European Astrofest 2023

[markse68]

I just remembered I want a 1.25” Baader clicklock 🤦‍♂️

[carastro]

See some of you tomorrow, I have been told there will be a "left over" effect from the train Strike, I shall be coming up from Bromley South to Victoria and then the underground.

Carole 

[Second Time Around]

My wife and I will be there. You can see what I look like from the photo in my avatar.  We'll both be using folding chair sticks.

Hope to see some of you there.

 

[PeterW]

on my way.

 

peter

[R26 oldtimer]

Too far away to get a scope or eyepiece signed, but you can make it if you hurry up!

 

[icpn]

22 hours ago, markse68 said:

It’s really a neat gadget with nice looking pc interface- they make some really nice stuff don’t they. He was a really nice bloke too- had a good chat with him about harmonic drives

Mark

I have one and they are really quite nice and do many other things apart from cloud cover and temperature measurments. I need to compare the sky brightness readings with my SQM meter so see how clos ethey are.

[carastro]

Great day today, met a few SGL and other people.  Didn't buy anything myself but helped a new imager spend £7000 for a brand new rig. 
 

Carole

Edited February 4, 2023 by carastro

[Second Time Around]

Nice to meet you Carole, and half a dozen others.

Only thing I bought was a spare part for my OOUK 10 inch Dob.  Decided that their displayed 12 inch was too heavy to manage, so in a way the trip paid for itself!

Edited February 4, 2023 by Second Time Around

[markse68]

4 hours ago, icpn said:

I have one and they are really quite nice and do many other things apart from cloud cover and temperature measurments. I need to compare the sky brightness readings with my SQM meter so see how clos ethey are.

would be interested to know. I’ve read that the sensor used by the Unihedron is better suited to low light levels than the one used in the Meteo but not sure if it would really make a difference 

Mark

[PeterW]

The choice of sensor, filter and measurement electronics all matters, there has been plenty of info about how the Unihedron works so I’d hope the performance is similar, a friends initial test got within 0.1.

Peter

[markse68]

Most of the measurement electronics seem to be built into the sensors and the one Unihedron use is now obsolete and seemingly without similar replacement (they must have bought up a lot of stock) but was better suited to very low levels at truly dark sites. Not many dark sites near me though so unlikely a real issue. Similar limitation for the phone app SQM Dark Sky Meter, but it has advantage of RGB capture which is useful for monitoring light pollution and changes with LED street light adoption in urban areas where it is probably as accurate as an SQM?

Mark

[paulastro]

It would be nice if people who went could post up pics of the various stands they may have taken, so those of us who couldn't make it can see what it was like.  I've done this myself in the past, but alas this year hardly a pic to be seen 😔.

[Peter Drew]

It will be the same as usual.  Hopefull vendors seated behind rows of amazing but unaffordable equipment whilst attendees with an average age of 65, clutching freebee catalogues, play with the knobs on the focusers.    😄

[markse68]

Not quite that old but guilty as charged 😀

[Highburymark]

Didn’t take any photos, but yesterday was very busy. Widescreen, FLO (and to a lesser degree RVO) stands dominated proceedings on each floor - all three now pushing their own in-house  telescope ranges. Nice to spend some time with the night vision contingent - including Peter and Steve in this thread. 
 

[PeterW]

36 minutes ago, Highburymark said:

Didn’t take any photos, but yesterday was very busy. Widescreen, FLO (and to a lesser degree RVO) stands dominated proceedings on each floor - all three now pushing their own in-house  telescope ranges. Nice to spend some time with the night vision contingent - including Peter and Steve in this thread. 
 

The younger Peter in the thread that is..😉 I think the median and modal age was probably a big higher than the mean than was suggested above. I still seem to be on the “younger end” even after 30yrs…

Peter

 

PS here’s another, lots of short red/green refractors and plenty of harmonic drives too.

 

[900SL]

22 hours ago, R26 oldtimer said:

Too far away to get a scope or eyepiece signed, but you can make it if you hurry up!

 

Can @FLO reveal anything about this new WO center focuser scope?

Edited February 5, 2023 by 900SL

[globular]

From WO website..... (https://williamoptics.com/wifd)

Introducing the WILLIAM OPTICS Internal Focus Design (WIFD) Apochromatic Series. This innovative and revolutionary design combines a precision (Patented) internal focusing mechanism with the highest quality optics available, providing the ultimate Apochromatic refractor for astrophotography. Designed from the ground up with the ability to handle the newest generation of large, heavy, high-resolution cooled cameras, the rock-solid optical tube assembly is uncompromised in quality. The movement of the focuser is integrated inside the main tube assembly, so there are no movements of a focuser drawtube visible from the outside.  The user can enjoy the benefits of a traditional two speed fine focuser, while not worrying about limitations typically found in traditional rear mounted focusers.

[tomato]

Can’t argue with the design principle, I know the blurb says otherwise, but it might be limited on aperture, 6” APO cells  will be a big mass to move backwards and forwards.

[carastro]

Only thing l took was this video of the Rotarian which l think was in FLOs stall. 
 

Enables switching from camera to eye pieces by use of a rotating thingy which looks like a filterwheel.   Filterwheel can  be added too said the designer.  
 

 

[carastro]

Another video of it with some explanation

 

 

Edited February 5, 2023 by carastro

[Alv]

Thank you Carole 

Yes, the patented Rotarion CAM 2.5" remote instrument selector, for optics and imaging devices, was presented at FLO - Astrofest 2023.

In the images below you can see a 2 camera setup, plus filter wheel and OAG; setup working in New Mexico and commanded from Chicago USA.

      

Videos from AstronSCIENTIFIC website..... ( https://www.astronscientific.com/rotarion2-5/ ):

1.- Introduction: Make your single-tube into a Multi-Application telescope.

2.- Harware: Rotarion CAM 2.5″ – HARDWARE highlights video.

3.- Software: Rotarion Remote Control PRO – SOFTWARE highlights video.

 

In a few days the First Light Optics team will update their website with more information.

Or in the mean time, please contact me directly if you have tech questions on Rotarion CAM 2.5" : a.martinez@astronscientific.com

Best regards from Barcelona & Clear Skies!

Alv.