12" Stella lyra Newtonian. ( and no alarm )

[neil phillips]

Was up for a imaging run. all day. then got tired and decided to fall asleep until 11.30. Like a nutter i stilll decided to try. Try setting up a EQ6R And 12 " Newtonian quickly from scratch. 

Apart from the problems of not being able to cool it quickly,  it also decided to have loads of cloud around. 13mph wind. Not going to be the kind of night i had hoped for. By the time i got a 7000 frame run. it had dropped to around 36 degrees. ( had planned for 51 ) shooting over next doors plant bushes. ( maybe even through them I am not sure ) i have been doing some collimation efforts recently and wanted to test that out. Not surprisingly on screen focusing didn't seem to have a snap. ( this scope is critical ) But looking at the evenness of the full res 178 pane. And the detail coming through under such circumstances. It might be ok. I wanted to do a star test but cloud got worse, and i just had enough. So to be continued . Waiting for that night. where it shows what it can really do

In the meantime here's the rushed quite low, windy. In between cloud effort.

Stella Lyra 12" Newtonian. EQ6 R Pro mount. Vixen 2x Deluxe Barlow. IR685 Filter. ZWO 178MM Camera 

80% of capture size click for full size

 

Edited April 3, 2023 by neil phillips

[Mr Spock]

Excellent image though despite the conditions. Perfectly demonstrates how obvious the SAP was last night.

[neil phillips]

1 hour ago, Mr Spock said:

Excellent image though despite the conditions. Perfectly demonstrates how obvious the SAP was last night.

Thanks Michael. Every time i use it. I get the same feeling funny enough. When i first started using my Stella Lyra 8" Cassegrain. When i started using that quite early on, i could tell, the optics were sharp. And that good results would come soon from the first hurried attempts.

Well they did. But even though i don't think this scopes optics are as sharp as the Cassegrains. ( Still to be decided, just a impression )  It wouldn't be surprising considering the size. F number of the 12" No primary edge blocking ( like the Cassegrain has ) That doesn't mean its not sharp. It does mean everything has to be perfect to achieve a similar level of sharpness. From cooldown, to collimation. To seeing. To precise focusing ( especially precise focusing. Its not as broad as the Cassegrains ) But what it might lose out on ultimate sharpness. ( my Cassegrain is one of the sharpest scopes i have ever owned ) It will more than make up for in resolution. In time i believe it will kill the little Cassegrain stone dead. That's what i am feeling from these first efforts. But don't forget i have years of experience here to base my assumptions on. The results don't lie. Considering everything. i think its performing rather well. Just need everything to come together. That big scopes require to perform at their best

Edited April 3, 2023 by neil phillips

[Kon]

Excellent image in my eyes, but you are the best critic of your setup. It is showing really nice details and resolving several of the craterlets even under suboptimal conditions.  It sounds that you are getting where you want to be with the new setup. 

[neil phillips]

Just now, Kon said:

Excellent image in my eyes, but you are the best critic of your setup. It is showing really nice details and resolving several of the craterlets even under suboptimal conditions.  It sounds that you are getting where you want to be with the new setup. 

Thanks. yes slowly i think i am. 

[Mr Spock]

I do find my 12" SL is very critical of collimation. Last night Venus was a muddly mess. I checked the collimation and it was slightly out, what most people would find acceptable. A quick adjustment and suddenly Venus popped into focus.

[neil phillips]

1 hour ago, Mr Spock said:

I do find my 12" SL is very critical of collimation. Last night Venus was a muddly mess. I checked the collimation and it was slightly out, what most people would find acceptable. A quick adjustment and suddenly Venus popped into focus.

Agreed Michael Most F5 12" scopes are critical. As is focus