total disaster tonight, everything went wrong

[oldpink]

was so looking forward to getting out got the mount set up just after 6 and the predicted rain had passed

just after 10pm everything cleared up as predicted for once so took the laptop and camera's out to get them down to temp

at 11 with great conditions I stuck the x25 in and slew to Jupiter to get a fix and start point, not bad was only slightly off

so I corrected and did a bit of viewing to get my eye in and changed to the x10 to get a better look, so far so good

after 20 mins of viewing and getting my eyes adjusted I decided to put a cam on and do some imaging
 

this is where the wheels came off

firstly I put the barlow onto the T ring of the DSLR made sure I was centred in the x10 and swapped over to the camera

and could see nothing at all, checked the finder and I was still on target messed about with the camera viewfinder and settings

still black, thought it was a focus issue and slackened the focus lock screw only for the camera to go right in full and the wheels had no effect
so manually pulled it out a bit and it started moving under the wheels but not smooth very sticky and jerky

more messing about still no image, so pulled the barlow off and went to prime focus, some more faffing around with the erratic focus and I finally got a blob on the screen

more faffing about and got it focused on x5 but decided to go back to the barlow then I realised I'd left the back dust cap on
removed it and mounted the camera only to get nothing, no matter what I did, so give up on the DSLR and swapped to the ASI
as I know where its focus point is but again I got nothing on the screen, though swapping to a lens confirmed I was on target

but no matter what I did I couldn't even get a blob on the screen and the focuser was really beyond use at this point so I gave up and stripped down

I think the focuser had got damp or water got on it from a brief shower and had frozen

anything that was wet on the ground had an icy coating, that doesn't explain why both my camera's failed to give any image apart from on prime focus and

human error on my part but even after rectifying my stupidity and checking the chain of optics over and over I could see no issue
so I'm off to bed and the enquiry into tonight's disaster will be tomorrow with a full system check as I have a clear night tomorrow that I can not waste

like I did tonight

I suspect this is the first of many nights like this but I will not be put off
learn from your mistakes and don't repeat them

[Leveye]

But it made you stronger yes!!! Every Time you get a little bit closer and you shall. Sooo been there my friend.

[red dwalf]

don`t worry i`ve had loads of nights like that L.O.L.

can`t be the scope if you managed to see something with the eyepiece, do you have a flip mirror ? i find them excellent for sticking a camera on the back and either a cross hair eyepiece or illuminated eyepiece in the top, great for centering and then flip the mirror and the image is on the chip, focus and your off imaging. saves alot of bother.

[oldpink]

was really loathed to give up with such great conditions
will go through all the equipment tomorrow on a visual and software test, and try to find the issue

I know it wasn't the scope, I suspect technical gremlins due to everything being so wet due to the shower
and the cold icy conditions, even my finder scope started getting frosted up making it hard to pinpoint targets
thats when I decided it wasn't going to happen tonight and decided to call it a night before I got annoyed and frustrated

[Leveye]

Practice during the day and also at night on streetlights or whatnot. After a while you will be able to do it blindfolded and in the dark. Getting to know the gear and where the focus point is for each set up takes time.

[Thalestris24]

Sympathies! I'm having a frustrating time too! One hour the forecast is clear but it's cloudy, then forecast is cloudy but it's clear! Now it's cloudy Not giving up yet! Have been trying to do some imaging but the guiding is playing up. Dunno why. The other night it was fine but tonight has been zig-sagging all over the place. I've checked alignment etc. But even on a 10sec exposure I'm getting oblong stars. Grr! I'm beginning to wonder if I have a mount problem... Everything is balanced and no discernible flexure. Nothing's changed from the other night when it was fine.

Having a glass of wine whilst waiting for clouds to go. Maybe I'll be able to get something! I know there a lots of clear skies around tonight so hope others have had better Luck!

Louise

[Russe]

You made me lol - I've bitten into my fist many a times. Loose cables, tripping over mount, leaving Bahtinov on etc...

You'll grow with your mistakes!!!

[StargeezerTim]

Never mind.

I had a similar problem last week. I solved it in the end though I'm not sure how! Either the nosepiece was not fully screwed on to the t ring or I just had really put a ridiculous shutter speed to get a picture on live view. I have found that a properly exposed pic does not show up on live view at all,I have to overexpose  it to get a preview image and focus then increase shutter speed lots to get a properly exposed image.

Two nights ago I was faffing about for 90 mins and couldn't get polaris in my finder scope. I finally realised that the marks I put on the patio (sticky plasters) had moved and I was was way off pointing north. When I got my compass out and started again, Polaris put in an appearance very quickly and I was up and running. A result of this is that I am hobbling in pain about because I have very dodgy knees and getting in position to look through the blumming polarscope is like a form of torture. And I was doing that for an hour and a half! My back also hurts. Why cant they position the thing better, or otherwise someone move polaris down 30 or do degrees so it is easier to get at...

Tim

[StargeezerTim]

Oh...and walking in to my clear glass patio door that someone thought was a good idea to shut. It drew blood!

[oldpink]

Ok I have put last night behind me, set up the scope sorted my finder which was way off
did some tests with the camera in prime focus no issues, put the barlow on and apart from having to focus again fine

but my focuser does need a small adjust on the pressure as its slipping a bit, just need to find my tools
hopefully I'll get some clear skies tonight as forecast to make up for last night

[glowingturnip]

if it's a crayford focuser like mine, then it's the screw right in the middle of the focus plate, exerts pressure on a teflon thingy that pushed the focus wheel shaft against the focuser barrel

disclaimer - taking advice from random people on the internet is not without its own risks, I may or may not know what I'm talking about and accept no responsibility for damage to your scope ! 

[jarlaxle2k5]

Oh...and walking in to my clear glass patio door that someone thought was a good idea to shut. It drew blood!

similar.....i was left outside because someone thought to close the glass door and turn the key.....luckely i had my phone with me lolllll

[oldpink]

if it's a crayford focuser like mine, then it's the screw right in the middle of the focus plate, exerts pressure on a teflon thingy that pushed the focus wheel shaft against the focuser barrel

disclaimer - taking advice from random people on the internet is not without its own risks, I may or may not know what I'm talking about and accept no responsibility for damage to your scope ! 

yep the centre screw needs a small adjustment

[glowingturnip]

i had a jupiter imaging session last week when the wind started picking up really strongly - the videos looked like one of those slow motion videos of a water balloon, and then all my lens caps blew down the hill.  Note to self, put them in pocket next time

[simmo39]

Done that been there, There is always another night just around the corner.

[glowingturnip]

in fact here's one of the best frames, if you look really closely, you can't see the transit of Io and the GRS:

[Grotemobile]

I have drilled holes in my patio,

so the scope, goes back on the same

spot, every time.What a time saver.

Steve.