Category: Observing Reports
It's not fit for man nor beast out there
It is raining so hard that it sounds like a roaring crowd. I have parts and a plan to work on Trixie a little today, but I figured I’d wait for it […]
OK, seriously, rain is alright with me, but
…the driving in the rain around here sucks. It’s going like cats and dogs out there, mudslides on Niles Canyon, etc. I’ve also noticed a strange thing about Newark — when the […]
General / Maintenance / Observing Reports
suckerholes
There was a brief moment between the stormfronts tonight, where I got to see a few stars and the really pretty crescent moon. Then the clouds closed back in. It’s been raining […]
General / Maintenance / Observing Reports
Cloudy, cloudy, and cloudy.
I haven’t seen any stars in several days now. The new moon brought in the cloud cover, and it’s hung around. During the day, the marine layer burns off, but as soon […]
Cloudy.
The new moon is bringing clouds. We need rain, but I can’t wait for clear skies again. It’s been several days now.
Rained last night.
Getting close to the new moon, so the storms are coming onshore.
Maintenance / Observing Reports
Cloudy.
No testing tonight. I will go back and read the entries from last spring again. I think I have a bad mount.
Deep Sky / General / Long Exposure Photography / Observing Reports
Welcome back, Veronica — and welcome back, awful guiding problems
Well, it was clear tonight. That’s about the best thing that happened tonight. The scope booted up and is working eh, ok. The polar alignment is off, and I never did check […]
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 […]
General / Maintenance / Observing Reports
Cloudy.
There were high, thin clouds all night. Only the brightest stars were shining through. So I decided to spend the evening preparing for better nights. I mounted the DAs on Veronica, so […]
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.