Tonights Seeing

[atalas]

Hey guys

So,decent seeing in Sydney tonight but of cause those clouds love It too

Anyone out there tonight?

And of cause now, as It's clearing over Padstow....the seeing getting worse

[Atmos (Colin)]

Seeing actually looks pretty good in Melbourne, I mean, it's probably excellent behind the clouds

[atalas]

Sorry....I asked Zeus to send It down your way....didn't realize he would, was, listening

[xelasnave]

I can see the clouds perfectly.
But I am all set up to have a go if they go away.
Still sorting things out but I wanted to see what its like capturing in a light polluted city...my first time.
Alex

[atalas]

Some places in Sydney are better than others Alex but still,If you keep your exposure time down to a couple of minutes you should do good.

[xelasnave]

Originally Posted by atalas

Some places in Sydney are better than others Alex but still,If you keep your exposure time down to a couple of minutes you should do good.

Thank for the encouraging advice Louie.
The clouds cleared, started sorting things but battery was to flat to run mount.

I bought a small regulator for the solar panel so I can connect it without worrying about shade ...been a hands on trying to charge both batteries...I have a 240 vlt charger somewhere but its too late to be bothered ...anyways sorting thru.

Alex

[Shano592 (Shane)]

I had the camera on the balcony, getting some exposures in order to teach myself to create a timelapses in Lightroom.

On a whim I pulled in the camera setup after about 360 frames. Within 5 minutes it started pouring down.

Seeing may have been ok otherwise, if not for the 40kt winds...

[LewisM]

Had perfect seeing last night out past Yass...got BLOODY COLD though - thick frost everywhere, including the scope and mount.

[xelasnave]

Spent all my time trying to get perfect alignment and realising focusing is an art.
Ended up with slight trailing East to West which may be power or balance related, when scope vertical.
But by that stage I was too tired and not thinking clearly so I left it.
But very happy that I could get 3 minutes where the sky did not go white and I can probably go longer but need to reach perfect align first.
So all good.
Alex

[xelasnave]

And because the battery in the old 450 d went flat I brought in the old 300d , I am only aligning so...
It worked bless it so did not miss a beat.
I have forgotten how to PEC train but I know I need a reticle so today will try an fix the old one which needs attention.
So good to have important things to do...but my legs don't like it...so another challenge later will be setting everything up so I can sit in my wheelchair and roll around rather than walk around...
Dragged the old lap top out which seems to have lost 2 gig of its 4 gig of ram to see where to set it up or rather where the new one will go...looked at old captures man they were very poor...I remembered them so differently...deep sky stacker refuses to show itself..its in there but.....
And after thinking someone had nicked my solar/ battery regulator and buying a new one I find the old one...up side both batteries get their own regulators.

The baffle extension seems to help but I have not done with and without tests but given there is a street light close buy and the neighbour has a motion sensor light that picks up I don't know what any effort to cut light must be a help.

The most positive aspect is I am not going crazy as to what to buy next although .,.....

Still really need a smaller set up, eq5, 80mm scope and a dedicated camera.

[AstralTraveller (David)]

Originally Posted by LewisM

Had perfect seeing last night out past Yass...got BLOODY COLD though - thick frost everywhere, including the scope and mount.

I was at Bungonia that night and, yes, the seeing was superb. The contrast in nebulae such as M8, M20 and M16 was the best I've seen in a long time. It was certainly cold but not quite as bad as the previous new moon weekend.

[LewisM]

It was actually forecast to snow where we were, but then they revised the prediction to higher altitude. We certainly got the frost though!!! The AP was amazing though - not a hint of frost on the glass anywhere, despite the TOP of the dewhsield being like a freezer wall. The black paint they use must be magical

It certainly was painful - literally - packing up, even WITH gloves. Our water supply out there froze, the gas cans for the stove were slushy, and our cheese and salami froze . Thankfully, the Bailey's and Scnapps kept us warm, if not sleepy

[AstralTraveller (David)]

Luckily I didn't have to pack up, just close up the car. However the temperature in the hut I slept in was only 2.1C when I went to bed. I only took off my boots, coat and second beanie before getting under the blankets and doona, figuring I would shed more layers as I warmed up. By morning only 1 layer and the sox were gone, the other 6 layers and two pairs of pants were still on. I slept well enough though.