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All set for tonight, first go at autoguiding

Keithp

By Keithp
in Imaging - Discussion

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Keithp

Keithp

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Isn't it nice when things come together, guide scope delivered Tuesday, guide camera ready, mount control board sorted (see my other thread in equipment help), Arthur's guide rings and one of his dovetails all set up with the guide scope.

Cooking on gas:hello2:

ooh and I'm on holiday for a fortnight, working on the house during the day and from now on playing all night...weather permitting:rolleyes:

heh heh

Picture shows the setup with all the locks off, nicely balanced. Anyone else out tonight?

post-15528-133877402265_thumb.jpg

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Vega

Vega

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Another Somerset dweller who'll be out tonight. Mounted 250px here too :D. I'll be battling against the moon and Bridgwater Fair illuminations to the South East of my location... my target? M15...hmmm which direction will that be? All I can asay is wish me luck! LOL

Matt

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Keithp

Keithp

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Neat setup there Matt, just getting my SynScan controller problem sorted then I can take advantage of easy findings, for the moment though it looks like I'll be hunting the targets manually, all part of the fun though:hello2:. Can't wait to get my first 30 minute plus exposure, maybe looking at M82 as a first go..

Should I go for something fainter, maybe like a nebula?

Regards

All

Keithp

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arad85

arad85

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EQ6 out in the garden. It'll be my first light with it tonight (can you have a first light on a mount :D ). Hopefuully, I'll get to try some mono Jupiters with my new DMK (waiting on an adaptor to fit my filter wheel). New mount, new camera - should be lots of fun tonight :D

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JCJC

JCJC

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Not as lucky as you guys, I have a forecast for clear ish skys tonight and my modded 350d is due to arrive tomorow :D

I'm gonna try and get another hour on M31 and M45 with the 400d and EF 70-200mm f/4.0 lens.

Good luck.... Jordan

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Keithp

Keithp

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Tell you what, one thing I did notice when it was all loaded up and balanced. The whole lot tends to occilate a little longer than before, gonna have to remember to bear that in mind before I start imaging.

Total weight on the balance side of things is 2 X original weights with the mount and 2 X 5kg dumbell weights. Might have to think of one of those longer balance bars to cut down on the weight me thinks:icon_scratch: Still the wind can try and blow it over:):D

Regards

All

Keithp

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JCJC

JCJC

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Haha........ the wind can try, I don't think it's gonna worry you though Keith.

What camera are you using is it the 500D, don't forget the DSLRs are pretty heavy... Might affect balance?

Jordan

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Keithp

Keithp

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Rats!:D Cloud cover is in:mad:

Just checked Sat24 and suddenly it don't look so good.

BeyondVision

According to Sky6 the moon should be over due South at about 10 ish. I was thinking of M82 for my first target with the new setup...allowing for cloud:mad:

Heh heh, greatest plans of mice and men or what!

ah well, just chucked the covers over it and I'll concentrate on my betting skills on the Fulham match tonight, few glasses of the golden necter from up north...and maybe check again at about 22:00 ish. Fingers crossed.

Thought it was all too good to be true

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Vega

Vega

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Yep cloud bank came in here too... Im still not too disheartened.. its a chance for me to start my library of darks. I've always done darks on the fly or immediately after my lights... but now im going to try getting a load during cloudy nights by keeping a record of the temperature near the camera. Its still a mild night at the mo tho 14.4 degrees under my scope

Matt

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Vega

Vega

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Will be an all nighter for me (well, done automatically... a guy needs some sleep lol). Of late i've been doing all nighter 8 minute or 10 minute exposure imaging sessions, so my darks will have to be similar. Did I read that right you plan to do 30 minute + subs ???

ps 14.2 degrees now.. wish it would get a move on down to at least 12deg. down 0.2 degrees every 10 minutes so thats erm... (gets calculator.....lol)

Matt

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Keithp

Keithp

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Yep, Matt you read that right. I've managed 7 mins unguided when I've set up on a Thursday night, refined the Pa on Friday and then nailed it on Saturday... That's happened about twice since I found out how.:D:D

Now with autoguiding I want to go to the other extreme and see what I can get on a faint object with a long exposure, may also show up any faults in my setup before I start really going for it in this my first Winter.

Woh, remembering back to when I first started...

http://stargazerslounge.com/observing-discussion/72491-first-light-slightly-dissappointed.html

All thanks to the many helpful people on this forum:icon_salut: help and advice when needed, even if argued with occasionally:o

Regards

Keithp

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Psychobilly

Psychobilly

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Keith,

The weathers heading your way from my way and not a star in sight here...I couldn't reconcile the optimistic weatehr forecast with what I was seeing on the Sat24 images earlier so made an early call on a no go...

Having the obs does mean "no go" to "go" is less than 5 mins though...

Peter...

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Vega

Vega

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Respect for going 30+ but how do you intend on tackling signal to noise ratio with 30 min subs? I hope there arn't too many satellites or planes about lol... a ruined 30 minute sub is a lot of wasted time.

13.9 degrees now... in to my 3 minute darks first, i've punched in 30x8 and 30x10 mins too... I think it all gets done before sunrise :-S

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Keithp

Keithp

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Hi Peter, yep I concur with your findings. Sat24 is looking yuk, the bbc whether, weatherpeople strike again...looks like a few darks and then I'm done.

Cause it does mean if they got it wrong and advanced it too far we might have a good weekend, which they didn't predict.... well maybe.

Doh! I'm covering up for the night and resigned to losing money on the Fulham match as well,,:D

heh heh when it rains it pours!

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Keithp

Keithp

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Hi Matt, well I've never done subs that long before so I wanted to try to see what happens, maybe more of a test of the auto-guiding setup really. Although I'd have been very interested in what the results would have looked like and try processing out any defects.

Even the odd satellite or plane would have been nice last night, spoilt by cloud. Still the kit's all out covered up. Maybe see what turns up tonight, though it's not looking too promising on Sat24.

Regards

Keithp

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