys don't  visit the ATM section of SGL very often.

Just finished building a JWST scale model 1:7
To close that thread I also posted a GIF taken by a member of our astrophoto-club @ Urania,  Tom Alderweireldt.
imo a fantastic GIF of the speeding JWST to its final destination in space L2
Magnitude of JWST = m16 (estimate)

Enjoy...

Bino is completely finished but due to covid these four mirrors are not coated yet.
And on top of it we do have our own coater, but it needs a small repair.
And yes I stay at home as much as possible.
Except when working on my projects at our observatory, but when I'm at it I always work alone.

No worries, in the past I've made a few Kutters, and also a few bino's...😉

During launch of JWST Christmas last, one of the NASA speakers said : That this will be the last time we would see JWST ever again...

Well not exactly true. Yesterday one of the members of our local observatory Urania made a few shots of JWST.  While speeding toward L2 at 0.35km/s it looks like this... Barely visible at magnitude 16...
Tom Alderweireldt did a great job here, I'm most impressed...!...😳

Tomorrow after finishing JWST I'll give HST a "firm rub" with my feather duster ....

Maybe Yvette would do that for me instead...😁

Nearly done, tomorrow last modifs, and final pictures....

Side by side with HST in our planetarium

Next test will be with a more recent SP(my son Steven).

I also plan to take pictures with a camera. And no, not with a fancy, expensive and very heavy camera. I do not even own one of these.
That camera I'll be using is just a simple thing with a fixed lens. But taking these pictures I have to move on to another forum I suppose..?

Thanks Stu,
This is just one single shot, no stacking involved and no PS involved either. I do not have PS, I use Gimp instead(Linux).
Whit this first shot I just wanted to familiarise myself again with AF.  It's been a long time I shot the Moon.

For this first shot I printed a holder to keep my SP steady.

My very first image of the Moon taken with my smartphone.
Did not know what to expect.  Seems that the lens of that older smartphone is not  so good.
400mm RC telescope + a 32mm eyepiece.

But first a few holes needed to be drillled .....at 7m high....😱

Our JWST has almost arrived at it's final destiny...Still a few items to install, solarpanels, Mylar solarscreen, stabilising unit, cooling radiators, antenna,...
These items will be added early next week

 It will be fully 'operational' by end next week.

Yesterday I took my first picture of the Moon from behind a 400mm Cas.

As I recall from the early days, there are two ways to take pictures. Prime focus and the second way is with the aid of an eyepiece.
For some reason I could not get a focus at al at prime focus. So I took a few picture from behind an eyepiece.
Can't figure out why prime focus did not work...? What's happening. I used a Samsung SP.
 

Made a small animation. seen from the west. Threaded rod not yet 'installed' in the drawing.
The central part  (is in the back - east side of the mount) is in fact the polaraxis.
The gliding blocks are all printed and are located at the Eastside of the mount, so in fact in the front of the drawing.
The first motion -upper part closing toward the lower part- that is the tracking direction. Speed is way to high of course. I only show that motion partly, it can in fact close in a bit more, anway...
The second motion is when the upperpart  needs to be rewind for a next session.

I hope it's clear..?

For most of you it could be completely new, this way of tracking stars.
In the days when I was 'a bit' younger I made my first 'Boxmount' (as I called it then) to track the stars with my first big telescope, a selfmade 10" newt with Coulter optics. I even wrote an article about that big mount in S&T. Sinds then I made several of this equatorial mounts. During the following years I always tried to make them less higher every time again, compared to that very first 'big box' Ive built in the early '80.
The one I'm building right now is intended to be used in different ways.
I can install a big (bino-)scope on it, or I can put one or more camera's on the top of that platform. The platform has a diameter of 500mm and in 'neutral' position the entire device is  only 66mm high.
These early tracking platforms I made in the early days  could track for more then 1 hour. The one I'm building now I reduced the tracking time to 25minutes max. During observing I notice I never observe an object longer then (about) 10 to 15 minutes, 20m, maybe more, when someone else joins me at the eyepiece. So why mechanically bother to make them track for one hour or even longer.

Purpose now is to install a motor and ad some electronics that automatically will go to its starting position(at a higher speed of course) when it is asked to do so, say at the end of a observing session. The mount will then wait there until I give the order to start tracking again. I need some time to find me a new object...
To eliminate tracking errors at the most lower or higher point of the run I might install a curved threaded rod. But because of the short running time(and the distance between axis and rod) there's maybe no need for that curved rod. Need to test it. Anyway I will cut the threaded rod myself on a lathe because the commercially available rods aren’t very accurate. Most of these threaded rods are 'rolled' and not cut. They're fine to be used in constructions all around but not good enough for this task.
In the drawing the motor and threaded rod are not 'installed' yet.

Platform seen from the east, in neutral position.
Polar axis is in these two white blocks.

Seen from the North in high and lowest position

Seen from the South-East

Seen from the West, looking at the (printed)gliding blocks(still wood in the drawing). Between these blocks I always glue sheets of teflon.
The threaded rod hold it all in position(not yet in the drawing).

Start of tracking

End of tracking session