Ten Chain Hill New Moon nights

[AlexN]

You really dont want to be putting hands on my head at the moment.. blisters are fairly fragile.. :( My head is looking much worse than normal atm..

[Tandum]

Oh ye of little faith, behold the lack of clouds. :P

[astroron]

Alex Could I suggest that a possible solution to your problem is maybe GROW some HAIR, or Put On A HAT:rolleyes::)

[jjjnettie]

LOL I've been out for a little while, but a bank of clouds drove in back inside.
I christened the RC with some moonage.

[AlexN]

Ron, Both of those ideas show merit. :) Although I think wearing a hat next time would be a good option.. I hate hair. :)

JJJ - When did you get an 8" RC? Can't wait to see you do some imaging with it! :)

[Tandum]

Bugger, I see the edge of that bank way to the north. Not fair, I only just got the bloody ice off this camera :sadeyes:

Haven't you even got it outside yet, has it been cloudy for that long :confused2:

[jjjnettie]

Alex, I bought it a week or so ago.
I'm looking forward to imaging with it too.:)

[jjjnettie]

Robin, I had it out last weekend. Learned that I have a lot more to learn about imaging at that focal length. LOL

[AlexN]

:) 1624mm FL is a far cry from 600 there is no doubt about that! :) Its harder to do, but in my opinion, the results are worth the hard work you put into getting it right!

[pmrid]

Well, it's 11.30 and the sky is still clear here. Not that I'm getting much use of it. My plan to put the ST-7 on the RC worked flawlessly - until I tried to actually do something with it. I have pronounced the ST-7 as dead as a dodo and have just finished putting the old faithful Canon and an OAG back on the RC. And now it's time to crash.
Still, it's been a nice evening just messing about.

Peter

[Tandum]

Same here pete, jjj's cloud bank stayed up north and it's completely clear. It's so frustrating when you have to wait for a clear sky to continue tinkering and it takes weeks to clear. Skippy says more of the same tomorrow night but the boss has me booked elsewhere :(

What's wrong with the sbig?

[pmrid]

As it turns out, mostly it's in the guiding - or lack of it. The self-guiding looks good on paper but not so great in practice. No doubt someone more familiar with the SBIG way of doing things, and perhaps more familiar with MaximDL might be able to get it going properly but - and here's a confession - I can't and I don't have the patience to persevere with stuff that won't cooperate. Perhaps in winter when there's plenty of clear skies and I can get scope #1 happily imaging away, I might return to the SBIG. But for now, the RC can work with the Canon and I can get on with some imaging - but not tonight. I'm knackered.
Peter

[Tandum]

Maxim wouldn't guide for me tonight either, it's been working fine till now, would not calibrate. I'm sure it's cables but for now, good ole phd is working like a champ :D

[pmrid]

Welcome to the RC club. Do we get to wear funny aprons and use secret handshakes?
Peter

[pmrid]

Well blow me down! Skippy Sky says we're in for a good one. The inconvenience of 50% moon seems minor in return for some clear sky. If you log in to SkippSky (skippysky.com.au) there is a prize to anyone who can tell me what that phallic-shaped structure over SW Qld is about to do to us.
Peter

[AlexN]

Peter - The moon, whilst 90% of the time I see it as a major PITA, This month it is one of the prime targets for a first light of my new scope.... I hope to get clear skies over the full moon weekend this month, try my hand at a high-res lunar mosaic, and maybe even some planetary imaging.. Saturn is good this time of year..

[adman]

Looks like its already done it over central NSW...

[jjjnettie]

I'll be out there tonight. This time with a real mount.
I need a good astro fix, it'll do me the world of good.
Good luck everyone.

[AlexN]

Alas... My new toy hath not arrived... High Res Moonage will have to wait..

[jjjnettie]

I'm ready to align the finder scope. Still a few clouds around.
But if it's clear enough for a drift align, I'll be happy to catch some practise subs. I need to hone my skills.:)

[pmrid]

.
I'd be interested to hear if anyone has had a crack at the Mosaic tool within ASCOM/EQMOD. Alex? Even without a Losmandy, you can still mosaic with the HEQ5Pro??
Peter.

[AlexN]

- Wrong new toy Peter... I'm waiting on an Intes Micro M703 7" F/10 Mak Cass... The HEQ5 with EQMOD/EQmosaic would be perfect for the job...

Can't do a high res lunar image with a 480mm focal length... When the Mak Arrives I should be able to start shooting at the moon/planets again..

[RobF]

Of course the other possibility with the weather is that its just readjusting to get in sync with the moon. Once we get a week or so past full, the clouds will automatically disapate for a week either side of New Moon for the rest of the year.....
:D

[pmrid]

How do you feel about Santa and the Easter Bunny Rob?
Peter

[AlexN]

A man full of hopes and dreams is among us folks! :)

[jjjnettie]

and what are we without our hopes and dreams?

[AlexN]

Supernova Remnants...

[jjjnettie]

very poetic Alex

[pmrid]

I hope you're all productively occupied. I'm having a crack at the Antennae - inspired by Robin's effort the other day. Dodging clouds and condensation - misty morning coming up methinks.
Peter

[AlexN]

The Antennae is definitely a tough target... I did them with the ST10 + RC combo back in the day... came out ok, but needed heaps more than exposure than I was giving it... Looking forward to your results..

[jjjnettie]

My mounts ticking away on it's own outside
Everytime I stick my head out, the clouds are thicker than ever.
But I'm hoping and dreaming that it will clear. I'm not working tomorrow, so I can wait as long as I wish.
I don't know how you're managing to capture anything Peter.

[AlexN]

Peter is a master of the dark arts JJJ.. He can make cloud appear and disappear at will... He tells no one on the forums for fear of being kidnapped and forced to de-cloud other peoples observing sites! :D

[pmrid]

Damn right. And it's working out here at least. I can tell you that part of the technique involved Fleetwood Mac very loud and alcohol.
Peter

[jjjnettie]

I've covered my gear up with a tarp. There's a few showers around.

[pmrid]

Yeah. Image scale in the ED127 is not huge and the seeing was pretty ordinary; but I managed 3 hours worth in 10-minute subs on the QHY8. This is a 50% crop too.
Peter

[jjjnettie]

How the hell did you get enough clear skies to do that???
You are the drought master!!

[pmrid]

As I said, Fleetwood Mac at high volumes augmented by alcohol.
P.

[jjjnettie]

Yeah well, just stop it Peter. You moved all those clouds over the top of my place.
I had about an hour of perfectly clear skies around 1.30-2am, but then the puter decided to "go slow" requiring a reboot. Then K3 had a hissy fit, requiring a reload, by the time I had it up and running again, you must have put a new cd on.

[pmrid]

It's so bleedin' hot today that tonight's seeing will be rubbish until quite late - just about when the ground mist comes in. But I'll keep the clouds off you JJJ - by playing some opera instead - and staying off the sauce. That'll do it for sure.
P.

[jjjnettie]

I'm up for having another go tonight.
I've not got any Fleetwood Mac cd's but i did buy a few new discs today. A couple of Bowie, Patti Smith, Talking Heads and Led Zep. I'll have them playing LOUD!!! Especially Patti. She's awesome.

[AlexN]

Led Zepplin will scare the clouds off no worries JJJ... :)

Peter - Good job on the Antennae, the tails are incredibly dim, and hard to capture..... It really comes down to masses of exposure, a bit of aperture and great seeing to get it looking nice... Might be worth hunting this on down in the RC..

[RobF]

Wow - I thought that was a Hubble target. I'll have to hunt down Robin's effort too. Great going Peter.

I see Fri night might just maybe possibly have a smidge of clear air for a few hours at this stage. Sigh.

[AlexN]

Rob, your setup should do nicely on the Antennae.. It will require exposure.. Lots of exposure... but I have the utmost faith in your abilities young jedi! :) Remember - There is no try.. Do, Or Do not.. !! :D

[Tandum]

The antennas are pretty faint rob, but it's up at the right time so worth a shot. I'm really more interested in fixing this stupid black line problem from bright stars than trying again and I have a lead on another approach to solve it. I also really need that new nosepiece and an LP filter on the end of it. These chinese love thier holidays, I think they are off till March!!!

[RobF]

LOL - I see someone else watched 4-5 hrs of Star Wars for the umpteenth dozen time last week! I'll have to keep my light sabre away from the camera - only for pointing out stars....



Have just seen what you mean Robin - hope you figure it out.
Gosh I wish I had the space, brains and dexterity to have my own lathe. Hope your adaptor/nosepiece here soon.
Theo says he's express posted another FW to me today - yay!

BTW - I was in Hobart all last week - dammit - there was more blue sky and clear nights than you can poke a stick at! That's just cruel! :mad2:

[jjjnettie]

I've had a successful evening, getting to know my new camera.
I did a drift align, then spent a little time on the Moon and Mars, just playing with barlows, settings etc.
The spc900 is so much better to use than the LPI. No conflicts!!

[Tandum]

Good to see it's a goer. I think we where lucky to get that from him before he ran out. I don't think they make em any more.

[RobF]

Good to hear someone is having some astro fun Jeanette!

[jjjnettie]

Hey, how much do you think a 2nd hand LPI is worth?

[Tandum]

Last 3 in archives went for $80+post :)

[pmrid]

Fri/Sat 12/13th March. Fingers crossed.
If anyone wants to bring a couple of bags of premix, you're welcome to construct your own 'spot' with alignment marks etc.

Peter.

[DavidTrap]

Here's hoping...
Ta
David T

[adman]

I am going to try to make it to the March gathering - haven't been able to get there since November. I have been making slow progress at home getting my drift alignment right - but I think I've cracked it.

My wishlist of things to do that weekend would be:

1. wouldn't mind doing some tracked/unguided shots with my Canon through the 8" newt to see how it goes. The camera is an old 10D - way to much noise / hot pixels as I found out with the widefield shots I took in November. Will need to get a T-ring and adapter though beforehand....

2. Would like to try using Alignmaster. I haven't been able to do it at home as the star pairs it asks for are all but impossible from my place in Brissy - trees mostly

3. Would very much like to do some plain old observation. I have been putting so much time into learning about the mount / scope etc that I haven't had much time to actually look at anything...

Here's hoping the weather gods are good to us .

Adam

[pmrid]

Adam, I've got a couple of spare T-Rings and 2" adapters. Don't buy one. I'll swap for a decent red.
Peter

[adman]

No worries - something packaged in cardboard should do then...?;)

[adman]

Peter - I've been reading about some people who have trouble getting focus after adding the t-rings / adapters etc. How do I know in advance if this is going to be an issue?

Adam

[pmrid]

Get the scope to focus visually on something bright - the moon would do. Lock it in place. Remove the eyepiece. Hold a sheet of paper over the end of the scope and move it until the image of the moon is in focus on the paper. That's the focal point of your scope. The imaging chip of your DSLR needs to be at that same point. The T-Rings are about 12-13 mm thick and the distance from camera front to its chip is about 20mm - give or take. So, on your Canon 10D, I'd say you would need to have about 35mm of travel inwards on your focuser to accommodate the camera. Have a look at the focuser and see how much of the silver inner tube is showing above the body of the focuser. That's where your inward travel will come from.

Peter

[adman]

thanks peter - I'll try that. Would it be any easier in the daytime to use the camera instead of a piece of paper, and try to determine the focal point through the camera's viewfinder? Or is it too hard to find something terrestrial at optical infinity??

[pmrid]

Doesn't matter. Focus is focus. Whatever works for you.
P.

[Tandum]

I hope it clears up for March. I wouldn't mind bringing up the water heater for a run up there. Finally got rings for the stellarvue. That's stripped about 5 kilos off the weight ;)

[AlexN]

All sound advice - thats the easiest way to do it... I only have one correction here.. the distance between any Canon EOS DSLR mounting ring and the sensor is 44mm + your T-ring (12-13mm) = 56~57mm from sensor to the end of your focuser drawtube...

As a general rule, Newtonians rarely come to focus without some form of modification..

Robin - That light bucket of yours will be a serious force to be reckoned with out at dark skies! :)

[adman]

when I first read that i thought 'they can't all be 44mm' - then I realised that Duh! - they all use the same lenses, so they have to have the same distance from the flange to the focal plane....

all the same 44mm seems like a long way - I wouldn't have thought the camera was even that deep!

So what to do about the focussing arrangement?? I don't really want to get into moving the primary up the tube....:shrug:

Adam

[AlexN]

Your options are as follows..

1 - a low profile focuser.
2 - longer collimation bolts/springs in the primary to lift it a little bit.
3 - a combination of 1 and 2
4 - cut 10~30mm off the end of the tube and move the mirror/mirror cell up the tube .

44mm sounds like a long way, I agree, but that is the optical backfocus distance of an EOS Digital SLR.. no ifs whats or buts about it.

[DavidTrap]

If you look at the top of your camera there is a small circle with a line across it. This is location of the focal plane. You will be surprised just how far back in the camera it is - but if you measure from the front of the lens mount to where that focal plane marker is it will be 44mm. (I know these marks exist on Nikon cameras - they are 46.5mm back I think)

Cheers
David T

[adman]

You know what - I have had this camera for 6 years, and I have never noticed that there! BUt sure enough, and 44mm too. You learn something every day...

[AlexN]

Bravo David - the Nikon lens back focus distance is 46.5mm..

Its funny, both these measurements seem too far to be true, however you should see the measurements for a Hassleblad setup, or other medium format setups 645's and 6x7's etc... up to 107mm between lens mount and focal point! :)

[DavidTrap]

Thanks Alex,

That's why you can't put a Canon lens on a Nikon Body, but you can put a Nikon lens onto a Canon Body with an adaptor (although none of the electronics will work!) - think about it...

DT

[AlexN]

indeed it is... Good to know there are more people who know gear inside out and backwards :D ;)

[DavidTrap]

That might be going just a little bit too far...

OT - I'm enjoying watching your updated signature line too Alex - next acquisition already mapped out after the GM8 arrived yesterday I see...

DT

[adman]

Yep - there are going to be issues getting focus with my newt/Canon DSLR...:(.

I found focus by putting the camera flange against the 2" Ep holder and looking through the cameras viewfinder. Turns out that there is only 4mm of inward travel left on the focuser - and that is without any T-ring or adapter.

I am going to look at the available low-profile focusers, and see whether they will be any better.:confused2:

[pmrid]

It's too far out for SkippySky yet. The other 28-day forecasts say 75% chance of rain though. Fingers crossed.
There may be a wet-weather project for us though.
On Sunday next I'm going to inspect the observatory that Jeanette's ex is giving away. We have jeanette's blessing to take it if we can use it. So there is a possibility of having a 4 metre dome to set up.
I attach a photo I have concocted from the image Jeanette posted recently in these forums - showing the dome and walls separate. Thanks to Pint, I have "rejoined" them to get a sense of the size of the beast.
Another photo of the shed - we've gone solar since any of you were here!.

Peter.

[AlexN]

Thems is a lot of solar panels mate!

I take it we will be erecting the dome up at the prime position we've been talking about? My thoughts would be that the dome should be somewhere that can't be seen from the road... A shed with a roll off roof is pretty inconspicuous, but a dome screams at the top of its lungs "Im full of expensive stuff!!"

[pmrid]

Yep. 2.7 Kw worth - should produce, on average, about 12-13 KwH a day 365 a year - of which I expect to use about 4-5 during daylight hours; so the rest goes into the grid at 50c/KwH or about A$1500/annum which will more than pay the rest of my power bill and leave a few hundred left over. So I hope to be essentially power-independent from now on.

As for the Obs, I plan to walk the area tomorrow and take some lines of sight. I attach a Google Maps shot of the property showing where the prime site is. Have a look on Google maps in the topographic view and you'll see that this is the crown of a hill looking in all directions.

The plantation is a bit of an obstacle to running power to this site though. It may be necessary to compromise and put it on the flat near the existing obs.

Peter.

[AlexN]

You know I love your property - but geez it's something from the air isn't it! :) Stunner!

We'll have a look this weekend if the weather allows us to be outside the car.

As for the power, I might have access to a Dingo... could probably dig a trench and run the power underground... The plantation still poses an obstacle, but might not be as insurmountable as setting up power poles etc...

All stuff to talk about this weekend I guess! :)

[jjjnettie]

I have a bucket full of bits and pieces for the obs, somewhere in the shed at the other house.
I'll look for it this Sunday.
It has deteriorated a lot over the last couple of years. So be prepared for a bit of work to get it into operational order.

[AlexN]

After last weekends activities, I've got my restoration boots on good and proper Jeanette... We'll get it up and running.

[jjjnettie]

There's work needed to be done to repair the fibreglass and there is wood to be replaced in some of the framework.
I'm so happy that it's gone to a good home.

[astroron]

Guess who suggested Peter take it:P

[AlexN]

Jeanette - We'll be having a look at it on Saturday hopefully. We'll have to asses the best way to move it from Kilcoy to Ten Chain Hill. I've done some fiberglass work in the past, I hate doing it because its real itchy scratchy work, but I've done it before and its not too labor intensive... Any woodworking to be done can be sorted out...

Ron - A fantastic Idea! :) Which brings another question to mind. When are we setting up your dome?

[jjjnettie]

cheers Ron.
There's been a few tyre kickers looking at it. Luckily none took it on.
It was meant to go to Peter.

[jjjnettie]

Greg will be going away some time on Saturday. You have my phone number, give us a call before you go over, I'll go over with you so the dog doesn't rip yer leg off. LOL

[astroron]

Alex wrote,Ron - A fantastic Idea! Which brings another question to mind. When are we setting up your dome?


I have finished tripping around, and subject to what happens re my Knee in the near future I hope to set it up in the next couple of months :D
I have just teed up the maker of the dome re getting started on the concrete pad:thumbsup:

[AlexN]

Good stuff! :) Give us a hoy if you need an extra set of hands! :)

[RobF]

Surely that hill you've highlighted Peter is too visible from the road? I'd 2nd Alex's concerns. I'd feel a lot safer knowing all my goodies were closer to the house.

Looking forward to hearing more about the dome too. Cool!

Yours too Ron - be good to see that circle of dirt come to life.

[adman]

I think put it near the current observatory Peter. It would be too tempting for the curious, and perhaps light-fingered, to wander off the road and check it out. Not to mention the issue of getting power there.

Alex - that is a long way to dig a trench with a dingo!:lol:

Are you guys going to be doing work there this coming weekend 6th/7th?

Adam

[AlexN]

Mind you I enjoy using Ron's circle of dirt :) haha!

We'll assess the road visibility of the site on Saturday, There may be ways to camouflage or conceal the dome without obstructing the view from it... All options will be considered, however if need be, as Peter said, the dome could be located on the flat area beside the current shed... From what I understand this "prime site" has completely unobstructed 360 degree views right down to the horizon... That is favorable over almost anything else... Security trumps visibility I think... Theres no point being able to see right down to the horizon if you don't have a telescope with which to observe/image...

Many things to consider...

[AlexN]

Adam - This weekend there will be some brainstorming being done.. We're going to check this dome out and figure out how we're going to move it from where it currently resides to the Ten Chain Hill site... Positioning of the obs is something to consider....

[Tandum]

A twin obs household, how swish ...
Hope you don't get rained out on the week-end, the forecast looks awful :(

[AlexN]

I'm sure we will.. That just adds to the fun! :)

[astroron]

Alex, did you go visiting today:question::P

[AlexN]

A number of things conspired against the viewing Ron... Weather was worse than expected, My car dropped a wheel bearing on the way home from work today etc.. Hopefully we'll get a chance either during the week, or next weekend..

[pmrid]

Well all you happy punters, as Martin Luth King once said "I have been to the mountain top" and had a vision. Here are some pics. The base is 1500mm high and 3700mm in overall diameter. It has a 3-element upper rail suporting horizontal and vertical rollers. The half dozen vertical structural ribs are 35mm angle iron - some welded and some bolted to the top rails. There was a bit too much growth inside to see the bottom rail but these verticals are obviously either bolted or welded to it AND it can be expected to be somewhat rusted.
The outer skin is a small profile corrogated iron or similar screwed to the top and bottom rails. There is a guy 2 doors down with a crane truck so we will probably be able to lift the base up high enough to be able to work on it - sit it on blocks or some such.

It seems to me that disassembly is the only way to go with this. It would require a little bit of oxy work I suspect but the beauty of steel is that can be cut can also be welded. And the outer skin would have to be unscrewed. Some screws are abit rusty and would have to be drilled out.

The top and bottom rails would be transportable if the skin was taken off and they were put in a rough cradle on about a 30 degree angle so we wouldn't need a wide load or any special traffic control permits etc.

The dome itself is a faily thin fibreglass skin over ain internal ply skin with light steel framing for the opening. The door needs reframing and the remainder of the fold-away roof section needs a new frame and skin.

The skirt at the bottom is too thin to take any real weight and so it the upper skin really. The only way we could move it would be to cut it in half along the zipper line I have shown in one of the attached photos. To reassemble would not really be a huge task at all. We would need to fabricate a connecting plate to join the two halves, srew it togehter firmly and then fibreglass over it. All very do-able.

The dome has an outer diameter of about 4000-4200mm. I forgot to measure it accurately but that would be pretty close. So it would probably need a tray truck to move. I wouldn't get it on my ute.

BUT, and here's the rub: we would need volunteers to put in a 5 metre slab to sit it on, disasseble and move and reassemble the thing and also to attend to the necessary refurbisment.

SO, this is a general call for expressions of willingness to lend a hand and kick in to cover some of the costs of the slab etc.

Form an orderly queue, don't push and shove; but do let me know reasonably soon. The thing is that I don't need another observatory for my own use but am happy to make space and faciltities available to the group if you would like to have a bit of a home. It's really up to you to say whther this is something you want.

Peter.

[AlexN]

You know I'm in Peter... :) I can see what I can do about some cheap cement too..

[astroron]

This maybe stating the "Bloomin obvious" but why need to cut anything?it has been transported four times to my Knowledge and not once has it been cut so why now:shrug:

[pmrid]

Assuming the dome and top/bottom railes were cut, we could transport it all on one of those vehicle trailers I think. The length of 4200 would allow some overhand front and rear so we could avoid infringing any rules (I think). Anyone have access to one of these? I have my small tractor with a loader bucket at this end so we could get the stuff on and off the trainer OK I should think.
A Dingo would do to dig footings for a slab - I don't know if they would be strong enough to level a site. I haven't used one myself so rely on the thoughts of others.
We can get a mini-load of concrete from Kilcoy. We can also frame up the slab ourselves and lay some steel. Still need a tray truck to get the steel to site though. Anyone had any experience doing slabs?


Peter.

[pmrid]

Great Ron. Are you volunteering?

Peter.

[astroron]

I would have no use for the dome myself as I hope to have one on the property soon.
Having been involved with this dome from it's origin's, I know that the original builder has always advised against cutting the dome as of it's sprung nature and of getting it back into the round?
cheers

[Tandum]

How did they get it to netties? 4.2 meters sounds like a wide load to me.

Peter, concrete, steel, wood and I don't normally get on very well, cables, plugs, sockets and software is normally my thing. I'll do what I can to help of course, but I sort of enjoy sitting out in the paddock under the stars up there:)

[pmrid]

I wonder whether he was talking about the steel rails on the base or the fibreglass dome itself. We can find a way to keep the rails intact by sitting them in a cradle at an angle of 30 degrees or so. But the dome is another matter. Truck trays are 2200-2400 wide. That means a total overhang on about 1500-1700mm - 4-5 feet. It couldn't be put on its side or edge. That means a trip of about 35km through one town and over winding roads with several hairpins and narrow bridges. The only way this could be done legally and without cutting the dome would be with an escort and the usual permissions.

Up to you folks. If you want it, it's there for the taking with Jeanertte's blessing. But if you don't want the hassle, that's fine with me too.

Peter.

[astroron]

The Dome has done four journey', one from Morayfield to Mapleton with escort as wide load
One from Mapleton to Beerburrum with wide load escort.
One from Beerburrum to Kilkoy with I presume an escort
and from Kilkoy to it's present location:question: so it has done a bit of travel.
as you say it is up to the "Ten Chain Hill Gang":P if they want to spend the Time, Money, and effort into getting the observatory up and running.:thumbsup:

[RobF]

As I see it you're more than happy with your current roll off roof observatory Peter. The biggest advantage in any observatory I'm lead to believe is the luxury of having your gear set to go at a moments notice. Even though its extremely generous of you to offer use of land/dome, I suspect most of us that have visited regularly would still want to keep our gear close enough to use throughout the month (even with BrisVegas' illuminated skies).

I'm happy to pitch in and help if you or someone else is very keen - but I'm no use for most forms of construction. Heck - there must be something I'd be useful for though :rolleyes: :lol:

I guess distance hasn't stopped all those that have built at Leyburn....

[pmrid]

Thanks for the input everyone.

It's been raining again overnight - up here anyway - and the ground is super-satutrated: so no heavy vehicle movements for a while. So we have time for a compulsory breather/rethink on this and to reassess in a week or so.

If there is a hole in the weather this weekend (and no more rain in between), we might get a new moon night this weekend but I don't think the access road would be usable for anything more than a bicycle unless the rain stopped now. I'll keep you posted.

Peter.

[adman]

Peter - great pictures of the observatory.

At the moment I am not at the observatory stage, but it would be a crying shame to just let it sit there.

Have you thought about the actual dollar cost of getting it transported and set up? How much time are we talking about?

If you are not in too much of a hurry to get it done, then maybe we could do a little each new moon weekend - then I would be able to provide some labour, and also some cash, depending on how much we are talking about.

If we could get it to a useable state, I think that it would get a lot of use.

Adam

[jjjnettie]

It took 2 trips to get the dome to it's present location.
I used a flat bed crane truck. We travelled the back roads with me driving in front, flashing lights to oncoming traffic.
The journey to Peter's property, there are no back roads. So the authorities have to be notified.
This is the last chance for this obs. If it doesn't find a new home, it WILL be cut up and dumped. Which would be a damn shame.

[pmrid]

Thanks to everyone and particularly Jeanette, but we can't do it.
The sky seems to be getting better by the day. Friday looks to be better than Saturday according to Skippy.
Peter

[DavidTrap]

Not sure where you're looking on Skippy Sky, but I'm not too hopeful about this weekend for SEQ viewing?????

DT

[RobF]

I notice Skippy added high zoom zones today, including one for SE Qld. Last couple of days the date hasn't been updating (in white letters) - I suspect NOAA data source was dodgey as 7Timer wouldn't work for me either.

Certainly seems ok now - and Fri and Sat night look sad... :sadeyes: :mad2: :(

[pmrid]

Well, there's no avoiding it is there. Even if the rain holds off the cloud is darn near wall-to-wall isn't it? The best-case for the weekend is for a few pockets of clear sky here and there - perhaps. It's a bit depressing isn't it? All that gear and not a photon for love or money.

OK. Lets make it official. TCHO is OFF for this weekend. And so am I.


Peter

[adman]

No worries Peter. Lets hope April is better....

Although just looking at Skippy for this morning, it has got us at nigh on 100% cloud cover at the moment which doesn't gel with what is out my window...

Adam

[pmrid]

Yes. That's interesting isn't it?
The daily weather cycle seems to be settling into a sort of rhythm with the cloud cover drifting offshore in the early morning and then coming back onshore when the ground heats up and the wind comes off the ocean.

There used to be a bit of a farmer's truism "Wind follows the sun". Seems to be something like that going on.

Peter

[AlexN]

April will be better guys... Surely the sky gods would not allow it to rain on my birthday! :)

[DavidTrap]

And then comes Cyclone Ului...

[AlexN]

which will clear the skies for us, and make april new moon the best for the year.. :D

[RobF]

Anyone get out on Fri night?
It caught me unawares and cleared nicely here after 9pm for hours (I was too tired to have a go though).

[AlexN]

WHATTT?? ROB MISSED CLEAR SKIES!! :D

I hardly believe it..

[Suzy]

Rest assured Rob, you didn't miss much. I didn't trust the skies, so used binos instead, and was glad i only did that. The Sky didn't last too long. But a hit with the binos wet the apetite somewhat.:windy::cloudy:

[jjjnettie]

I've just come in from a bino session tonight.
The sky is beautiful atm.
But I will NOT be tempted to set up the scope.

[jjjnettie]

dang, it's still clear, right to the horizon.
I should have set up.

[pmrid]

I saw the sky was clearing so dashed over and pushed the roof back - forgetting in my rush to get cracking that the profile on the roof runs sideways not vertically and that water tends to pool on it. The result was a deluge of rainwater all over the wireless network gear and one of the computers. Dagnabit!!!
But I persisted and got set up just in time for the cloud to roll in from the south. So I sulked and rolled the roof back and went home; but by the time I got there, the sky had cleared again, so I went back and rolled back again and started again. But by this time, humidity had turned the obs into a swamp, my glasses fogged up and nothing worked properly. I should have just gone to bed.

Peter.

[pmrid]

... and then it cleared again about 1. So I went back again. Tiger for punishment. But actually managed to get the new mount to track (after a fashion). And managed to take the first image through my 20D since I bought it 4 months ago. So after all, some steps forward even though mixed in with a couple going the other way. Thems the breaks.
P.

[AlexN]

Still suffering the pains of dental surgery, I've not been out and witnessed the sky (cloudy or otherwise) since Friday last week... JJJ - you were lucky to see it through bino's at least! :)

Peter - we'll have to do something about that roof... I've seen it drop water like that before. There has to be a way to remedy that problem without too much hard work.

[RobF]

Sensible moves there by the ladies, resorting to binos. I was complaining about the kids being up so late Sat night, then I realised I could hear rain on the roof, so that night was never going to work.

Peter - you're a real glutton for punishment! I know how you feel though - sometimes you're determined to do SOMETHING astro related. If this weather keeps up I'm going to have to go back to watching TV dammit.

[Tandum]

Not all bad, episode one of The Pacific is up for download.

Skippy was saying tomorrow night was clear, but now it looks like every other night :mad2:

[RobF]

Yeah - I noticed that too Robin. I was already starting to draw up a list of candidate targets - that's what did it I expect :lol:

[AlexN]

haha... I have a list of targets in my head.. I don't pick one until I'm set up under clear skies these days.. been disappointed too many times now! :)

[jjjnettie]

I was in to it tonight!!
My main goal was to get a drift align done, so I can dig in some pavers tomorrow morning. Naturally the clouds rolled in as soon as I'd finished the alignment, so I got out my brand spanking new 9mm eye piece, a barlow and the O111 filter and started doing visual instead. It shocked the clouds right out of the sky. Got in at least an hour of observing before packing it in.
Clear tomorrow night you say?
woo hoo!

Good O!!

[pmrid]

The only answer is to redo the roof. I'm going to buy some roofing material today - run the profile up and down instead of side to side. The side-to-side thing was a by-product of the shed being a horse shelter by design.
But it's not all bad. The existing roof won't be wasted. I'll remove that rubber matting that form the lower walls. It will then go on the floor inside. And the profile off the roof will replace it. So there is a plus.
It'll take a couple of days but the results should be a big improvement.
Peter

[RobF]

Sounds like good cloudy weather work Peter!

[pmrid]

... and on that basis, I should have plenty of time to attack it - weeks if not months of endless cloud, rain and not much else. Sigh!
Peter.

[AlexN]

Indeed - I give this weather another month.. we'll come into autumn and before you know it, we'll have endless clear skies, imaging opportunities left right and center, and lots of happy, semi-nocturnal astronomers wishing they had more sleep rather than more clear skies :D

[RobF]

I just want a single dark sky night advance - can't I get credit somewhere.....?!
(actually tonight is almost worth risking for a while - too tired and an early start though. Rats....)

[jjjnettie]

well, I don't have to work tomorrow, so I'm sitting outside next to my scope writing this.
just waiting for this cloud to pass
taken 4 subs already

[Tandum]

I'm setup and shooting. A few clouds drifting by now and then.
I think tonight is the best we'll see for a week or two :(

[jjjnettie]

what a beautiful night it's turned out to be.
until the next cloud bank arrives. LOL
what are you shooting tonight robin?

[Tandum]

Sbig camera and stellarvue guide scope first light on good old m83 ...

[jjjnettie]

ngc 4945 for me, again
I'd like to nail it tonight
Started off with just 2 min subs cause I was dodging clouds, But just upped the ante to 5min, it's so clear.
I'll process the different exposures separately, then layer them together in cs3 I think.

[Tandum]

The more the merrier :) It's bigger than I thought, just had a look in sky. I'm shooting m83 cos I have other data to compare it to plus I can only shoot east :) Even east is starting to glow for me, they are upgrading the gateway to 6 lanes and 7 million lights :(

[jjjnettie]

I feel for you.
I appreciate how lucky I am living where I do. The Milky Way is luminous from my back yard.
Gee, there is a huge difference between the 2min subs and the 5min.
Can't wait to see the final image.

[Tandum]

I used to do 10minutes subs with the 40D from here on galaxies.
Any more and skyglow would kill it even with an LPS on the front.

[AlexN]

JJJ, Even where I am is relatively dark in comparison to where Robin is.. I used to live about 5km from where Robin lives now, and I tell you what, its BRIGHT where he is.... Here I can see the milkyway and LMC, SMC with averted vision... they don't jump out at you, but you can see them... Once you get to Caboolture the sky starts getting nice... By Kilcoy its very nice, and by Barambah.. Well.. We all know what its like at Barambah.. :)

[Tandum]

Damn new velcro holding the control box on was coming unstuck and knocking the scope as it moved.
Lost 30minutes worth :sad:

Yeah, alex lives at a dark sky site compared to here :) Damn refinery and the eternal flame :mad2:

[jjjnettie]

Look!! Clear skies!!

[Tandum]

What are all those white dots everywhere :)
More cloud than sky here now and they have rain in them and they're going north. Look out.

Heard a thing on the discovery channel where they had a blackout in LA and the Observatory was inundated with calls asking what the lights in the sky were :lol:

[AlexN]

LMAO!! Funniest thing I've heard all week! :D

[pmrid]

Interesting that people might know to call the observatory in the first place - instead of their optician - while at the same time not knowing about stars. But then it is L.A. - in the land that gave us Bruce Springsteen and striped toothpaste.

Peter.

[pmrid]

Hi folks. I've been asked by one or two to say whether I will be opening the place on the night of the 17th (new moon plus 3 days) as per the published schedule - and the answer is YES. The weather this weekend seems to have turned sour during the day at least but for the past week the clouds have parted in the evenings for a few hours on most nights. My own bushie meteorologist outlook is for a continuation of the same pattern for quite a while. Stay tuned to this channel for further station announcements.
Peter.

[adman]

having missed out on this weekend I will try to get a pass out for next weekend. Never know - might be lucky....

Hey Peter - do you still have that Baader MPCC that you had listed for sale a while back?

Adam

[pmrid]

G'day folks. Hope you had the same clear skies I did on Saturday. What a night. I had all cameras going non-stop until about 3 a.m. when a bit of ground mist came in and I decided it was time to crash. Lovely seeing and transparencxy all night though.

Hope we get a repeat next Saturday.

Peter.

(Adam, no, sorry mate, the MPCC was damaged by mud-dabber wasps and is unusable).

[adman]

mud-daubers! I hope you keep the caps on your scopes - that could be nasty, not to mention expensive if they took a liking to the primary of your ED127.

Adam

[pmrid]

Having a look at Skippy and it looks at present as if the weather will be better on Friday than Saturday. Who can tell? Anyway, I'll be here and trying both nights if anyone wants to try either or both.

Peter.

[adman]

I'd take skippy with a grain of salt from this far out...

[ozstronomer]

Peter,

Matt and I are looking forward to a dark sky on Saturday night. Lets hope the weather holds. See you then.

Geoff

[Tandum]

Looks like I'm out, even if the rain stops.
The old eq6 has decided to go on strike and won't fire up :(
Thank god for 5 year warranties :)

[adman]

I will be there if the weather looks halfway decent

Adam

[adman]

Hi Peter,

I am going to chance the weather and come up. Leaving around 3:30 - should get there about 5pm.

Adam

[ozstronomer]

Hi Peter,

Thanks again for the use of you place for the dark sky night... Always good to catch up.

Although we only had a few hours of imaging this time, the sky was great in comparison to the sky glow here in Brissy.

Hope to make up to the next one..

Cheers Geoff and Matty

[adman]

Yes - thanks again Peter. I learnt a lot last night - like make sure you check the size of your central obstruction - even on a refractor...:P

Adam

[pmrid]

Hello 10Chainers. As usual, nothing stays the same for long up here. Over the course of the next few months, the existing setup is moving out or over to make way for the big guns - a C14 (ex Duckadang) and a Losmandy Titan. The Titan is still 4 months away but the second NEQ6Pro and GSO RC have already left the building. The second EQ6 will also go but the ED127 will remain, mounted side-by-side with the C14.
The observatory will need some mods to the roof but nothing an angle grinder with a cutoff wheel can't accomplish.
New Moon nights will continue as normal.
Peter.

[DavidTrap]

Do tell more about the ex Duckadang scope???

DT

[pmrid]

Hi David. It's an older 'orange' Celestron C14 with a FL of 3900 or thereabouts making it an F/11 natively but F/7 with a reducer/flattener - so that'll give me the FL of the ED127 (980), the C14 at F7 (2400) and natively (3900) to image at - which is one of the reasons why I've ordered a Titan as well. It'll be a mind-boggler when it's up and running I think.
Peter.

[DavidTrap]

They're a nice scope - I've used one when at School. Why did it leave Duckadang? Never being used there?
DT

[Tandum]

C14 .. holy smoke, that's one big scope, how heavy is it?

Who got the RC and where is the Titan coming from?

[pmrid]

Hi Robin, it's 22kg on it's own but add another 7 for the ED127, 1.5 for 2 x QHY8s, 1.5 for a guidescope, 3 for some bars and saddles, ...you get the picture. I figure it will all top out to about 32-35kgs on the Titan- about 75% of capacity.
The RC and the EQ6 it rides on will go down to Ron at Sirius Optics to sell for me - unless there are any other buyers lurking about the place.
I wish I knew more about the C14's life story. I haven't been able to find out anything beyond the fact that Duckadang decided to downsize somewhat. Anyone got any contacts there I could follow up?
Peter.

[Tandum]

My eq6 is in there to be fixed, I didn't see the RC at all?
Err I see, it's going there ...

I know nothing about duck and weave .. never been there ...

[jjjnettie]

Ron was involved with the observatory there. He'd know a fair bit about the scope.

[adman]

Sounds like an impressive line up Peter!

What are you looking for for the EQ6?

Adam

[RobF]

Hey Jeanette - we're on the same page in S&T! They've used my M83 from Barambah last April. I didn't even know about this one - got a big surprise when bought the mag today. I can't remember which email address I gave them mind you :rolleyes:

Pardon me hijacking Peter - this is practically the local gab thread now....:D

[jjjnettie]

:D
Ahhh the prestige of it all. I bought an extra copy of Sky and Tel to send to my Mum.

Anyone else outside on this glorious clear night?
I have to use my Mini Tower, which is ok, it's light enough for me to handle. I've put a dove tail on my 20d and am shooting through my new Tammy 90mm.
So far I've had a go at the Running Chicken and I'm working on Rho Oph atm.
Short subs of course. But I've been there done that. At least I'm out here.
Can't wait to get my scopes back!! Reckon I'll be fit enough by next new moon to bring them on home.:)

[RobF]

Glad to hear you're starting to pick up J
I'm still out - playing with adaptor for a spare finder Brendan made up so I can use it as a guider. Working well so far. I think I can at least double my sub times if need be.

Have been sucking down RGB on Eta I couldn't get at Ron's last time due to clouds, and now snatching a bit of M8 before bed. Certainly a nice night, 'specially now the moon is gone.

[pmrid]

Hi everyone. Well, it's still a lottery but it's been such a long time between good new moon nights that we really are due for a good one on Saturday 16th. If the skies are clear, I'll open the gates for Friday 15th as well, and even SundaY 17th for the seriously deprived.

Let me know if you're planning on making the trip.

Peter.

[astroron]

Peter your dates are a day out, Saturday is the 15th Sunday is the 16th:P
Cheers

[pmrid]

I hope you are all outside tonight. Isn't it beautiful for a change? I've got the ED127 going on NGC3579 and a little ED80 doing widefields on EtaC. Later, after I've stoked the fires a little, I'm going to do widefields of RhoOph/Antares and an as-yet-unknown target. Spoilt for choice - what a luxury.
Peter

[jjjnettie]

Yep, I'm cooking up an image at the moment.
Wide field, using my new Tammy 90mm.
That breeze has died down and the mozzies are moving in.

[Brundah1]

Yes Peter,

Thought you would have the guns on targets tonight!

Hope to do the same visually after dinner. Dew may vist later I suspect.

May show up next Friday, sorry we will be in Toowoomba Sat & Sun.

Started the count down for first light on the C14?

Cheers David

[jjjnettie]

My neighbours automatic light keeps coming on. It won't effect the imaging though....i hope.
Damn suburbia.
Did I mention the corner street light too?? The house blocks it, but it's still there. Giving all my images to the north a lovely light gradient.
The only consolation is that the sky is still relatively dark.

sorry, I just needed to vent

The night is really very nice. The seeing is good and my camera is clicking away in the back ground.

[pmrid]

For those interested, I'm going to open the place this Friday as well as Saturday. I'm planning on getting a bit fancy this weekend and am going to try using a Ha filter with my QHY8 to get some details of the filaments of nebulosity around NGC3579 to add to a few hours of colour I already have.
The weather looks good and the seeing likewise.
Here's a taste of what I'm chasing by the way. it's 4 hours of straight colour but I'm hoping the Ha gives me more. Bring it on.

Peter.

[RobF]

Can't make it this weekend Peter
NGC 3579 coming along nicely :)

[pmrid]

Skippy suggets that big stuff is coming in from the Arafura Sea and the NW generally and will arrive this weekend. Sounds wet to me. Thursday and Friday both looking clear though. Saturday is probably clear at this stage but it could be a near thing.
Peter

[Tandum]

Pete, I'm still hoping to get up there Friday arvo well before peak hour then home for the bosses birthday on Saturday. Ron tells me my eq6 should be back from tasco this week and I have a new 10" scope and a new qhy9 to first light. I hope I remember how to work all this stuff, it's been a while :)

[pmrid]

I'll supply earplugs.
P.

[ozstronomer]

Peter,

Matt and I will be up (weather permitting) on Saturday.

See you then

Geoff

[pmrid]

What a beauty that was. Worth the wait and then some.
Hope you all managed to get some of it.
I did a side-by-side with the 127 and a QHY8 on one and an 80mm and another QHY8 on the other with a UHC-S filter on it. That was fun.
I did a few hours on NGC6559 and you'll see the difference - the widefield actually picks up the bottom of M8 as well. But have a look at the area between Antares and RhoOphiuchus.
I haven't subtracted any flats yet (I forgot to take some) so I'll do that tomorrow but for now, overlook the dust motes and cop the colours.
I hope this clear cold weather holds for a few more days.

Peter

[jjjnettie]

Wow Peter, top shots matey!!

[Tandum]

Looking good pete. I still have no mount and if it doesn't arrive today I won't there this week-end :(

[ozstronomer]

They are great shots Peter. The weather last night in Brissy was wonderful. Lets hope Saturday night is as good.

See you then Geoff

[pmrid]

Hi folks. Well, last night (Friday) was OK up till about midnight but then high cloud started to come in from the N-W and that was the end of it.
A quick look at Skippy Sky says those high clouds are here to stay for a while so my present (as in 10.30 a.m.) expectation is for very poor conditions tonight.

I'll check back in about 2-3 p.m. and see how it is then but right now I'm a bit sanguine about the prospects for the night.

Peter

[pmrid]

Well, it looks like the honeymoon is over. The clouds are coming in - high cloud at the moment but useless for any kind of astro work I think - and much, much more coming in behind. Sorry Matt and Geoff but I think we'd better cancel tonight.

Would you reply to this so I know you've got the message. Thanks.

Peter

[ozstronomer]

Peter,

Got your message. Sad to see a deep sky night abandoned... Looks like skippy has it correct...unfortunately.

Hope to catch you Next month

Geoff and matt

[DavidTrap]

Hi Peter,

Amazing how the weather can vary across such short distances.

We had a few bits of high cloud across the Southern sky around 9:30pm at Blackbutt last night, but after that it cleared up. We kept inconveniencing photons and electrons until 02:30am! A bit tired right now.

DT

[Robbos30]

Hi Peter, My names Peter also i have been away from this forum for a couple of years and am a bit rusty, but i am looking for a good visual observing spot to take my telescope and get back into astronomy.My wife and i are now living back in North Brisbane as we have just moved from Toowooomba.
Could you tell me a bit about your observing site and if we could join your observing group?
Regards, Peter.

[Tandum]

Peter, I don't want to talk for pete but I try and get out there when ever I can. I've seen a couple of observers there but most of us are imagers so there are laptops all over the place and pete has the brightest head light (blue not red) I've ever seen :) But I'm sure you'd be welcome.

Looking east from 10 chain, the skyglow from Brisbane blots out everything up to about 30-45 degrees, otherwise it is black :) It make me wonder how I see anything at all from here ....

Pete, we are back from the wifes birthday dinner, cost me over $400 :eyepop:, and it's about 50% solid cloud cover and the rest is hi level crap. Prolly a good move calling it off tonight.

[Robbos30]

Peter
Hi Robin, thanks for your reply, That still sounds good. What would the directions be? I like to google earth it. Cheers Peter.

[pmrid]

Peter,
TenChain is my place. I've been offline for a couple od days but I see that someone else has replied to your posting in the meanwhile. Yes, of course you are welcome to come out and enjoy the dark skies here. They are quite good except for the wretched glow from Brisbane and, to a lesser extent, the northern corridor up to the Sunshine Coast.
Why not drop me a Personal Message or an email and I can give you some detail of where we are and so forth. Do you know how to do that?

cheers
Peter.

[pmrid]

There's a half moon culminating about 6.00 p.m. tonight BUT so far it looks like clear skies. Too good to waste.
I'll be in the Obs if anyone wants to come out to have a play.
Peter.

[Tandum]

Can't get there pete, still messing about with this 10", but I should have it out here tonight. Just moved the mirror up the tube and got that red dot finder fitted so I need to colliminate and align it before it gets dark :) I think I still have distance to mpcc problems to sort out too.

[RobF]

Very tempting, but have promised the wife I'll behave and stay home this weekend Peter (as much as its possible to do anyway.... :D)

[pmrid]

My first goal tonight it to figure out if my new Hotech field flattener has a similar critical separation point between itself and the imaging chip. None mentioned anywhere but it could be an issue for me because I'm using it with an OAG and have put it before the OAG not after because it has that terrific axial grib system that just beats the dickens out of compresion rings and by doing this I have been able to eliminate all compression devices in my optical train. We'll soon see. It'll either be a coma circus or it won't.
Good skies all.
Peter.

[Tandum]

Peter, if that flattener is designed to connect to a canon camera then it will be 55mm to sensor for sure.

[pmrid]

Copy that. But it says it's designed for refractors from F6 to F8 - that's it. Houghy has recently used one that couples up straight to his DSLR's T-Ring with no added spacers and says it's fantastic. Bit of cloud coming across but the roof's open and hopes remain high!!!!

Peter.

[pmrid]

G'day folks.
David Gregor has kindly volunteered to help putting down a couple of concrete pads with appropriatly aligned and spaced locating holes to accommodate a range of mounts for you all. I have EQ5, EQ6 and LXD75 tripods but don't presently know whether there is any difference between standard and 'heavy' versions of the same tripods. I do not have dimensions for G8, G11 or others. Would you like to submit the dimensions for your fully-extended tripod-of-choice so we can make sure we give maximum coverage to each slab?
Not sure when the working-bee will be but I expect it will likely be in the week before our next new moon weekend of 11th and 12th June.
Peter.

[ozstronomer]

Peter,

Sounds like a great idea.
How do you want us to give you the measurements?

What i'm thinking is, as the tripod is raised up the legs spread out.This extends the overall measurement.

Should we level the mount at it's lowest point and use that measurement??
Maybe we need a few tripods on site the day the pads are poured??

What do you think

Geoff

[pmrid]

G'day Geoff. I kinda assumed most people would set their mounts up fully extended so what I had in mind was the equilateral triangle formed by the 3 legs.
If people only partially extened their legs, there's no way of setting any kind of standard locating points is there.

Peter

[ozstronomer]

Hi Peter,

When Ì setup I'ts always with the tripod set as low as possible, then leveled.

That way everything is easily accessible.

I'm happy to advise the measurements on that basis if that's of use. Otherwise I may be able to bring the tripod up on the day.

Cheers Geoff

[RobF]

I get great results at home with 3 black Nikko pen marks on my legs for height with mount leveled and 3 marks on the rear patio tiles (leveling re legs done for that one spot of course).

Something similar with another colour if necessary would save 30mins each time at 10 Chain too I imagine. (or should I say 60 mins as it seems to turn out in a dark sky location after you've already had a drink or two....:lol:)

[ozstronomer]

Rob,

I have the same setup at home, might work as long as we know who's marks are who's.

Geoff

[adman]

The ink marker sounds like a good idea Peter. It will save mucking around with measurements and alignments. Each person can do their own alignment and use some permanent marker or paint to indicate the position of their tripod legs. THey will need to use a specific colour or some other distinguishing mark to show which is theirs.

How big are you planning on making the slab?

Adam

[RobF]

Yes Geoff - just make sure everyone doesn't use the same colour blobs of offwhite paint! :)

[Tandum]

I've always been lucky enough to plonk it down, point it just left of the milking shed and come up pretty close to aligned :D

[RobF]

That sounds like a variation on the highly technical "aim just to the right of the old stump to the south" technique Robin :lol:
Who needs Polaris anyway......

[pmrid]

G'day all. I'm in Fiji this week (home Tuesday) and have patchy net access so I'll address outstanding issues when I get home. It seems that people set their tripods at different (and not always the same ) heights so the leg spacings will be highly variable. OK, We'll whack down markings for an EQ6 fully extended, and EQ5 similarly and mark a clear NS line on the slab so others can always use the south mark at least. That should overcome all variables and idiosyncracies.
Peter

[Brundah1]

Bula Peter,

Just read the inputs regarding our two scope pads working bee.

I measured my HEQ5 which I usually have at max extension = 1.2M between leg tips. CPC8 set as low as comfortable visual = l.0 M between leg tips.

As before we need your EQ6 etc plus G8 and G11 leg positions to ensure triangular pads allow for all common tripods.

IMHO (engineering hat on) and reading others comments, it may better to KISS and just have a scribed noon meridian line and one X scribed tile for the SCP leg.

No confusing coloured dots, just use a tape measure to position the back legs (just check you legs for symmetry).

Comments?

David

[pmrid]

OK. I'm back - just when you thought it was safe to go back in the water!!

If we just put down a SCP point and a scribed NS line, it still makes the placement of the rear legs a bit imprecise - hit and miss. If the object of the exercise is to eliminate all but the very fine tuning in polar alignment, I think we need to mark rear leg positions too.
Peter.

[ozstronomer]

Peter,

I find PHD can account for a little misalignment when I'm at home.

I'm happy to try it next weekend just measuring the back legs off a N/S line and we can see if PHD can handle it.

What do you think?

Geoff

[pmrid]

If you can't get a little misaligned at home, where can you?
Peter.

[Tandum]

Isn't it easier to draw a few E-W lines to put the rear legs on?

[DavidTrap]

To quote Darryl Kerrigan from the Castle: "You are an ideas man!"

DT

[Tandum]

Haaha .. I had a lump of 4x4 aligned E-W in the back yard for ages. Used to put the back legs against it. Got sick of falling over it in the dark so it's gone :)

[pmrid]

The rear legs with an east-west line marked with a mid-point and a rough scale marked at say 3-inch intervals would work for all tripods wouldn't it?
Haven't heard much from our resident engineer on this lately - you there Dave?
Peter.

[adman]

Gotta love the simple ideas - the EW line is fantastic! It will work for all tripods. What is the scale for?

Adam

[pmrid]

Ahhh, ummm, urrrgh, hmpff. Dunno.
Peter

[adman]

A scale would be great to see iF I am losing weight lugging all my gear around....;)

[ozstronomer]

Hi Peter,

Just checking, were you opening for visitors this long weekend??:)

Geoff

[Brundah1]

Apologies I had not been back here since my prev post.

Follow-up from others inputs.

Yes as discussed with Peter today, the EW datum line is the WTG, plus a NS line bisecting the EW.

We can cast in two V grooves (E-W N-S) in the concrete with 25x25 steel angle centered on string lines. The two grooves will then positively locate all varieties of tripods, with reasonable accuracy.

Most people should be able to use a tape measure to check their back leg positions laterally. For the fumble fingers we can include a steel center detent to hook your tape end.

If not already done, use permanent marker to scribe your back leg extensions equally at your preferrred height. Then setup should be quick and accurate.

Or we forget the above and find Robin's 4x4 hardwood and fit a few anti-trip red LEDs :D Maybe not so good when we have the "Doctor" on the table Peter ;)

Cheers to all, David

[pmrid]

Hi Geoff. yes. I have to make a quick dash up to Kingaroy in the morning but should be back here by mid-afternoon. But if for some reason I'm not here when you arrive, just go ahead and set up. Matt knows where to take power from etc.

David's plans for pads are well advanced. They won't be here by this weekend but will be in place for July for sure.

Peter.

[ozstronomer]

Thanks Peter,

look forward to catching up with you on Saturday night, Lets hope the weather is kind to us.

Geoff

[RobF]

All the best with the sky guys
Can't get there this month.

[adman]

not sure if i will make it this weekend - might be going to Noosa with the kids....

[pmrid]

That jetsream system is persisting but it does seem possible at least that we will be clear by Sunday night (according to our friend at SkippySky). And since Monday is a day of rest and recovery from life's labours (thank you Your Majesty) it may be worth thinking about keeping your options open to try for Sunday instead of Saturday.
Let's watch this weather and bear that in mind.

cheers all
Peter.

[Tandum]

I think skippy is wrong. Saturday will be cold and clear. All the other forecasts point that way.

[pmrid]

I'm with Robin. Skippy certainly got it wrong last night. Wow!
Peter

[jjjnettie]

Wasn't it a gorgeous night last night!!!
I packed it in around 2am. clouds were building up to the south east.

[adman]

I am sitting here in noosa - 150km from my scope - watching the clearest crispest nightfall i have seen for several months. Not to mention that it is the newest of new moons!!

I hope you all are making good use of it. Can you post some reports so I can at least enjoy it vicariously??

Cheers
Adam

[Brundah1]

Yes its looking good, hope Peter and Robin are backing the winning forecast.;)

I've delayed my trip down the coast in the hope I may miss those pesky clouds for a change.

Enjoy the view,

David :astron:

[RobF]

Yep - have fun guys.
And I hope you've packed plenty of woollies :)
(I s'pose you can always hug a cow if need be)

[Brundah1]

Peter,
Looks like you backed a winner tonight.

Nice dark sky here, you can usually tell when that flare from the city is real low - seeing was pretty good for me.

Hope you have all cameras working away.

I've had a good night with the Orion HEQ5 visual.

2325L large bank of C%%*D coming in from south of the city.

Off to bed unfortunately, long day tomorrow.

See you next W/E.

Cheers,

David

[pmrid]

Well, what can you say but crikey? The cloud held back until about 1.30 when you could see dark banks rising on the horizon and thin high stuff moved in. The view softened and then it was gone. But we had great clear sky for about 7 hours and made good use of it despite the cold coming in with a vengeance about 9 p.m.. By the time we packed it in, the grass temp would have been little more than 2 or 3.

Robin's new EM-200 was out with his F3.8 astrograph and made an early hit with some M51 that barely peaked at 15degrees above the northern horizon.

We had Ric doing some abolutely stunning widefield's using another baby Tak mount. Geoff and Matt were here clicking away although Matt was also doing some star trails around the SCP until bis batteries passed into mhistory. After that he was less than convinging when he insisted he was awake despite being bundled up in his bunk under a mountain of woolies.

I had a good run of 3 hours on the snake neb (B 72) and before that 3579 again (I'm determined to beat that one) and finally, even though it was still in Brisbane's glow, the Helix. That's another target for later in the year for me.

See you next month.

Peter.

[RobF]

Thanks for the news Peter
Was wondering how you all went

[RickS]

Thanks very much for your hospitality, Peter! It was great to meet you all and the skies were fantastic. I'm looking forward to doing it again next month.

Cheers,
Rick.

[pmrid]

Hey Rick, how about posting one of your Saggitarius widefields from last night.
Here's a B72 snake and a Helix both of which would profit from some flats which I didn't take, and the Helix was taken low in the east through a fair amount of Brisbane's best. But enjoy anyway.
Peter

[RickS]

Peter,

Here's a crop of one of the 14mm shots. The bottom third was mucky sky glow from the horizon, so I cropped to leave the best area of the pic.

I'll probably post a few more if they look OK.

The Snake is very nice and the Helix is pretty good considering the conditions!

Cheers,
Rick.

[Tandum]

Looks like you guys did ok. I ended up with a directory full of blurry noisey rubbish :lol:

[RobF]

Bummer - I was looking forward to seeing what you got on M51 Robin :(
Plenty of engineering issues for you to sort out for quite some time I should imagine.....!

[Tandum]

It's pretty low in the sky Rob, about 15degrees, not far above the tree line but I shot 5minute subs at 1x1.
The single 15minute L I shot looks a lot better :) I had PC trouble as well :( And I won't mention the cold :cold:

It looks like this so far.

[RobF]

Hey! That's very decent for such a low one with new gear. Perfectionist!

[ozstronomer]

Hi Peter,

Thanks for your hospitality Saturday, great night and great company.

I seem to have had a few guiding issues as I've had to throw away half of my data due to eggy stars :(.

This is the best frames for ngc 3324. Matt has still to process his star trails, i'll post later.

Hope to catch everyone next month

Cheers Geoff

[pmrid]

Look pretty good to me Geoff. Because I'm a child of the 60's and officially don't remember a thing about those years, it follows that my taste is for more lurid colours. I'd have cranked up those reds 'till they looked the colour of Tony Abbot's lycra budgie smugglers. But hey, that's me.
Peter.

[Brundah1]

Peter & Co,

Sorry I couldn't join you all (family committments over the W/E), however because of Peter's strong intuition, I managed to talk the HM into driving south a day later and squeezed in a few hours of visual Sat night until those cloud banks to the SE reflected the city glow.

What's all the complaining about being cold? Did you run out of coffee and medicine early? LOL

Was a bit cool here too :sadeyes: but I had warm hands & EPs Peter ;)

CU Friday,

David

[pjb009]

Hey there Nettie. How did you go with the rest of the night at Cambroon. It was a great night and I just wish I had brought those freezer suits. Is this night a monthly event?

[pmrid]

After the half-moon went down a bit after midnight, it was a really dark night and stayed as clear as a bell until sunrise. There was/is some jetstream action right above us so I've yet to see how if affected the seeing on the CCDs but I'm hopeful. I did some Coalsack, NGC7424 and from about 1.30 some M31 and M110. Stacking it now but I think sleep will come before any further processing.
Peter

[Tandum]

It's good to get a full clear night for a change. I moved the focuser and primary on the newt again this week so I spent most of last night trying to tune it up. It was looking a lot better by the end of the night but FWHM still seems high to me.