Ags

I got derailed by a new software glitch tonight. My phone could not connect to synscan wifi. The network kept disappearing and I got fleeting popups saying something like "could not validate mac address".

If the sunshield is the "ground", can we classify the JWST as a truss tube Dob?

@Ian McCallum which ASI camera did you get? The courier dropped by today, but didn't drop anything off. They collected my last two camera lenses, which will fund some filters, T2 bits and a power bank.

And that's why I now just do level-tripod-alt-az-point-and-track, it minimizes software points of failure!

Running the Pi now, it is clearly a 4GB model. I am very fond of the metal case. They say don't judge a Pi by its cover, but I must be very shallow... Given that the onboard wifi is weak, I will get an external wifi with an antenna rather than get rid of the case. Something like this: https://www.sossolutions.nl/wifi-adapter-met-ap-access-point-mogelijkheid

Expand file system? I am afraid that's new to me. I didn't see anything about that in the docs unless I missed something (very likely). Regarding RAM, I got the biggest one, 4GB or 8GB I think... I will verify tonight. I do have a SanDisk 32GB card currently holding am image of RetroPie. Would 32GB vs 64GB make any difference? I am sure the TalentCell is below spec, so the first thing I will do is get a better power pack. And look at expanderising the file system 😀 My Pi has a lovely passive cooling metal case, so I'm sure wifi could be an issue.

I am using SanDisk Extreme 64GB. I understand Pi doesn't have any specific USB power management, but assuming the ports are compliant it will support differnt current on the blue vs black ports? I don't have the issue with USB 3.0 when powering the Pi from the mains adapter. To be clear, I didn't expect the TalentCell to work, so I am not drawing the conclusion immediately that the SD card is at issue...

The TalentCell nearly works, but a miss is as good as a mile. It can power the Pi4, ASI485MC and AZ-GTi simultaneously, but the Pi4 is very slow, perhaps it enters a power-saving state when current is low. Also the Pi4 only boots when the camera is plugged into a USB 2.0 port. Testing indoors with everything connected, with several random slews of the AZ-GTi during the test, the Pi4 captured 250 images before capturing ceased. That's a long way short of the 1200 or more captures I was looking for. I will try out a fast charging power bank, although it will mean toting two power banks around. This is a useful review of various powerbanks, forgive the Nederlands: https://tweakers.net/reviews/9200/powerbanks-dertien-20ah-accus-getest.html Gives a rundown of maximum current of 13 different power banks on this page: https://tweakers.net/reviews/9200/6/powerbanks-dertien-20ah-accus-getest-maximale-stroomsterkte.html

A clear patch! Stars!! I rushed out with my 12x60 bins and cruised around the Pleiades, Hyades and Orion.

Amazon pays partner sites like these per Amazon link clicked.

In space they can't hear you PARTY!!!!

I have never known NASA to dissemble relating to technical mission issues. I'm certain the delay really is just to give the team a rest.

All I've managed recently has been eyeballing Capella through some gaps in the clouds.

Yes, i have the TS finder - very happy with it.

You can't look at the Moon and feel old 😀

I am going to record my sessions this year, I wonder how many times I go out?

Desturation. I like it, sounds very Star Trek. I suppose it means spinning faster and faster with no way to slow down ( without making JWST spin in the opposite direction)?

Clear sky right now. My phone says it's raining...

What magnitude will JWST be when it is at L2?

I use a 50mm RACI with an RDF for my ZS66. The finder is hardly smaller that the main scope, but is much wider and corect image. It takes eyepieces and I use either a Super 25 or an ES 20/68 giving 6-7 degrees. I absolutely love the combination, so much I wrote a book for my RACI! Regarding the finder, the 50mm aperture is the least important part of it, the most important thing is the correct image. I can't mentally flip and rotate star fields at 1 AM.

The bullets only made 2-3 cm pits in the glass. The employee tried a hammer as well, with equally little success. Of course JWST faces "bullets" that go much faster, and I imaging the mirror is somewhat lighter.

I'll remember this year for the many doubles I "discovered" this year (if Columbus can say he discovered America, I can say I discovered Achird!). Another highlight was the return of solar activity.

Found it. Here is some space telescope micrometeorite testing from the 1970s (thankfully no-one was injured): https://astroanecdotes.com/2015/03/26/the-mcdonald-gun-shooting-incident/

In the video of JWST's separation from Ariane, there were quite lot of speckles drifting through the view. I wonder how clean the mirrors are now? All that clean room effort seems a bit wasted when separation took place in a snow globe? We've discussed micrometeorites and the sunshield, but what about micrimeteorites and the primary and secondary mirrors? I believe there is a large telescope with a bullet hole in it (in the USA of course).

@JOC We are very different people - I would find absolutely any part of the project more enjoyable than the launch and deployment phase.