testing,testing ..oh no!!!

[xelasnave]

been rather crook and laid up so probably unrealistically keen..

I had cooked dinner and looked outside..it was clear..forget dinner..

I opened the observatory to get a better polar alignment now that I had a real fitting for the Polemaster camera, and also with the finder scope riding in a proper fitting not held on by duct tape at last I did a star alignment..all went well although the stars were disappearing and reappearing due to cloud but I did some goto tests and landed on Omega Centuries so I thought capture some subs at reasonable gain, 100, a first for me and although I had balanced the mount and getting two minutes unguided I went for 30 second subs given the conditions and only a lum filter as I had not intended to do more than polar aling and star align etc...

so with everything running I went back to have my dinner..now cold but I did not care as I felt I had achieved much more than I had planned given the weather...so came back and the scope was stopped by my chair actually the new guide scope had run into the chair..inspection of subs showed it had been stopped for some 10 minutes..this is why I like to always be there but I was so hungry I broke my rule and copped it..but the mount seemed ok...

but by now it really felt like it would rain very soon so I could not do any tests to determine if there is any damage. I rushed to close the roof, cover the scope and happily got back to the van just as it started to rain..

lucky on that part at least ..


so I went thru the 85 subs taken while I had my dinner, eliminated the ones showing my error and more that were just black or poor..and so I ended up with 17 and I stacked them and ran the image thru Startools...being one to look on the bright side that tendancy was pushed rather to the limit tonight...good things..got really good PA, finder scope is fitted properly and co ordinated to main scope, mount star aligned, focus achieved without EAF or mask (I will refit the EAF soon), and I managed to feed myself...the photo aint flash but it is a wonder I got anything at all...this thing is promising to be decent when I bring everything together on a clear night that is not dripping wet.
thanks for listening..
alex

[leon]

Well Alex, under the circumstances you did very well I reckon, a few tweaks here and there and things look promising indeed.
It seems a little out of focus but that is a miner matter presently, nice going mate, keep at it, but don't get sicker over it Alex.

Your health is more important than a Photo run.

Leon

[xelasnave]

Good morning Leon.
I hope to re fit the focuser today but I think it is the misty air that may be my problem given the result I got about a week ago on this object...the good news there is plenty of room for improvement.
Honestly I think I would be dead if not for buying this scope as it has given me many reasons to get out of bed each day and when you think about it everything here, the clearing the van etc is for this scope.
Thanks for taking the time to offer your encouragement and opinion.
Alex

[Startrek]

Alex,
Looks very promising indeed for 30 sec subs
Stars are fairly tight and resolution not bad at all

Gain 100 is where the HCG mode kicks in and your read noise is as low as Gain 300 but with a much much better dynamic range ( Gain 101 to Gain 450 dynamic range is poor on the 2600MM and 2600MC )

I was out last night too down south at my Dome imaging Centaurus A Galaxy and guiding was atrocious, started out at 9pm with 1.15 arc sec and ended up at 1.70 arc sec , wild oscillations in Dec and Ra. The Dome was dripping wet with Dew. Stars were round at 4 min subs but very bloated !!!
Damn clear night all night but seeing horrible, so much moisture around with humidity at 95%

Anyway your image of Omega gives you great confidence once focusing and guiding are set up and running well. I reckon on a stable clear night with 2 min subs at Gain 100 , dithering and calibration frames that Omega will be an absolute cracker of an image in anyone’s books
Your testing is making great progress !!


Well done !!!
Martin

[xelasnave]

Hi Martin

Before I set on Omega I tried CentA but it was no more than a smudge due to the mist I expect...no definition at all. I really don't think manual focus was the problem as blowing up stars close to each other gives a good idea as to focus using the high mag approach.not perfect but surprising really ..but the focuser on the RASA seems to work rather well.

Funny I spent most of the afternoon setting up the 70 mm finder/guide scope such that it would take a 40 mm and 32 mm esp and by using a 2 x Barlow It also took the illuminated reticle.. all to help with star alignment me thinking that the alignment star won't appear on screen and my set up would save the day ...well blow me down my first alignment star appeared on screen and almost dead centre..I was so busy I did not get to see if the 9mm illuminated reticle paired with the 2x Barlow such that even a bright star would be visable.

I have been studying ADU histograms etc with a view to stop cheating with high gain. I have placed a guide scope and camera on the scope and hope to get auto guide sorted next time I have a chance..unless I stuffed the mount via the chair episode I feel it is good enough to run auto guide which should not have much to do given the long un guided runs I have examined during testing.

Taking darks and flats I have not worked out a suitable method and given the placement of the camera it will take some thinking to come up with an acceptable system.

I am trying to learn "Blender" the 3d software necessary to 3d print so I can make a better cable guide, (and other stuff) ...the one I made from scrap is ok but the one I designed will be much better..I may do a proto type in cardboard which I will impregnate with resin...that result would be maybe stronger than a 3d print not that the thing is subject to significant stress.

I hope to tidy the leads and crap all over the floor so I can use my wheel chair as falling in the dark is a serious issue I must put at the top of my list..wheeling around means I won't fall over in the dark..with crook feet and legs you lose your sence of balance as I have unfortunately.

The wet is just over the top and one can't expect to think about serious photos and it is really unpleasant just doing adjustment, PA etc. But it is just so good to be out there playing around and making a few baby steps.

What really ticks me off, as I forget to wipe it, is how wet the seat on my mower gets and you end up unpleasantly wet which makes me instantly cold ( because of the meds cold hits me severely) but without the mower transport I would be lost..the neighbour must think I am mad as it would seem I am mowing the grass late at night.

Alex