36 replies to this topic

[RW2024]

Currently, I am technically in a Bortle 5 area, but with the street light in front and behind, with the light grey siding on my home reflecting these, I estimate I'm really a B7-B8.  Also frequent cars passing by on the road behind as it is 4-lane.

 

Good new is I'm moving 2,000 miles away to a B4 listed area and since it is a new development, will likely be closer to a B3 site (15 miles from city lights).  I will gain a lot of humidity though (moving from CO to SC) so transperency is going to be more of an issue, especially in the summer.  But winters will be much milder and I will be more likely to  get my gear out as the CO nights are always in the teens and twenties (F) and I won't go out under freezing.

[PJ Anway]

With Bortle 3 skies at home, for many years I used an observatory (Phil Harrington featured it in his third edition of "Star Ware"). However, I built it at the top of a 24' high hill.

Sometime after retirement, my wife insisted that I stop climbing the hill in the dark. I now observe in front of the home - same yet smaller skies, but much easier access. :^)

 

Click to enlarge

 

[jimsmith]

I have an equatorial mount mounted on a permanent pier in my back garden from when I didn't use smart telescopes. As this is already polar aligned it means that I don't have to bother. I just put my S30 or S50 on it in the daylight and set up a plan to be executed when it gets properly dark. It's all very convenient and easy.

 

I have tallish trees to the West and North so I just have to wait for my targets to make their way around to the East and South before I can shoot them.

 

 

[matt_astro_tx]

I have an equatorial mount mounted on a permanent pier in my back garden from when I didn't use smart telescopes. As this is already polar aligned it means that I don't have to bother. I just put my S30 or S50 on it in the daylight and set up a plan to be executed when it gets properly dark. It's all very convenient and easy.

I have tallish trees to the West and North so I just have to wait for my targets to make their way around to the East and South before I can shoot them.

Nice! I’ve long thought about building a pier for my SA. Tiny but mighty!

Edited by matt_astro_tx, 17 April 2025 - 03:38 PM.

[sanford12]

One thing I've noticed using EQ mode with the Star Sense tripod and EQ base is that no matter how hard you tighten the bolt that holds the rail to the S50. The finish on the bolt is too slick and would come loose. Cranking it down with pliers is just a bad idea. Used blue lock tight in a very sparing manor on the end of the bolt. Tightened and let it dry. problem solved. Now if there's a way of reducing the slop in the gears that rotate the S50 it might get rid of even more dropped frames. Read where a guy had his S50 out on the balcony of his apartment got up in the morning to find an empty tripod and the S50 on the sidewalk. Knocked off some panels but he said it was fully functional. Very lucky.

Edited by sanford12, 18 April 2025 - 10:48 AM.

[Astro_In_Tampa]

I have neighbors that think the whole world is trying to break into their homes. So, the whole place is lit up like a freaking airport runway. It's insane.

 

Last night I imaged M100 for 5hrs. I got 745 ten sec subs, and only 401 would stack properly in Siril. Almost 50% loss. Insane.

 

Even then, when I crop and denoise I wind up with a picture full of red swirls and blotches that make processing anything worthwhile impossible. Especially when I'm working on anything other than star clusters or globular clusters. At least with star clusters and globular clusters I can do a star removal and throw away the background. 

 

 

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[Stevan Klaas]

That’s sad…if it wasn’t for those private Football Stadiums per house, the neighborhood seems residential.

 

Really bad gradients…worse than my city center building surrounded balcony…sorry for that.

 

I have neighbors that think the whole world is trying to break into their homes. So, the whole place is lit up like a freaking airport runway. It's insane.

 

Last night I imaged M100 for 5hrs. I got 745 ten sec subs, and only 401 would stack properly in Siril. Almost 50% loss. Insane.

 

Even then, when I crop and denoise I wind up with a picture full of red swirls and blotches that make processing anything worthwhile impossible. Especially when I'm working on anything other than star clusters or globular clusters. At least with star clusters and globular clusters I can do a star removal and throw away the background. 

[Astro_In_Tampa]

I need to talk to my neighbor and see if I can't get that light turned off. At least on the weekends. Throw me a bone! 

[sanford12]

I need to talk to my neighbor and see if I can't get that light turned off. At least on the weekends. Throw me a bone! 

There may be regulations about how bright your lights can be at night in you area. I'd check and see if you don't get relief from a talk. Google may be able to tell you. That's crazy how bright that is.

Edited by sanford12, 23 April 2025 - 05:14 PM.

[Astro_In_Tampa]

There may be regulations about how bright your lights can be at night in you area. I'd check and see if you don't get relief from a talk. Google may be able to tell you. That's crazy how bright that is.

That's a good point. I didn't think of that angle. Thanks!

[brlasy1]

My back yard looking east.   School with LED parking lot lights on all night.  I can shoot north, south, or west from my patio, especially at higher angles, but east is pretty much a bust.

[sanford12]

Know how you feel. My weak direction is WNW but it's all light polluted but no direct light from neighbors.

 

Let the dog out at 11pm last night and had a clear sky that wasn't supposed to be. Cold and humid with very heavy dew already. Grabbed the scope and got started in EQ mode. Don't know yet if I'm lucky or good but the last 2 times after running the deviation it came back green and good to go. it was .07 first time and .02 last night. Gotta be luck.

 

Anyway got 3 hours in on NGC 7023 for a combined 6 hours,1.5 hour on the Sombrero Galaxy. Few light clouds from time to time. Ran from 11:15 till 6:00 for 4.5 hours of data from 6.75 run time. Looks like tonight is a possibility and will hit these 2 again if so.

 

Here's the results with very little post processing. Was surprised at how little noise there was  with the conditions 

 

Edited by sanford12, 27 April 2025 - 03:54 PM.