Category: Techniques
Accessory / Focuser / Gear / Maintenance / Observing Reports / Techniques / Technology
FocusMax – relearning the V-curve
Things have changed a lot since the last time that I ran Focusmax. Among other things, I have built up a whole new astro-PC, and I never really understood FM well enough […]
General / Maintenance / Optics / Techniques
Rainy weekend, perfect for maintenance
I had a bunch of maintenance piling up in the obvservatory, so I decided to do some of it since it’s raining all weekend. I spent a little time getting the mount […]
General / Maintenance / Techniques
Small errors for which we pay dearly
As near as I can tell, the mount is within 1 degree of being level. It’s probably within half a degree, but I’m being conservative. That small error, probably a quarter turn […]
Collimation: Secondary offset explained
Newtonian secondary mirror offset I have never really understood the thing about “if you use a sight tube, you’ve already done this”. But this is the best treatment I’ve seen so far.
Guiding.
My autoguiding system is so broken right now. The OAG really complicates the task of finding a guidestar, because among other things, the OAG is very difficult to get to, so I […]
General / Maintenance / Techniques
Gemini Model Parameters
Well, I think I finally nailed the polar alignment. A: 1 E: -1 Here are the rest of the modeling parameters: dH 26′ dD -2′ NE 33′ (Axis non-perpendicularity at the equator) […]
General / Maintenance / Techniques / Technology
WCS – second night
suckerholes tonight, so I am going to see if I can get my A:5 E:4 down lower. I’m running just the webcam with 2x Barlow today. The 6x thing from yesterday was […]
General / Maintenance / Techniques
Polar Alignment. Again.
So I spent some time doing polar alignment today. This has to be my least favorite astronomy activity. It’s so impossible to tell whether you’re dead-on or not, and there is so […]
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 […]
General / Maintenance / Techniques
Maintenance TBD
I’m believing that there are errors that I haven’t figured out. Polar alignment Orthogonality Collimation Flexure Mount is level But I think that of these: 1) Polar alignment is suspect but I […]
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.