Deep Sky / Long Exposure Photography

Mojo Risin’…but I didn’t Do anything!?

Tagged , , Leave a Comment on Mojo Risin’…but I didn’t Do anything!?

I would like to announce that, somehow, out of the blue (so to speak), my astrophotography mojo has returned. Let me ‘splain. When shooting dim astronomical objects, the more photons you collect, […]

READ MORE

General

Trixie out, Pumpkin in

Tagged , Leave a Comment on Trixie out, Pumpkin in

Between the higher magnification of the new camera, and the fairly untested nature of Trixie, I was beside myself trying to get things to behave properly. I finally decided to give myself […]

READ MORE

Camera / Gear

A change at QB for Hilltop Observatory

Tagged , Leave a Comment on A change at QB for Hilltop Observatory

Well, it happened again. The dawn of a new era in Hilltop Observatory. Today, the new imaging camera showed up in the mail. I bought it from Renaud Venne Landry, one of […]

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