LongJohn54

75Ah for £50 ? At 16Kg it's a bit heavy but will last forever if you charge it monthly (plus after every use). My one is 10 years old now. https://www.gooutdoors.co.uk/15894801/platinum-leisure-battery-s685l-75ah-15894801 It'll run a mount and a couple of dew bands all night with ease.

We spent all of October in Villajoyosa (between Alicante and Benidorm). We had 24 perfectly clear nights, 5 partially clear and 1 with full cloud including a 90 minute thunderstorm with lightning every 5 seconds. I rather liked getting a months rain over and done with in a couple of hours and totally loved the rest of the time. 10pm to 3am, 28c, Tee shirt and shorts, binoculars and wine. Simple stargazing at its best. Up here just northeast of Glasgow we get the opposite, 1 clear night 5 partially cloudy and 24 100% cloudy nights. I think I need to move!

The reflection in the corner is probably coming from stray light entering the viewfinder. When the mirror flips up to take a photo there is no light seal between it and the viewfinder. Normally this doesn't matter because your eye creates a seal as is pressed up against the viewfinder but for a long exposure it will be a problem. On my EOS70D I can remove the viewfinder eye cushion and replace it with a light blocker built into the strap. Maybe your camera can do this? Your images are pretty good for 15 seconds. Try a smaller target and vary the exposure times with higher ISO speeds (experimenting is good). If you do 60 x 30 second subs and stack them in Deep Sky Stacker (free) you may be pleasantly surprised at the result and decide that there is no need for a cmos camera just yet. 😁 There are plenty of threads on SGL that go into image taking and processing in much greater depth. Happy reading and imaging.

The Pleiades is a pretty big target and your camera/scope combination shoots straight through the middle of it. I've highlighted (in black) where your first three images are pointing and (in yellow) where your forth image is on this Stellarium screenshot. What exposure time did you use? There's a reflection of something in the top right corner of the first three images. Any idea what it is?

Page 94 of the 450D manual suggests using the self timer with mirror lock up. That way there is a delay of 2 seconds from pressing the shutter to taking the image and you'll have no vibration from the mirror either. https://files.canon-europe.com/files/soft31340/manual/CUG_EOS450D_EN_Flat.pdf

Just given up imaging for tonight as it's -6c and the dew band couldn't cope. The central area of the lens was fogged up and wouldn't stay clear even with the help of my mini hair dryer. I was snug in the warm room at 20c so I didn't feel the cold at all. 🤣

Pixinsight has been updated to version 1.8.8 as of 08 November and has more changes and new features. The biggie for me is that apart from Linux and Mac only Windows 10 is fully supported and earlier versions 'may work but there's no guarantee'. Eeeek! I wonder if my Win 8.1 will cope or will I have to make the change. PixInsight 1.8.8 Released https://pixinsight.com/forum/index.php?topic=14181.0

Swapped my little stool for a more supportive seat. This bar stool from Dunelm can rise 21cm as well but I'll not need that in here. It has a rubber base so the metal will not scratch the floor when moving it.

Managed to end up with the scope vertical at the end of Friday night's run which was interesting. Never taken it that far before. Guiding was actually ok but PHD2 had it's work cut out. 😁

That looks great. Where did you buy it? FLO does the 8inch version but they haven't got the 10inch on their site.

I'm following this with interest as I've also started a M27 image. I have the same camera and am using a 102ED refractor with an 0.8 reducer/flattener.

Just finished watching my recording and have to say it was an excellent programme. A bit heavy on special effects but the content was worth it. More I say. Keep making more. 😁

Revolutions: The Telescope BBC Foir Funny how the brain works, I read this as Fair instead of Four. Anyway, good to know and I've set it to record for watching later. 👍

Well done for getting something. They are pretty good for the conditions. I drove around 30 miles trying to find gaps in the clouds but only caught glimpses of it. Still, two shots with my phone is better than none...

Well done Captain Magenta. 😀 Editing Wikipedia can be a challenge as there are people who will quickly undo your edit and claim that the original source of the data is correct. You may want to provide an accurate source for the eclipse date and update the reference section accordingly. I've previously used Heavens-above as a source and Wikipedia has kept it. I've had some page changes reverted and marked as vandalism simply because I've not been able to find an online source to cite.

Sorry, I no longer have this case as I bought the Pele 1600 but I'm pretty sure the quoted dimensions are correct. After 9 years the Pele case is as new and unmarked. They are pretty much indestructible! I'm amazed that this is still the first thing Google comes up with.. Even more amazing is the Image search. This image is first and my Pele case sitting on the chest freezer in the garage is seventh.

I cannot remember my first astronomy book or piece of equipment but I think I've found the other half of your bins 🤣🤣 The text on the eyepiece end says - Binocular Prismatic No2 mkII. X6 (I've always assumed X6 is the magnification. It seems about right). The objective is 30mm.

2 Metre square scope room Drain pipe pier (mine's 200mm) 170cm pier height 70 x 70 x 80cm deep pier hole Track and wheels from FH Brundle NEQ6 on top of brake disks Southern view partly obscured by trees Pent roof with no guttering Have you been in my garden? 🤣🤣 https://stargazerslounge.com/topic/296023-observatory-in-kirkintilloch Definitely use vapour barrier as you build as it's almost impossible to install afterwards. I did the whole obsy just in case I later wanted to insulate and add internal cladding to the scope room. I've not insulated my rolling roof and it does get really hot in the midday sun. EPDM reaches 60c and transmits plenty of heat into the obsy. However, I left a 5mm gap between roof and walls to allow plenty of ventilation so excess heat (or damp) has not been a problem. Once you've worked out how many sockets you want just double it! You'll be surprised how many additional things eventually need one. Don't forget the hoover, you'll want to clean the place occasionally. Have fun building it and using it.