Keeping the tag in original condition is a good idea also!
I kind of like messing with my Astro gear as much as looking through them.
Very rewarding when completed.
Thanks. That's the only ugly bit that reminds me where it comes from.
Quote:
Originally Posted by LewisM
Well, that was worth all my blood, sweat and tears (more tears than anything )
Epic is a very apt adjective for this restoration. From Freddy Kruger to Belle of the Ball.
I like frankenstein better, Freddy Kruger scared the sh!t out of me when it came out.
Quote:
Originally Posted by RobF
That last re-aligning pic looks like you're all set to touch down at Clavius Base
(tragic 2001 Space Odyssey reference - skip to 2:45 )
Still watching paint dry for now. Nothing new yet. Might do a star test tonight with an articicial star to check collimation but the tube is still very tender to handle which is a real pita. I have to be super careful. I've learnt a lot about touch ups though and paint resto, polishing, etc... so I kept busy fixing my car bonnet this weekend and bought an orbital polisher. Holding this thing is like riding a hula hoop.
All set up to check collimation tonight. Waiting for dark.
Artificial star across the reserve is ~30m I'd say direct line of sight from the scope on the table through the garage.
Posting a couple of videos soon taken through the scope with my SONY NEX-5.
Here's the video during twilight of the artificial star at the cassegrain focus.
Learnt a few things tonight. My artificial star is just not bright enough to be of any use with the CN-212. 8 ish " at f/12+ doesn't cut it. Even visually with a 4mm eyepiece it's pretty dim once defocused. The NEX-5 at 12800 ISO 5s exposures shows the diffraction rings but I focus and shoot in the dark. Nothing is bright enough for a live view focus. Will have to try with a webcam and the laptop next time. Here's a serie of pics in and out of focus. Collimation is a little out but not by much so as Rob said my 2001 moon landing was pretty close.
Here's a GIF sequence shooting in the dark. Will do a better video with my ZWO when I get a chance and tweak collimation.
Also added what I think is the closest to focus in the few frames I got.
Last edited by multiweb; 06-11-2018 at 03:18 PM.
Reason: added focus pic
Here's a video done last night with an ASI 120MM.
I will need to mount the scope to do further tweaking as it is cumbersome to collimate and shift the OTA back on the table to recenter the star.
PS: I measured accurately tonight. The distance from the scope aperture to the star was 46m and the diameter of the smallest inner dark disc where the star sits in the video is 4.7mm across.
Marc,
are you going to set-up both the Newt and Cass arrangements??
I'm trying to get the cassegrain right first, spider centering, primary tilt etc... I'm still waiting on the TAK collimation tools and accessories to do the newt side of things. The mirror has a hole in the middle so you can't use a cheshire or a laser or even the catseye kit, so I'll do that later. There's a step by step procedure in the manual. I also saw a few posts on CN using a howie glatter.
I need a focuser to image at the back. The moonlite is motorised. Otherwise I'd have to drill the back for a bracket and change the primary focuser to a micro focuser. If I drilled the back Lewis would give me a call for sure.
My TAK collimation and adapters are posted. Should get them within the week. Scope is on the mount. Everything is set up. Aligned the finder. Sky is still blue. Hope it sticks for a little longer. I just want to see one star.
Couple of shots taken with the NEX-5 at sunset tonight. Achernar and NGC104. 15s unguided. The fov looks a lot better than the Mewlon 210. Collimation is still a little out and I haven't touched it. Seeing is not the best. Pretty happy with sharpness and contrast though. Just set up the QHY9 mono with UV/IR cut LUM filter now waiting for the clouds to clear and try some long exposures.
Achernar single 3min exposure LUM QHY9 guided and very heavily strecthed. Pretty happy with the stars in the field at that FL. Image scale is 0.42asp and fov 24' x 18' . The double diffraction spike tells me what I already knew when I checked visually, the secondary is not quite centered and the spider vanes are not exactly square. When I get the TAK collimation scope I'll be able to tweak that and recollimate. I reckon the scope will perform exceptionally well once I get it right. The FL on this shot is 2.6m.
Added 7x2min so 14min LUM on the trap uncalibrated. Limiting factor is going to be my guiding. But exciting times ahead. I have now a scope I can't even get the best out of yet. Very sharp and such a nice flat field compared to the C11. It gathers less light but the quality of the data can't compare off axis.