PST80 - AR1072 23rd May 2010

[NickH]

700 frames in pretty good staedy seeing, despite the heat

Lumenera Skynyx 2-1

PST80 at F25

Televue 2.5X Powermate

Captured in Lucam Recorder, processed in Avistack and CS2

[NickH]

Prom single shot, stacked in Registax

[brianb]

Nicely caught & very nicely processed!

[MrJulius]

Really like the detail good work Nick

[NickH]

Thank you.

Here's a wider 4 pane composite of the area. Merged in imerge though, which is not ideal.. and stacked in Registax mainly for time saving...may do this again in ICE and AVIstack

some absolutely tremendous work appearing in the solar section of late.. really top class!

[steppenwolf]

Very nice prom indeed looks like an Indian Runner extending its wings.

[NickH]

Thanks Steve..

Just decided I want a Daystar rig to augment the rest of the kit :-)...wonderful shots..

[brianb]

some absolutely tremendous work appearing in the solar section of late

Indeed .... it does of course help that the Sun is putting on a bit of a show

[steppenwolf]

Just decided I want a Daystar rig to augment the rest of the kit

Does this give you more tuneability?

[NickH]

Kind of..., but it would sit on the TMB is the key point, or something larger :-)...

Always loved Dave Tylers images with his...really super stuff

[pauldaviesuk]

Lovely images as always, Nick.

I was observing AR1072 and that promenance/filament group on Sunday, but still having a lot of trouble focusing. TBH, the seeing was awful (it was from about 10:30am so maybe a bit late in the day) but even so I'd have expected to get a chrisper 'schimmery' image rather than the fuzy, shimmery image I was seeing.

The trouble seemed to be a that there was a fairly wide band 'almost in focus' between the obvoius 'out-of-focus' extremeties. Rather frustrating..as you can imagine.

I'm tempted to try and build an electric focuser for the PST body to try to eliminate finger-initiated wobbles.

cheers

Paul

[NickH]

Paul

open up the case...and check the prism, also check the alignment on the secondary blocking filter if you can...sounds like these are the problems (troubel focussing)

Have you done the mod yet...those Vixen A80's are still available

[brianb]

open up the case...and check the prism

If the seeing was bad, leave it alone ... it's when the seeing is good but you still can't get a satisfactory image that it's time to reach for the tool box (IMO). Or, in other words, don't risk breaking what might not be broke. Bad seeing - causing smearing rather than shimmering or wobbling - is by no means unknown.

I also have the odd day when I find it hard to focus for reasons which I'm sure are physiological rather than real, but whether it's tired eyes, tired brain or some lack of coordination between eye, hand & brain, I don't know. Just one of those things which goes with thinning, greying hair, I think.

[pauldaviesuk]

Have you done the mod yet...

here it is in all its glory

[NickH]

I had a regular PST out on Saturday as well...and at F10 focus was fine...I agree with Brian in that be aware that seeing could be the issue, but...you said "still finding it hard to focus"... and I think yours is a second hand unit Paul? (if so warrantee not an issue)

Prism check is a two minute job, and as you know what you're doing (I have known Paul for over 20 years), should be easy enough

[NickH]

Ah...

So that's an AE ERF? and the prism still in the case,,,and more aperture and no focus...

:-)

not going to say what I think the problems are as I already have in other threads

[pauldaviesuk]

I'm actually noticing a fair about of image shift while focussing, which put me in mind of the prism alignment issues that you have mentioned. Would that be a symptom?

[NickH]

yup

if it goes one way and then the other, that's the beasty!

is it an AE ERF?

[pauldaviesuk]

Actually its a new PST, that was supplied with the loctite glueing the gold tube to the black box strangely absent....

and yes.. the ERF + cell was from AE

[NickH]

ha ha ha

new PST...hmm, okay in which case get the prism re-set properly unless you fancy going the whole hog on the mod...

ERF is Baader or AE?

[NickH]

If it's an AE ERF.... ho hum...

(and yes...I have tried one, and bought the Baader)

[NickH]

Paul, from your description it could be several things

1: The optics on the main scope. Have you star tested it since the mod?

2: the optics on the PST body (prism etc)

3: Alignment of the black body to main tube

4: Lack of flatness on the ERF (I tested a load and the Baader was the only one that delivered for me...I know others have used other ones...that's just my observations)

[pauldaviesuk]

1 & 2 - tasks for tonight..assuming the weather holds...

3 - I have no reason to think there should be any problems here. or atleast no more/fewer problems than if I had gone down the route of having a custom/fixed adapter made up.

4 - well.. lets eliminate 1, 2 & 3 before startin ng to think of spending more £££. Could I get away without an ERF if the apature were stopped down to (say) 30mm (web cam use only, ofc!), purely for the purposes of eliminating the ERF from the enquiry?

[NickH]

Hmm..not ideal stopping it down, as it may not help with other factors...so by that reply I guess you did get the AE one..

Is it an 80mm thread/screw on ...want me to test it on mine?

Drop it over to my office, and I can have a look for you..

I did say....:-)...

[NickH]

Updated image of the Active region, from AVIstack.. slightly different time to the first one, seeing even better