carastro

Yup that one. No idea regarding series but the principal should be the same. Carole

I owned some years ago a similar scope but it was the 114 version. I found the mount difficult to use but the optics great. Are you by any chance trying to use the Barlow lens? I could never see anything with the Barlow lens. I would try initially using the lowest powered eye piece. Point to something bright like the Moon and get it in focus. Then if you want to increase the focus, replace the eye piece with a stronger one and re-focus. But with this mount you will need to be quick as objects will pass out of the field of view (FOV) very quickly as the Earth rotates. This is why the Barlow lens (doubling the magnification) makes it much more tricky. Once you have the Moon in focus you can move to other targets. HTH Carole

Taken at Astro camp back in the summer before I changed my Atik314L & Manual Filterwheel for an Atik428EX & EFW. The cables are wrapped around the ED80 from when I covered everything up the previous night. Anne, I see in one of your pictures you are also using the Skywatcher Guidescope Mount to mount your dual rig piggy back. I find that works really well, as once you have got it pretty close, (as you seem to have done), I can plonk the top scope back into the Guidesope mount and it's pretty much there, (usually just a small tweak and I do this when I have a bright star in the FOV), the only thing I have to be careful of is placing the two cameras orientated the same way i.e. sensor horizontal. So it is hardly a chore at all. It would be even less of a chore if I had a permanent set up, but as I go to astro camps monthly I have to set up every time.

Snap Louise

Yes seen this recently in a topic on my local forum and Shark Melly (Mark Shelley) has done a study on it, it's something to do with Microlensing. I have no idea of the technical stuff but I'll find his link his report on it on another forum. Hope this is in order to post on SGL https://www.cloudynights.com/topic/635937-microlens-diffraction-effect-explained/?p=8967693 Carole

I've never seen an obsy put together so quickly, and I am not talking about the time lapse, I mean this seems to have got this far in two days. Carole

Polar alignment accuracy is even more important if you are doing long exposure imaging. Carole

I bought an EFW off one of the members on here but had to buy a different size carousel which I knew from the start. Ordered new carousel from FLO. It arrived but me not being particularly great at mechanical stuff installed it incorrectly and the wheel would not turn. ? E Mailed FLO after normal opening hours not really expecting a reply until the following day and got not just one, but 3 replies to my "what have I done wrong" question, and I didn't even buy the EFW from them. They also kept me up to date with the supply of the item in the first place as it took a few days to get it from Atik. Great service. EFW working fine now BTW Carole

Ditto. Too little clear skies to be messing about checking focus every so often. Carole

It's probably a spacing issue, have you got a coma corrector? If so you need to get the spacing right. though normally this would be more severe towards the corners. Shame you didn't get a photo, would make it easier to diagnose. Carole

Don't know how I missed this thread. Love watching obsy builds. Carole

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What are the skies like down there Dave? Especially in comparison to West Ruislip? Carole

I am not sure how much you can expect from 2sec exposures. You need longer exposures for starters. This is what I got from the Linked tiff file. Bit confused because some of the posted up images looked as if they had been done with a Newtonian. Carole

I think you will need a a field flattener/focal reducer to fit the camera to the scope together with a Canon to T piece adpater (I think that is what it is called). Possibly something like this. Check with FLO they will know what you need: https://www.firstlightoptics.com/adapters/baader-protective-t-ring-for-canon-eos.html Carole

Lol. Actually that's nothing, that image is a few years old, I now run a dual rig with even more cables than previously with an extra Electronic filterwheel, 2nd camera and extra dew heater and 2nd laptop. I know some people are anal about tidying up their cables but as I change my equipment around frequently it's too problematic to try to do it any other way, so I let it all hang out with a "no walk" zone which I am used to. SAME CHAIR THOUGH. Ha ha.

It's the green chair on the right.

Wow that has come out well Roland. Did my E Mail instructions help with this? What you should do now is take some Oiii and add it to the mix (will go into the green channel), there is a great Oiii shell surrounding the crescent, though I am not sure how it will come out from you location, so may have to wait for a dark site opportunity. Please explain. Carole

That's pretty good Roland, for your London location, the fact that it is a very low target with a DSLR and only 120secs. I had a little tweak, and considering it is a screen grab, it's not too bad. It was a little too far into the red so I balanced the colours and pulled in the grey slider to the histogram in levels (PS which I think you have). Did a cruves achoring the stars and sky background and then applied gradient exterminator to the background only. (That's a useful tool). Finally I did a little high pass filter but only applied it to the pillars of creation. (I can show you how to do that). Finally I took a crop: DSLR images of M16 always look red, but additionally in this case the colour balance was slightly too red as well. Carole

I used to own the same scope, it was my first telescope and I never forget the wonderful views it gave me, but I sold it in the end because I found a manual equatorial mount difficult to find things in the sky, but once found and focussed the views were amazing. If you are seeing the moon as a white profile then you have found it but it isn't in focus. while you are focussing it will shrink and at the same time the Earth is rotating, so if will be difficult to keep in the FOV. Probably best to "fill" the field of view with the Moon while you slowing focus it. If you only have a 4mm eyepiece and an erecting eyepiece (presuming this is a diagonal), then you have a missing eye piece, you should definitely have a less powerful one such as around 20 - 25mm. If you don't then this is the thing you should acquire as trying to use a 4mm eyepiece only will be far too difficult given the fact that you are a beginner and the mount is not tracking. I would not attempt to lose the Barlow until you have had some success with using the (soon to be acquired) 25mm eyepiece. I would ask you brother for the manual and read it up, if its the same one I had it was very useful as it also explained the celestial sphere and taught me much about how the sky and telescopes work. Also ask him if he has forgotten to give you the 25mm eyepiece, I can't believe this scope was sold with only a 4mm eyepiece. Carole

We don't have raccoons or skunks in the UK, except in Zoos. Heron's will have them though. Carole

Great result. Yes it is very faint. There is actually an outer outer halo which is even more faint. Carole

James, can I suggest that before you put the flooring down that you consider putting a membrane down on the soil below the obsy to reduce damp, and also put some sort of wire mesh around the perimeter to stop wildlife camping underneath. I did not get that advice and foxes dragged my membrane out, and I am pretty sure I have wildlife underneath mine. There was a lot of wildlife digging around my perimeter for a while. It's too late to do it now as I have an adjacent shed and it is right against the neighbour's fence. I gather that there is a lot of digging on my neighbours side to get under the fence and presumably under my Obsy base. I have managed to stop up my side where I can with paving around the edge, but there is also a small bit between the shed and next doors fence I can't reach. Wish some-one had given me this advice when I did mine. Carole

As stated above, you must be the Queen of DIY projects Gina, where do you get all your energy. We had a pond in the garden for some years from a sunken children's turtle playpool (lol), and all manner of wildlife arrived in it. Including, frogs and spawn and tadpoles, newts, pond skaters, water beetles, Toads arrived, and this is from the suburbs of London, so who knows what you may get down your way. Carole