TAG FOV and other Calculation
Moon at 16 days old (compare ED80 to Veronica)
Moon at 16 days old. This is a comparison of 2 shots of the moon, taken on the same night, with the same exposure length, one through the ED80 refractor and the […]
Astro knowledge / Solar System Photography
Analemma
This is a detail of my desktop analemma (in progress). The tape marks along the right were made once I realized how fast the gnomon’s shadow moves and therefore how accurate the […]
Astro knowledge / Solar System Photography
Analemma
This is a detail of how quickly the shadow of the gnomon moves. The lens cap was not moved. The rightmost piece of tape in the upper images is the one detailed […]
Bellflower coordinates
5920 BELLFLOWER DR NEWARK, CA 94560 Decimal Degrees Deg:Min:Sec Lat: 37.529232 37:31:45.235N Lon: -122.011984 122:00:43.142W
Deep Sky / Gear / Long Exposure Photography
NGC7000, The North America Nebula in Cygnus
The birth of a nemesis. NGC7000 is so big and relatively dim that it’s a challenge to pick up the whole nebula in one shot. This is a full 35mm frame, carefully […]
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.