Benjam

Halfway through tonight’s session I remembered you mentioned something about the histogram, not knowing anything about histograms, I found the setting on BY EOS and took a screenshot to show you. I didn’t change any settings. Ben

I had a second attempted tonight at Andromeda, ISO 1600 with a 90 second exposure. I took 50 lights, though by the end Andromeda wasn’t central, more to the right hand side of the frame. I managed to save 27 and will have a go at stacking tomorrow. Ben

Looks like I’m not a million miles away and heading in the right direction. I’ve just ordered a second counter weight for my AVX mount, as I think this will help too. I will definitely change my ISO settings, will 30 second exposure still be ok? Or should I try for 90 seconds or longer?? Eventually I would like the Starizona hyperstar with a F2 focal and a Altair Hypercam 183 pro. Thank you for all the helpful advice, I really appreciate it. Ben

Thank you for the responses so far. This is just one raw photo I picked from random out of 40 at iso 400 and a 30 second exposure. I haven’t done anything with the picture, this is straight from BY EOS. 8 inch Edge HD scope 0.7x focal reducer Canon 1300D I have also messed about with the moon, sun and Jupiter only once before but this was my first attempt at a galaxy. I don’t have any editing software (apart from DSS, which I haven’t used) so I’m not sure what the finished results would look like. Ben

After reading “ Every Photon Counts” I decided my first attempt would be Andromeda. I’ve taken 40, 30 second exposers at iso 400 for my lights and 30 darks, though with the lens cap on. I still have to do my bias and flat frames. I’m using a entry level DSLR (Canon 1300D) which hasn’t been Astro modified. I’ve downloaded DSS but that’s all the software I have, as yet. With no experience, I would like some honest feed back on the image below. It’s still in its RAW formula. Will I be able to squeeze anymore detail out? Is it in Focus?? Do I need a different camera??? Is the tracking ok???? All feed back will be much appreciated Ben

When auto aligning using CPWI software and Starsense together, it’s slewing and choosing targets low down on the horizon which are obstructive views, in my case. However this isn’t the case when I auto align from the handset, it’s just when I use CPWI. Has anyone else experienced this? And is there anything I can do about it?? Any advice would be much appreciated Ben

Haven’t experienced being inside during the summer months. I automatically presumed, the dome being coated white would reflect the heat away. Thanks for the warning. I guess the ventilate system you use, is similar to operating a greenhouse. The chair you have I’ve seen advertised on Flo, £149. Ben

Wow, now that’s a proper telescope! I do like the chair you have, I was worried it wouldn’t fit inside a 2.2 dome but from the picture, it looks like you have plenty of room. Whats the dial for, above your glasses? Ben

I have no experience but I’ve been researching Starizona Hyperstar recently as I plan to buy it too. See links below https://www.astroshop.eu/hyperstar-faststar/starizona-hyperstar-fuer-celestron-c8-v4-mit-filterschublade/p,62680?utm_medium=cpc&utm_term=62680&utm_campaign=1910&utm_source=froogle&gclid=EAIaIQobChMIsrSSo6Wk5QIVgrHtCh3AHw7REAQYASABEgIZLfD_BwE&utm_content= https://www.rothervalleyoptics.co.uk/search/for/Hyperstar+c8/ Also a few good videos on YouTube. Ben

Quick Update My previous post didn’t work, So I messed about with the settings in “Custom Rate 9” and reduced the speed from 4.5% to 1%. This slows the slew rate dramatically! I’ve fixed my alignment issue. Ben

I think I may of answered my own question Ben

I apologise if this sounds obvious... Is there away to slow down the slew rate on the Starsence HC when doing the initial alignment? The trouble I’m having is when I auto align at the beginning, I’m having to disengage the observatory motor and manually rotate the dome myself to keep up with the camera, then after alignment is complete, reengaged the dome motor and calibrate. Hope this makes some kind of sense. Ben

It’s a 8 inch, Edge HD, 16 inches in length. Floor to tip of shutter is roughly 2500 mm, I’m 5’11 and feel like I’m inside the Tardis. Though if I did this again, I would probably go with the 2.7 dome, I believe the door opening is slightly higher. I’ve lost count on how many times I’ve scraped my back on the underside of the door opening. Have you ever accidentally bumped the tripod legs and lost your polar alignment? Ben

Certainly, it’s roughly 54cm, 540mm, 21 1/2 inches from tip of dew hood to ceiling. Thank you, unfortunately the weathers currently being really lousy since I completed the dome, totally different story while working on the dome... Ben

Thank you. Talking to Steve from Pulsar, he informed me, they actually used to make a pier shelf but became tired bumping into it, so they stoped production. Ben

Your welcome, any questions then just ask.

I would like to share my 2019 Observatory project with you and for anyone thinking of a Pulsar Dome in the future. I went for a circled concrete base, I personally think they look better. I started by purchasing three 2.4 lengths of CLS timber for stakes and one 8b4 (2440mm - 1220mm) 6mm plywood sheet for shuttering. I had the plywood ripped down at my local B&Q into six inch wide lengths of 8 foot strips. Sorry for using imperial and metric measurements. Total cost £20. Now at home, I measured out where the centre will be and cut, one stake from the CLS and hammered that stake into the ground. Using a full length of CLS I marked the centre (1200mm). Drilled a pilot hole and screwed the full length onto the top of the stake so it would pivot and make a circle. Using a spray can of marking paint, I marked out a circle. You could also use a length of string. Dug around the circle, roughly 4 inches down and removed all the grass / soil. I made the circle slightly bigger then needed. From the remaining 2 lengths of CLS, I cut a further 12 stakes, roughly 16 inches long. I found it easier to cut a point on one end, this would help hammering the stakes into the ground. Using my pivoting method, I put one stake in the 12 and 6 o’clock positions butting up against either end of the full length of CLS and hammered the stakes into the ground. Repeated the process again for 3 & 9 o’clock and the remaining stakes. Using the 8 foot, 6 inch wide plywood strips, I screwed one onto the centre of a stake, making sure it would finish on the centre of another stake. (You will need to mark and cut the strips) Repeating the process and checking levels with a spirit level, thus making a perfect circle. I think I only used four strips of plywood. Having finished with the remaining full length of CLS I used for pivoting, it came in handy to check my levels. ( See picture below) I think my circle was a few millimetres out, but for a first attempt, I was more then happy. I used some spare timber and made a few more stakes, just for added reinforcement. I dugout a 800mm by 800mm square in the centre to support the pier and mounting bolts. However, I didn’t build a anti vibration pad, because I’d be operating my scope from inside a warm room for astro photography. I worked out where I wanted my power and USB cables and laid conduit underground. I also added a 15mm wide conduit pipe for continuous drainage for a dehumidifier. The next day I was ready for concreting, thankfully it stayed overcast while pouring the concrete as the forecast for the remainder of June was hot. Well, UK hot.... The day after pouring, I was outside watering down the concrete four times a day for several days to prevent the concrete from drying out to quickly and cracking. A few more days later, shuttering came off and no cat foot prints.... I added some paving stones around the outside, more to make cutting the lawn easier. Also four stepping stones from the patio to the observatory door. The grass took a hammering over the summer, I reseeded the lawn and it’s now looking lush and green again. 28 days later, I sealed the concrete with a water sealer, in-fact, I gave it 5 coats. More to use the tin up then anything. Fast forward to September and my Dome was delivered. The weather turned for the worse, I waited patiently for a week, waiting for a dry couple of days. Construction was a breeze, I had a friend help me, more with lifting the roof on and tightening up nuts & bolts. It’s just impossible by yourself. Anyway after a few hours we had, what looks like a observatory standing proud in the garden. The next morning I went around the outside with Silkaflex, it’s a adhesive / sealant / filler, making sure it was properly sealed from the elements. That done, I tackled the wiring. I had a rough idea in my head, what I was going to do. I had some leftover 18mm hardwood plywood from a previous project, so with two batons I used silkaflex to attach the batons on the inside wall. This gave me a sturdy fixing for a plywood board to house, plug sockets, light & fused switch. Directly above the incoming conduit. Two coats of white gloss were added to the plywood before installation. I My plan was for the power cables to run underground on a ring main circuit in separate conduit away from the USB cables. If you refer back to picture one, the power comes into the centre of the observatory then back down a separate conduit pipe, backup to the bottom of the plywood board. I have two repeater USB cables running from a separate conduit pipe, exiting, also at the bottom of the plywood board. I did run a Ethernet cable, just in case, it’s not required as I can pickup WiFi. The USB cables, run my AVX mount and Camera. They run across the top of the floor towards my pier and are sealed in duct tape. To make things slightly more confusing, I have a 4 gang extension cable, plugged into the bottom socket, running back underground in the same conduit as the power to the bottom of the pier. This runs my, Mount, Dew Heaters and camera. I took the power from the outside wall socket. Sealed the conduit with black silkaflex. The USB cables run up the outside wall of my warm room into a waterproof box and directly to my laptop behind the wall. I haven’t secured the conduit as yet, I’m thinking of using jubilee clips to hold it more securely to the wall. Outside and inside view of USB cables, see below. With all that done, I turned my attention to the pier. I wanted to custom build a shelf to fit around the pier to house my eyepieces, dew controller, GPS, hand controller and cable management. I used the bottom of the pier as a template and drew around another scrap of 18mm plywood, this would be the outside diameter of the shelf. Using the pier multi adapter plate as another template for the inside diameter. I added my dew heater power thingy to the shelf and also drew around that. See pictures below. Made a few holes for eyepieces, cable management and spray painted matt black Then installed into the observatory, using four L brackets to hold in place and wing nuts to secure. Added all my equipment to the pier, drilled two holes into the pier column and used cable ties to attach my hand controller, it worked out really well. Added a desk, also from spare 18mm plywood inside the accessory bay, secured with two batons, silkaflex, nuts, bolts and four L brackets. Finished with two coats of white gloss. The dehumidifier is setup to run constantly, I currently have it set to run at 50% RH I chose the upgrade on the pulley system for the shutter, it came with one carabiner, I added a second, just to make it easier and to keep the nylon cord out my way when observing. Heres a few photos from my desk, inside my warm room. I still need to install my Celestron focuser And finally..... a few more photos from inside and out. Thank you for taking time to look. Ben

Thank you Alan, I’ll try again during twilight. * Thinking about it, I do normally polar align during twilight. I had a million things running through my mind this evening and rushed outside. Ben

Tonight I went out to Polar Align from my new observatory, I’ve done this process pre-observatory and never had any issues. I could clearly see Polaris with the naked eye. The issue I had, is that tonight, everything looked the same through the polar finder, I couldn’t distinguish what was what. I have 20/20 vision, so even the stars you can’t see with the naked eye looked bright up against Polaris through the finder. I have Starsence, so I know from the manual, I only need to roughly polar align, but I still like to get Polaris inside the tiny circle. Just wondering if anyone else has had the same problem? Maybe it was tonight’s viewing conditions, but normally Polaris is brighter then the faded stars around. I’m using the AVX mount with built in finder and I normally shine a red light over the top to light up the display. ATB Ben

George, I could listen all day. You’ve convinced me. I just need to custom make a shelf on my pier to allow for my Nevada PSW-30 25 Amp Mains Power Supply . Ben

That’s a nice looking Observatory Billy. Did you build that yourself? I’m a chippy by trade, so always interested in construction. Ben

Thanks Andrew. I’m running a dehumidifier as from today. I guess I turn off the dehumidifier when I have the shutter open to the elements? Ben

Thank’s Steve, that makes sense. I’m going to monitor the situation, with and without. I live within spitting distance of the River Avon and wonder if that has a impact on the local moisture levels. I did however setup a dehumidifier today, to drain away constantly. Ben

Thor92 - I’ve been taking pictures throughout the project. I will definitely post a build thread, when finished. It’s the small little jobs that take more time then you initially realise. I soon realised after setting up / taking down my scope, each session was becoming a chore. Especially the taking down part, hence the observatory. Ben

Hello SGL members, I’m new to this forum and to the hobby. I have always been fascinated in the moon, stars and deep space and would always try and watch Sky At Night, but that was as far as my interest went. 2018, I spent sometime in the Australian Red Centre, sleeping under the stars, I was totally blown away. Seeing the Milky Way for the first time really inspired me to actually do something about it. I did the Sydney Observatory Tour ASAP and had my first look through a Telescope. Returned home to Blighty earlier this year and brought my first scope (8 Edge HD). Loved the hobby so much that I’ve just installed a 2.2 Full Hight Pulsar Dome. Anyway my question is.... I was wondering if SGL members use or think its necessary to use Dew Heaters / Dew Shields whilst inside a Dome Observatory? My logic was, I’ve already got it, so might as well use it. I can’t see it doing any harm. Ben