First pic through my newt

adman (Adam) · #1 21-03-2010, 08:22 PM

I was going to go out to Ron's at Cambroon on Saturday night, but the weather was not looking good. By late afternoon it looked like a good call not to go - but the night was not a complete loss.

Earlier on Saturday I bought a QHY5 from another IIS member (thanks Mike) and was able to get it home and working with PHD. I also converted some small scope rings I had into guide rings, and attached a very dodgy refractor (lets call it a Celestron F/12 plastochromatic) alongside the newt as a guidescope until I can afford a proper one.

I also picked up a T-ring for my canon 10D and found out when I got home that I could screw this straight to the 1.25" EP adapter on my scope - so I got the 10D attached and nicely balanced too.

I was about to call it a night when I went outside for a last look - and found a sizeable chunk of crystal clear sky hanging over my place. I quickly whipped the scope outside and after a very rough polar alignment thought I would try to get some unguided shots through the newt to check whether I could get focus. No time to plan what to shoot - just point and click.

When I got back inside I found that I had clipped the side of Eta Carina. So here it is the first image through my 8" newt. Nothing special, only a 20 second single sub - and the alignment was rough enough that even this short exposure showed appreciable star trails. But I am strangely pleased with this image.

Can't wait to get the guidecam locked on a star and take some 'real' images.

Adam

RobF (Rob) · #2 21-03-2010, 09:47 PM

Nice going Adam - sounds like the addiction has firmly set in

adman (Adam) · #3 21-03-2010, 09:54 PM

thanks rob

you have seen this scope in action before in the hands of davewaldo. I am its current caretaker and hope to be wringing many more shots out of it yet. I have alot to learn. The astro bug got me in August last year, and I am just now taking my first shot. It has been a slow process, but you're right, the addiction has taken hold...

Adam

RobF (Rob) · #4 21-03-2010, 11:02 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by adman

thanks rob

you have seen this scope in action before in the hands of davewaldo. I am its current caretaker and hope to be wringing many more shots out of it yet. I have alot to learn. The astro bug got me in August last year, and I am just now taking my first shot. It has been a slow process, but you're right, the addiction has taken hold...

Adam

Aha - I only ever got one half decent look at that scope after David modded it. Should be a beauty. I bought my first 2nd hand eyepiece off Dave through IIS, and after a couple of sessions in his backyard caught the astrophoto bug big time too! You should be able to do some serious damage with that gear you're getting together Adam!

adman (Adam) · #5 21-03-2010, 11:09 PM

Yep - I quite like it. I have taken his suggestion and moved the primary up the tube so I can get focus with the DSLR - I had to get some extension pieces also so I can still use my eyepieces. But it is slowly coming together.

Adam

RobF (Rob) · #6 21-03-2010, 11:22 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by adman

Yep - I quite like it. I have taken his suggestion and moved the primary up the tube so I can get focus with the DSLR - I had to get some extension pieces also so I can still use my eyepieces. But it is slowly coming together.

Adam

Any pointers to where you got the eyepiece extenders Adam? I'm put off doing this operation, but would like to know the ins and outs still being being able to go visual when the need arises.

adman (Adam) · #7 22-03-2010, 01:40 PM

I got a 2" and a 1.25" extension from Sirius optics. I think they were Orion brand. I would hesitate to call them eyepiece extenders as there is no compression ring or anything - just thumbscrews. But they will do in a pinch. The 1.25" extension I mostly got for getting focus with the new guidecam on the refractor, and I can use the 1.25" adapter that came with the scope (that has a compression ring) in the 2" extension for visual. Did that make sense??

They were about $35 each from memory

It was quite painless moving the mirror up the tube - much better than mucking around changing to a low profile focuser or cutting the tube. I got some new 65mm collimation bolts that if anything are too long, as well as some hefty springs. These are possibly a little too strong as I needed someone to give me a hand to put it all together. But it seems to work well. I was worried that the bolts would be too long and allow some movement of the mirror in different positions of the OTA - but so far no probs.

Cheers Adam

adman (Adam) · #8 22-03-2010, 01:42 PM

... also if worse comes to worse I still have the old (short) collimatiom bolts. If I cut the tube there is no going back!

Adam