Still playing with collimation and AO with the 8" newt. AT the machine shop today for some new secondary holder but I did spend a lot of time this week shooting bright targets in Ha and got familiar with the AO.
I barlowed the scope so all shots are 10min subs at 2.4m FL. All nights this week were clear and dry. Seeing is really really bad and quite a lot of surface wind. And the moon is up so very good for testing stuff.
Making steady progress. Once I have collimation down pat and the wind dies down I should be ready for the new moon.
Still playing with collimation and AO with the 8" newt. AT the machine shop today for some new secondary holder but I did spend a lot of time this week shooting bright targets in Ha and got familiar with the AO.
I barlowed the scope so all shots are 10min subs at 2.4m FL. All nights this week were clear and dry. Seeing is really really bad and quite a lot of surface wind. And the moon is up so very good for testing stuff.
Making steady progress. Once I have collimation down pat and the wind dies down I should be ready for the new moon.
Never seen the moon in Ha before
looking very promising there, have you made many mods to the newt?
I've got a suspicion you're going to make a lot of people reconsider the capabilities of these imaging Newts as you get it singing Marc. They're already top shots, especially the Eagle - love it! (how many mins/hours on M16?)
looking very promising there, have you made many mods to the newt?
Rusty
Thanks Rusty. You can pretty much image anything bright in Ha. No mods at this stage, no, but tightening up a lot of things. Everything is lose out of the box. At the machine shop right now to fix secondary holder. Optics aren't half bad but mechanically it leaves a lot to be desired and doesn't hold collimation well.
Quote:
Originally Posted by RickS
Looks like it will be capable of great resolution when you get it singing, Marc!
Thanks Rick. Yes I hope so.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Rod771
I like the Eagle Marc , very nice
Others are very good too
Thanks Rod. The eagle was taken last week and the seeing was reasonable and it shows. Problem is that the scope wasn't properly collimated. The lagoon was taken Tuesday night and the seeing was very bad. That's why it's so soft and blurry. The scope was collimated though. Can't win.
Quote:
Originally Posted by RobF
I've got a suspicion you're going to make a lot of people reconsider the capabilities of these imaging Newts as you get it singing Marc. They're already top shots, especially the Eagle - love it! (how many mins/hours on M16?)
Thanks Rob. 10x10min. I got it second hand. They're advertised ranging from $700.00 up to $1.2k on various sites. TBH I wouldn't spend more than what I paid for it. Certainly not over $1k with the way it's built. It needs a lot of work. But all things considered after fixing it you'd still be in front compared to splashing $$$ on a better system. The mirror seems good and I think you'd get pretty good performance out of it.
Quote:
Originally Posted by gregbradley
Great shots Marc.
Greg.
Thanks Greg.
Quote:
Originally Posted by jase
Noice, few more tweaks Marc and the scope will indeed be hitting the high notes. Looking forward to seeing the improved results.
Yeah, long live the humble Newtonian! Some very promising images there Marc; the Eagle in particular showing some very nice resolution in the nebula Looks like the wind may have buffeted the scope a little though with those stars looking somewhat trailed...
Yeah, long live the humble Newtonian! Some very promising images there Marc; the Eagle in particular showing some very nice resolution in the nebula Looks like the wind may have buffeted the scope a little though with those stars looking somewhat trailed...
Thank you David. Yes I'm looking forward to playing more with this. Not wrong about the wind. . Had to take the dewshield off. The AO is pretty resilient though... to a point.
I have always wanted to use an AO unit with my newts, but as with everything there is a pay off. It is nearly impossible to fit one within most correctors distances, the only one I can think of is the RCC. And then extra backfocus means bigger secondary which in the case of the GSO newts means stronger everything. I have contemplated building my own parts for GSO mirrors out of carbon fiber.
The eagle neb is showing exceptional resolution I hope you persist with the newtonian, they are a love of mine.
I have always wanted to use an AO unit with my newts, but as with everything there is a pay off. It is nearly impossible to fit one within most correctors distances, the only one I can think of is the RCC. And then extra backfocus means bigger secondary which in the case of the GSO newts means stronger everything. I have contemplated building my own parts for GSO mirrors out of carbon fiber.
The eagle neb is showing exceptional resolution I hope you persist with the newtonian, they are a love of mine.
Yes spacers and coma correctors can be an issue for sure. Luckily the imaging circle is stopped down a fair bit when using the FFC so I can do without the MPCC. With the refractor there is enough back focus for the corrector (97mm) but you'll never fit an MPCC at 55mm. Unless you put it behind the AO. Then you have to extend the OAG. It can get messy. Haven't figured it all out yet.
. Had to take the dewshield off. The AO is pretty resilient though... to a point. 
