View Full Version here: : Another nice night at Wallaroo
strongmanmike
28-09-2016, 01:14 AM
Sorry..just lonely :sadeyes:..clear, still, dark, transparent and reasonable seeing, galaxy subs look good (second night in a row)...2ltrs of great beer gone, one large coffee drunk and 200g of chocolate munched down..cant complain :D
So, how's your night going?...hic..
Mike
Has been a nice night in Brissie too Mike.
Hitting the sack now - wish I'd had some relaxing ale, and double wish didn't need to wake up for work in 5-6 hrs :P
p.s. Sounds like you're due for a major diuresis any moment now :lol:
strongmanmike
28-09-2016, 01:33 AM
Nice to hear Robbo, not the having to go to work bit :doh:, I've taken a weeks leave between two long weekends here in Canberra, to grab some photons and so far, I've two clear nights under the belt...:prey:
Yes..arhem, time for a pee....
Mike
strongmanmike
28-09-2016, 02:48 AM
Doh!..well, not all good...after last nights all nighter run, my batteries look to have not had enough sun during the day to recharge fully...sooo, I'm about to run out of power...and of course the sky conditions are almost perfect...damn! :mad2:..I should squeeze a few more subs out and go until my inverter starts alarming :help: :)
And of course the seeing is now really good too...sheesh
Mike
Sorry...noone to talk to :sadeyes: :lol:
dylan_odonnell
28-09-2016, 03:44 AM
How frustrating eh!
I only get 2.5 hours on a target from my urban obs so I image whatever I can get weather permitting and have started taking a couple of nights worth at least.
I ran out of alcohol early tonight (doh), plenty of power though! Maybe we can trade...
d
strongmanmike
28-09-2016, 04:35 AM
Ha ha ha..be a bit of a toss up that one Dylan :question: :lol: :drink:
Mike
xelasnave
28-09-2016, 06:07 AM
Hi Mike, do yourself a favour get yourself a little Genny, $750 for a key start or remote controlled Genny or even a $400 one, I have one of each and of course when you have one the Sun will always shine. There is little more annoying than a flat battery bank. Anyways don't you have an assistant to take care of details.
Enjoy your break.
Alex
xelasnave
28-09-2016, 09:21 AM
Aldi have a 2 kva $500
Atmos
28-09-2016, 10:59 AM
You've had more clear nights this week up there than us Melbourne people in the last month!! Teaser ;)
strongmanmike
28-09-2016, 11:06 AM
Cheers Alex...yes something to think about...or maybe I need a bigger Solar Panel, the current one is only 160w to charge 2 X 150amhr batteries and probably isn't enough if the day between two clear nights isn't perfectly sunny :question:
Looks like another tonight and tomorrow night too Col but some high cloud is in the mix tonight and tomorrow will be clear skies after good rain - both factors always make conditions unpredictable....err? like the weather :P :lol:
Mike
LewisM
28-09-2016, 11:08 AM
Was driving back through country QLD last night, WAY WAY WAY out of ANY lightcone. Stopped for the call of nature,looked up....
2 hours later I was driving again.
What I saw with the Eyeball 20mm scope was simply flooring - Magellanics looked like clouds just as I imagine Magellan saw them, M8 and M20 standing out like dog privates amidst the glowing swathe of the Milky way.
And no problem celestial navigating even with high beam on - the pointers were so stand out, they almost looked like farmhouse lights on a close hill.
tonez
28-09-2016, 11:18 AM
not sure about clear nights in SA for the next 3 days atleast, worst storm front coming through here since the late 40's
last night was a cracker here though, great seeing and my mount was guiding beautifully.. only realised at the end of the night id had my camera settings wrong
strongmanmike
28-09-2016, 11:49 AM
Sounds positively divine :prey2: :stargaze: while I have been under some dark skies (Wiruna, Coona) I haven't really experienced an horizon with no light dome at all (except on a cruise ship but the deck lights and sea spray hide pretty much everything)...must feel a little surreal :)
Well always best when the good weather precedes the bad, makes you feel like you got away with something :lol: and nothing better than the feeling you get when your gear is purring perfectly :love:....realising you have wasted it all however is not so good :rolleyes: :scared:
Mike
xelasnave
28-09-2016, 01:44 PM
Mike you could add another 160 watt panel will take you to near the max charge rate.
However your current panel should put in approx 10 amps so four hours of reasonable Sun should top them up.
However if you are running the batteries down the sooner you can recharge the better and so a Genny can be useful.
I use my small Genny to top up if the inverter protests simply to do the right thing by the battery.
One litre usually is enough.
Alex
xelasnave
28-09-2016, 01:47 PM
I have been up home for a week and managed some time under dark sky and hate my return to Sydney.
Alex
strongmanmike
28-09-2016, 01:54 PM
Hmm? yeah perhaps worth considering. My batteries are now over 2 years old and they seem to have lost a little of their performance and resilience, should be better in Summer of course, a higher Sun for better recharging and it was still down near 0degC here last night, so battery performance was hampered a bit by that too I guess? When they were new I managed two all-nighters in row a couple of times, even in winter and the voltage under load never dropped below 12.0V.
Mike
xelasnave
28-09-2016, 02:11 PM
Make sure you keep the area between the terminals clean as.
Putting a multi meter on mine showed 2 vlt leak and they looked clean.
As you gather cold is not good so don't rest your beer on them.
Anyways look forward to seeing your next image.
Alex
xelasnave
28-09-2016, 02:13 PM
And check utube for a bicycle powered Genny system but you may need more chocolate.
Alex
strongmanmike
28-09-2016, 02:19 PM
:lol: :thumbsup:
Terminals look pretty schmick :question:
marc4darkskies
28-09-2016, 03:08 PM
Hmmmph!! :mad2: Night before was okay. Last night was all over the shop. Gathered 45 mins of usable data - gave up when seeing refuse to drop below 3.25 arcsec. Sky was bright both nights which doesn't help imaging a low surface brightness galaxy. Hmmmph!!
xelasnave
28-09-2016, 04:14 PM
Not the terminals the top of the battery.
Try s multi meter you may get a surprise.
Place one point on a terminal and the other on various place on the battery case.
Alex
strongmanmike
29-09-2016, 01:05 PM
:lol: sorry Marcus, you haven't had much luck for some time huh? :sadeyes: You still looking to move?...no point in ye having a U-Beaut black and red Ferrari if ye canni drive it on freeways Jock :)
Mike
marc4darkskies
29-09-2016, 02:39 PM
Lots of new development going up in these parts too so LP will just continue to deteriorate. Still planning to move - but out to Orange or even down Goulburn way now.
strongmanmike
29-09-2016, 03:01 PM
Nice, somewhere near Placidus perhaps? I have to say having lived here much of my life and used telescopes in various locations just out of town, it feels like the seeing around the Canberra region is a sure bet to be very adequate, if it is at all still on the cards for you....be a shame to buy somewhere and discover the seeing is not any better (or worse) than where you are..? Newcastle city was pretty terrible for example, and even slightly west out at Kurri Kurri wasn't much better, would never build an observatory there if I could avoid it.
Mike
Atmos
29-09-2016, 07:57 PM
That's why you need a FSQ106 and 16803, at an image scale of 3.5"/pixel seeing means squat :P
strongmanmike
29-09-2016, 08:17 PM
Yes, quite right Col ;)
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