Last night - 8th Aug

[Ant]

Hi All, Well I finally managed to drag my Bottom off the settee to set the scope up.

Went through great pains to set the scope up and adjusted the collimation slightly - for the first time since Russ collimated it for me I'm happy with it - it looked perfect.

I actually think that the polar alignment was slightly off, shame as I thought that I'd got the spot on - but there you go!

I decided to have a go at three objects that I've never looked at before. M103, M71 and M29. M103 is an open cluster in Cassiopeia, M71 is a globular cluster in Sagitta and M29 is a blumming small open cluster in Cygnus.

I also tested out the DSLR Focus software to control the camera, All in all I found all the objects that I was after. I have a set of images that now need to be processed and stacked -which I'll post when I've finished. I have about 70 images that need work - so it may not be today!

I was out until midnight and watched Mars rise, but the scope was in completely the wrong part of the garden to get Mars at that time... So I'll leave Mars till a little later in the year.

The best thing about the new software is that while the laptop told the camera to do 30 images of 30 seconds each, leaving 18 seconds to cool the chip between shots, I managed to watch Blackadder II and One foot in the grave... Fantastic.

Ant

[russ]

Hi Ant,

Sounds like you had a good night. How were the skies? Looked good here until 10.30 again, then the mist returned. Unlike the previous night, the mist failed to clear. Then the dew set in. I reckon it was a 3/10 in Eastleigh.

DSLR Focus is a wonderful bit of software, i love it! Very easy to use and being able to leave the camera is great.

The best thing about the new software is that while the laptop told the camera to do 30 images of 30 seconds each, leaving 18 seconds to cool the chip between shots, I managed to watch Blackadder II and One foot in the grave... Fantastic.

tut tut.....we really need to change your way of thinking. You should be looking for meteors or scanning the sky with the binos 8) Watching TV indeed...i would never consider doing that

Good luck with those images. Really look forward to the results. If your Double Cluster shot was anything to go by they should be the business.

I did checkout M103 last night but had my heart set on something else. Should have stayed with M103.

Regards

Russ

[Ant]

What did you have in mind Russ?

The skies here were about the same as yours I guess, maybe a 4/10... The milky way was just visible, M31 wasn't, neither was the double cluster.

I did see a meteor, I traced it back to perseus, so it's my first of the shower... and it was a nice one too. around Mag0, fast, no train almost pure white... Well I didn't notice any colour.

One foot in the grave was very very funny.

Ant

[russ]

Hi Ant,

I was trying to find NGC7331 in Pegasus, a mag 10.5 galaxy and a real git it was to find. Had to drag out the laptop in the end and match the starfield in the eyepiece with what was on Starry Night. Then after staring at the eyepiece for 10mins finally saw it.

Dead chuffed!

Got to work imaging it but the mount stopped tracking after 8 x 1min images. The powerstation had died!

That was my evening done!

Russ

[Ant]

It's funny I've just realised that I also made a mistake last night... I used the lens part of the 2" Barlow to take an image of the moon... I forgot to remove it befoere imaging DSO's DOH!!!!!!!

At least you saw it mate, did you manage to get anything on the camera? if so hopefully you'll have something to stack and result to post.

Ant

[OXO]

Hi Ant,

Sound like you had fun baldric er Ant!

Cant wait to see if you have any images come out matey:) M71 i was looking at that the other night quite surprising how bright it was.

James

[Ant]

Maybe it wasn't M71 then, I thought what a B'stard it was... I'll check. Thinking about it I think it may have been M56. Opps...

I'll check now.

Ant