I really hope that I can get out and see the comet sometime, but I am going to have to protest the fact that the best viewing time is pre-sunrise. I'm much more of a post sunset kind of guy.
LOL!

Still clouded over. This is really beginning to annoy me.

Yep, I missed the Venus Transit of the Sun back in 2014 because of clouds.

I'm more of a night owl than an early bird. I'd rather stay up until 2am than wake up at 6am. But this morning, I woke up and decided to get up. When I got downstairs and it was still pitch black outside, I realized this might be my chance to see it. The past two days have been really clear skies, so I thought this would be the perfect opportunity.

I was wrong. There's a high thin layer of clouds, thin, but certainly too thick to see a comet. I think we're supposed to be cloudy and rainy for most of the next week now. This is probably going to be one that I'll miss.

:rolleyes:

http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1675216889.jpg

:D:D:D

That’s fantastic. And it’s probably all I’m going to see of this thing.

I was outside an hour ago and the sky was good not great. I set the ota to cool and went inside to dress and make tea. Went out to find complete overcast. sigh. It's like a metaphor for my love life. :(

We've had one clear night in the last month or so and the seeing was crap. Otherwise, just grey and rainy.

Buddy of mine, shoots long exposures stacking photos with a CCD guided camera.


Here is his Andromeda Galaxy, DUCK, it's going to hit us in 3.5 billion years.

Not too shabby for a back yard hack with some software and camera gear.



http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1675460539.jpg

http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1675460868.jpg

It's an amazing universe we live in.........

Went out last night with binoculars to see if I could spot the comet. Alas, somewhat hazy skies and a lotta moon. Did not see it.

I've given up on it. Truly frustrating as the days have been mostly clear then at nightfall BAM in roll the clouds.

So, I bought my first actual brand new telescope in...well, probably ever. I don't think I ever actually bought anything new.

That being said, it's going to be a glorified guide scope for when I test customer's mounts. I have a ShortTube 80, which I use with an old Phillips webcam, both were free as accessories from various mounts I've bought. I hate the focuser on the ST80 for guide star work, so I decided to get a GSO dual speed crayford to put on it. Unfortunately, those are ~$150, and often out of stock. Some googling sent me off on a tangent, where I found that I could get a completely new 80mm short focal length refractor, with ED glass, 2 inch crayford, and a dovetail/ring system for $350? Yes please.

So, I bought an AstroTech AT80ED on sale. It will be my mount testing rig, and it will sit on my recently acquired (free) iOptron MiniTower Pro, which will get used during the eclipse.

Now I'm really pissed!! I've been planning to build a roll off roof observatory in my front yard. My town codes prohibit any structures closer than 50 feet from the road ( the setback code) and this would be about 35 feet in. So, i need a variance and an appearance before the town Board. There's no other place to put it.

The town wants $250 application fee and $1000 administration fee all non refundable. That's more than the structure would cost!

i spoke to the inspector and he said it's highly unlikely that the variance would be approved. Fark me.

Wow, gotta love bureaucratic wankers!

That sucks FB.

Have you an opinion on keeping a scope outside under a telegizmo cover? CN has a lot of opinions pro and con.

I'm now thinking maybe a dolly? But that comes with storage issues as well given the footprint.

I'm making a thing!

I have a client's vintage (1980s) Japanese mount here. I'm upgrading to high speed Go-To control. The original worm gears were mounted in brass bearing blocks, which works great for a low speed mount that only spins when tracking. They're eat themselves as soon as we start spinning the worm gears at high speed for slewing. so, we needed a solution. I didn't want to modify the original factory parts, so I started designed replacement parts that would allow the worm to ride on bearings. This is me learning how to make stuff on a lathe...

Original setup:
http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1678632606.jpg

I decided to copy the 4 (each different...) bearing blocks in aluminum, and set in a small ball bearing in each. Here's the first one:

http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1678632675.jpg

http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1678632694.jpg

And...it fits! That piece only took me 3 or 4 tries and probably 15 hours of work at the lathe! So efficient!!

(Actually, it also took me 5 months, since I originally tasked one of our machinist interns to make these for me on the CNC lathe at work, which would have taken 3 hours, been perfect, and could have been made out of stainless...but she never got around to it).

http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1678632830.jpg

Nice!

Well done Paz.

Hmmmmm...
The news would make you think that the James Webb telescope just discovered this "star about to go supernova", but that's a bunch of press release spin. It simply imaged a well know Wolf Rayet star in the near-IR.

http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1679115138.jpg

Wow. Just looked at this thread.
You guys are serious astrophotographers.

I'm just starting to play.
I have lived in the LA metro area most of my life, so no clear skies for me.
But now that I have a home in the mountains, I'm gonna try my hand.

No stacked shots yet, and I don't have a drive.
But I have a full-spectrum camera and have ordered a UV/IR cut filter (H-alpha pass) that I expect next week.

Here are a couple of unguided shots without the H-alpha pass filter.
Kinda mediocre, nothing like the great guided shots that you are taking, but hey, baby steps.http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1679125881.jpg
http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1679125881.jpg