TAG Weather Report
Ennui
New moon is either tonight or last night. I’m never entirely sure. But essentially, it’s, like, moonless out there. I think it’s been clear the last 2 or 3 nights. I haven’t […]
Last(?) rainstorm of the season
After a cloudless week, the longest stretch since autumn, I left town for a couple of days, only to come back to clouds on Sunday. There were clouds and a bunch of […]
El Nino and mount sales during tax time
This has been the wettest winter since I’ve lived in CA. We need the rain. But it’s decidedly odd, seeing rain deep into March and possibly into April. Despite the “unsettled” weather […]
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.