Astro knowledge / General / Observing Reports / Solar System Photography

Transient orbital effects

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I have to say that, as a rule, I’m generally not into transient astronomical phenomena. The fact that I can observe and photograph the same, unchanging objects year after year is very […]

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Astro knowledge / Solar System Photography

Analemma

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This is a detail of my pushpin analemma (in progress). The gnomon’s shadow only shows up for about 30 minutes each day, and during late spring and early summer, its shadow was […]

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Astro knowledge / Solar System Photography

Analemma

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This is an overview of my pushpin analemma (in progress). You can see the gnomon, the shadow of The Offending Column, the 4 points on the analemma (with date/timestamps), and the extra […]

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Astro knowledge / Solar System Photography

Analemma

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This is a shot out the window that I use to make my analemma. Note “the offending column”, which cast its shadow over my pushpin analemma from Memorial Day through Independence Day. […]

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Astro knowledge / Solar System Photography

Analemma

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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 […]

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Astro knowledge / Solar System Photography

Analemma

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This is an overview of my desktop analemma (in progress). The pushpins in the wall are just what I do with extra pins when I’m bored. (: (I used a red one […]

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Astro knowledge / Solar System Photography

Analemma

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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 […]

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General

RE: desk analemma

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🙂 You should make an analema on your desk… —–Original Message—– Hi, Thanks for waking me up this morning; I’d *still* be snoozing. whew. Work is going OK. I get a lot […]

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Techniques

Polar Alignment Calculations

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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 […]

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Gear / Observatory / Telescope

Special Guest Star takes the mount at Hilltop O

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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 […]

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General / Maintenance / Observatory

Dome shutter is motorized again!

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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 […]

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ATM

Trixie 2017 – tube mods

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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 […]

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