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Intro
Hi, introducing myself. I live in NZ, and moved here with my Kiwi partner in September. I built up a modest rig while in the UK, an HEQ5, Meade 120 refractor, Celestron SLT mount & a Celestron ED80.
I did some imaging in the UK, but LP was bad. A Canon EOS 1000D for DSO & QHY5 (with a filter wheel). I have started to put the rig back together, but am limited where we are at the moment to the Celestron mount & ED80 - which isn't really workable for planetary (even with a X5 barlow) or DSO imaging. Still, I got a nice shot of the recent 4-planet conjunction, and will see what I can achieve with the Milky Way for now (rare site in the LP-UK - awesome here!).
I have yet to find my way around the sky here, which seems very different, so I am a beginner in this context, and my experience was limited in the UK as well.
I have a couple of challenges - when I do get to set up the HEQ5 (which I upgraded to synscan), getting to figure out how to do a polar alignment without Polaris (which my polar scope is set up for). Trying to get as much as possible working under Linux (as I only have a netbook running XP). I have managed to get most things in place, but have hit a bit of a wall with the QHY5. Cannot get an image in Linux. In XP, while getting images, and getting scope control working in Stellarium or other software, I am trying to get Phd working with the SLT mount via ASCOM. Upgraded the firmware on the HC to NXT - and Phd finds it, but won't make it active because there is no pulse control.
This may gives an impression that I am more interested in the equipment than actually observing - and that would probably be correct.
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