Uncategorized

Re: calibration problems tonight

Tagged , Leave a Comment on Re: calibration problems tonight

I got the stuff and I do not understand why Max does not recognize the calibration frames. You do want to get onto the Yahoo group. There is a lot of activity […]

READ MORE

Observatory / Technology

Re: Auto Guiding

Tagged , , Leave a Comment on Re: Auto Guiding

At 09:33 AM 3/17/2008 -0700, you wrote: >On Mar 17, 2008, at 8:51 AM, Jimbo S. Harris wrote: >>>My money, if I had any, would have burst into flame by now at […]

READ MORE

Observing Reports / Solar System Photography

Re: Comet 17P/Holmes animation

Tagged Leave a Comment on Re: Comet 17P/Holmes animation

I think its better with the stationary background. On 10/29/07, Jimbo S. Harris wrote: Hi all, After my last email, I decided to do a quick check, and yes, the comet is […]

READ MORE

General / Observing Reports / Solar System Photography

Comet 17P/Holmes animation

Tagged Leave a Comment on Comet 17P/Holmes animation

Hi all, After my last email, I decided to do a quick check, and yes, the comet is definitely moving relative to the background stars over the course of the 30-minute shoot. […]

READ MORE

Deep Sky / Gear / Long Exposure Photography

M27, The Dumbbell Nebula in Vulpecula

Tagged , , Leave a Comment on M27, The Dumbbell Nebula in Vulpecula

I tried a longer integration time on M27 (2 hours’ worth of 3-minute images vs. an hour of 2 min)… I think that I’ve reached the limit of what I can achieve […]

READ MORE

Deep Sky / Focuser / Gear / Long Exposure Photography

M8, The Lagoon Nebula in Sagittarius

Tagged , , Leave a Comment on M8, The Lagoon Nebula in Sagittarius

An hour of M8 with Veronica, G11, motor focuser. I could use some more detail of the outlying areas (there are some nice dust globs out there), but when I tried to […]

READ MORE

Astro knowledge / Solar System Photography

Animation of Moon at 7 to 10 days

Tagged , , Leave a Comment on Animation of Moon at 7 to 10 days

Moon at 7 to 10 days. Shot on 4 consecutive days from June 22 through June 25, 2007. Here’s what I have so far on my “all phases of the moon” project. […]

READ MORE

Astro knowledge / Deep Sky / Gear / Long Exposure Photography

M27, The Dumbbell Nebula in Vulpecula

Tagged , , Leave a Comment on M27, The Dumbbell Nebula in Vulpecula

Another attempt. I’m getting the idea that longer integration times lead to better detail and noise reduction…

READ MORE

Solar System Photography

Moon at 16 days old (compare ED80 to Veronica)

Tagged , , Leave a Comment on 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 […]

READ MORE

Astro knowledge / Deep Sky / Gear / Long Exposure Photography / Observing Reports / Optics

M42, The Great Orion Nebula

Tagged , , Leave a Comment on M42, The Great Orion Nebula

fullsize image I finally decided to try out Veronica (the 8” f/5 Newtonian) in the observatory, instead of the ED80. The reflector has two distinct advantages over the ED80; first, it’s about […]

READ MORE

Techniques

Polar Alignment Calculations

Tagged Leave a Comment on 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 […]

READ MORE

Gear / Observatory / Telescope

Special Guest Star takes the mount at Hilltop O

Tagged , Leave a Comment on 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 […]

READ MORE

General / Maintenance / Observatory

Dome shutter is motorized again!

Tagged Leave a Comment on 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 […]

READ MORE

ATM

Trixie 2017 – tube mods

Tagged Leave a Comment on 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 […]

READ MORE