Ande

I’ll bear that one in mind for my next purchase 🙂

I’ve just received an absolutely beautiful book as an early Xmas present. It’s The Backyard Astronomer’s Guide. It looks to be a real labour of love, including everything from eyes only observing, through to binoculars, then telescopes. It then moves on to cover astrophotography too. The book is not cheap, at £35, but it’s worth every penny. It weighs a ton, and is littered with lavish photos on premium paper. I’ll get lots of pleasure from this one: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Backyard-Astronomers-Guide-Terence-Dickinson/dp/0228103274/ref=sr_1_1?crid=ONJT27PQPTN8&keywords=backyard+astronomers+guide&qid=1639332671&sprefix=Backyard+%2Caps%2C174&sr=8-1

Turn Left at Orion gets some mileage.

There should be 4 grub screws on the flexible coupling. Are you sure you’ve not fitted the coupler the wrong way around? My ZWO EAF came with 4 couplers, each with a different diameter hole at the telescope side, but the same sized holes on the opposite side to marry up to the EAF. Not sure how you’re going to remove the coupler if it’s wedged on tight. Maybe apply some gentle heat with a hair dryer or similar, and see if you can’t expand the hole.

Hi all. I have a Williams Optics ZS61 which is ,essentially, new. I purchased it in January, and have only ever stuck it on the mount once, just to test focus etc. Anyhow, to cut a long story short, I’ve had to put astronomy on the back-burner for a while, so it’s just been in hidden away in it’s case ever since. However, my situation has changed a little, so I finally felt like it was the right time to start checking through my gear. I put the ‘scope on the table, getting it ready to fit an autofocuser, and suddenly noticed a length of white nylon lay beside it. Upon further examination, it transpired that it was one of two, large nylon “O” rings that go around the OTA, and just sit inside the thread. I’m presuming that they act as some sort of dust shield. Is that right? And how critical are they? Obviously, I can’t put it back as it has broken, and is no longer a circle, just a curved length of nylon. Must say that I’m a bit disappointed with the build quality of this scope. I hadn’t realised how notchy the focuser was either, until I mounted the EAF. It almost feels like some of the gear wheels are oval. But I’m digressing. The O ring is the main concern ATM. Any ideas?

Just had this turn up. I’ll try and fit it later as I’m pretty sure I have some elastic bands kicking about

I especially love the Pleiades picture. Very nice.

Sorry, I have only just spotted your post. I’m using a ZenithStar 61, plus reducer/flattener and an iOptron Skyguider, plus camera etc. So nothing too demanding. Although the spec sheet suggests it can take quite a load. Can’t remember the exact loading, but have a feeling it was 30kg or so.

Just had a Google around and it turns out it is a “bowl” tripod. Hadn’t ever heard of one before, but it appears to be a common thing. Perfect for my needs, which is the main thing.

Bought my Artcise HS80C tripod a month or so back, and whilst generally delighted with it, I was a bit dismayed to find that once my mount was attached, and tightened down, it lined up perfectly with one of the legs. Trying to do a polar alignment was almost impossible, as the tripod leg hindered my attempts to get a good look. And, once I had managed to get some sort of alignment, it was then a miracle if I could extricate myself without banging the tripod and knocking it back out of alignment. So, I decided to have a look, and see if I could adapt the tripod somehow. Upon closer inspection, it appeared that there was not much chance of adapting it. Then I remembered seeing some sort of odd “extra” that had come with the tripod. It looks a bit like an upturned flower basket. I took the mounting plate off, then attached this weird thing. Turns out it acts like a ball and socket type of arrangement. Not only does it allow me to position the scope exactly where I want, but it also enables me to get the scope perfectly level without having to to do the leg shortening/lengthening ritual, which never seems to go as well, and as quickly, as one might expect. I can simply slacken off one bolt, with a hand grip on it, and then tighten it up in a couple of seconds, and get it spot on. It now tightens up beautifully, and is rock-solid without a hint of movement. Super pleased that I now have a tripod that not only meets my initial expectations, but has gone one stop better. I can now set it up to the height I want, with scant disregard for which leg is longer than the other. Then simply balance at the top. Result

This video gives an idea of what it’s capable of showing.

For those of you who have never heard of it, which included me until a couple of weeks ago, Space Engine is a program that accurately models space as we know it, and takes an educated guess at the rest of the universe that is beyond us. You will have most probably seen it in action, maybe unwittingly, as it tends to get used in a lot of YouTube videos to illustrate various concepts. It is a stunning piece of software. I bought a copy off Steam a few days ago, and have been absolutely mesmerised ever since. I am lucky enough to have a VR headset, so can take advantage of the VR mode, which enables me to fly amongst the stars like some kind of god. It genuinely feels like a religious experience, and is like some kind of incredible dream. Planets can be landed on, and surface skimmed from as close, or as far as you want. And they can be absolutely stunning. Time can be sped up, so you can get to see planets, and moons orbiting, and sunsets and sunrises, sometimes from multiple suns. The beauty of it all just takes the breath away at times. And it’s all in there.... Stars of all types, planets, moons, nebula, comets, black holes, star clusters etc. Just all gorgeously realised. And nothing manages to convey the sheer vastness of space as this program. I was inside a star cluster earlier, and, having taken in the sights, decided to forge ahead. I kept increasing and increasing the speed, and didn’t appear to be moving in relation to the stars until I exceeded 25,000AU’s PER SECOND!! It really grabs your attention when you try to absorb those kind of numbers. If you have a half-decent PC, then I would highly recommend purchasing it both as an educational tool, and an incredible way to explore our solar system and beyond. VR is the icing on the cake, but not a requirement. When lockdown is finally over, anyone who would like to experience it for themselves would be more than welcome to have a try of my setup. I found this rather eerie planet on my travels tonight, and was intrigued by a gouged-out track that spanned many miles. I flew above it, like some kind of superman, and eventually couldn’t resist taking a quick snap:

@AdeKing I would love to be able to wax lyrical about it, but I’m not the most technically-minded of people. I googled around before I bought it, and some people had recommended some the lower spec Beaudens’ power packs for astronomy. So, I bought this one as overkill, but also something that can be taken camping some time if this pandemic cloud ever lifts. Some guy ran a 32” tv off it for 8 hours, so I think it packs a punch. Exact item with all of the specs here: https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B08RB217P1/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o00_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1 This one is a bit cheaper, but seems the more tried and tested model: https://www.amazon.co.uk/BEAUDENS-Portable-Generator-Phosphate-Emergency/dp/B07MC7TV2G/ref=cm_cr_arp_d_product_top?ie=UTF8

Another delivery this morning, a whole week before the estimated date. Result! This is the last major piece of the puzzle. I’ve heard only good things about these power packs, so am hopeful that it will meet my fairly meagre needs. Comes with a nice collection of cables too, so should be able to get powered up now 🙂

Ah, that’s good to hear. Maybe it hasn’t been abandoned after all 😀

Mizar doesn’t seem to get a lot of love, but it is one of my favourite sights to seek out. I cannot let the Big Dipper rise without a cheeky peep

@AstroVagabond Glad you sorted out your auto guiding issue. That’s a hurdle I’ve yet to negotiate. But it’s imminent. It sounds as if you are making pretty good progress. There is so much to learn, and then remember to apply, that it can be close to overwhelming. I think a few more nights of error and mishap then it might start to come together. Hopefully 😂

Before you do buy a telescope, it just might be worth having a peep at this thread: A lot of people are achieving stunning results with this lens. Not me, I’m useless. But just about everyone else 😄

Maybe couple up your iPad to the ASIair Pro. It offers a remote solution. I’ve bought one, but haven’t had a chance to test it yet, as I’m awaiting a power pack.

@Delboy_Hog Thanks for the encouraging words, and the reassurance that I’m not alone. And yes, a quick fly-tipping session of Astro gear over next door’s fence did seem mighty appealing at several stages 😂

Because last night looked wonderful and clear, with very little wind (in Exeter at least), I decided to have a trial run at things. My gear for the night was a ZS61 with 0.8 R/F, a Canon 80D, and a Skyguider Pro mounted on a large, carbon tripod whose make and model eludes me right now. I’m awaiting a power pack, so was unable to include the guide camera and ASIair into the mix, which was probably no bad thing, as I need to increase the complexity over time as this is my first foray into attempting imaging. And I already had quite the night as you’ll soon discover. So, I got the tripod as level as the tiny spirit levels on tripod and mount would allow, and then balanced the mount. I opted to get focus before polar alignment, as Polaris was in a very light-polluted part of the sky, and quickly located a bright star. The built-in Bhatinov mask worked well coupled with Live View, and I managed to get what looked like very good focus. I even remembered to remove the mask 😃. On to polar alignment which did not go as well. Firstly, the way the mount attaches to the tripod, regardless of which mounting lugs I line up, the trailing leg is right where I need to be to look through the polar scope, and it is almost impossible to get a look without banging the leg. I need to drill 3 more holes in the mounting plate to alleviate this problem. Also, I wasted about 5 minutes trying to figure out why the polar scope reticule wouldn’t illuminate. I knew the battery was fully charged, so started faffing about with the buttons trying to turn the brightness up. It was then that I remembered that the scope only illuminates when the mount is in the “home” position. Duh! To add to the confusion, the reticule looked nothing like the one on the PS Align Pro app, in spite of the fact that I had previously selected my mount in the options, and it looked fine last time out. For some reason the app had decided to not bother saving my preferences, and had reverted to some default reticule. I chose mine again and continued. Finally, I was able to get as best an alignment as I could with the clambering over the tripod leg problem. I had already discovered prior that adding a ball head into the mix made the whole thing too precarious, and subject to vibration from the slightest thing, so that was omitted. Consequently, it made locating, and framing the subject that much trickier as neither of the axis are as butter smooth as I would like when clutch is released, and bolts slackened off. I would have liked to have had a crack at Pleiades, as this is my favourite portion of the sky. And also, I want it to be my first proper project. However, it was way too close to a very bright moon, so I abandoned that notion. Plus, this was only a test run, so I could look elsewhere. Well, actually, with very restricted views, a light-polluted north, a tree-blocked south, a house blocked west, and overhead wiped out by the moon, I only had variants of east still available to me 😂. The Orion Nebula looked wonderful in the southeast, so I settled on that. So, next problem was actually framing it. With my DSLR attached to the telescope, it suddenly dawned on me that I only had Live View to aid me, as I had completely overlooked a finder scope. In my excitement of late, all of my attention has been on basing everything around the ASIair, which, as I stated earlier, had stayed in the box for this session. So I battled with the, less than smooth, adjustment, trying hard not to knock the rig out of polar alignment. After much fiddling, I managed to get my target framed perfectly. I took a test shot of 30 seconds, and was quite pleased with the result so forged ahead. This is where the night truly went south...... I set up the intervalometer to give me 15 shots of 90 seconds. I didn’t want to get greedy with longer exposures as I wasn’t entirely happy how the polar alignment had gone. So I clicked the start button, and off it went. Well, actually it didn’t. The intervalometer was showing all of the right numbers, beeps and flashes but the camera lay dormant. I messed with the settings on both intervalometer and camera, but could not find the root cause. I almost threw the towel in, but then decided to check the connection. The little rubber flap was getting pinched by the jack plug, preventing full insertion. Promptly moved it and tried again. I had opted for a delay of 3 seconds between photos. This, I think, was the cause of my problems. After each shot I was a little concerned that the camera wasn’t giving me a quick preview of the photo like it normally does. But, as I had no experience of what to expect, figured that maybe it was just a quirk of using Bulb Mode coupled with a sequence of images. I went back into the house as it was exceptionally cold and let it do it’s thing. Nipped out again when it had finished, popped the lens cap on, and fired off the sequence again for the darks. Finally, I rattled off a load of bias frames and then came back inside like a kid on Xmas day. I put the SD card into my laptop, barely able to contain my excitement. Imagine my dismay when every single photo was just pure black. Not a single star on any of them. I couldn’t figure out what the problem was. I tried messing about with the light frames, but there was not one jot of light to be had. Then I figured that the camera must have died, so popped the lens onto it and fired a few regular shots with no problem. Then, I hooked up the intervalometer, and pointed the camera at the dining table and pressed the button to begin shooting. All the right beeps and flashes, but no actual results. Then, still puzzled by the lack of preview offered between shots, I decided to increase the interval from 3 to 10 seconds, and re-ran the sequence. Suddenly I was getting previews and final images. I’m thinking that the camera needs more time to process what it has just done than the 3 seconds I was allowing it. At least I hope that’s what the problem was, otherwise I’m going to have more grief-riddled nights. So, before venturing out again, I need to adapt the tripod so that I can swivel the mount 60 degrees, sort out a finder scope and a means of attaching it, and be sure that the camera is going to perform it’s duties properly. And that, dear readers, is how not to do it 😂. Actually, I don’t mind too much, as it’s all a learning curve. And I feel like I picked up quite a few valuable lessons last night. Onwards and upwards

Thanks for the report. And glad that you managed to finally get the gear outside, and up and running. I’m sure you’ll remember to level the tripod next time. My party piece is to forget to balance the mount 😂

Very nice. The WO attention to detail certainly is a thing to behold.

Been wondering what ‘scope to buy for visual. Having seen the weather forecast earlier I’ve decided on a periscope.

I take it all back. They came 🙂. An hour and a half beyond the window I was given, but better late than never.