· Get a Cloudy Nights T-Shirt · Submit a Review / Article Click here if you are having trouble logging into the forums Privacy Policy | Please read our Terms of Service | Signup and Troubleshooting FAQ | Problems? PM a Red or a Green Gu… uh, User You are not logged in. [Login] Entrance · Main Index · Search · New user · Who's Online FAQ · Calendar Equipment Discussions >> Mounts Previous   Index   Next   Threaded   Pages: 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | (show all) amys Carpal Tunnel Reged: 06/12/06 Loc: Groton, CT Re: OK! I have officially HAD it with this stinkin [Re: Trebor777]       #3101105 - 05/12/09 08:18 PM Edit   Reply   Quote Quick Reply   Ditto. Just make sure it's not a weekend where the Sawx & Yankees play each other. I'll come. Can I wear my Yankees attire? Post Extras:       hfjacinto I think he's got it! Reged: 01/12/09 Loc: Land of clouds and LP Re: OK! I have officially HAD it with this stinkin [Re: amys]       #3101299 - 05/12/09 10:01 PM Edit   Reply   Quote Quick Reply   Well, I finally had a have decent night yesterday, took out the scope at 9:00 as it was still light. Set it up. Went home to get my list of items that I was going to see. Went back out, still light sky. Made a cup of coffee. Went out at 10 PM, alinged the scope. Looked for the double cluster, its behind the trees, see Saturn its behind another tree. Look at the globulars M3, m5, m15 (as I had the 6 inch I see no details, just light smudges). Look for the bright stars. They look fuzzy. I focus, everything is still fuzzy, I look up and clouds are coming in, I go to arcturus which is in the sky clear and look at it and it is also fuzzy. I look at the corrector and it dewed up. Luckily I have the dew heater, turn it on and its 11 PM and there is the moon. So I spent a little time on the moon and packed up at 11:30 as that was it. I hate spring with twilight only after 10:30 PM. But I have a star party on Saturday. Clouds go away. Post Extras:       hfjacinto I think he's got it! Reged: 01/12/09 Loc: Land of clouds and LP Re: OK! I have officially HAD it with this stinkin [Re: hfjacinto]       #3101303 - 05/12/09 10:01 PM Edit   Reply   Quote Quick Reply   BTW that was the first clear night in OVER 2 WEEKS Post Extras:       Bowmoreman Clear enough skies Reged: 09/11/06 Loc: Bolton, MA Re: OK! I have officially HAD it with this stinkin [Re: hfjacinto]       #3101528 - 05/12/09 11:59 PM Edit   Reply   Quote Quick Reply   Well, my patience... if you can call it that! has finally been rewarded... I'm out here NOW in WSO imaging for the very first time with my QHY8 and the new MI-250... Took me a while to get my STV/eFinder to successfully calibrate (turns out that a f4 100mm finder scope for guiding needs a LONGER "move" time with the STV than the AUTO mode picks... got it working with 30 seconds MOVE time... once tracking, I'm now reporting an average error of plus/minus 2.8 arc-seconds (or is that pixels) in RA/DEC... (It's the "average error X and Y" as reported by the STV - any STV experts out there?). I'm thinking this mount is a WINNER... Anyways, am in the middle of a 5 capture series of 10 minute subs on M81... we'll see how they turn out... Amazingly enough, this is the first time I've been able to even consider 10 minute subs... I'm CERTAIN there'll be lots of noob AP errors in the captures... but I am so thrilled to have a clear night (finally!)... It is so cool to finally sit here in the warm room; watching the real-time display of tracking on the STV (through the window), listening to the slight whir of the fan on the QHY8... and using a dedicated laptop wirelessly (with Rubylith!) in my cozy warm room (while everything elsewhere is dewing up at a prodigous rate! Thank you LORD for a nice clear, calm night... I've not even bothered with checking the seeing... I just picked the first "target" I could think of... In hindsight, probably should have picked M51 or something... heck even the Sombrero is up now... whatever, it really doesn't matter the target... what matters is clear, moonless skies and my new KILLER mount! Well, back to more imaging, and then I plan to capture some quick flats using my new electroluminescent lightbox that I built up (from the article/plans in the October 2008 ATT article)... Clear enough skies to you all! Post Extras:       hfjacinto I think he's got it! Reged: 01/12/09 Loc: Land of clouds and LP Re: OK! I have officially HAD it with this stinkin [Re: Bowmoreman]       #3101538 - 05/13/09 12:06 AM Edit   Reply   Quote Quick Reply   I think I just should just complain all the time, I look at NOAA and it says partly cloudy, I look outside and not a cloud in the sky.I quickly grab my 6 inch and am observing within 10 minutes woo hoo (just got in). What a good night. Edited by hfjacinto (05/13/09 12:07 AM) Post Extras:       Lord Beowulf Pooh-Bah Reged: 10/13/08 Loc: Cedar Park, TX Re: OK! I have officially HAD it with this stinkin [Re: hfjacinto]       #3101569 - 05/13/09 12:34 AM Edit   Reply   Quote Quick Reply   So my last EP (30 mm 1rpd w/ 80 degree AFOV) arrived last night and just before dark there wasn't a cloud in the sky! I get the NexStar 11 GPS all set up and look up to see if any stars are visible yet and this wall of cloud has just moved across about 80% of the sky! Best I was able to do was focus on the local cell tower and play around with bouncing my GLP off of it! Pretty cool as the beam was up to at least softball size at that range. Tonight on the other hand, perfectly clear skies after dark but winds gusting at about 25 MPH! Certainly not telescope weather! Ok, I'm done shopping for a while. It can clear up now. Really. At least I've been using the down time for other projects. Made an EP holder for the 11" over the weekend and am finishing up my homemade light box. Beo Post Extras:       Trebor777 Hazy Reged: 01/04/08 Loc: Connecticut - U.S. Re: OK! I have officially HAD it with this stinkin [Re: Lord Beowulf]       #3101587 - 05/13/09 12:50 AM Edit   Reply   Quote Quick Reply   That dew rolled in quick tonight. Post Extras:       Darenwh Carpal Tunnel Reged: 05/11/06 Loc: Covington, GA Re: OK! I have officially HAD it with this stinkin [Re: Trebor777]       #3101843 - 05/13/09 07:13 AM Edit   Reply   Quote Quick Reply   I am happy to hear some of you are getting some nice nights now. I hope you get many good nights this year. Post Extras:       Nebhunter Carpal Tunnel Reged: 10/04/03 Loc: Frostbite Falls Re: OK! I have officially HAD it with this stinkin [Re: Bowmoreman]       #3102427 - 05/13/09 01:01 PM Edit   Reply   Quote Quick Reply   Give up beer for a week for clear nights? I'm willing to bet that a bottle of Scotch will be next on the list. You know it's been awhile when one is trying to polar align the G11, but can't find the other 2 stars to fit into the slots. After awhile - you take a good look, and find that - umm - that's not Polaris. Post Extras:       Bowmoreman Clear enough skies Reged: 09/11/06 Loc: Bolton, MA Re: OK! I have officially HAD it with this stinkin [Re: Trebor777]       #3102793 - 05/13/09 03:45 PM Attachment (36 downloads) Edit   Reply   Quote Quick Reply   It sure did, Randy! Everything was soaking wet by the time I called it a night just after 1AM... But here is my very first attempt at imaging with the new MI-250 and the QHY8. A Widefield M81/82. I used the IDAS LPS filter, and did 5 subs of 10 minutes each. Guided using the eFinder on my STV (had to use a move length during calibration of 30 seconds, picked 5 seconds for guiding interval for tracking). It didn't autoguide as perfectly as I'd hoped, but it was the first time ever doing it; I'm sure it will get better. The STV reported an average error of about 2.5X and 2.5Y during the entirety of the process... I'm assuming that is arc-seconds/pixel (but an STV expert can, and should probably, chime in on that aspect). All the processing with Nebulousity was actually quite easy, did it in 20 minutes this AM (never done this before!) I'm a bit disappointed that I didn't capture more of the fainter aspects of M82 especially - I would have thought that 10 minute subs in an 8" F4 scope would have "caught more photons"??? maybe that's the IDAS - don't know... much, MUCH more playing will be required. But the MI-250 is a seriously sweet imaging platform. Effortless was the best descriptor for me last night. Not a single issue; once I got the STV to actually calibrate a moe that is - The best part was, I did a warm restart from the last time I used/aligned the MI-250 (which was weeks ago)... and then did a goto Dubhe; it was almost perfectly centered in the QHY8's capture bulls-eye! Recentered it, and "synched" the Gemini... and then did the goto M82... Perfect! Then all I had to do was much with the STV. Anyone out there with an MI-250 also using an STV? I'd like to compare notes/settings. I'm wondering (aloud) if the eFinder (being a 100mm fl, f4 finderscope) is just SO wide angle, that might cause issues I was seeing with imperfect guiding? Perhaps my image scale (for the ST237 guide camera for the STV) needed a different "move time" to move the requisite 10-15 pixels during calibration? Anyways, I love this mount... It just WORKS in every particular. clear enough skies But then that isn't the mounts fault! Post Extras:       Trebor777 Hazy Reged: 01/04/08 Loc: Connecticut - U.S. Re: 3 Passings if the ISS tonight!!! [Re: amys]       #3103311 - 05/13/09 07:52 PM Edit   Reply   Quote Quick Reply   Hey Northeastern people...we got a clear night....with THREE passings of the Space Station tonight. 1) Around 9:40pm 2) Around 11:15pm 3) Around 1:50am http://www.n2yo.com/passes/?s=25544&tz=GMT-04:00 This site is great for satellite tracking Where I am in CT, the first passing will be from the southwest and then passing somewhat to the North. The 2nd one will be in the northern sky, probably somewhat low, but passing west to east. The third one will be from the northwest traveling down to the southeast. What a great night. 3 possible viewings of the ISS!!!! If you haven't seen it, get outside. It'll look like a bright star moving across the sky. I very easy to spot. (Note: if it's blinking, you're looking at a plane ) Post Extras:       Pages: 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | (show all) Previous   Index   Next   Threaded   Extra information 32 registered and 35 anonymous users are browsing this forum. 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