TAG 300D
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 […]
Deep Sky / Long Exposure Photography / Maintenance / Optics
RCC first light
The camera is out there capturing an unguided shot of M42 for the RCC’s first light image. …and here it is. As usual, it’s another M42. This is 30 frames, 2 minutes […]
Focuser / Maintenance / Optics
At long last, progress
Well, it only took 5 months, but I finally got Veronica to focus using the new RCC and the off-axis guider! It’s for real this time. The problem has been stated and […]
Astro knowledge / Focuser / Gear / Maintenance / Techniques
New equipment works, finally.
In order to get the new coma corrector working with the OAG inline, I had to try a lot of things before I found the right set that shoved the focal plane […]
Deep Sky / Long Exposure Photography
Familiar landscape — NGC 6888 and Sadr
I was running out of ideas of things to shoot; I’m getting pretty worn out from several nights in a row of being up late shooting, and I’m starting to make bad […]
modded DSLR IR response
The February 2009 issue of S&T, pp. 81, has a side-by-side photographic example and explanation of the UV/IR cut filter in DSLRs. The UV/IR cut filter that comes with the camera is […]
Deep Sky / Gear / Long Exposure Photography
M63, The Sunflower Galaxy in Ursa Major
This time I went nuts and punched up 4(!) hours on M63. That’s by far the most I’ve ever done. This was unguided, while I was still testing out the new mount. […]
Deep Sky / Gear / Long Exposure Photography
M35, Open Cluster in Auriga
First time shooting M35. I don’t particularly dig open clusters (with the exception of The Pleiades), but I needed something to shoot for a little bit before Orion rose high enough for […]
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.