MOST RECENT
G-11 PE testing — enter C9.25
I decided to try the C9.25 instead of Pumpkin to do my PE testing. With a much longer focal length, I thought that would give me more accuracy in the tracking data. […]
Long Exposure Photography / Maintenance
My dual-camera rig
I recently discovered that the counterweight shaft on the G-11 has a 3/8”-16 threaded hole, which is a standard photographic thread pitch. This left open the prospect of mounting a camera at […]
AT66ED – Moonlite focuser installed
I finally knuckled under and bought a Moonlite CF focuser for Pumpkin. With the motor and the extra flanges (more on this in a sec), it’s a $425 focuser for a $300 […]
C9.25 Robofocus installation
I finally got around to taking a photo of the RoboFocus installation on the new C9.25. Because the back of the scope isn’t flat, the installation was a bit of a challenge; […]
G-11 brass worm gear – First Light!
I got about 20 minutes of clean suckerhole tonight. It’s been cloudy for days now, even a bit of rain (very unusual weather for late April/early May in CA). When I checked […]
G-11 maintenance – new brass worm installed
Some nights I just go a little crazy. My new RA worm showed up today. It is seriously bright and shiny. I can only hope this fixes all my PE problems. I […]
G-11 maintenance – getting serious about worm adjustment
I have a new brass worm gear on the way. I hope that it will make my life better. In anticipation of its arrival, I decided to do some work on the […]
load and balance
I pulled the RA worm, cleaned and regreased it, and reinstalled it with an ammeter hooked up so I could see what the load looks like. In theory, if all is perfect, […]
G-11 Gemini – worms, worms, worms
I’ve never been entirely satisfied with the tracking performance of my G-11 Gemini. The “old” G-11 that I had worked flawlessly, which I now attribute to: – luck, – tuning by a […]
G-11 maintenance – Amperage and worm adjustment
I spent the better part of the weekend trying to get an amperage reading off of the mount. According to a knowledgeable fellow G-11 owner, if the RA worm is properly adjusted, […]
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.