Brisbane Planetary Imagers : Get Your Gear Out!

AlexN · #1 28-10-2008, 04:01 PM

Jetstream looks good, the skies are clear... Jupiter is still high enough... Get amongst it!

(im excited.. First planetary light for C11

) Woooooh!

jjjnettie (Jeanette) · #2 28-10-2008, 05:01 PM

I've just finished setting up the new mount in anticipation of tonight.
No planets for me though, probably just some widefields.
Got a new toy yesterday, my right angle finder got delivered. No more twisting myself into pretzel like yoga positions just to see through the finder. Whoo Hooo!

AlexN · #3 28-10-2008, 05:18 PM

Nice one JJJ!

Have fun with your new toy!

Ps. The use the nifty 50 and get some 10x 1 ~ 2 minute shots of the milky way setting

! should be awesome!

Matty P (Matt) · #4 28-10-2008, 05:45 PM

Lucky you. Looking forward to seeing what you can do with your C11 Alex.

Are you going to image Venus? Even though it is quite low.

matt · #5 28-10-2008, 05:51 PM

I don't finish work and get home until after 6.30pm.

By the time I get home....set up...let the 9.25 get to ambient....it'd be game over.

But I'm very keen to see what you produce with your C11, Alex. With all the conditions in your favour...it'll be interesting to see how those optics perform

Tandum (Robin) · #6 28-10-2008, 06:52 PM

Bought a $30 trolley from super cheap today so I can finally move that honking big dob around the place

Might plug the dsi into it, should be at ambient around 2am

AlexN · #7 28-10-2008, 07:15 PM

Robin, that dob will have a fan in the rear end, It should be cool enough to use within 40 minutes of being in ambient temp with the fan on...

jjjnettie (Jeanette) · #8 28-10-2008, 07:22 PM

I didn't mention that the right angle finder is for the 20d not the scope.
With a flick of a switch you can zoom in for accurate focusing.

AlexN · #9 28-10-2008, 07:25 PM

JJJ!!! Where did you get it!! How much for!!

TELL ME NOW!! !!!111

I need **NEEEED one of those.

Tandum (Robin) · #10 28-10-2008, 07:44 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by AlexN

Robin, that dob will have a fan in the rear end..

I'm too cheap to buy the batteries and haven't made a DC lead yet.

AlexN · #11 28-10-2008, 07:48 PM

kk.. an hour and a half... should be fine...

ps.. MOUNT THAT BAD BOY!! THE EQ6 CAN HOLD IT!

Jen · #12 28-10-2008, 08:00 PM

Awsome Alex hope you get a good night in
I will be expecting some cool pics from you very soon

AlexN · #13 28-10-2008, 09:54 PM

fingers crossed one of the 30 AVI's I took were ok... Jupiters already too low, so im taking the time to drift align my mount... I figure, If I see no drift in 10minutes at 2800mm focal length, I should be right as rain to image at 1700 or 700mm focal length..

The Jupiter AVI's did look promising... The C11 definitely feeds the camera a lot more light... even at 8000mm focal length, 15 frames a second was easily exposing the histogram! Exciting times!

Alex.

matt · #14 28-10-2008, 10:02 PM

Which camera are you using to capture at 15fps?

jjjnettie (Jeanette) · #15 28-10-2008, 10:08 PM

I paid $37.99 plus $15 delivery.
It's a Seagull brand.
A genuine Canon finder is priced from around $268 up to $329

Link to store
http://search.stores.ebay.com.au/wei...546962QQsofpZ0

Tandum (Robin) · #16 28-10-2008, 10:08 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by AlexN

MOUNT THAT BAD BOY!! THE EQ6 CAN HOLD IT!

Had the arvo off and did a round of Bunnings looking for ideas on how to and have a cunning plan in hand. No camera in the dob tonight, still trying to figure out eq6 problems and tonight it's working fine. 15minute subs without a problem, Go figure

But there's a flip coming up.

jjjnettie (Jeanette) · #17 28-10-2008, 10:15 PM

Well, the motor drive just kacked itself.
It was working fine for a while there. I could go for 2 minutes without trailing.
All the connections seem to be ok, the red power lights are on. I'll have to buy a multimeter to check the very last plug.

Tandum (Robin) · #18 28-10-2008, 10:59 PM

That's no good jeanee, is that a motor in the cube you're talking about?

AlexN · #19 28-10-2008, 11:03 PM

Robin, Its the motor on her EQ5 that Paul so generously donated to her last Saturday...

Jeanette, Sorry to hear that, How did the 2 min subs look??

Is it making the sounds as if its working? also, check the tension on the slow motion cable (if that's for the RA axis, I dont recall if that was for DEC or RA) Sometimes those can reach their "limit" so you have to relax the tension and start again...

All else fails, take it back to the supplier and demand service

AlexN · #20 28-10-2008, 11:06 PM

Oh, And robin, After running off 30 or so Jupiter AVI's @ a hair over 8000mm focal lenght, I drift aligned my mount with the C11 @ F/30 and a 12mm reticule... It goes 5 mins in alt and az with no visible drift.. I dare say I could run 10 minute subs at 700mm unguided

Fortunately, I have guiding working too, so maybe its time to give the C11 + QHY8 another run together.

even imaging at F/6.3 (1750mm) should be fine if it gets no drift at 8000mm