Officina Stellare RH200 has Arrived!

[avandonk]

The RH200 has arrived at Astronomy Alive and I am going down there to pick it up this afternoon. Should I take my 20D to take pictures as Cris Ellis actually has two? One with the standard focuser and the one I ordered with a FLI Atlas Focuser.

I am trying very hard to not get too excited.

Will post pictures later today.

Bert

[strongmanmike]

:jump2:

[allan gould]

Nice one, savour every moment.

[h0ughy]

what a way to top off the week

[Peter Ward]

Excellent news Bert.

I'm looking forward to seeing the results.

(Guess the wet weather explains why RHA's are sprouting up like mushrooms at present ! :) )

[FlashDrive]

mmmm ..!!! nice :2thumbs:

Flash :hi:

[mithrandir]

Another 3 months of wet weather?

[gregbradley]

Awesome Bert. I look forward to hearing about it.

Greg.

[avandonk]

Here are some pictures. The case was extra but well worth it. The build quality is more than a match for the price.

Bert

[strongmanmike]

Looks the part Bert...how you feeling? ;)

Mike

[gregbradley]

That's a gorgeous looking scope. Also a really good case too.

Whats the gold coloured aluminium wheel do? A locking nut?

Greg.

[Shark Bait]

That scope has more carbon fibre than my old motorcycle exhaust pipe. :P

Somehow I don't think the photos do the scope justice. :thumbsup:

Gotta go now, I am starting to drool over the keyboard.

[avandonk]

Greg the gold wheels are for locking the dew shield in the two positions of fully retracted and fully extended. The small knurled screw also securely fixes the dew shield in the fully extended position.

Bert

[gregbradley]

Tks Bert. Its a very cool looking piece of equipment and whilst that may sound unimportant I think it really adds a nicety to the experience of using nicely made gear like that.

Greg.

[CDKPhil]

Great looking scope there Bert!:eyepop:
It looks just like a race car, and just as fast.:P

Cheers
Phil

[avandonk]

I always feel better when I can feel the weight in my hands Mike. It is superbly and solidly made. Looking down the optic axis in either direction is a bit trippy.

All I have to do now is work out how to set it up and actually take some images.

Tomorrow morning will try to get some pictures with the ten position (50x50 mm square) filter wheel which is bigger than a large dinner plate and the FLI 16803. Thats if I can figure out how they all fit together.

Bert

[Paul Haese]

Looks very nice. I do wonder why though the place where the knurled knob goes on the dew shield does not have any protection of the carbon fibre. It might not be a problem but this would surely get worn in time.

I like the carry case, good idea that one. I am really keen to see how this scope pans out for you. I hope it is all you need and expect.

[avandonk]

You are correct Paul that overtightening a metal screw on carbon fibre may damage it over time. Once I have it all set up this is a moot point. It is a simple matter to use nylon screws or PTFE washers. What is important is that the dew shield should not move otherwise the flats are no longer valid for correction.

My aim is to do wide field mosaics with the 3.5 X 3.5 degrees of this system. Say 3x3 images. These nine images would cover 9x9 degrees with ease. Or four 2x2 would cover 6x6 degrees.

This obsession of the corners at 52mm diameter not being as quite as good as the central fully corrected field of 42 mm diameter is a red herring.

I have 50mm square Astrodon filters. LRGB and HA, O3 and Si. The NB filters are all 3nm spectral width and the LRGB are their best. Can you imagine how deep these will go at 600mm FL at F3 with a FLI 16803 camera.

Only time will tell with much trial and error.

Bert

[gregbradley]

Exactly right Bert. Your plan is awesome and I look forward to the images. The FOV with the 16803 is huge and if you won't even have to crop as the mosaics will require at least a 20% overlap anyway.

Deep deep mosaics with the incredible PL16803 will make blow your socks off images.

Greg.

[avandonk]

What really excites me Greg is to image parts of the sky that have been ignored because of the many bright jewels that get all the attention and quite justly so. When I first did my mosaic of the Vela SN Remnant I was pushing my system and processing skills way past their limit.

I have now got a system that is currently way beyond my limit. Only practice and time will change this.

Bert

[gregbradley]

You have a whole world of possibilities to explore with that system.
It'll provide opportunities and challenges for ages.

Are you planning to use Pix Insight for the mosaic construction? Last I checked they improved the mosaic construction modules to adjust for gradients.

I wonder how good PTGui Pro is for stitching astro photos into mosaics. Anyone used it for this?

I personally think mosaics and panoramas are one of the most interesting and exciting types of photography around at the moment.

Greg.

[DavidU]

Exciting new Bert. I can't wait to see what you can do with it..

[multiweb]

This scope looks great. So compact. The finish looks like a Ferrari. I bet you're cursing the clouds right now. Weather can be cruel. :lol:

[marki]

Let the talk and speculation end and the imaging begin, I am looking forward to seeing the results. You are just waiting on the PMX now ? What a potent combo this will be.

Mark

[dvj]

Hey Bert,

Have you had a chance to do any test images with the RH 200? I am sure interested in one of these units for the shed in Coonabarabran if it turns out well. I'd like to see other images besides those from OS.

jg