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Fresh(ish) eyes

BobTheSaxon

By BobTheSaxon
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BobTheSaxon

BobTheSaxon

Posted
Posted

:D

Hi All,

I've been using this site for about a year, it's a very friendly site and great for astronomy information. I've been to a few SGL events too, so I thought I should introduce myself.

I live in Cambridge am a scientist by training. At age 11 got my first telescope - a Tasco 70mm refractor, with a picture of the Andromeda galaxy (taken with the 200" Mt Palomar telescope, I could never get is this good with the Tasco and didn't understand why) and so was a little disapointed. Forty years later I picked up an EQ6 from Linton Guise in Bedford and a 102mm Vixen Super Polaris refractor with a very nice red Moonlight focusser from a chap at Kelling Heath last year - I didn't expect to buy a scope and went mainly to listen to the talks, and then some lenses and anti-dew heaters (from various folk at SGL), and a mains power pack and portable battery power pack, telescope cover from Green Witch. Also picked up a 6" refractor from Solar B (not far from Forth Bridge) - a chap at work made some knurled brass oversize focussing knobs for it, nice but very cold on the fingers in the early morning). Then there is the EQ DIRECT and loads of powered USB cable (Maplin 5m for £14) as I have discovered it is very very cold in the early hours even when wrapped up "warm" - so I intend to run my scope from the car or house via cable. I did wonder whether a dew heater around the head would help - but I don't have one big enough to test this idea.

With my Toucam I have done some imaging - cement between bricks at about 300 yard is my best effort so far, Jupiter was seen as a very bright blob with a few of its moons yesterday - I was inside a warm room with the scope (not guided) pointing out the window. I think I need to turn the gain down on the Toucam - the answer wil be in SGL I am sure. Over Xmas I think I may have a good set of Jupiter "subs", as I believe they are called, to start learning the processing side of imaging.

I am amazed at what equipment is available these days, and getting the right bits to work together adds further interest to what was a purely visual hobby for most amateurs a few decades ago.

I only need to move house to somewhere dark, with room for an observatory, with a pier and warm room and I suppose a cooled, integrating camera......

Best wishes to you all :)

Bob (TheSaxon).

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Dave S

Dave S

Posted
Posted
I intend to run my scope from the car or house via cable.

Good plan. :) Thats also my current project. Just watch out for the maximum length you can use USB.

full speed devices 5 meters low speed devices 3 meters

I have to split the run with a powered hub to run from my observatory (kitchen :)) to the scope.

I also found out first time that with webcams less gain is more when imaging.

Cheers

Dave...

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