Lockdown Setup

[Paz]

The Lockdown has had a surprising impact on my observing and a clear favourite set up has emerged for me. I wonder if anyone else has noticed changes in the set ups they tend to use.

When it started I thought I would be getting lots of quality time and longer sessions with the big dob or constantly using different scopes but in reality I've had less time and energy to put into observing, not more so the dob has not been out and it's the small scopes that have been competing for use.

I have a few scopes I was planning to sell and now that's on hold I have a home grown experiment going on... when you can take out any of a number of scopes which wins...

The mount I am finding I always go for is a Skytee 2, it's less hassle than an EQ5 equatorial mount to set up, and it's more sturdy than my Porta 2. 

The scope getting used is a 102mm refractor, it's just a competent all rounder that can have a go at anything. The other scopes are more effort to set up or use or are more specialist (C8, Maksutov, ST120) or less aperture but no easier to set up at home (60-80 mm refractors).

The eyepieces I use most at the moment are TV Delos. As my sessions are short and targets few I can take out the right eyepiece or two and so have stopped using my zoom eyepiece. I have Vixen SLVs for when weight is an issue but it isn't when using a Skytee.

So I'm almost exclusively sticking to one set up and the simplicity of it is keeping me going.

Have you developed any particular preferred set up or kit choices in the Lockdown?

[DaveL59]

I thought I'd have got the TAL100RS out more, but it hasn't moved from its resting place so far. Was playing instead with the TAL-M and TAL-1, easier to pick up and carry up the step and set up, well no setup as I can move those ready rigged being pier pedestals rather than tripod bases. While I love the views with the 100RS, the EQ5 and SynScan make it more effort as I need to de-mount the OTA to move the EQ5 out and then align and then load the OTA back on, as well as hook up power etc. 

From now tho the TAL-M is out of the picture as it's in bits being restored so I could well be getting back to the 100RS tho if it gets windy the choices I have are all 1M OTA's which will be "fun"

[johninderby]

Used to enjoy using my Skytee II as it was so simple to set up. 👍🏻

Fav setup now is thw Rowan AZ100 with the Stellamira 80mm f10. Gives me better views than an 80mm has a right too. Just feels like a bigger scope with it’s sharp and contrasty views and zero CA and will take quite high mag on the moon.

Second would be the Bresser 10” dob as no real setup time. The 8” Classical Cassegrain actually gives better views than the dob but just a bit more setup time. 

[John]

I've not really changed my observing approach. I tend to cycle round the scopes that I own giving each a session. The 12 inch dob has had more use than the others over the past 2 weeks because the skies were dark and the Virgo / Coma galaxy fields were presented well.

Alt-azimith mounts without attached technology are my usual preference and I've not changed that either.

So no difference other than more clear nights than I would normally hope for during March and April

 

[AdeKing]

My scope choice hasn't changed much, I've been cycling between my ZS66, ED100, ED120 and 102 f/11.

Since the weather has been so good, I've had permission to leave the Vixen GP out on my pillar mount permanently so all I have to do each session is to balance the OTA and off I go.

The biggest change for me has been the ability to leave the mount polar aligned and set up permanently, this has resulted in me getting out and observing much more often.

[Guest]

13 minutes ago, John said:

I've not really changed my observing approach. I tend to cycle round the scopes that I own giving each a session. The 12 inch dob has had more use than the others over the past 2 weeks because the skies were dark and the Virgo / Coma galaxy fields were presented well.

Alt-azimith mounts without attached technology are my usual preference and I've not changed that either.

So no difference other than more clear nights than I would normally hope for during March and April

 

Funny that you should mention Alt-azimuth mounts, but after having my Dobs since just before the lockdown started, I prefer that style of mount to the EQ one that the 4.5 inch reflector uses...

[DaveL59]

ahh I always felt tripod mounted makes it look like a proper scope rather than a box with a mirror in it....

I'll get me coat and run and hide now  

[Paz]

45 minutes ago, DaveL59 said:

I thought I'd have got the TAL100RS out more, but it hasn't moved from its resting place so far. Was playing instead with the TAL-M and TAL-1, easier to pick up and carry up the step and set up, well no setup as I can move those ready rigged being pier pedestals rather than tripod bases. While I love the views with the 100RS, the EQ5 and SynScan make it more effort as I need to de-mount the OTA to move the EQ5 out and then align and then load the OTA back on, as well as hook up power etc. 

29 minutes ago, johninderby said:

Used to enjoy using my Skytee II as it was so simple to set up. 👍🏻

Fav setup now is thw Rowan AZ100 with the Stellamira 80mm f10. Gives me better views than an 80mm has a right too.

Second would be the Bresser 10” dob as no real setup time. The 8” Classical Cassegrain actually gives better views than the dob but just a bit more setup time. 

This issue of how much you get for how much work you have to put in is interesting.I started out mostly thinking about bang-for-the-buck but I'm now more  driven by bang-for-the-effort.

 

[Paz]

17 minutes ago, AdeKing said:

My scope choice hasn't changed much, I've been cycling between my ZS66, ED100, ED120 and 102 f/11.

Since the weather has been so good, I've had permission to leave the Vixen GP out on my pillar mount permanently so all I have to do each session is to balance the OTA and off I go.

The biggest change for me has been the ability to leave the mount polar aligned and set up permanently, this has resulted in me getting out and observing much more often.

I don't have anything permanent but I have got as close as I can to it. I'm getting away with leaving the Skytee 2 in the corner of the living room and using a pillar on it means I don't need to extend the legs for height so it takes up less room. My scope is stored with finders attached and aligned and  diagonal/eyepiece fitted so it can go straight on the mount and need no further set up. The weather has meant small temperature changes inside/outside which has helped with cool down.

[DaveL59]

I'll often just rough align and use the SynScan as a tracking mount rather than star align and slew around. Just that little lot weight around 50+KG so a lot more effort to lift and shift. Same for the SW130, tho lighter still too unwieldy to safely get through the conservatory door directly up steps unless I dismount the OTA. Don't really want to be breaking large glass panels lol

[AdeKing]

6 minutes ago, DaveL59 said:

I'll often just rough align and use the SynScan as a tracking mount rather than star align and slew around. Just that little lot weight around 50+KG so a lot more effort to lift and shift. Same for the SW130, tho lighter still too unwieldy to safely get through the conservatory door directly up steps unless I dismount the OTA. Don't really want to be breaking large glass panels lol

Mostly, I rough align as well, but lately, I've seen the benefit of properly aligning so that I can leave the mount tracking safe in the knowledge that the target will still be in the FOV when I return later.

This has been particularly nice when solar observing as it means that I can just walk away then return an hour or two later and not have to faff about with locating the target again.

[Paul M]

I think lockdown has had a positive effect on astronomy for a a lot of us. What better way to spend time than doing something we've struggled to find time for?

I had been drifting towards my cutesy little 127 Mak until The Corona Kid showed up, all bristling with stumpy trumpets. Easy to set up and carry but then the Easter period coincided with an 18 day shift break from work and a batch of good weather so I've really got back in with the beast that is the 250 PDS and EQ6. It's getting heavier or my joints are getting older but, steady away, I can be up and running in 20 minutes. But, and this is a big but, rather than fight to find the eyepiece up in the stratosphere, I've been sticking a camera all the way up there.

So, I'd say lockdown started me on the rocky road to ruin! 🤣

[jonathan]

I've had my solar scope out more as I've been at home wondering what to do next in the glorious sunshine, in the process I discovered that it was in serious need of some TLC!  So a huge benefit there for my future solar observing.

I've observed Venus during lockdown but really I'm waiting for Jupiter and Saturn to return in July so no real change to my oberving habits for evening observing.  I considered early morning observing (which I would never normally do due to having to go to work at the usual time) but couldn't be bothered!

[Bobby1970]

Great posts in here. Ive been working from home since the lockdown started, designing electrical harnesses for Ventilators which are no longer required. Lol. Thankfully. 

I have found myself using my AzGti in AltAz mode both for solar with my 72mm Altair refractor and wedge and also for EEVA and associated image captures. (I can't really call them proper astrophotography images lol.)

Along with the use of platesolving I have seen things that I simply wouldn't have found without a lot of effort and star hopping and twisting and turning of my body. I'm now considering offloading my 10" Dob tbh. My eyes are also getting worse and they have been bad since I was 2 yrs old, I'm now almost 50 and I'm finding that sometimes when viewing through an eyepiece I am removing my specs, but then need to put them back on to look at star map or app on my phone  The other night using my "EEVA" set up, I managed to "see" and capture images of 6 galaxies. 4 of them I had never seen before. Even my little 90mm Mak has surprised me at how good it was tbh. 

I love how many different aspects there are to this hobby. There literally is something for everyone. 

[Gina]

Nothing different really except that we've actually had viable imaging weather for quite a lot of nights.  Now the available astro dark is tending towards zero unfortunately, so a last blast for the season possibly.

[niallk]

On 27/04/2020 at 22:26, Paz said:

The Lockdown has had a surprising impact on my observing and a clear favourite set up has emerged for me. I wonder if anyone else has noticed changes in the set ups they tend to use.

When it started I thought I would be getting lots of quality time and longer sessions with the big dob or constantly using different scopes but in reality I've had less time and energy to put into observing, not more so the dob has not been out and it's the small scopes that have been competing for use.

I have a few scopes I was planning to sell and now that's on hold I have a home grown experiment going on... when you can take out any of a number of scopes which wins...

The mount I am finding I always go for is a Skytee 2, it's less hassle than an EQ5 equatorial mount to set up, and it's more sturdy than my Porta 2. 

The scope getting used is a 102mm refractor, it's just a competent all rounder that can have a go at anything. The other scopes are more effort to set up or use or are more specialist (C8, Maksutov, ST120) or less aperture but no easier to set up at home (60-80 mm refractors).

The eyepieces I use most at the moment are TV Delos. As my sessions are short and targets few I can take out the right eyepiece or two and so have stopped using my zoom eyepiece. I have Vixen SLVs for when weight is an issue but it isn't when using a Skytee.

So I'm almost exclusively sticking to one set up and the simplicity of it is keeping me going.

Have you developed any particular preferred set up or kit choices in the Lockdown?

My LS50DS & Ha solar

Haven't had my dob out in a while - neighbour's floodlights and 2km lockdown rules mean i cant go where I normally do 😒 In the grander scheme of things, I've nothing to be complaining about. Used to enjoy observing DSOs from my back garden before the floodlights arrived... and we had some good nights a week ago 😫

I did sneak a peep at the moon and Venus in a 130p tonight though before putting the kids to bed.  Messier craters & ejecta patterns were looking great tonight!

Edited April 28, 2020 by niallk