After my fun episode of Solar imaging today, I commenced to get ready for tonight.
The weather report was for clear sky!
Out came the 12" and up it went onto the EQ mount, then after 4 hours of preparation: fitting the ED80 into it's rings, wiring everything up including the electronic focusers first run, the toucam extension, motor drive, red light finder, etc etc, I got my son Jake to help me fine tune the collimation on the 12" and line up the 12", the ED80 and the finderscope. Then my daughter Jess helped me centre Jupiter on the monitor while I tweaked the last bits of alignment. Harry directing. 4 hours well spent with my kids.
So far pretty standard for us observers with electric everythings on EQ's!
Then I got to sit down at the Captains chair and enjoy my new electronic focuser, Yippee!
Hmmm, not quite centred on the monitor. Go over and double check the alignment of the piggy-backed ED 80 and finder. Can't see thru finder and ED properly. Yuck, ED & finder lenses covered in sooty grime from all the Wood fires burning. Not good. Re-align thru a foggy image and 'Whack, Crack!!!!' My head collects the Toucam and breaks the housing!!!
After 10 minutes of yelling and repairing, it's time to try again (hoping the toucam still works). But while I've been fixing, I forgot that the Whack had knocked everything out of tracking alignment!
OK, this ain't fun any more!!!
Re-align everything, and YAY, Joop back in centre of screen.
WOW!!! this is great, I have a barlow and 9mm tracking Joop and the image is huge!!!! Just can't quite get focus. Check for dew on the mirrors and
There's soot and crud mixed with dew all over my Primary
Oh well, I can wash my mirror tomorrow, I'm not going to waste clear sky.
Even though I can't get crystal clear focus, it is nice to finally get a large image tracked. Joop is sitting beautifully in the centre of screen not budging a millimetre
and it is the best image I have ever had of it. I am just about to start imaging and "WHOOOOOOOSH!"
Joop sailed straight of the edge of the monitor! That's wierd, tracking is still running. Run around double checking everything. Nope, everything is working.
Re-align, hmmm, why won't joop stay on the monitor??? Half an hour spent re-aligning, 'zoooom, re-align, zooooom, re-align, zooooom!!!!
My fingers are screaming with pain from the cold even with gloves on!
Go get torch and trip over cables!
Finally get torch after yelling at sheep for laughing at me and proceed to examine mount.
Searching, searching . . .
3 drive gear mounting bolts have sheared clean off!!!!! No wonder it wouldn't track! I suppose in excess of 140 pounds took it's toll on 3 small allen heads.
#@$%#!!*+&#$@!!!!!!!
Time to pack up and sulk.
Tonight Tally:
Filthy sooted optics on all scopes
Broken Toucam
3 sheared bolts on mount
Very sad son Jake who was looking forward to learning imaging.
Don't ya just love Astronomy
P.S. I know what I'll be doing for the next week!
Anyway, regardless of the debarcle, here's some pics of my set-up all rearing to go! (before everything went wrong)
Ever have one of those days!!!!
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