Trying out Sharpcap’s Platesolving features which one you get the hand of the way of working it, works really well. I like that it fills the name of the target you have platesolved to and that name gets added to the file structure on your drive, so when it comes to writing up the observing log, all the files are in their respective folders. Still not wildly happy with the focus routine. It’s not…
Scope Life
or What 13 years in a drafty observatory does to your telescope. The answer to this is not good. The two previous iterations of the my observatory were drafty. They were both designed to allow lots of air movement inside to discourage mould, but the problem was that we are on top of a moorland hull, rain and mist got driven inside it when it was windy. The gaps in the decking floor and…
EAA Observing Session: 27, October
The Sun Session Data Date: 27/9/2024 Time: 11:19 – 12:59 UT Seeing: I. Excellent Transparency: III. Clear with slight haze. Temp: 12 C, Air Pressure: 1025mb Humidity: 78% Dew Point: 8C Wind Speed: 3mph Scope: TMB 80 f/6 Camera: ZWO ASI 183MM , SBIG G filter. No Darks or Flats taken. Currently testing ASCOM Alpaca allowing me to control the mount using a Astroplanner that is installed on my main machine in the office,…
Observing Session : 22, October
Session Data Date: 22/10/2024 Time: 18:55 – 19:55 UT Seeing: II. Good – Slight Transparency: II. Clear with some cloud Temp: 11 C, Air Pressure: 1032mb Humidity: 93% Dew Point: 9C Wind Speed: 4mph Scope: Opticron 8×42 Natura Binoculars C/2023 A3 (Tsuchinshan-ATLAS) With the RC off the mount getting a rebuild, I didn’t want to completely rebalance the scope in order to observe C/2023 A3, so I just got out a pair of…
EAA Observing Sessions, 18, September
The Sun Session Data Date: 18/9/2024 Time: 13:40 – 14:40 UT Seeing: III. OK – Moderate Transparency: III. Clear with slight haze. Temp: 19 C, Air Pressure: 1027mb Humidity: 79% Dew Point: 15C Wind Speed: 2mph Scope: TMB 80 f/6 Camera: ZWO ASI 183MM Pro, Astronomik 420nm Pass filter and SBIG G Filter. No Darks or Flats taken. Just a small experiment to compare the Astronomik 420nm Pass filter and the SBIG G filter…
Sunspot AR3664 Development 6/12 May
While I missed the actual Auroral lightshow on the night of 11th and Morning of the 12th May, I did have a number of clear days in the days leading up to it. I was able to draw the development of Sunspot AR3664 in a series of six drawings made over 7 days 6m May 14:22 UT 7th May 10:26 UT 9, May 17:43 UT 10, May 13:37 UT 11, May 14:16 UT 12,…