Category: General
The Gemini Triplets.
We have another new constellation here at Hilltop Observatory. It was not our first, but it was The Junior Astronomer’s first that she named by herself. She is a Gemini. The Sun is […]
Astro knowledge / General / Observatory / Observing Reports
Star party at Hilltop O
We hosted guests this evening at The ad Astra Observatory at Hilltop, Woodinville, Wa. B_, R_ & M_ stopped by for a really pretty and clear, but brr cold night at mid-winter. […]
General / Maintenance / Observing Reports / Techniques
Sometimes, not everything goes right.
One for the blooper reel. This is just a single subframe. On a good night, I take 6-10 of these. On a poor night, I get more like 3. Sometimes, I get […]
ATM / Gear / Maintenance / Telescope
Soon, Trixie. Soon.
Because I’ve made so much progress on the observatory of late, I was looking over my Bookmarks, to see if anything needed updating. Trixie (look in the tag cloud) is on-hold right […]
Maintenance / Observatory / Technology
A new Horizon (image)
B_ spent a little time clambering around on the roof of the observatory this morning; I really wanted to see if I could implement a cool feature in the star chart software. […]
Focuser / Gear / Maintenance / Observatory
Spring time – Pumpkin out, Cassie in
I’ve been working over Astromart again, trying to build up a “big boy” set of eyepieces, you know, for that public outreach I never do 🙂 Anyway, so far I’ve picked up […]
The Wolf Moon, January 11, 2017
All of the full moons of the year are named. I don’t know all of their names, Harvest Moon comes to mind, but like there are 12 or 13 of them, and […]
Electronics / Maintenance / Mount / Observatory / Technology
NJP Power up
My mount, 04026, and I have had a pretty good run together. I had to swap out the motors and brain a couple of years ago, when the main motor controller board […]
Long Exposure Photography / Maintenance / Observatory / Technology
M42 gets the Plate-Solved treatment
Oh, it’s starting to get fun, now. The dome is ludicrous, but it works. I set up SGPro for a series of 20m subframes. All guided and focused and stuff. The next […]
Astro knowledge / Deep Sky / General / Long Exposure Photography
Planes. Grr.
For how big the sky is, and how small an area I am capturing, I sure do catch a lot of airplanes. The astronomy gods chuckle.
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.