Tick Tock - 14th March, 2015

[Luke]

Hey all,

So once again the weekend forecast looked like this:

:clouds1:

I don't even know why I bother looking, I think it is just stuck on that. Anyway, I was very super lucky that again the forecast was a bit wrong. I checked sat24 at 7am on Saturday and it looked like I might catch an opening before it passed by. So I rushed out and played a great fun of chicken, taking as many shots as I dared before grabbing a flat. And I couldn't try a bag flat as I had forgotten to ask Sarah for the fruit bags she picked up for me in the week, the one bag I have still that I use with my 60mm scope has plenty of holes in it but I can usually find a 60mm sized chunk of premium Waitrose fruit aisle bag with zero holes. 120mm, no chance

I was lucky to get about an hour, was just about to switch over to white light when the clouds rushed in. Foiled again!. I did catch some white light in the avo, not the best seeing, so I still have not had a chance to see what the ZWO can really do in white light with a bigger scope. But just very lucky to get something over the weekend all things considered, Sunday was super dismal.

I really do think we all deserve a lot of blue skies pretty soon. Starting with Friday morning would be good

Thanks for looking! Luke.

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14th March, 2015

H-alpha: Equinox 120, Daystar Quark Chromosphere, Grasshopper 3 camera (ICX687), 0.5x reducer

White light: Equinox 120, Baader Herschel Wedge, Solar Continuum filter, ZWO ASI174 camera, 2x Barlow

[ronin]

From reading an assortment of weather sites I find that reading anything much more then the day before is pointless, and then the later the day before then the more chance you have of getting something that may coincide with what actually occurs.

So far this week I have read cloud, cloud and more cloud, then the next day it changed to clear, clear and clear, today it looks like unsettled and undefined.

Sometimes think they should use Duracell batteries on the new super-computer they installed. Cos whatever powers it at present seems not to be up to it.

[michael.h.f.wilkinson]

Absolutely lovely collection.

[PhotoGav]

Oh my, what great images. That third image is simply stunning! It has an amazing tonal range. And to think you might not have bothered had you believed the forecasts...

[dazzaa1966]

Fantastic images Luke.

[Montana]

What a glorious set :) those extra 2cm really make a difference on the level of detail you can catch compared to mine

Alexandra

[David Smith]

Ay-carumba Luke

[Johan L]

Great set Lovely colour and detail

[sooot]

Lovely detail in the ar region

[Luke]

Thanks, all, your kind comments are a nice pick me up. I think I may have a winter vomiting thingy, bucket is at my side   Too much info probably

Alexandra, you are too kind, your 100mm images are so amazing. I think really I'd be super happy with 100mm, I just use the 120 as I have it. I must try my 100mm with the Quark, I was thinking it made no sense to try it as it's same focal length as my 120mm. But wonder if the 100mm (going by manual and some comments on solarchat) would be a bit less affected by heat currents. My 120mm seems to need some time to stabilize, especially over winter, I wonder if that is warm/turbulent air somewhere in the optical path.

Hope you are all well and getting enough Vit D or will get a nice dose soon, especially on Friday.

Luke

[dazzaa1966]

Hi Luke what do you have your Quark set at.

[Luke]

My Quark's on default central tuning.

[dazzaa1966]

Thanks Luke.

[DrRobin]

Cracking Luke. Very nice for an hour.

Robin

[Mick J]

Thanks Luke,  wonderful stuff.