Sun in Whitelight 9th May 2024.

[Steve Ward]

Finally got a break and a chance to see the monster ... 😲

 

 

 

[LukeTheNuke]

Very nice! Glad you got in on the action! I saw it after dinner yesterday, but it was through thin cloud. The view was better this morning!

Ah, sunspots like this tempt me back to imaging! And if my luck is in, I might be getting a new lappy soon. I might have to dig out my ©Steve Ward Monitor Shade. I believe I still have it!

Edited May 9 by LukeTheNuke

[Steve Ward]

28 minutes ago, LukeTheNuke said:

Very nice! Glad you got in on the action! I saw it after dinner yesterday, but it was through thin cloud. The view was better this morning!

Ah, sunspots like this tempt me back to imaging! And if my luck is in, I might be getting a new lappy soon. I might have to dig out my ©Steve Ward Monitor Shade. I believe I still have it!

I found mine whilst moving house a couple of years ago , but these days I find sitting in the shade of the summerhouse at the end of 5m USB cables much more comfortable ... 😉

Look forward to seeing your images soon ... 😀

[LukeTheNuke]

48 minutes ago, Steve Ward said:

I found mine whilst moving house a couple of years ago , but these days I find sitting in the shade of the summerhouse at the end of 5m USB cables much more comfortable ... 😉

Look forward to seeing your images soon ... 😀

I'm not 100% sure yet on getting back to the imaging. But there's quite a lot in place. I saw the other day how expensive HEQ5 mounts are now - already got. Lappy on the shopping list for other reasons (funds hopefully due by end of this month - a windfall, touch wood). Have the scopes and Herschel wedges. Can make time during the day (it's a bit complicated, but I'm kinda working from home for myself and can be flexible with my hours). So much in place already. Just missing a camera and my wife's tolerance. Mind you, I do have a DSLR somewhere. And lunar imaging tempts me back too, my Edge 8 would like to come out to play more often.

LOL about the shade of the summerhouse. Very civilized! You know, for years I've stuck a towel on my head while observing the sun. Today I found I no longer need it. Coz I have a sun hat. I feel rather silly now. I  noticed the old shade last year, I think it was, while getting the dob out of the shed. I'd completely forgotten about it! Clearly a sign and a nudge from the powers that be!

Anyway, well done getting that monster!

Edited May 9 by LukeTheNuke

[Steve Ward]

10 minutes ago, LukeTheNuke said:

Just missing a camera and my wife's tolerance. Mind you, I do have a DSLR somewhere. 

 

I've only ever used Canon DSLRs for my full disc imaging , going right back to 2012 , started with EOS 1000Ds and now using an EOS 6D ... 😉

[Rusted]

Excellent images! 

Here be dragons! ☺️

[LukeTheNuke]

7 minutes ago, Steve Ward said:

I've only ever used Canon DSLRs for my full disc imaging , going right back to 2012 , started with EOS 1000Ds and now using an EOS 6D ... 😉

Do you take stills or do a movie? Is the 6D a lot posher than the 1000D? (I did buy an 1100D in 2012, dunno if that is the one I still have)

[Steve Ward]

I still just rattle off a few hundreds single frames and then select a few to stack by eye. (25-50 depending on the seeing)

The 6D is a full frame camera but only 20.2Mp , I have a 90D here with 32.5Mp but it's only an APS-C sensor and getting the full disc with the Evostar 150 was impossible.

The 6D and 2x Barlow is perfect. 

I've a 174MM here for close-ups when the seeing allows it and it gets much higher resolution , but to get a full disc means all the faffing about with mosaics which is too much like hard work for a simple daily record.

For the best deals on cameras you should look at MPB or Park Cameras , as everyone's jumping to mirrorless there are some bargains to be had on DSLRs , afterall you don't need all the bells and whistles when you're using a 'scope instead of a lens.

[LukeTheNuke]

Thanks for the info and tip! Full frame sounds good. Oooh, you have a posh cooled 174 as well. I feel I can't get another 174, alas, as it would feel an own goal, having sold mine!

So you're using the Evostar 150? Have you had that a while? Is it a bit of a handful, or not too bad? I've thought about a 150 a few times, but our 120 feels fairly big already.

Edited May 9 by LukeTheNuke

[Steve Ward]

It's a bit of a handful in a stiff breeze ... 😄

The 174 was a bargain from a mate in readiness for my H-alpha adventure , one day ... 😉

[LukeTheNuke]

Please buy this one before my windfall comes in! What would tempt you the most to splash the cash? One of those fancy Solarscope filters?