Ags

The desaturated RGb (IR-blocked) version came out well. I think focus was a bit better for the visible light image. i was shooting through cloud and didn't have time to perfect the focus for IR, but I started with the IR-block in place and that had been focussed earlier with a Bahtinov mask.

This is my first IR picture ever and I am pretty pleased with the results. Shot with an ASI485MC in mono mode with my new IR filter, stacked in AS3! (with accidental Drizzle 1.5x 😄) and then quickly sharpened and curved in Gimp. I downsized the image to 71% as it had a bit of empty resolution after the drizzle. The Long Perng 90 performed quite well in IR - I thought it might not as of course it is only corrected over visual wavelengths, and not so well corrected in red at that. A couple of details from different regions:

I have been working on a new layout for the book, and ordered a proof copy before Christmas. It finally arrived this week. A couple of errors jump out at me. I've forgotten to remove the position angle indicators inherited from the double star version's code, leading to a vertical lines in each finder circle. How did I not see that? The cover graphic is supposed to be the Rosette Nebula but I'll have to shoot another picture.

Er…. Never? I suppose I have nothing to lose from opening it up. Is there a helpful guide online about servicing GTi’s?

I have an old AZ-GTi that has always been a bit problematic. It never tracked very well, racing off in random directions at random times, but I learned to live with its limitations. That was until it decided to shiver once per second, making the view at high powers vibrate almost continuously. I've bought a new AZ GTi, but what to do with the old one?

I hope you enjoy the book. Happy hunting!

The two versions have different advantages - the first version has larger individual finder charts per double, while the newer version maps whole areas showing multiple doubles. Version 2 covers about twice as many doubles. I did think of retiring the first version, but got feedback to keep both available.

It's only M108 and M97 keeping their distance. Not the best image, but I haven't been out for a bit, so it was nice to catch some photons.

I read the other day it passed a mock US Bar exam.

I have to say its knowledge of star trek trivia is breathtaking!

No, not at all. As a heavy and happy user of Chat GPT I have to stress it just makes stuff up. For example when asking it to explain certain APIs, it just invents the features I'm looking for. They're great features, exactly what I need, but they don't exist. Interacting with Chat GPT is fun, like your own personal Star Trek computer, and it is a strong writer - something I particularly appreciate as a lone tech writer - but it does not do facts and it is a worse option than judicious and critical use of a normal search engine.

Chat GPT has the most information but can it use it? Just because I bought the biggest toolbox in the world doesn't mean I am the best at DIY!

I don't know enough about those lenses to advise but I use Chat GPT a lot. It can give very good advice but it also has a very weak grasp of reality vs fantasy. It is quite likely to recommend lenses that don't even exist. It is also trained to make its responses sound plausible and helpful! I have asked Chat GPT for Canon lens advice and the answer was not correct. It even told me that it personally had used one of the lenses!!! I have also used it for programming advice and so on and it is not accurate enough to rely on. I have found it most useful to assist in creative writing. You are using the latest release of Chat GPT which has "enhanced factuality" - which i think is a geeky way of saying it is a bit less inclined to make stuff up.

It performs well for me. Very clear views of Jupiter and Mars and also good widefield views of DSOs. Others have reported troubling CA, but at least to my eyes there is practically none. It may be down to the Celestron prism diagonal I use, which can by the power of its cheap glass reduce red CA in some scopes.

One thing I haven't seen tonight is the USB cable for my camera....

Got closer to the hubble palette with negative prompts and more detail with real world examples. "nebula, thousands of tiny stars, dust lanes, diffraction spikes, orion nebula, lagoon nebula, apo, hubble palette, photo, 8k" Negative prompt: "Purple, pink, green"

It's been cloudy and it's been cold and I've been lazy so I typed this into Stable Diffusion: "nebula, stars, dust lanes, diffraction spikes, apo, hubble palette, photo, 8k"

What a sad loss.

Snap! I've got a C6 too 😀 I think the ZS66 is FPL51 but not 100% sure. There is a little CA, which seems cleaned up with the Celestron prism. I didn't know there was any CA until I tried the Celestron prism... Agreed the LP90 is quite a lump. If money was no issue I would get a Borg 90.

Hi, this doesn't match my experience - I see very little false color with my SS 500 GD. The only differences would be my eyes and the diagonal I am using. Expecting the Long Perng would be less well corrected in red, I had purchased a cheap Celestron prism diagonal, which can cancel some of the chromatism from the scope. If you have one of these very cheap diagonals to hand, why not give it a try? Note that I have been using my Long Perng for many Mars observations this opposition. I've been getting clear views, particularly of dark albedo features. One area the scope has performed less well has been in showing the polar hood. Overall, I would say I prefer the views in the Long Perng to those I have had with a 102 mm Mak for example. On Jupiter, the 90 mm gives far better views than my C6. For me the 90 mm makes a big difference for doubles in comparison to my 66 mm -- for example, Polaris' companion is impossible with the smaller scope due to my local light pollution, while it is easy with the 90 mm. The Long Perng also (with the Celestron prism) seems to show authentic colors for the components. I will try my Long Perng on Mars with my spare mirror diagonal and let you know what I see. Also, I will add my obligatory note that the scope since 2019 uses two special glasses, Lanthanum and FPL-51. So we should expect it to perform somewhat better than the previous Megrez 88 incarnation that featured only FPL-51. Contemporary reports of the Megrez 88 generally regarded it as a good visual instrument, although very sensitive to misfocus. I agree on the weight/bulk issue -- the scope is right at the limit of what I would consider suitable for travel. As I have said elsewhere, the Long Perng was exactly the size I was told it would be, but it was much bigger than I expected! It works quite well on my AZ-GTi - but I am using a Berlebach Report 112 tripod.

Out with my granddaughter with my 90 mm frac. Some haze and cloud but it looked like the best weather we would have. Started with the Moon and Mars, then showed how the Bahtinov mask worked with Betelguese. With focus nailed we had a look at Castor and M42 / the Trapezium. Biggest wows for the Moon at 130x and Castor.

But then there's this. It writes a good intro, then it adds one paragraph that more or less reads "The story happens" and then it writes a formulaic conclusion. You can push it to expand the story but it just seems to repeat the introduction. If you ask it specific question like asking for ten ways the felines could attack Barkon, then the program gives usable answers. But it can't by itself assemble this information into a real plot. I do like the naming - Barkon, Mr Spot.

Write a Star Trek script where the USS Enterprise is crewed by puppies. Chat GPT answers: Puppy Crewed Enterprise Saves Barkon INT. BRIDGE OF THE USS ENTERPRISE - DAY Captain BARKER, a golden retriever, sits in the captain's chair, barking orders to the rest of the puppy crew. BARKER: Status report, Mr. Spot! MR. SPOT, a Dalmatian, sits at the science station, wagging his tail as he speaks. MR. SPOT: Captain, we're receiving a distress signal from the planet Barkon. It seems there's a group of vicious cats attacking their settlement. BARKER: Set a course for Barkon, maximum warp! CHIEF MUTTLY, a mixed breed, is at the helm, barking excitedly as he inputs the coordinates. CHIEF MUTTLY: Aye aye, Captain! The Enterprise shakes as it enters warp speed. INT. TRANSPORTER ROOM - DAY BARKER and the rest of the puppy crew, including LT. POOCH, a Beagle, and ENSIGN FIDO, a Cocker Spaniel, stand on the transporter pad. BARKER: Let's go save those Barkonians, team! The puppies bark in excitement as they beam down to the surface of Barkon. INT. BARKON SETTLEMENT - DAY The puppies run through the streets, barking and growling as they take on the cats attacking the settlement. BARKER: Don't let those felines get the upper paw! The puppies use their quick thinking and teamwork to defeat the cats and save the Barkonians. BARKONIAN LEADER: Thank you, brave puppies of the Enterprise. We are forever in your debt. BARKER: It's all in a day's work for the crew of the USS Enterprise. The puppies bark happily as they beam back up to the ship, ready for their next adventure.

53° sounds a lot more credible but also a lot less interesting...

Well, with the optional 5x barlow 😀 Or maybe it is high magnification versus the sadly nonexistent 36mm 52° plossl that shows the same true field.