MOST RECENT
news from the front
The wind rolled in for a few days around the new moon and gave me a chance to do some astronomy. Also, my lungs cleared up some. Now the weather has stagnated […]
General / Maintenance / Techniques
pointing model building
When I build a pointing model using PAC on the Gemini, I get this strange behavior, where the error numbers are very large and then get smaller and smaller to some fairly […]
Polar Alignment : the latest chapter
A, It’s 12:20. I just got in from a polar alignment session that lasted almost 3 hours. The mac helpfully sang out the time at the top of the hour to make […]
AAVSO polar charts
http://www.aavso.org/observing/charts/vsp/index.html Not exactly sure which RA/Dec to use to get the NCP. +90 doesn’t work right. A, Attached is a chart (by the DSS, via AAVSO at http://www.aavso.org/observing/charts/vsp/index.html) of the NCP (the […]
fancy book learnin'
A, an excerpt from http://www.russellstreetobservatory.co.uk/equipment/G11pt4.html, a guy whose demand is 5 minutes unguided at 1000mm. I don’t think he’s going to get it, but he took great notes about his learning curve […]
Pumpkin – new field flattener
Pumpkin’s field flattener showed up last night. It’s a 0.8x reducer, too, which I didn’t really want, but I’m dealing with it. I didn’t do a great job at focusing (just eyeballed […]
Uncategorized
I hate polar alignment more
Apparently, I overshot significantly. According to my new pointing model, I’m at A:1 and E: -27. I used to be at A:1 E:6. More drift alignment now that the moon’s bright. I […]
Uncategorized
I hate polar alignment
I can’t get the )(%*(^$ Gemini to run in 2x sidereal mode, so my CCD drift thing isn’t working too good. So I switched to good ol’ drift alignment. Did I mention […]
Astro knowledge / General / Observing Reports
better to be lucky than good
So I’m on 2 trips, lasting 2 weeks each, in the next 6 weeks. As you know by now, the astrophotography part of the month is only 2 weeks long (from 3 […]
ATM dreams
I also collected all of the ATM photos into one place. I need to crop and resize, but I’ll have a decent record of the process. I’ve really enjoyed it. It makes […]
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.