Nicola Hannah Butterfield

Long range forecast 97-100% clouds here.

Mind you it has been pretty much like that since August here, bar the odd gap when I couldn't do anything anyway.

On 01/12/2020 at 12:48, Moonshed said:

I hope you were careful coming through re-entry because as my wife asked me recently “Why do they always go through the hot bit?” Sigh......
I have also just purchased a ZWO and looking forward to trying it on the moon.

Keith

Because it is such a ride.

Since I bought my ZWO, I haven't had clear skies or opportunity.

When I was living on Skye, I saw two amazing meteors, one a fireball that travelled E-W sometime about midnight, (not sure exactly as my work finished at different times), lit up the entire area for what seemed like several seconds, the other one exploded in the atmosphere approximately the size of the full moon. This is some 20 years ago, I haven't seen anything as bright since.

5 minutes ago, City9Town0 said:

I'm only a few years into this journey. I used to think that the hardest part was the waiting... until I actually got to the frustrations of difficulties 'setting up' on the rare clear nights!!!

On a cloudy night I know that I cannot get good images... on a clear night when 'it' goes 'wrong' I used to find it incredibly frustrating and annoying. ('It' can be trips/cables/focus/guiding/power etc.etc.)

But as I'm addicted I wait for the next clear night... and when it does all 'click' and data is collected it is a joy! ... and then there is the processing! Once you have got some data many a cloudy evening can be spent processing.

Whilst fiddling and adjusting your astrophotography gear an a clear night don't forget to look up!!! I've been guilty of missing the beauty of the skies when sorting out the gear.

Never forget to wonder at the cosmos, so much we have to learn.

7 minutes ago, vlaiv said:

You do know that it transfers via SGL thread participation as well?

As soon as you participate in a thread when someone shows off their new gear - at least of couple of cloudy days is added on your tab

Does that include new bolts, never mind yes I know, it does.

14 minutes ago, Jiggy 67 said:

Yeh, surely that would work as well, though I’d have to try it, can’t work the mechanics out in my head. Wouldn’t involve re polar aligning, just a quick one or two star alignment to get back on track

Go on Nicola, dust off your eyepieces 

Someone better able than me might hopefully explain to us both why, but I think it has to do with the meridian being so close that the software can't totally align the mount due north.

dust my eye pieces off, they are only kit e.p. and living in a bortle 7 not the best combination, the Dark Star I had and those lenses everything I saw visually was wow, that was in Stockport in the 90's , D.S 10" I can't remember its focal length, I think this link

it quotes 1,800mm which seems about right as i remember it being as tall as me, and I am 6ft, and the 10" just made it seemed like a canon (though not as heavy) in the old wooden wall ships of the line. Optics were amazing, once I found an object, (the following were viewed from Huddersfield circa 93-94) did see Comet Shoemaker–Levy 9 impact remains with it, and Saturn and m13, tried to find M57 with it to no a vale. Then had to move sell stuff, family ect and only this really had the money to buy a cheap scope hoping to match those days, I can get better at the a.p. side, visually the scope isn't anything like the D.S.

My first real telescope, and boy/boi/gurl/girl best views I ever has of the dark skies at the time.

On 21/11/2020 at 13:52, Jm1973 said:

Just looked like clouds to me. 😞

Same her from now to march, as mount will be fixed after being out for two weeks, not that you use a scope for the grandeur of Orion just need to see it.

On 20/11/2020 at 14:36, Louis D said:

Agreed, it looks much bigger on the horizon that it does high up in the sky (at least from here in Texas) later in the season.

Just a visual aspect, as things on the horizon have a relevant reference point.

Take a coin distance it so it covers the full moon at moon rise, do it again at midnight same distance for the coin and it's the same, you might need a really small coin though.

@F15RulesCould you not just be polar aligned and at home position disengage the clutches and rotate the scope manually, then return to home or am I missing something.

@Jiggy 67I haven't done much visual astronomy since the early 90's apart from binocular views, I remember splitting the easy Albireo pair in my 10" Dark Star dob, and going wow, might do some more after reading your report though, once I have a few things sorted.

I would say consider the mount first, NEQ5 or EQ6, I have the EQ5 I got with a package I got cheap on eBay back in Jan, the mount had some damage, I think it had been dropped at some point, got it and a SW 200P for £150, played with that till I saved for the NEQ6  a few months later, and they are worlds apart in terms of stability, build from the ground up I believe the saying goes, NEQ5 for a little more portability.  That said I learnt a little about stacking using very short exposures, 1/4's on the static EQ5 mount, and as @vlaivsays you want to keep getting better overcoming one obstacle at a time.

1 hour ago, kirkster501 said:

3C273 at 2.5 billion light years is a very easy object to image too.  Quite easy to see as well with a reasonable size scope.

https://skastro.net/quasar-3c273-in-virgo/

(website in development btw)

Back on topic, definitely one for Spring/Summer skies permitting.

 

I will try next spring, if I remember. I am still getting my head around some hard wear things. I got a bit peeved off at having to have subs less than 30's at some points, back in the early summer and then well the cloud since the dawn of time, and a little mechanical during the recent clearer spell, you watch once back up and running cloud will be till Feb.

23 minutes ago, wimvb said:

Surely, text messages would have been faster. 😋

Maybe not in my case though.

I managed IC 4285 back in the spring when I first started at a Distance of 1,023 M light years, this as far as I know is the furthest smudge of light I have ever recorded, you know that wow factor when you see Saturn the first time, well when processed the image it was like that. When I explain to people how far it is, I have to explain that in the entirety of our solar system's life there would have only been time for 2 radio messages between that galaxy and our own solar system, that is 2 each way, then I generally find I have to explain the speed of light and radio wave's ect.....

If this is not the sort of thing this post is about ignore the above.

On 27/11/2020 at 00:16, Jm1973 said:

SharpCap PA tool is great isn't it?

I think so.

@RSharpyHope you both enjoy learning together.

@BrendanCI don't think colour would matter too much, though I would personally go white., what thickness though 3 or 5mm.

@Joe84you have also managed to capture the Lunar X and V, which has really only been visible twice this year during the hours of darkness from the UK

So it does seem more a thermal or air quality issue than equipment. T slight C.A. is likely to be from the barlow.

@Astrid

I managed this on an unguided 200P with a Canon 6D in January, before I got my new mount. It is a bit noisy, but I was using a high ISO and short exposures, so never say never. Have fun learning.

As @Adam Jsaid the skywatcher pds range are not bad, basically the same as my p version but more suited to photography, and yes air quality is very important to sharper images.

There will be a half moon tonight virtually due south about 18:00, but if you can try mid week the moon will be higher, but later so the air may have had more time to settle, the thing is you never know till the day.

On 18/08/2020 at 10:55, Cosmic Geoff said:

EQ-5,

found this really wobbly with my 200P scope, the NEQ6 mount is far better than any image stabilization on camera or phone lenses. there is a rule of thumb in photography (not trying to draw a comparison with AP), but a stable mount always gives a better image, so in this respect a dob is the best

On 18/08/2020 at 11:53, Sunshine said:

I just love the simplicity and, ruggedness of my Vixen GP mount (manual). Having owned a couple of tracking mounts, i found they were fun for a period of time but, i soon grew tired of having to consider a heavy battery every time i wanted to use the scope. Aside from this, the noise was a game changer, finding myself cringing every time the scope slewed at 2 am in my back garden with neighbours windows just feet away was nerve wracking.

Seriously, it really is only audible within a small distance, try slewing from one side of the sky to the other nip inside, see if you can hear it.

On 18/08/2020 at 10:55, Cosmic Geoff said:

makers assume that you will want GoTo on a heavy duty mount

Anything from a Eq6 up is probably intended towards a permanent mount, as they are not things you want to set up every day, and once set up the goto functions work well.

On 17/08/2020 at 20:33, mikeDnight said:

've lost count of the number of people who bought go-to because they thought it would make things easier

Worked for me

On 13/11/2020 at 23:13, michael8554 said:

If you carry out a PHD2 Guide Assistant run, it only nags if PA error is greater than 5 arcmins.

That's because they consider 5 arcmins or better is easily guided.

So 30 arcsecs is fine.

Michael

 

Probably why I got a good 5 min track.