Show us your set up in action at night.

[Daf1983]

First time imaging for over 2 months due to work, life and clouds. Stupidly(considering the moon) trying out m31, but it's just nice to have the scope out again 

[Nigella Bryant]

Lovely session this evening imaging Jupiter and Mars. Thought I'd take a couple of pics of the dome and scope under the stars and moon light. 

Added a simulation image of Mars and I could see most of the features present. Be interesting to compare with any suitable image that I've taken from last night. 

Edited November 13, 2022 by Nigella Bryant
Pic and more comments added

[Ian McCallum]

I couldn't be bothered setting up the imaging rig this evening, so just did some visual observering with my two Sky-Watcher refractors.

I tried them on Jupiter, then moved on to M45.

[paul mc c]

Bit of planetary a couple of nights ago with the mak,lot of high cloud about.

[Nigella Bryant]

Orion and Mars over the dome. An unexpected Mars session this evening, or should I say early morning, lol. Lovely though until the cloud's rolled in. 

Edited November 16, 2022 by Nigella Bryant
Pic of me pretending I'm looking through the telescope, lol.

[Sunshine]

Nice images with Orion just peeking out over the dome. 

[orion25]

2 hours ago, Nigella Bryant said:

Orion and Mars over the dome. An unexpected Mars session this evening, or should I say early morning, lol. Lovely though until the cloud's rolled in. 

Superb images, Nigella! Love the feel of the dome with the starry backdrop.

[Nigella Bryant]

4 hours ago, Sunshine said:

Nice images with Orion just peeking out over the dome. 

Thanks Sunshine, yeah, just loving the dome now it's all set up inside and polar aligned. Five mins and away imaging. 

[Nigella Bryant]

4 hours ago, orion25 said:

Superb images, Nigella! Love the feel of the dome with the starry backdrop.

Thanks orion25, loving it too. 

[Sunshine]

It seems we'll have to get you an eyepiece, Nigella! as much as you strain to look through those cameras it just isn't the same 🤣

[Dave scutt]

First light with the 6mm and 13mm Ethos 

[orion25]

8 minutes ago, Dave scutt said:

First light with the 6mm and 13mm Ethos 

Brilliant shots, Dave. Especially the last one!

[Nigella Bryant]

1 hour ago, Sunshine said:

It seems we'll have to get you an eyepiece, Nigella! as much as you strain to look through those cameras it just isn't the same 🤣

I wondered why I couldn't see anything, lol 👀

[Nigella Bryant]

1 hour ago, orion25 said:

Brilliant shots, Dave. Especially the last one!

Love to see the night sky in the background of equipment shots. Love the one with the milky-way in the background. 

[orion25]

On 11/11/2022 at 19:51, Vroobel said:

Jupiter, Mars and the Moon tonight. 🙂

Great shots!

[orion25]

On 10/10/2022 at 17:03, Dave scutt said:

With the collimation thread now re tapped and new bolts thanks to @Captain Scarlet i can use the dob again.

Only got an hour before the clouded rolled in.

 

Brilliant!

[wimvb]

Tonight was a night of surprises:

1. A gap in the cloud cover

2. a few snow flakes on the corrector of my Mak-Newt when I closed the roof of my observatory

3. Two winter guests

I don’t know how these two lacewings got in my scope, because a Mak-Newt is supposed to be a closed tube design. For the time being, these two critters can stay where they are. Most likely they will die when it gets really cold, and the bodies will end up behind the primary mirror. If I ever get the Feathertouch focuser that I ordered, I will need to open the tube anyway, at which time I will try to remove them.

[Sunshine]

26 minutes ago, wimvb said:

Tonight was a night of surprises:

1. A gap in the cloud cover

2. a few snow flakes on the corrector of my Mak-Newt when I closed the roof of my observatory

3. Two winter guests

I don’t know how these two lacewings got in my scope, because a Mak-Newt is supposed to be a closed tube design. For the time being, these two critters can stay where they are. Most likely they will die when it gets really cold, and the bodies will end up behind the primary mirror. If I ever get the Feathertouch focuser that I ordered, I will need to open the tube anyway, at which time I will try to remove them.

This is baffling to me, I have seen other posts with bugs inside sealed OTA's unless you left the eyepiece off without a cap in the diagonal then how in the world do bugs get in? leaves me stumped.

[allworlds]

I bet a little insect could crawl through the gap between the primary end cover and the tube.

Or one just flies in while you're changing EPs?

[Gfamily]

1 hour ago, wimvb said:

3. Two winter guests
I don’t know how these two lacewings got in my scope, because a Mak-Newt is supposed to be a closed tube design. For the time being, these two critters can stay where they are. Most likely they will die when it gets really cold, and the bodies will end up behind the primary mirror. If I ever get the Feathertouch focuser that I ordered, I will need to open the tube anyway, at which time I will try to remove them.

I don't specifically know about Mak Newts, but the Mirror cell on a Newt is often somewhat free floating from the tube walls, so although it's closed at the top, it's not necessarily hermetically sealed at the mirror end. 

I managed to leave one of my Mak Cass's stored without a cover to the visual back and got a spider inside.  I can only guess it starved to death.

An Oil Filter removal wrench* allowed me to remove the front correction plate and clear away my unwanted guest and the remains of its web

* get one with a strap rather a chain** (hopefully you'd realise that a chain wouldn't be appropriate) - also, before removing the correcting plate, use 2 pieces of tape on the OTA and the end collar to allow you to return it to the original alignment. 

** top tip - also useful for very stuck jamjar lids.  

Edited November 18, 2022 by Gfamily

[orion25]

My planetary imaging rig. Pictured is my Orion 127mm Mak, ASI224mc and laptop with Firecapture and Registax 6 at the ready. This was taken in 2018 during the great Mars opposition of that year. I usually use my 180mm Mak for planetary imaging, but the 127mm is a little more photogenic, lol.

Time to set this up again!

Clear skies!

Reggie

 

[wimvb]

6 hours ago, Sunshine said:

This is baffling to me, I have seen other posts with bugs inside sealed OTA's unless you left the eyepiece off without a cap in the diagonal then how in the world do bugs get in? leaves me stumped.

 

5 hours ago, allworlds said:

I bet a little insect could crawl through the gap between the primary end cover and the tube.

Or one just flies in while you're changing EPs?

 

5 hours ago, Gfamily said:

I don't specifically know about Mak Newts, but the Mirror cell on a Newt is often somewhat free floating from the tube walls, so although it's closed at the top, it's not necessarily hermetically sealed at the mirror end. 

I managed to leave one of my Mak Cass's stored without a cover to the visual back and got a spider inside.  I can only guess it starved to death.

An Oil Filter removal wrench* allowed me to remove the front correction plate and clear away my unwanted guest and the remains of its web

 

* get one with a strap rather a chain** (hopefully you'd realise that a chain wouldn't be appropriate) - also, before removing the correcting plate, use 2 pieces of tape on the OTA and the end collar to allow you to return it to the original alignment. 

** top tip - also useful for very stuck jamjar lids.  

They should be bnamed houdini flies. The backside of my Mak-Newt is closed, and I only use the scope for imaging.

The camera only comes off at the end of astro season, unless I need to fix mechanical issues. And if the camera comes off, I close the focuser tube with a plastic cap. The only gaps are around the focuser draw tube and where the collimation screws pass through the back plate near the primary. (I've replaced the stock screws with Bob's knobs.)

The holes at the front are covered with a fine mesh just to keep bugs and dirt out. The 2" to 1.25" adapter that is visible in the photo is not in my setup. I attach my camera directly to the 2" draw tube. But with the draw tube at best focus position, there is a very narrow gap around it.

[Nigella Bryant]

Another Mars session this evening and Jupiter thrown in before it got to low and my hedge gets in the way. Can't believe how clear it was despite the challenging cloud's zipping by. Dome nicely illuminated by a street light before they all go out at midnight, lol. 

[Sunshine]

29 minutes ago, Nigella Bryant said:

Another Mars session this evening and Jupiter thrown in before it got to low and my hedge gets in the way. Can't believe how clear it was despite the challenging cloud's zipping by. Dome nicely illuminated by a street light before they all go out at midnight, lol. 

Your dome shots top themselves every time, it’s beautiful!

[orion25]

2 hours ago, Nigella Bryant said:

Another Mars session this evening and Jupiter thrown in before it got to low and my hedge gets in the way. Can't believe how clear it was despite the challenging cloud's zipping by. Dome nicely illuminated by a street light before they all go out at midnight, lol. 

Love the dome shots. What size is it?