Today, 15th Feb, for AR1048 the seeing was not as good compared to my recent image of AR1045 recorded on 13th Feb. However, it was still worth enduring the heat stress and discomfort of the fierce Brisbane sun as its intense heat attempted to drive me indoors – which it did successfully!
I drank 2 litres of chilled water during the set up, acquisition and tear down phases of today’s effort to avoid dehydration. Using a full aperture Baader Astro Solar Film Photographic Filter I was able to record at 30 frames per second, exposure of 1/2000 second with the Gain set at 320 on the DMK31 CCD camera.
The Mewlon 180 F12 is probably as ideal a ‘scope as one could hope for in terms of imaging the Sun and I have been very, very lucky with the fantastic seeing conditions in Brisbane for these particular events.
Al – so sorry to hear about your kaput EQMOD I/F, what a bummer!
Another great shot Dennis... Have you given the C9.25 a run on the sun? I would imagine it too would be a fantastic solar imaging scope... The optics in the M180 would probably be that little bit sharper though.. And the closed SCT tube with heat issues might be a problem.
I honestly can't believe you braved the sun today... Working in a factory as I do, it was REALLY hot inside, but out in the sun it was a scorcher! You are indeed a brave man... I hope you wore plenty of sunscreen!!
Another great shot Dennis... Have you given the C9.25 a run on the sun? I would imagine it too would be a fantastic solar imaging scope... The optics in the M180 would probably be that little bit sharper though.. And the closed SCT tube with heat issues might be a problem.
I honestly can't believe you braved the sun today... Working in a factory as I do, it was REALLY hot inside, but out in the sun it was a scorcher! You are indeed a brave man... I hope you wore plenty of sunscreen!!
Hi Alex
Thanks and yes, it was quite a gruelling session under that fierce Sun, although I still haven’t decided which is the worse yet; dehydration and sun stroke versus hordes of mosquitoes and exhausting all nighters!
I have tried the C9.25 on a couple of occasions, although not during this current spell of excellent seeing, so I cannot offer any comparisons between the Mewlon 180 and the venerable C9.25.
On previous occasions, I found that the seeing didn’t hold up to the C9.25 x2 Barlowed focal length of 4700mm versus the Melwon 180 x1.6 Tak Extender combo at 3450mm. What is very noticeable is that throughout the entire session, the off-white Tak tube remains remarkably cool whereas the black tube (CF) and rails of the C9.25 really heat up.
The open tube design of the Mewlon certainly allows the scope to cool down quickly at night compared to the C9.25 and I suspect that it would also be the case for daytime observing. The M180 is much lighter than the C9.25 and so should have a smaller thermal mass from this alone.
It would take a very brave man to swap OTA’s mid-session, during these moments of good seeing to run some side by side tests!
Thats why you need a second mount Dennis... Side by side testing - literally... Either that or a tandem bar.. The EM200 would easily hold the weight of both scopes wouldn't it?
I suppose the C9.25 stays prepared for the night that you get some really amazing seeing with Jupiter or Saturn above 60 degrees altitude.. Thats where the SCT would really shine I think
Thats why you need a second mount Dennis... Side by side testing - literally... Either that or a tandem bar.. The EM200 would easily hold the weight of both scopes wouldn't it?
I suppose the C9.25 stays prepared for the night that you get some really amazing seeing with Jupiter or Saturn above 60 degrees altitude.. Thats where the SCT would really shine I think
The EM200 would probably handle the C9.25 and M180 side by side, although when I fitted Ian’s Mewlon 180 side-by-side with mine, on the EM200, I only just had enough length on the Dec shaft to fit 4 x 5kg weights – I probably would require more for the C9.25 as it is quite a bit heavier!
Drink as many water you want, but never stop to amaze us with your hot solar shots!!
Thank you Paolo! As one of the pioneers of high-resolution solar system imaging, your world class images have been a constant source of inspiration to me, also helping me re-kindle my love for the Moon.
Now if only I had a “Gladiator” ‘scope during these moments of good seeing!
Thanks so much for making the effort and sharing this with us.
Regards
Trevor
Thank you Trevor! Your words of encouragement and your amazing images and animations, not to mention your insane dedication, all have helped lift my spirits during times when my motivation was at a low ebb. For this I say “thank you”.
