jjohnson3803

I'll vote for dark at 7PM and sunrise at 7AM - perpetual equinoxes.  Not much chance of me moving closer to the equator though.

On 17/12/2021 at 13:08, jetstream said:

I'm still snooping around for a 1 meter primary...

😁  I used a 1-meter for some uni classes, but never used it visually.  😕

Weather here has been bad for observing although it's been warmer than usual for December.  Anyway, I find the most accurate forecasting is usually my own, based on satellite loops.  If "stuff" has been moving this way for several hours, it's not going to veer off.  I can also roughly  estimate when it will be here.

23 hours ago, JeremyS said:

Just a word of warning. Chi Cyg, like all Mira long period variables, is very red. This usually means that it appears very bright on Digital images. You need to use a photometric filter, e.g. V band, if you want to measure it’s brightness.

visual estimates,  have it at mag 11.5 at the moment 

At my current subscription level, I get LRGB FITS files (along with a color PNG that SLOOH generates).  I believe photometric bands are available at the next level up.

Roughly how long was needed for cool down for that 22 to 6 drop?

18 hours ago, PeterW said:

Rule of telescopes number 15 - as soon as you sell a scope you’ll regret doing it!

I’ve sold several bits of kit that I have later regretted…. Beware!

Peter

😁  Yes.  That's what has kept me from selling my Orion ST120 achro - somehow I know I'd regret it later, even though I use it at most once a month.

On 02/12/2021 at 15:18, JeremyS said:

{...] Chi Cyg, which has a larger range mag 3 to 14 in ~400 days. It has just past minimum : 

https://britastro.org/observations/observation.php?id=20211126_141301_b8e24fcf364b54e3

Interesting!  I just took a pic of Chi Cyg with a SLOOH remote scope in the Canary Islands and it's quite bright - well above mag 10 - but I might be looking at the wrong star - the field is quite crowded.

Many thanks for the link to the beautiful light curve!  I can do some planning now for my next shot.

I've really been wanting a fast 90-94mm apo triplet, but I'm starting to think the weight and cooldown time might not be ideal for me.  I'm now looking at the same aperture, but in an ED doublet.  Unfortunately everything I'd consider buying is out of stock / more on the way / supplier has not provided a delivery date / etc.  🙄

Owning a fast 80mm and 120mm, maybe a 102-105mm would be a better fit - fill the gap, so to speak.

And then there's my "friend" who keeps regaling me with tales of Takahashi.  No doubt wonderful scopes, but beyond my hobby budget.

I've not done any statistics, but the astro apps I've tried have been wrong more often than right at my location.  I've switched to aviation forecasts and satellite loops.

But this does give me inspiration to do some stats and check the accuracy myself.

1 hour ago, Alien 13 said:

I don't hold out much hope for a successful mission, I will be pleased if I am proved wrong though..

Strange.   I've been having this feeling that the thing is not going to get off the launchpad or crash after launch.  I thought I was just being a morose Finlander.

9 minutes ago, Ags said:

I'll watch the launch through my fingers.

Dr. Becky said in her latest video that she's going to hide behind her couch.

For me, portability and fast set-up are most important.  And while I have an F5 120mm achro refractor, I am considering a Starfield 102.  It's about the same length and weight as the 102, but there's that ED thing...

On 24/11/2021 at 10:42, JeremyS said:

 Christmas 1973. Tasco 60mm. As many of my generation. Very good optically on decent altaz mount too.

Same but Christmas in the mid-60s. 

Too much cloud here.  I was only out for a short time - maybe there were some gaps, but I didn't wait.

I'm curious if anyone has switched from scope observing to strictly bino observing.  I doubt I'd sell my scopes, but lately I've been quite content to just pull out my 15x70s on a light tripod and scan around the early morning sky.  Seemingly much faster and easier than even my lightest grab-n-go rig.  I can't see that deep because I'm in heavy light pollution, but still...

Gotta love Dr. Becky.  😉

You might want to check out Jason Kendall's videos if you want to get a little deeper into the science.  He's done several "chapters" of a non-mathematical, survey level astronomy course.

The fabulous Dr. H (Sabine) can be a bit arrogant at times IMO, but she gets the info across quite well.

I was able to try Nocturne a couple of times and it works quite well.  It drains my phone battery pretty quickly, but I'm reasonably sure it's the age of the phone that's causing the problem.

I'm in heavy LP, although probably not as heavy as yours.  I've found there are many brighter open clusters that make good targets. You can generate lists sorted by magnitude, etc. here:

SAC OC Database

Curious if anybody stacks RAW files from a Canon with DSS and stops processing images at that point.

I'd like to try some beyond-cellphone AP, but I don't want to deal with cables, having a PC scopeside, etc. just yet, so I'm thinking a DSLR is the way to go.  I also don't want to get into a lot of complex post-processing.  I'm in heavy light pollution, so I think I'll have to do short exposures and stack to get anything of reasonable quality.

Thanks for any input.

I use an Orion 6x30 RACI on my 90mm Mak which I use almost exclusively for lunar observing and an 8x50 RA on my ST120.  I'm not opposed to switching them around or mixing in a red dot.

Still looking for my "forever" scope although I'm pretty satisfied with what I have now - 80mm, 120mm achros and a 90mm Mak for lunar.  But there is that question of the "perfect" mount.  And maybe a DSLR to try some non-cellphone astrophotography or maybe a dedicated astro camera would be better.  But then I'd probably need an 80ED.  An Az-Gti could be good for longer exposures.  And I probably should rationalize my EP collection...  So yeah, I'm good...  😉

Oh wait, my 15x70s are a little heavy, so maybe a pair of 20x80 lightweights?

On 07/11/2021 at 15:24, Ags said:

I just look out the window.

I think I've tried almost every weather app and site out there and they're maybe 60% accurate at best.  Looking out the window is my default method, but I do a little forecasting by looking at animated satellite pix.  If clouds or clearing are moving this way, they're likely not going to divert over a small time span.

I use straight acetone (nail polish remover) or Goo Gone.  Test in an inconspicuous area to make sure it doesn't attack the paint (although I've never had a problem myself).  A handheld hairdryer on low heat setting might soften the adhesive to where you could gently scrape it off, but beware the temperature, etc.

MB has not been very accurate for me, but I'm in the middle of the US, so maybe it's trickier modeling this area.  I usually use as near realtime as possible satellite pix and do my own predicting or use a dedicated aviation weather site since I have several airports nearby.

Sorels.  I wore them when snowmobiling when I was a kid in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan - lots of snow and quite cold.

Nocturne looks interesting.  I like that you aim, hit the shutter release, and the phone (apparently) does the rest.  Unfortunately, my light polluted skies are currently obstructed by clouds, rain, and snow, so it will be a bit before I can try it out.