TAG Gemini
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. […]
G-11 Gemini – working out gremlins
I have been troubleshooting the guiding in the mount for a year now, and I think that I have it down to one of a very few remaining possibilities: 1) flex in […]
G-11 Guiding Commands: ST-4 relays vs. ASCOM
My autoguiding isn’t as straightforward as it used to be. I have a lot of new gear that I’m trying to figure out; G-11, Gemini, ASCOM, ST-4, MaxIM. Each of these adds […]
Re: C9.25 first light
I was a little worried about the weight of the new (and larger-aperture) OTA, but since it was a first light, I was running in minimal load mode; just the OTA, a […]
Uncategorized
nyah — you and your fancy "software"
Awesome meridian flipping is usually the result of extra software (like CCDCommander) which does a plate solve to put the mount in the correct spot.
Focuser / Maintenance / Optics
Re: scope getting dialed in
Art Morton wrote: > With a couple more moon nights you will have a perfectly calibrated G-11 I hope so; It really is a lot of new stuff to learn. Someday I’m […]
Uncategorized
Re: PEC
Art Morton wrote: > At some point you do want to get the PEC programmed and running. Do you use PEC? > I presume this will be the next step after 5min […]
Uncategorized
Re: Well, what happen?
A, Meridian flips don’t work on my mount. The RA motor lags by several degrees in clockwise (RA+) on every slew. I tested to see if the error got larger when jumping […]
Re: Fwd: [CCDCommander] Re: PB with meridian flip
I need to set my safety limits. The problem is, I’m not sure where to set them; too conservative and I can’t reach certain parts of the sky. Too liberal and the […]
Uncategorized
Gemini Polar alignment workflow
A, Per our conversation, here is what I’m going to try: 1) Get mount to CWD position and with no pointing model 2) cold start 3) synch on one star (near meridian) […]
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.