Marvin Jenkins

Great report, I always love it when I realise someone else was looking at the same objects at the same time. 
I think I had a shorter window of opportunity than yourself but didn’t have to battle the urban surroundings.

You did very well observing a few clusters more than I, and a few more M’s however I spent time on M1 Crab, which was the best I had ever seen.

M42 a common target I know, was just ridiculous. Without any filters I could see nebulosity associated with the running man and real structure in M42.

For me Bodes and Cigar are just magic. Dark skies I guess! But you did have that diagonal.....😁 I use a newt so I couldn’t comment.

Marvin.

Hi Snowfun.

I clicked on the link and it invited me to download your stacked TIF. It is one large file!
I understand that some people put their stacked product on here for others to have a go at processing, but I would love to see a jpg of your image as I am new to imaging.

Other members first tries at the main targets give members like me some idea of what I am doing wrong, so are a great educational tool.

All the best Marvin

Yes gratuitous, as per the heading🤣 frankly rubbing it in! Still clouded out here, but nice to know someone is getting some scope time.

In all seriousness I am sooo happy for you, we have not had a great time of it, so why not show us how it is done. Would be nice to have a raft of observing reports to read and then try to compare.

Good luck to you all and clear skies.

Marvin

I cannot believe I found this in a cat charity shop for 1 euro! Signed by the author as a bonus. My only other signed book is an Andy McNab I bought at Southampton airport.

I have long been a fan of Andrew Chaikin, ‘A Man on the Moon‘ and James Scheffer ‘The Race’. Moondust seems to complete the picture. I particularly like the way the story is told from the point of view of an English child who grew up in the States. Like both sides of a view point at the same time.

I enjoyed it that much I feel guilty about it costing so little, so I made a donation of goods to the charity shop it came from, despite being a dog owner.
If anyone else has further reading recommendations about the race to space/moon or any other space topics I would be happy to hear from you.

Marvin

Nice one. Getting the EQ5 head on the EQ6 tripod will do you a giant favour compared to the alu EQ2 tripod. Whatever you decide to do with motors and/if Goto option is your decision.

That is one of the great things in Astro, you can ask questions but you can choose to listen or ignore depending on your needs.

I hope you get a great hybrid setup. Perhaps you will have something to report to all of us. Clear skies, and please post up anything you capture AP, I need to have something to compare against as an EQ5 owner.

Mavin

Thought I would chip in as an EQ5 owner, and a dabbler in the entry end of DSLR imaging.

Firstly I have the EQ5 with the big stainless legs. I think this is marketed as the EQ5 Pro. I added (later) the Goto SynScan V5 kit and motors, and I think for the cost, it is great.

I understand the question about putting the EQ5 mount head on an EQ6 tripod. I have one of those and would consider it if I was on the non PRO tripod (alu).

As an aside the EQ5 can be made to do AP without guiding as long as 60 second exposures are the max. If using a newt then windy conditions will be a problem, but this is well known.

It is just a personal perspective but I consider the SW EQ5 Pro to be a perfect intermediate mount. However, I think for AP a 150PDS with all the add ons is the max, but for EP whatever you are comfortable with.

I often think that at this stage in mount, tripod and desire to observe and get some imaging done it is the perfect entry model. We would all love to gate crash in on a pier mounted CEM70 with a great OTA and do narrow band, but for most that is in the future. For me well in the future🤣

All power to those that are already there, we love your images. It is the mountain we are climbing with the kit we have, to try and get somewhere close.

Marvin

I am serious, if you keep posting these then I will give up Lunar observing. Your Chalk Charcoal appear to better than my scope and eyeballs.👍

Your capture of the difference between light and dark is perfect. Other than your obvious talent this medium is ideal for the subject. Long may you continue so we can all enjoy.

Marv

Thank you for that link John, mind blowing. I really got a grand scale feeling as you see that heat shield fall away and stay in shot. The quality of the footage very impressive, it was easy to pick out the gap in the wall of the crater just to the right of the landing.

Marv

Wow. What a report. I was out last night for just my third time this year (weather) and with only a limited window I went out with my five inch newt on an EQ2. Talk about opposite ends of the scale to your equipment.

However, beauty is in the eye of the beholder. How does the moon not fail to amaze? Most of the time I am annoyed by her presence, then put a small scope on her and poke my eyes out.

Last night I had thirty minutes of clear and perfect clarity. Stuck to 25mm and 17mm eps so very little mag and really noticed a sharp shadow, thrown from a crater rim peak. I think it was Ptolemaeus.

The rim peak was East and the shadow was super dark, thrown across the crater floor.

I dream about seeing the lunar surface through a scope bigger than five inches.

Marvin

I don’t know if it is for you, but I am currently enrolled on a free course via the internet with the Open University. OU.

If you internet them (OU) and look at open courses, there is a course called called “using a remote scope online” or something along that that line.

The course is basic to medium and educational, and allows you to ask a scope on Mt Tiede in Tenerife to take a single sub for you and allows you basic processing tools to gain an image.

The Scope is called coast and you can look it up here telescope.org

I am currently doing the course, and the data gathered will mean I add data to a stars variability and build a chart of that variability.

Frankly I was astounded that a scope on Mt Tiede thousands of miles away from where I live, way beyond my pay scale took a picture just for me! And it is free. I hope to see you on the course.

Marvin

Postman delivered this morning. Tax bill! Bang goes any chance of buying any Astro kit. Skies should clear now though, probably spot on full moon.

Marv

Brilliant. I am totally new to Solar with a brand new white light home made filter. I have to ask does anyone else see a sly smirk in the image? Or is it a cheeky grin? 

On a serious note great images. I am frankly astonished that clear skies allowing I can do Astro in the day!!! For some reason it did not occur to me that I can star gaze in the day. ‘Our nearest star’.

Marvin

Great images SaberJeff. The first one has managed to tame the over exposure of the core and the second has really shown the colour. Do you have any details of the scope, ep and phone or tablet that you used?
I have not used my phone or tablet for Astro, but the improvements in mobile tech are fast and impressive. Well done.

Marv

Sorry, did you say -27 ? I have read that humidity in extreme cold is a problem. But -27! Do you get a medal for that? Don’t tell me, someone from Siberia will trump that with -30 something. 
I must be well soft. I think five below is hardship.

Marv

Gone into hiding maybe after you lot threw your hand bags around! 😂Behave the lot of you or there will be hell to pay! 

Wow, now I know what it feels to have mod powers🤣🤣🤣

And to the mods, did you see how I used the emojis?

M

Your post brings back fond memories from just over one year ago. We had friends com over for a short break (remember those) and I was showing my mate Sean my mind blowing deep space 60 second subs.

Sean asked... Have you imaged the Horse Head? I laughed and said are you kidding then looked at the flame neb picture I was actually showing him right there and saw the notch..... no way..... can’t be.

A very generous friend who had much better things to do, took my mediocre single dull sub and turned it into a picture. Your effort and your result reminded me why I decided to put a camera on a scope and the end result is, as always a reminder of how an astronomer can help a newbie. 

This thread #ollypenrice is testimony to that. Marv

We all do. But aren’t they great.

Terrific, you have done really well there. You should be well proud of your efforts. Good focus, sharp stars, the difference in colour of the flame versus the  horse head.
And of course ‘The Horse Head’ iconic image that some non Astro humans know by name but think is only possible to see with Hubble. (Yes I know the Hubble image is more than special) But you have it right there by your own efforts 👍

I know what you mean about pain in the you know what, but I using an EQ5 and 150pds which is not very heavy. I can get my kit up the garden and in use in about 15 minutes.

of course a permanent set is the dream of many and I am most definitely one of the many. To be honest my biggest problem is endless months of bad weather not setup time. 
The wettest year on record down here was 1971 with 740mm of rain. December and January have already bought us 620 mm in just two months! 

I hope you get some clear skies, you know those planetary nebula are waiting.

Marv

7 hours ago, Jiggy 67 said:

Wow.....looks a right faff!!!.....thank God for technology!!

Thanks indeed. I love our modern ability to just ‘touch screen’ and GPS info appears. It is a modern day marvel to me.

I will say that when I get my hands on an illuminated reticle EP I will give the drift alignment routine a go.

Right now I have to set up and pack away for each session (Which right now is once every two months)😩 and as a mobile unit the benefits of drift alignment seem a moot point.

However, I have plans for an obs a year or two from now, so knowing how to drift align is a big thing for a permanent setup. Super accurate PA I assume is a foundation stone.

Thank you again #ngwillym 

Marv

I have been to Greenwich and seen the large scope that resides there., plus the huge end bit of what remains of the Hershel telescope.

They must have had to get some accuracy of polar alignment or how would they know what they were looking at in regards to RA and DEC.

These people mapped the skies. (Hershel catalogue is a testament to accuracy and observation and crucially record keeping) Without accurate PA they had no idea if they were looking at a known object or new object, so again how did they gain PA back in the day? They sure were not using SynScan on an iPhone 6.

Marv

1 minute ago, Seelive said:

To polar align my mount I used visual drift alignment, either that or just a wet finger in the air to see which way the wind was blowing and hope 😊

That’s not quite what I was getting at. Is that how it was done in the old days? I can just about see Mr Flamsteed at Greenwich sticking his finger in the air and saying “The Royal Observatory is Polar Aligned”. Please let Mr Hershel look through the telescope and discover stuff.

Is there an analogue version of SynScan still available?

Marv

Sorry to hear that your equipment has fallen to bits. Like you say it is a shame that you threw away the original, but we are living in rare times and supplies are short it would seem.

If I may offer a suggestion. Perhaps this thread should be moved to a more equipment based area of this site or even better the DIY section. Perhaps one of the mods could help out.

Marvin

I saw my iPhone drop out today due to lack of battery. Easy peasy, plug it in and all is restored. This simple thing (which is not simple at all) got me thinking...

I do my polar alignment using a SynScan app on my iPhone. I am meticulous about battery charging in readiness for a session and have a battery back up, just in case.

But I thought how did Equatorial mount users get Polaris positions before all this GPS mobile stuff came about? 

I am of that age where computers were invented main stream (bbc micro) but there was no internet or mobile phones. How was it done pre digital age?

My biggest hope is if #barkis replied, and told us the old school ways. You were missing for a while but came back a month ago. I hope all is well.

Marvin

2 hours ago, Tiny Clanger said:

Any chance you might get on to an online retailer and order a rain gauge please ? 🌧️

I have wondered, if ordering a weather station keeps weather away? In the same vain as ordering a scope keeps clear skies covered by cloud.

All I can say is that we now have flooding all the way down here and if the rain stops it will take at least a week to drain before anything normal.

Just as an aside, I have a large skylight in my living room roof. The clouds parted for ten minutes and sitting on my sofa in front of the tv I had Mars in clear view. By the time I went outside it was full cloud cover again.

Question? Do I include that moment in my observation diary as a session? Sofa! Feels like cheating.

Marv