ARCHIVE February2011
Gear / General / Maintenance / Mount
NJP maintenance update – coming back together
I gave Takahashi America a week off of NJP updates. When I called them today for an update, they said that the part that’s in Japan is complete and in transit back […]
Astro knowledge / General / Observing Reports
Quelling nonbelievers
It has been preternaturally clear in Northern California this winter. It was cloudy when we returned from Christmas (rained for most of the drive). It stayed cloudy until the Saturday morning when […]
ATM / Gear / General / Observing Reports / Telescope
Trixie rebuild 2011 – first light
With the OTA all together, I spent some time collimating. With Cheshire collimation complete, I tried the autocollimator again. I totally lucked out! The two images that you are supposed to line […]
Trixie rebuild 2011 – OTA is complete
Trixie’s new OTA is complete. It took some hard work this weekend, but the new design is a pretty beast. It’s like a testament to the power of trigonometry. I’m excited to […]
Trixie rebuild 2011, day 6 – fits and starts to the finish line
Trixie’s new OTA is complete. I woke up this morning with a significant to-do list. I had to complete the LTA clamps, cut the LTA tubes to length, and construct the LTA. […]
Trixie rebuild 2011, day 5.5 – lower tube assembly clamps
Armed with the final measurements, I started prototyping the lower tube clamps. The angle is really extreme on the lowers. I wonder if I had gone to 4 rings if maybe I […]
Trixie rebuild 2011, day 5.4 – we have focal length
It should have come as no great surprise to me that I got the focal length right on the first try this time. After all, I already had a scope that could […]
Trixie rebuild 2011, day 5.3 – Truss, baby!
It took some time to get the truss clamps aligned properly. I ended up clamping the 6 corners in place, while I drilled out the attachment holes. Once the clamps were screwed […]
Trixie rebuild 2011, day 5.2 – a ring emerges
Next up was to cut the ring. I decided to use the CNC machine, because “why not?”, and also because I thought it would be pretty easy to set the cuts up. […]
Trixie rebuild 2011, day 5.1 – clamps!
I woke up this morning at 8am, ready to start cutting out clamps. I decided to recycle some wood that was once a part of the back porch of the house, because […]
RECENT UPDATE
Polar Alignment Calculations
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 […]
Gear / Observatory / Telescope
Special Guest Star takes the mount at Hilltop O
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 […]
General / Maintenance / Observatory
Dome shutter is motorized again!
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 […]
Trixie 2017 – tube mods
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 […]
MOST COMMENTED
Observatory
Observatory 2.0 – Time has come today!
General / Maintenance
First Light, a deeper look
Mount / Observatory / Telescope
Observatory 2.0 – Result!
Observatory
Observatory 2.0 – The Pier goes in
Gear / General / Maintenance
Martin Farmer Wormblock installation notes
Deep Sky / Long Exposure Photography
NGC2244, The Rosette Nebula
Deep Sky / Long Exposure Photography
Another beautiful night.