Marvin Jenkins

Do I dare say UFO.... didn’t saying flying saucer. Funny thing is it’s a flying object that is as yet unidentified..... so UFO it is.

Thanks for all the help and concern. I think I have been imputing my long/lats incorrectly.

I can’t say for sure as I have had no time to try again (sorry). Try turning a cow barn into a house and see how much time and money you have, explains why I still use a 130 newt.

I will get back to it tomorrow afternoon and let you all know how it goes.

Apologies Marv

I love the statement “I am not a morning person” I am quite new to this as well (two years) but my main lesson has been that the skies and weather don’t work around you.

If what you need to see is visible at 11pm or 5pm with clear skies then you need to be up.

I am a natural 9 to 10 hours a night sleeper and hate the alarm clock. But if I had not got out of bed at 2am into a freezing garden in winter I would not have the smile on my face knowing what the Orion nebular looks like, or seeing the Crab neb for the first time.

This thing we do does not come with comforts, that’s part of the pleasure of discovery. Just because it has already been seen, photographed and studied by many, it is a first for your eye, it’s your discovery.

From the list of what you have seen you are a star in the making. Study what you see, make notes, keep a diary, post your observations here. You have no idea how informative your posts are to beginners joining this pastime who have hundreds of questions.

Keep up the good work and I have only one bit of advice as far as equipment. I still use a 130 newt which came on an eq2. I have moved to an eq5 mount and the difference is incredible. Same scope whole different ball game.

If you can afford it scale up the mount, your scope is good enough for now. The old saying “no mount, no scope” is one of the many things I have learnt from the good members of SGL.

Marvin

Not good really as I can’t get past the eqmod setup screen. I understand what the programs are for and I will be using Stellarium with Stellarium scope.

My problem is I won’t be using anything at all as I can’t get past eqmod setup. Why do I keep getting an invalid field error that stops me moving to the next stage?

Back again..... successful download of the Ascom platform. Eqmod downloaded and the instructions on light vortex followed to the letter.

After registering in the toolbox I get an error box and success box at the same time.

I continue onto the Eqmod Ascom setup screen. Found my com port number and filled out all the fields per the instructions, Click ok and I get a small box with the words ‘invalid parameter’ and I can go no further. There is no indication what parameter is invalid.

Anyone know what is causing this.

Marv

I am going to persevere and try to install the Ascom platform after reclaiming the cable from the bin.

Thanks for the light vortex tip, I will give it one last try. If it wasn’t help like this I would lose hope. Thank you fellow SGL’er

M

Extremely frustrated. EQ5 mount, bought a Lynx Astro eqmod cable in the insane thought that it would be great to control my telescope from my laptop via Stellarium.

Laptop, Acer inspire W10. Downloaded eqmod. Already had a bunch of Ascom drivers that came free with my scope and SN7.

Initial download and connect up just didn’t work. I thought perhaps the Ascom drivers from two years ago bundled with SN7 were the problem, so I uninstalled all the Ascom programs and eqmod to start again from fresh.

Today, downloaded EQMOD. Won’t even start up! I get an active x control problem and a run time error 429. 

I took up star gazing to ‘literally look at the stars and planets’ time taken messing with computers is time wasted. If anyone out there wants a free 5m eqmod cable you can collect it from the bin at the end of my lane.

And I thought the person on here who said get an eqmod cable, connect it all up then start scratching your head must have been joking, how wrong I was.

If there was ever a bit of kit that ensured that I would be a no frills visual astronomer, that cable and that platform is it. If it is that difficult you guys have done me a favour.

If you need any further validation, watch the instructional videos on YouTube. The designer of this stuff can barely communicate. I had to keep checking my internet connection to see if the feed had frozen. He is obviously a very intelligent man, but perhaps not the best choice to instruct the non tech masses how his product works

Marvin

All ways a big deal, not just the first time. I am smiling for you as it was only a couple of years ago that I saw my first planets and danced around the garden giggling like a maniac. Good job I don’t have neighbours.

Nice set up, keep up the reporting. Remember to take note of moon positions and weather patterns on the surface. Look out for shadow transits on the surface, my first was only five days ago.

Isn’t Saturn beautiful?

Unfortunately for me a hat trick of Jupiter’s did not materialise. That stream of water effect you have described was in constant attendance for me.

I could make out the moon positions and just see the main belts but nothing else. Still nice to be out as it was 25 degrees c and the pool beckoned.

Up till now I haven’t really looked at the moon in that period between sun disappearing behind the trees and the onset of night time.

I know most people would say “twilight” but it is a really fast changing period for conditions and one word does not cover it.

It has been amazing, and knowing Jupiter is right behind it is all I need to get out in the garden 1 hr 29 minutes from now.

More power to the Stu

Just took the dogs up the road and there are quite a few clouds around but I am staying hopeful.

Was the moon coming out from Jupiter’s shadow the one I thought it was?

Thanks, I am on a bit of Jupiter frenzy at the moment, partly because I can get a bit of astronomy in and still be in bed before it interferes with work the following day.

I was out the evening of the tenth looking at the moon and a little after ten turned my gaze to Jupiter. The four satellites were visible as was the GRS and a shadow transit near the north from Ganymede, (I stand to be corrected) first time for me.

last night same deal, Lunar then Jupiter. Only three of the Galilean satellites visible, it did occur to me that one may be behind the planet and at about 10:15 a fourth suddenly appeared closest to the planet. I looked it up and appears to be Europa (second correction possibly)

Do I dare for a third clear evening and thanks to you a second stab at the GRS. That thing must be really moving.

Marv.

Great work. I am planning an obsy build for next year and I ‘thought’ I had had an original thought..... there you go, brake disc, obviously not.

I got mine from my friendly Renault garage for nothing (traffic van front discs) used obviously, just need a little grinding and a coat of paint. Ventilated as well helps with mount calibration 😂

I am so envious. Everyone thinks moving south means better skies, but it has been an age since I have seen anything.

Work mates were here end of April..... one night in May..... total cloud cover till 23rd  June then 40deg! 

I am new to astronomy, and was hoping to catch a glimpse of Ceres at least, but right now I am content to wait until the summer is over. Chances are Ceres will not be visible until next years heat wave.

marv

Always looking for new places to visit. What’s Tupelo Mississippi got to offer? Looking to visit the USA sometime soon, got family near Jackson’s hole Wyoming.

Big country, lots of options.

Marv

I know exactly where you are coming from, interested in astronomy since a child, first scope age 44! Last two years have been a blast, I hope you get viewing soon and have your brain re arraigned by what you see, just like mine.

You might already know more about the night sky than I do now, but if you are a complete beginner then get out there and learn the night sky. I got my scope then started to learn the constellations and how to find the north celestial pole etc, all stuff I could have done with the internet and my eyeballs.

Marv

I agree, the first one gives my eye more definition, keep up the good work.

A figure of speech ‘you have to be joking’ a work of art is what it is. Like a photo negative from back in the 35mm era. Well done.

From some of the comments about this production I found myself humming My generation by The Who. 

Its just a whole new format for a whole new generation that may well go out and buy a scope and be the future of this website. Let’s hope, maybe ‘The Prof’ will be a catalyst not some guy looking into the distance working out what to spend his fee on.

Marvin!

Seriously, computers and software. I might just stick with an eye piece and do some sketching. On the other hand, computer wrangling does give someone something to do when the skies have been this bad for two months.

Turned monstrostly hot all of a sudden but a blanket of high thin white overcast. So still no viewing!!! Back to the pc I guess.

If your done looking at Jupiter.... Your done, full stop.

Thank you very much for this simple but much needed info. I did notice that the power box on the mount has one RJ45 socket and a separate smaller socket for an auto guider.

I thought the hand set must be redundant because if the handset is plugged in then EQDIR cable has nothing to connect into.

Thanks for the heads up about Stellariumscope.

There is plenty of info out there about EQMOD and connecting my mount to a laptop and controlling it with planetarium software.

Perhaps I have missed a thread somewhere, or something obvious, but I still have a question.

I have an NEQ5 synscan V5. I have just bought an EQDIR USB to RJ45, Lynx Astro 5m (I stand to be corrected if this is incorrect) and I would like to operate my mount using my laptop (Acer Windows ten).

Can I connect the laptop directly to the mount with what I have and make the synscan handset redundant?

I have a bunch of Ascom drivers on the laptop and I have already downloaded EQMOD. I plan to use Stellarium as the planetarium software.

This is much more of a hardware and physical connectivity question as I can get to tech, driver and software questions later.

Any imput greatfully accepted.

Marv

That last line says it all, and I am depressed with a couple of weeks of windy cloudy weather. Stay safe, I hope all will be well.

Marv

I have recently reread a fantastic book. A man on the moon. The voyages of the Apollo astronauts by Andrew Chaikin.

Really brings it home to you the effort, man power and money needed for such things. I think it is in the trillion dollar bracket at least to get people back to the moon.

I do hope we go back and to lands anew, I would hate to think that the great age of physical discovery is coming to an end. I look up at night and wonder what awaits us ?

’In the end, when we confront the fact that human beings have been to the moon, we continue to have magic thoughts about the experience. We hold the magic, the awe, not the moon voyagers themselves. They flash quickly upon it and move on. The significant journey takes place not in their minds, but ours.’

quote Andrew Chaikin