Nigella Bryant

Think I'll have to do some designs. Is there any free design software out there in world wide Web?

Welcome to the forum Dave.

After tweeking your image Vin it seems almost focused so only slightly off. Also next time adjust the exposure or gamma or both and play around with settings until you get it sharp. You'll get there. I've still a lot to learn to improve my image's. Attached is a tweek, hope you don't mind, may not be to everyone's taste but was trying to see where the focus was.

Brilliant Vin, look forward to your solar image's in the foreseeable future. Lunts are the best, but I'm biased, lol. Do try ImPPg for sharpening your stacked images and now have fun.

Thanks old eye's, I'll be building my own pier as I've done that b4 and I've a metal plate to use for the mount. My thought is decking on stilts as you have suggested as the easiest and cheapest way forward. On clear night's I'm going to stand in the garden to evaluate where best to put the pier. Neighbours may well freek out, lol. It's great to be able to bounce off other's in this forum.

Arrrrr, that explains everything. The helical focuser, as you say has limited inward travel. Wish I'd ask which focuser you had b4. It all makes sense now. At least you're finding some work arounds now. I don't understand why lunt made them with that kind of focuser, except to keep cost down. There is an upgrade option of a Crayford focuser for the lunt 50mm. I know rediculous. Yes, I've had to use work arounds, particularly if I wanted full disk imaging and not mess around with mosaics.

Thanks swoop, the slop is quite severe as there's a road above separated from my garden by a hedge, from garden level to road I'd guess I'm looking at 7/8ft difference. The bungalow is in a dip. It slops from the road/hedge to flat garden area. I've got about a 12ft slope. Hope that makes sense.

New content, managed a quick few images of both disk and prom action during the Mercury transit. Still having difficulties with adding flats.

Hi Vin, I have to put my blocking filter 20mm out to gain focus so I think it is that the point of focus is changed outward. It may be different of course for the lunt 50mm, I use the lunt 60mm. I'm surprised that it can't reach focus. Has your's got an helical or crayford focuser as this would make a difference.

Hi all, just a question re: ground work for observatory. Back ground is that I've a pulsar 2.7m dome, full height wall which is going to be relocated at my new home. Previously this was on a circle of brick with wooden floor and central pier of concrete. Now my new overgrown garden has a bank where my observatory is going to go. I could build on the bank a complete wall and infill and level with concrete or I could just lay pillars of concrete and blocks 18inches apart and put a wooden level structure on top where the dome would go. It's not a question that needs to be answered quickly but trying to get my head around clearing the garden in the next few weeks and which way would be best. I know the centre will be on footings and block for the pier but other than that I'm open to suggestions. I hope this makes sense to everyone. Thanks for reading.

Thanks Highburymark, yes my tuner now goes from no detail to full detail to no detail again as you say. Lovely pic of silly cone grease, well, that's what I call it, lol. Anyway, it's been great to help other's too. Thanks for the tip of regressing every year.

No worries Rusted, we all have our preferences. As long as we can live and learn, lol. "Big hug."

Hi Rusted, I was only saying for best resolution and results the best is a mono camera as the wavelength in hydrogen alpha is red so not much of blue or green so you lose a lot of pixels using a colour camera. Didn't mean to infer you can't use what you have. Thanks for highlighting that I might have implied otherwise. The mono zwo Asi 120mm is also one of the cheapest and come up second hand quite often for around £100. It was a suggestion to improve results and yes not a obligatory. Many thanks Rusted and Vin, enjoy what you have and practice with what you have.

Hi Vin, yes, I use the zwo asi120mm camera with either a 0.5 reducer or a 3x televue Barlow depending on imaging full disk or particular point of interest, proms, filaments and plage, etc. For proms close up I use the 3x Barlow.

Brilliant Ade, hope it sorts yours out too. Well worth the investigation and repair.

Hi Ade, use silicone grease on the O'rings once replaced. Bresser will replace O'rings free of charge.

Brilliant results.

Hi Vin, well done on your first image. There's also a free software for sharpening specific for solar image's called ImPPg. As other's have said there's only one O'ring on the lunt 50mm. Also with focus, have you tried not pushing the blocking filter all the way in the focuser then use the focuser to focus. I have to have mine about 20mm further out to achieve focus on the zwo camera. Focus is also slightly different from eyepiece to camera settings.

A Cak filter is on my Christmas list, lol. I use a lunt 60mm double stack. I also use a 0.5 reducer to get full disk. My go to camera is the lowly zwo asi 120mm which is well suited for the lunt. I've also fitted electric focuser so easier to focus on the laptop and visually. Hope that helps Vin.

Minehead is a bit far for me unfortunately so it'll have to be the North Devon one, I've looked it up and it's in Barnstaple. Thanks though Tim.

Hi Ben, For solar observing I use a mono camera, hence the black and white image, this image is false coloured to show the hydrogen alpha image. The blue is an inverted image of the hydrogen alpha to show detail around the small filament and plage. Different techniques to bring out details Ben.

Hi all, an interesting feature today after repairing the pressure tuner. Lovely filament and plage.

Pressure tuner seemed to hold pressure and didn't have to thread to the end this time. Lovely view of an interesting area, filament and plage. Attached image, will post further under solar imaging area. Thanks, I knew something wasn't right, advice to others, don't use plumbers tape, it's only for water, lol. I'd love to have words with the person who had done this to this lovely scope.

Thanks Tim for the info, will take a look. Where do you meet?

Welcome, it's a great forum.