Gina's Observatory - The Build

[Gina]

Yes, it does, thank you Pretty much the sort of thing I had in mind

[Gina]

This looks a reasonable case for the purpose :- http://www.amazon.co.uk/Camera-Aluminium-Case-padded-Flight/dp/B001NI6D3G/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1324679142&sr=8-1

I'll have to lay my stuff out and see how big a case I'll want, allowing for a few more purchases.

And this one is very similar :- http://www.maplin.co.uk/flight-case-with-foam-36796

[malc-c]

Gina,

Tube heater won't be enough. Convector heaters are no good as they put the heat where you don't want it (near the ceiling) and from my limited experience find that it's the feet and knees that get cold rather than the rest of the body. I have a small 2Kw fan heater (has three settings for heat, just the fan, 1kw and 2kw plus a thermostat) which is placed under the desk. I find that a quick ten minute burst from this warms me up nicely.

[Gina]

Thanks Malcolm I rather thought it wouldn't be enough. OK for just keeping the frost from a greenhouse but not providing much heat. OTOH I have seen a few people mention using tubular greenhouse heaters. I have a fan heater I can use - I'll dig it out

[Gina]

Just a tiny bit of progress today. Cut the wooden strip for the outer door edge to length and painted it with wood preserver.

The only other progress (if you can call it that) was to order a couple of bits. A flight case with foam from Maplin to put my eyepieces and accessories in, and having found that none of the DIY big stores or ScrewFix had sliding door handles (the sunk in type) I eventually found them on eBay so ordered a couple.

[Gina]

Drizzle today so no outdoor work. Spent an hour or so this afternoon in the obsy. Some clearing up.

Also been testing the Barlows recently acquired - SW ED 2x 2" and Tal 2x 1.25" on the garage on the next hill. Looks very promising

Good opportunity to test the game pad (with EQMOD) and my electric focuser. The game pad is a great boon to slewing the mount exactly. The focuser could do with a variable speed control as I expected. I have already ordered the required components (just a pot and knob).

Here are a couple of images taken with SharpCap, firstly with the SW ED Barlow with Philips SPC900NC webcam and then with the Tal Barlow on top of the SW. Both taken using the diagonal and then flipped to remove the mirror image effect. Curves were adjusted and slight sharpening added in GIMP.

SW ED x2 Barlow with adapter and webcam. (x2)

SW ED x2 Barlow, 2" to 1.25" adapter, Tal x2 Barlow and webcam. (x4) Got dark in the meantime

[Aoraki]

So you like the SW EDx2 then? As I received some FLO vouchers, that may well be my next purchase.

[Gina]

So you like the SW EDx2 then? As I received some FLO vouchers, that may well be my next purchase.

Oh yes, very much Using the supplied 28mm 2" eyepiece the image is pin sharp and crystal clear (when seeing allowed). And it seems to work well with the webcam and DSLR.

As for focus, rather than wanting to go right into the draw tube it needs an extension tube to use it without the diagonal on the SW 80 ED Pro refractor. I just managed to use my DSLR on it without the diagonal but it needed the Barlow just about far enough in for the screws to grip and the draw tube all the way out. I didn't dare try it with the Tal 2x Barlow for fear it might drop off and crash onto the floor. I shall be buying a 2" extension tube from FLO. Just got to work out whether I want a 50mm or 80mm long one.

[Gina]

A couple more pics, this time from an image taken with the SW ED 2" x2 Barlow and DSLR camera. Same subject (To the east and needing only the flap down.)

By this time is was almost dark and the photo was taken with a 4 second exposure at ISO 100. Focus is not very accurate as I used just the viewfinder and the light was going. Could do with some magnification really. For celestial focussing I guess I could use a Bahtimov mask on a star before slewing to the object for imaging. Cheaper than buying a new Canon DSLR with live view

First pic is full size image 3872x2592 scaled down to 1024x685 and the second a small part of the image (cropped to a similar size) without scaling to show the resolution.

[spaceboy]

Looks like a job for the rocket blower there Gina. I saw marks on your moon pics as well. Looks like you have dust on something ??

[Gina]

Yes, there is some dust on both the webcam and DSLR sensors to be blown off.

[Gina]

I've ordered an 80mm 2" extension tube and Bahtimov mask from FLO. OK so I could have made the Bahtimov mask but my time will be better spent doing other things. My job list seems to extend to infinity Better than being bored to death though

[eid]

Nice to see they're using full cut off lighting. I should send this photo to my local council.

[Anweniel]

Your equipment testing sure doing a good job of promoting the local garage

[Gina]

That's true

[Gina]

I've blown the dust off the image sensors so we'll see how effective it has been next time they're used.

[Gina]

Today's progress.

Rather misty and murky today but dry. Visibility too poor for lens/image testing but one small advance in the build - screwed on the edging strip to the outer door. I had cut this a couple of days ago and applied two lots of wood preserver since.

One photo to show the finished job. (The colour should tone down in time, to match the other woodwork.)

[JKB]

Hi Gina

Passed by yours yesterday and couldn't help look across the valley from the 303.. Im sure I saw your Obsy but I'll remember to take some Bino's next time

Cheers

Jamie

[Gina]

Hi Jamie You can see our place from the A303 so you may be right.

I was wondering which part of our great county you come from

[JKB]

Hi Gina

Im living just north of Okehampton so pretty clear skies and not too much LP. Travel down to Yeovil to visit friend on a regular basis. Just recognised the Garage and thought "Hang on.....Let me see"

Cheers

Jamie

[Gina]

Sounds good

[Gina]

This afternoon I have been trying my MS LifeCam on the new scope for the first time. SharpCap found and used it without needing the Microsoft driver (I've mislaid the CD it came on). Set to YUY2 and the full res of 1280x800 and running at 10fps. Took a couple of snapshots and a couple of AVIs. Chose the sharpest snapshot for further processing. The focussing with 3 micron pixels is very critical and my electric focuser only just managed it. A few degrees rotation of the fine Crayford knob put the image visibly out of focus. I want the speed variable (as planned and which will be implemented when the bits arrive) rather than the two presets currently available.

Here is the result (on the usual object) with the webcam in the 1.25" adapter on the diagonal (which I'll be replacing with the 80mm 2" extension tube when it comes). The webcam was a bit skew whiff so I've rotated the image and cropped it down to about 1024x700. Also flipped the image to account for the diagonal, adjusted colour balance to correct the pink cast, curves to increase contrast and a little sharpening.

[Gina]

We actually have some clear periods tonight so I've been out in the obsy. Been using the MS LifeCam directly at prime focus, taking some snapshots and AVI of the moon and Jupiter. The seeing is pretty bad tonight and it's windy. The scope is sheltered by the warm room and not directly affected but I think it's probably affecting the atmosphere. The image has been wobbling all over the place and moving in and out of focus. Had to close the roof a couple of times as an emergency as we had a few brief showers earlier. Just as well it only takes a second or two.

I shall try feeding these AVI files into Registax and getting some more experience with that. My previous attempts with images of Saturn taken with my Celestron Newt were not very successful.

Meanwhile, here's a snapshot.

[George]

Nice shot Gina and nice to see you settling in to the new obsy.

PS is your webcam broke?

[datman]

Hi Gina

I don't think buying a bahtinov mask was false economy, having also bought one. It would take alot of time and effort to make one that was an equal to one of these.