Observing Reports

Re: moon

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Apparently Columbus also pulled this one on the Arawaks in Jamaica. Could be where Mark Twain got the idea. <http://starryskies.com/The_sky/events/lunar-2003/columbus.eclipse.html> — “Jimbo S. Harris” <jimbo@jimbo.net> wrote: > Hi all, > > You […]

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Uncategorized

Re: A message about your ad (Losmandy G-11) on Cloudy Nights

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Jimbo, Thanks a lot for the info. Excellent advice! Thanks, Alex On Feb 15, 2008, at 4:44 PM, Jimbo S. Harris wrote: > Hi Alex, > > At 09:12 PM 2/15/2008 +0000, […]

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Optics

RE: astrophotography

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Hi Jimbo, Ahh, I am sorry, of course that doubleing the f/number is two stops difference! It must be this flue that is consuming my brain cells… 😉 Under one of your […]

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Deep Sky / Gear / Long Exposure Photography

NGC 2403, Spiral Galaxy in Camelopardalis

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This was the second night out with the Gemini. I decided to take the GOTO out for a spin. It did well. *Very* well. I punched up NGC2403 because my DSC program […]

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Deep Sky / Gear / Long Exposure Photography

M101, The Pinwheel Galaxy in Ursa Major

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I tried for 2 hours on M101, but ran out of time at 90 minutes. This isn’t a particularly spectacular image, but it’s unguided, and the GOTO was working like a charm […]

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Deep Sky / Gear / Long Exposure Photography

M51, The Whirlpool Galaxy in Ursa Major

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First light for my brand new Gemini mount. M51 is quickly turning into “the M42 of spring”; an easy to shoot, easy to find target that distracts me from other nearby objects. […]

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Deep Sky / Gear / Long Exposure Photography

M106, Spiral Galaxy in Ursa Major

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Another first-light image from the Gemini. I was having fun with the GOTO on the Gemini. It was bringing up targets really easily. I decided to try this big galaxy, to see […]

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RE: Focus depth: Canon vs. Nikon

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Hi Jimbo – Glad to hear from you again! It sounds like you are now tinkering into deeper waters. 🙂 Here are the backfocus distances: SBIG ST-4 1.16mm Meade DSI 7.43 Canon […]

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Techniques

Polar Alignment Calculations

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Here’s a page that derives Polar Alignment Calculations. (update 5/2020: the original site is gone, so I found the text on Wayback and am inserting it below. This is by the original […]

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Gear / Observatory / Telescope

Special Guest Star takes the mount at Hilltop O

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The Astro Jedi needed somewhere to store his light sab—- I mean, bucket, and I was only too happy to accommodate him. I have decided that I need to come to a […]

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General / Maintenance / Observatory

Dome shutter is motorized again!

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I finally decided to bite the bullet and fix the shutter motor. Things went sideways last winter, and I’ve been opening the shutter manually (and tying it shut with rope, so we […]

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ATM

Trixie 2017 – tube mods

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I finally got around to cutting the MTA-UTA tubes to length; the only eyepiece that would come to focus with the focuser spacer in place is the Televue 55mm Plossl. If I […]

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