Category: Gear
Gear / General / Maintenance
It's here! It's here!
My new Martin Farmer Worm Block finally showed up tonight. It’s been in-transit from the UK for a week. I’ve had nothing but good reports about this monolithic worm block from the […]
ATM / Electronics / Focuser / Gear / General / Maintenance / Observing Reports / Optics / Techniques / Technology
Murphy was an optimist.
Clear Sky Clock said it would be cloudy all night, so of course it stayed 90% clear until about midnight, when it socked in. But I’m getting ahead of myself… I decided […]
Focuser / Maintenance / Optics
At long last, progress
Well, it only took 5 months, but I finally got Veronica to focus using the new RCC and the off-axis guider! It’s for real this time. The problem has been stated and […]
Focuser / Gear / Maintenance
New Equipment – The next setback
Buoyed by my success at getting the new coma corrector to focus using the shortened focuser, I tried it again with the “production” focuser, which is 3/8” taller. I recollimated as far […]
Astro knowledge / Focuser / Gear / Maintenance / Techniques
New equipment works, finally.
In order to get the new coma corrector working with the OAG inline, I had to try a lot of things before I found the right set that shoved the focal plane […]
Gear / General / Maintenance
Going with the flow — D70 is back from the shop
How things change, seemingly overnight. When the Nikon D70 died at the end of May, I was devastated to lose my primary imaging camera. Luckily, I had a backup ready to jump […]
DSLR Narrowband Imaging – trying again
I had nothing but trouble the last time I tried H-alpha imaging with the D70. I bought a 2” Baader filter, and decided that the Astronomik filter slide system would be perfect. […]
IDAS LPS is a good thing
I’m testing out the new C9.25 tonight. Last night, I’m writing off as a “configuration” night. The sky is a little cloudy tonight, high thin clouds that serve to brighten up an […]
A Very Tough Night
This was one of Those Nights. Everything went wrong. It started with killing power supplies. I am trying to get a reading of the amperage coming out of the mount, which will […]
CCD Imaging Primer
http://docs.sdaa.org/AISIG/CCD_Imaging_Primer.pdf lots of basic information about equipment and software selection, and a really nice section on image processing.
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.