TAG Observatory
Electronics / General / Maintenance / Observatory
Recent maintenance updates
I hadn’t posted in awhile, and I just realized that I’ve been fixing some stuff in the observatory that probably warrant mentioning. First, I had a couple problems crop up during Snowpocalypse […]
ATM / Electronics / General / Maintenance
Dome control v2.0 design
The motor control circuit that I constructed for the dome has been working flawlessly for a year and a half, but it’s always been a bit of a proof-of-concept, rather than a […]
Deep Sky / Long Exposure Photography
Last minute scramble
I’m in the process of changing houses. Among all the other concerns, this means that Ad Astra Observatory at Newark, CA is nearing the end of its run. I’ve had a lot […]
Gear / General / Maintenance / Mount
Settling in
The paint is dry on the pier topper, so I remounted it in the observatory. As I put in each part, I checked that each was level. As I suspected, the top […]
Gear / General / Maintenance / Mount
Setting up for the long haul
I headed out to the observatory this morning to level the pier. I had originally planned on it being a quick task, then ready for tonight (which is supposed to have some […]
Adjusting for Orthogonality
orthogonality HOWTO
General / Maintenance / Observatory / Observing Reports
A Comedy of Errors
I was invited to spend the weekend in dark sky near Clear Lake, CA. My ex-boss owns some land up there and wanted to see the sky. A rare chance to see […]
G-11 maintenance – the nuclear option
I have a second G-11 living in my garage. I bought it on Astromart with the intent of selling it for a profit. It’s a non-Gemini G-11. But, since it’s essentially a […]
ATM / Observatory / Technology
Re: Remote capable
Art Morton wrote: > You are almost to the point where you could image from Germany. Almost. I would need to put in some ethernet power and a garage door opener for […]
Nintendo DS camera controller
Howdy, I’m sending this message because you inquired about a Nintendo camera controller, (probably). I’m sorry I haven’t gotten back to you about the DS camera controller thing, I’ve been inundated with […]
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.