Author Topic: The moon and other astronomy stuff  (Read 45156 times)

David Martin

  • Thats Dr Oi You thankyouverymuch
Re: The moon and other astronomy stuff
« Reply #125 on: 02 October, 2018, 09:41:22 pm »
It has the benefit that it is easily removable to attach a more solid foundation. I shall order the motor and think about how best to add a DSLR to the mount. Maybe drill a home and use a single bolt directly in the dovetail plate, or find a better camera mount.

Taken a more detailed look at it after removing the tube clamps. I took the declination adjustment apart. It is solidly built but the key part that is shoddy is the internals. These have greased friction bearings (bushes with a plastic slip washer) inside the machined casting. Unfortunately the bushes for the bearings are at one end a cheap penny washer and at the other an aluminium billet that has been formed but not finished after pressing. These have a fair amount of slop. The housing itself is well done and finished appropriately. Someone with a lathe could make a very nice job of a smooth set of bearings internally. Hopefully this will be sufficient for what I want to do. It does have a very sticky grease on it - I presume a shipping grease rather than one which should be used.

So if it does not work out as it is, a bit of metal work if I can find someone keen to fettle me some new bushes, possibly even find real bearings of the right size to use.

I can see why David A was so sniffy about it, but there is the capacity to build something that works well. It is very irritating when what could be a good piece of kit is spoiled by a bit of slapdash assembly. The slop at each bearing is about 0.25-0.5mm, sufficient that if it was a headset on a bike you would be wanting to get it looked at.
"By creating we think. By living we learn" - Patrick Geddes

David Martin

  • Thats Dr Oi You thankyouverymuch
Re: The moon and other astronomy stuff
« Reply #126 on: 11 October, 2018, 11:21:02 pm »
I have managed to fit the camera mount to the baseplate. The motor has arrived and appears to work. All I need now are some clear skies and time.

"By creating we think. By living we learn" - Patrick Geddes

David Martin

  • Thats Dr Oi You thankyouverymuch
Re: The moon and other astronomy stuff
« Reply #127 on: 14 October, 2018, 11:43:48 pm »
Clear skies (ish) and a small timeslot meant I could play.

Could have spent more time trying to get a perfect equatorial alignment, but got close enough for starters.

DSC_7724 by David Martin, on Flickr
DSC_7734 by David Martin, on Flickr
A few wisps of cloud appearing, and I've colour corrected to remove as much of the orange glow as I can. Generally happy that it will give me good RA stability. I did try the 150-600 lens but that is notoriously wobbly. Good for checking if the alignment is right though.



"By creating we think. By living we learn" - Patrick Geddes

fuzzy

Re: The moon and other astronomy stuff
« Reply #128 on: 15 October, 2018, 11:08:28 am »
Not bad- nice and stable.

T42

  • Apprentice geezer
Re: The moon and other astronomy stuff
« Reply #129 on: 14 October, 2020, 08:31:03 am »


A bit shaken, but given the angle I was leaning out the window at I'm quite pleased.  One of these days I might even haul out the old ETX.

Humph. At second glance, the resizing algorithm here has buggered up Venus. Better here:

https://pbase.com/image/171130079
I've dusted off all those old bottles and set them up straight

Re: The moon and other astronomy stuff
« Reply #130 on: 06 December, 2020, 12:32:34 am »
My first attempt using astrophotography mode on the mobile (Google Pixel4a - detects phone is on tripod when in NightSight mode).  Phone on mini-tripod; looking SW...

27mm (35mm equiv) 4m5s exp.  f1.7 ISO320 

Surprised by the resolution.


PXL_20201205_2254 by a oxon, on Flickr

Pxl-astro_2020-12-06 by a oxon, on Flickr

Was able to locate Uranus (Ur) fairly easily, by comparing Pxl photo to Stellarium on PC.    H = Hamal in Aries

Pleiades (P) at 100% crop.

PXL_20201205_2254_Pleiades_100 by a oxon, on Flickr

Pleiades (crop from Stellarium).   

Stell_pleiades by a oxon, on Flickr

Cycle and recycle.   SS Wilson

hellymedic

  • Just do it!
Re: The moon and other astronomy stuff
« Reply #131 on: 08 April, 2021, 11:23:26 pm »
Not quite sure what makes this newsworthy...
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/av/uk-england-leicestershire-56537299

Re: The moon and other astronomy stuff
« Reply #132 on: 03 May, 2021, 09:55:57 am »
Trying out my new camera last week, I took a picture of the super moon and some clouds. I'm nowhere near long lens here and there was stuff in the way of the view, but...
Super Moon by Dan, on Flickr

jiberjaber

  • ... Fancy Pants \o/ ...
  • ACME S&M^2
Re: The moon and other astronomy stuff
« Reply #133 on: 03 May, 2021, 04:31:23 pm »
My first attempt using astrophotography mode on the mobile (Google Pixel4a - detects phone is on tripod when in NightSight mode).  Phone on mini-tripod; looking SW...

27mm (35mm equiv) 4m5s exp.  f1.7 ISO320 

Surprised by the resolution.


PXL_20201205_2254 by a oxon, on Flickr

Pxl-astro_2020-12-06 by a oxon, on Flickr

Was able to locate Uranus (Ur) fairly easily, by comparing Pxl photo to Stellarium on PC.    H = Hamal in Aries

Pleiades (P) at 100% crop.

PXL_20201205_2254_Pleiades_100 by a oxon, on Flickr

Pleiades (crop from Stellarium).   

Stell_pleiades by a oxon, on Flickr

If you join and submit to the following on Flickr it should plate solve for you  :)

https://www.flickr.com/groups/astrometry/
Regards,

Joergen

Re: The moon and other astronomy stuff
« Reply #134 on: 04 May, 2021, 04:32:06 pm »
...

If you join and submit to the following on Flickr it should plate solve for you  :)

https://www.flickr.com/groups/astrometry/

Thanks.  Done.  I wonder how long it takes.

Previously I'd found the Andromeda Galaxy in my photo.  You can make out the fuzzy disc - I think...   :)

'parently M31 is 2.5mLYs away.  220000 LY across.  1 trillion solar masses (2x Milky way), and will collide with the Milky Way in 4-5 billion yrs.   :o   I guess this means that the light from M31 arriving at earth now, some 2.5m yrs later, left the galaxy around the time of Homo habilis early humans 'appeared'...

PXL_20201205_2254_andromeda-GMP by a oxon, on Flickr
Cycle and recycle.   SS Wilson

jiberjaber

  • ... Fancy Pants \o/ ...
  • ACME S&M^2
Re: The moon and other astronomy stuff
« Reply #135 on: 05 May, 2021, 09:07:30 am »
You could also try uploading to https://nova.astrometry.net/upload

Though it might need less oval stars in order to cooperate.

If that fails I could give it a go at plate solving in Pixinsight.
Regards,

Joergen

Pingu

  • Put away those fiery biscuits!
  • Mrs Pingu's domestique
    • the Igloo
Re: The moon and other astronomy stuff
« Reply #136 on: 10 June, 2021, 12:08:35 pm »
Today's partial eclipse of the heart sun through the cloud.


IMG_2995_01 by The Pingus, on Flickr

Jaded

  • The Codfather
  • Formerly known as Jaded
Re: The moon and other astronomy stuff
« Reply #137 on: 10 June, 2021, 12:33:05 pm »
We got less, but also less cloud

It is simpler than it looks.

Re: The moon and other astronomy stuff
« Reply #138 on: 10 June, 2021, 12:47:50 pm »
We got only cloud.  I blame the BBC for trailing it for two days.  They always jinx astronomical phenomena.  And I think the above photos are actually fakes mocked up in a studio on the moon.  Not in the least bit envious.

Re: The moon and other astronomy stuff
« Reply #139 on: 10 June, 2021, 04:41:21 pm »
I was delighted to have gaps in the cloud for most of the eclipse today, and pleasantly surprised to be able to make out the profiles of mountains on the limb of the moon when projecting an image through a little 70mm scope.

Jaded

  • The Codfather
  • Formerly known as Jaded
Re: The moon and other astronomy stuff
« Reply #140 on: 10 June, 2021, 04:58:29 pm »
Is this the kind of thing you mean?

It is simpler than it looks.

nicknack

  • Hornblower
Re: The moon and other astronomy stuff
« Reply #141 on: 10 June, 2021, 08:08:53 pm »
I got cartoon eyes.
There's no vibrations, but wait.

Kim

  • Timelord
    • Fediverse
Re: The moon and other astronomy stuff
« Reply #142 on: 10 June, 2021, 11:02:16 pm »
We got only cloud.

Traditional astronomy weather here, too.

BrianI

  • Is it a bird? Is it a plane? No, it's Lepidopterist Man!
Re: The moon and other astronomy stuff
« Reply #143 on: 11 June, 2021, 08:02:56 am »
We got only cloud.  I blame the BBC for trailing it for two days.  They always jinx astronomical phenomena.  And I think the above photos are actually fakes mocked up in a studio on the moon.  Not in the least bit envious.

Cloudy with a chance of Triffids in Fife yesterday, so I never saw anything...

Re: The moon and other astronomy stuff
« Reply #144 on: 11 June, 2021, 09:13:22 am »
Is this the kind of thing you mean?



exactly, nicely captured
The nearby sunspot group nearly got eclipsed

Re: The moon and other astronomy stuff
« Reply #145 on: 20 February, 2022, 11:07:18 pm »
Orion

PXL_20220220_Orion by aaekoxon, on Flickr

Pixel4a.  A tad windy at the time.
Cycle and recycle.   SS Wilson

Re: The moon and other astronomy stuff
« Reply #146 on: 21 February, 2022, 10:47:29 am »
Orion's rarely affected by the wind......!  Lovely picture.