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What to do until the next clear night?

WakeyTiger

By WakeyTiger
in The Astro Lounge

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Marki

Marki

Posted
Posted

Horribly hazy here - can just about make out the main features of the moon with the naked eye. And this is pretty much the first "non-cloudy" night I've had for ages. Not happy :hello2:. Fingers and assorted limbs crossed that it'll clear up, but not optimistic... .

Clear skies and better luck for the rest of you!

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JamesF

JamesF

Posted
Posted

I'm just spending the time going stir crazy :hello2:

Actually, I did get out last night and pushed things to the limit. As a result I have a load of imaging data to process, but not tonight as I didn't even manage four hours sleep before my daughter woke me up at stupid o'clock this morning.

The real problem is that I'm rather "project-backlogged". I have so many projects that are waiting on clear skies/dry weather and I'm reluctant to take on any more until I finish some, yet starting more is one of the few ways to keep my brain occupied. Even more so since I've really taken against television recently and just can't face watching it at all these days. It's that bad that I've started using a large lump of blutak as an "executive stress toy" :)

James

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Mike73

Mike73

Posted
Posted

Well I've repositioned the tetrad and finder, flocked the top part of the OTA and added a lovely new shiny Moonlite CR2 focuser.

So thats it....I'm now skint and its still cloudy.

I still have another 1 1/2 weeks off work, at this rate I'm going to have to do some................DIY!! :hello2::)

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Naemeth

Naemeth

Posted
Posted

Well, in a few hours, the BBC forecast has gone from partially cloudy with some breaks to partially raining and some breaks. It's only completely clear from 4:00am, when sunrise is 5:18am, and I have to get up early again! This always happens :hello2:

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JamesF

JamesF

Posted
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To be fair, I can't complain about my children and their attitude to astronomy. Having demonstrated to them that a broken pair of binoculars can be turned into a telescope my daughter is desperate for me to make one for her, and my son is insistent that when I build the observatory it should have two piers so that he can use one :hello2:

James

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Spudgun

Spudgun

Posted
Posted
I like that one :hello2:

I was going to say "Eat, Drink and be Merry".

I could end up increase my podge substantially though if I go down this route.

BF3 for me too, in a clan with 3 servers so got plenty of options!

Is it really this bad normally, or is this something exceptional.

Since coming back of hols. 3 weeks ago, not a single clear night at all, and no break longer than 30 mins. at night?

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iwatkins

iwatkins

Posted
Posted
Ian - did you go for the DC Focuser in the end?

Rolling my own Ian. As all my scopes are different (big frac right down to a PST) thought it might be a nice project for our lighter evenings. So I've a pile of motors, timing belts and pulley wheels from MotionCo. to build them with.

Plan is to for me to make brackets, motors mounted and hooked up to the scopes focusers first using timing belts and pulley wheels. Then I'll look at controlling them from a distance using standard DPTP switching then I'll then look at remote USB control later.

I've also been playing with stepper motors for a while, so playing with the idea of trying to fit one inside a PST black main body and have a nice surface mounted connection to a control box.

So many projects, so little time :hello2:

Cheers

Ian

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squeaky

squeaky

Posted
Posted

Made a step chair. I can adjust the seat height in steps so that I don't have to bend to reach the eyepiece no matter what angle my target is at.

StepChair%20-%20low.png

StepChair%20-%20high.png

THEN I found a thread on ironing chairs! Could have saved a lot of work, but hey, it kept me busy :hello2:

Oh and this lays flat while most ironing chairs don't, apparently.

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acharris77

acharris77

Posted
Posted

Duing the clouds I have done a little work on my scope. Below I have done the following:

Re-greased my focuser with white lithium grease

Tighten up all the tripod legs and other odd bits

Did a collimation test

Today I fiited a Skywatcher Autofocuser

So now I am waiting for some clear skies to get the scope out and give it a good field test to see how it is as last time I tightened things up it did a good job of making the goto accurate and less vibration. Also want to see how the Autofocuser works as I should have very little vibration and a easier time focusing, esp with my web cam connected.

So quite happy with my work ive done

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chr1s

chr1s

Posted
Posted
Made a step chair. I can adjust the seat height in steps so that I don't have to bend to reach the eyepiece no matter what angle my target is at.

StepChair%20-%20low.png

StepChair%20-%20high.png

THEN I found a thread on ironing chairs! Could have saved a lot of work, but hey, it kept me busy :)

Oh and this lays flat while most ironing chairs don't, apparently.

nice work!!! :hello2:

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squeaky

squeaky

Posted
Posted
nice work!!! :hello2:

Thanks. It needs sanding and varnishing now. I might remake the seat into a sort of slingback too.

Total cost was just under £50 which compares favourably with ironing chairs (or stools, whatever they're actually called).

It works a treat.

My builder chappie will be laying the foundation for my plastic shed today and, while waiting for that to go off, I'll be putting together some home made pouches of desiccant crystals. I bought these via Amazon - desiccant crystals. I'll gently shake each portion in a "cooking sieve" to get rid of any dust and small particles. Then sort out clear plastic tubing with tiny holes drilled in it.

I got two hampers over Christmas (lucky me) and they both came with good wicker baskets. So one is now fitted to hold all the telescope bits and pieces, lenses etc; and the other is fitted for my camera. Desiccant pouches should help in each of those. But the bulk of it will go into the box holding my scope.

Oh, and I put castors on the bottom of my dobsonian mount. (They're from an old computer chair). On grass they can stay put - but on hard ground they just pull out so it stands on its rubber studs. Much easier for me to drag it into place than have to lift and carry.

And I made a clip in base for the frame of my shopping trolley and I use it as a sack barrow.

Come to think of it - I've been a busy bunny!

Oh and sneaky tip #49...

For fine focussing - you can grab the focussing knob with a pair of kitchen tongs. The leverage should give you anywhere around x10 leverage factor depending on their length, of course.

Also:- I see that the Skywatcher 400P has a dual focuser and the fine control is finger touch, very light. So I have a query in hand asking if that one would fit my 300P and how much would it cost. I'll update when I get an answer back.

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Astrosurf

Astrosurf

Posted
Posted

I was going to say "Eat, Drink and be Merry".

I could end up increase my podge substantially though if I go down this route.

Oooh, sounds like Christmas is back again, yay! It's me thighs I have to watch though! :)

Aaaanyway, moving on rapidly, I've ordered an Xbox cam to ready for solar work with my Baader filter. I don't want to risk my Phillips - just in case!

I'm also re-genning up on astro stuff I've forgotten.

On here a lot too!

Plus trying not to get too depressed. :hello2:

Alexxx

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obscura

obscura

Posted
Posted

No problem. Have bought all seven volumes of "Game of Thrones". Halfway through 3rd book. Odds of just one clear night very high before I've read them all. Of course, there'll be a full moon .....

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