Any astro buffs here?

[CreviceSucker]

Io :Y:

This website is a beauty for showing and describing in pretty much laymans terms what can be done with smaller aperture and entry level gear.
Especially when dealing with imaging.
Bigger is not always better. https://astrobackyard.com/

Funny you should say that , i just finished watching this clip , almost indistinguishable difference between them if you fast forward to 21:42

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JRoFUj0cNt8

 

[Sandbagger]

You astro nuts might enjot this

Baz

[video=480,360]https://youtu.be/3JUhNFDsrWk[/video]

 

[madtuna]

very nice Baz :Y:
Just read your saga of the EQ8

 

[Adrian ss]

Steve, Adrian over on the "yellow forum" is forever looking into the sky.

Thanks Pete...I've been banned from over there Followed Adrians threads but I think he mainly uses an SLR camera not scopes.

Have been into astronomy all my life. I have 3 x 4 inch refractors, an 8 inch reflector and one 6 inch reflector that I built myself inc tripod, eq mount and the scope when I was 17, still works fine.
Would like to get a light bucket but it might not get much use now. I would prefer an remote controlled scope now so I can stay in a nice warm room and still watch all the action.

 

[madtuna]

Ahh only seen your camera thread plus the general stuff you post on astronomy Adrian.

Mate you post some interesting stuff over there and I'm sure there's people here like myself who'd appreciate seeing some of it here as well.
Same with Baz...any knowledge you can impart about scopes, imaging, mounts etc would be most welcome.

 

[CreviceSucker]

You astro nuts might enjot this

Baz

[video=480,360]https://youtu.be/3JUhNFDsrWk[/video]

Baz it looks like your observatory is in a residential street , what was council like with the application , and how did neighbours respond ?

Mine will be built out of sight on a rural block but just curious if they sent you a box of red tape when you applied ?

I tried to register at Astro forums but two of them are almost dead from spambots , IceinSpace and skysearcher didnt approve me yet.

Does anyone here know if there are telescopes around the world that people can make an online booking to log in over a network connection and view images live , have control over the axis computer and download / save images viewed ?

I was thinking of doing that with mine when its set up so it generates income in my off time if I am working / sleeping.

What would people pay per 60 minute block for access to a good scope ?

It would need a rain detector to close the dome in case of precipitation and an online weather status app to indicate viewing conditions.

 

[Outback]

If the Satchmo mirrors can be redone it would have the basics for building a good pier mounted newt

Did you mean recoated ? if so for sure :Y:

Talking about great mirrors ' the name of Carl Zambuto https://zambutomirrors.com/ stands out , as close to optical perfection possible by man !
His mirrors are a work of art & so sort after there is a long waiting time to score one .

A mate of mine has now paid fully for a 24" F/4 that's still to be finished , Carl won't make that size anymore as his limit is now 20" also there is a extra charge for going under F4.5 .

Chinese machine made mirrors have come a long way in recent years ' I have a 12" F/5 that works OK , just not the same fine performance of some of my early scopes back in the seventies

Regards
Jack

 

[madtuna]

You astro nuts might enjot this

Baz

[video=480,360]https://youtu.be/3JUhNFDsrWk[/video]

Baz it looks like your observatory is in a residential street , what was council like with the application , and how did neighbours respond ?

Mine will be built out of sight on a rural block but just curious if they sent you a box of red tape when you applied ?

I tried to register at Astro forums but two of them are almost dead from spambots , IceinSpace and skysearcher didnt approve me yet.

Does anyone here know if there are telescopes around the world that people can make an online booking to log in over a network connection and view images live , have control over the axis computer and download / save images viewed ?

I was thinking of doing that with mine when its set up so it generates income in my off time if I am working / sleeping.

What would people pay per 60 minute block for access to a good scope ?

It would need a rain detector to close the dome in case of precipitation and an online weather status app to indicate viewing conditions.

Check out itelescope.net. Not sure if they are still going though. They had scopes in both Nth and Sth hemispheres. I used them once years ago and used a scope in Coonabarabran. Only used it for an hour and I think it was about $150 for the scope I used but there were some a hell of a lot more than that.

 

[madtuna]

If the Satchmo mirrors can be redone it would have the basics for building a good pier mounted newt

Did you mean recoated ? if so for sure :Y:

Talking about great mirrors ' the name of Carl Zambuto https://zambutomirrors.com/ stands out , as close to optical perfection possible by man !
His mirrors are a work of art & so sort after there is a long waiting time to score one .

A mate of mine has now paid fully for a 24" F/4 that's still to be finished , Carl won't make that size anymore as his limit is now 20" also there is a extra charge for going under F4.5 .

Chinese machine made mirrors have come a long way in recent years ' I have a 12" F/5 that works OK , just not the same fine performance of some of my early scopes back in the seventies

Regards
Jack

My 16" had a Zambuto primary in it at F4.5
Lovely mirror but it took just under 2 years from placing the order till it finally arrived.

 

[Outback]

If the Satchmo mirrors can be redone it would have the basics for building a good pier mounted newt

Did you mean recoated ? if so for sure :Y:

Talking about great mirrors ' the name of Carl Zambuto https://zambutomirrors.com/ stands out , as close to optical perfection possible by man !
His mirrors are a work of art & so sort after there is a long waiting time to score one .

A mate of mine has now paid fully for a 24" F/4 that's still to be finished , Carl won't make that size anymore as his limit is now 20" also there is a extra charge for going under F4.5 .

Chinese machine made mirrors have come a long way in recent years ' I have a 12" F/5 that works OK , just not the same fine performance of some of my early scopes back in the seventies

Regards

Jack

My 16" had a Zambuto primary in it at F4.5
Lovely mirror but it took just under 2 years from placing the order till it finally arrived.

Wow Steve' most impressed to hear that ! please tell more about this .

Cheers
Jack

 

[CreviceSucker]

You astro nuts might enjot this

Baz

Baz it looks like your observatory is in a residential street , what was council like with the application , and how did neighbours respond ?

Mine will be built out of sight on a rural block but just curious if they sent you a box of red tape when you applied ?

I tried to register at Astro forums but two of them are almost dead from spambots , IceinSpace and skysearcher didnt approve me yet.

Does anyone here know if there are telescopes around the world that people can make an online booking to log in over a network connection and view images live , have control over the axis computer and download / save images viewed ?

I was thinking of doing that with mine when its set up so it generates income in my off time if I am working / sleeping.

What would people pay per 60 minute block for access to a good scope ?

It would need a rain detector to close the dome in case of precipitation and an online weather status app to indicate viewing conditions.

Check out itelescope.net. Not sure if they are still going though. They had scopes in both Nth and Sth hemispheres. I used them once years ago and used a scope in Coonabarabran. Only used it for an hour and I think it was about $150 for the scope I used but there were some a hell of a lot more than that.

Still going , This is the range of scopes available at Siding Springs through the iTelescope platform.
https://www.itelescope.net/telescopes-sso

by the way i think that C14 and ME mount is not bad for the money but i wanted to build a house before getting a scope , i still have 6 months work ahead of me on that.

 

[madtuna]

It was a timber truss dob I built from plans from a how to book on building dobs.
The Primary was Zambuto but the secondary was out of a Skywatcher. The focuser was a dual speed feather touch.

The box and trusses were made out of home made ply made out of 12 sheets of veneer. Actually making the ply and the box was probably the hardest part but it came up beautifully.
I ended up getting the timber work finished off professionally after I near ruined it myself. It came up like glass.

Silly me wanted bigger so I sold it and built a 20" but got Swayze mirrors this time. I never used the 20" as much as the 16" as it was massive and heavy.

 

[Outback]

Steve ' more about this please , let the adventure continue

 

[madtuna]

What would you like to know Jack? No real adventure.

I just liked getting photos of the space station and found a dob was the easiest way as you just drag the thing across the sky keeping it centred in a Telrad finder. You couldn't track it with a Goto.
All my EP's are Televue and the views through it were awesome especially with the Ethos with the 100 degree FOV

If I was to build again it would be carbon fibre truss. The timber was beautiful but damn heavy!

 

[silver]

No photo's. .. didn't happen !

Please..... :sunny:

 

[madtuna]

Must not have happened then. That was a bunch of years, the other side of the country, about 5 computers ago and before photobucket decided to close our accounts.

I will email my daughters though and see if they have any evidence that it actually happened, we had some excellent times under the stars together and probably why they fell asleep in class.

This is about the only half decent picture of what I used to enjoy capturing I have on this comp. Unfortunately it was not fully processed.

 

[Outback]

Steve it sounds like you caught the aperture bug big time , lots of effort went into that build ' well done !

Talking about size , I've got a friend who has a 14" & 16" dob ' the 14" gets to see the sky whilst the 16" sits in the shed ...
I've got a old 6'' F/8 refractor on a simple pipe mount I made ' it gets used , I can leave it outside to the next day as I'm to slack to put it away late at night .
Most the other scopes rarely come out unless I'm showing someone a deep sky object .

I'm envious of your eyepieces ' they are the best of the best ~ cost a fortune hey

Do you off-set when collimating ? I like using a auto-collimator as its fast & so easy - https://www.siderealtrading.com.au/product/astrosystems-autocollimator/

Good pic of the space station , not an easy thing to image .

Cheers
jack .

 

[madtuna]

Thanks! I'd love to say I made the mirrors too but I am no where near that clever and I envy the guys that buy a blank and grind and polish thier own.
I was proud of what I did do though and even though I sold them for way less than they cost me to build I still think it was worth it.

Can relate to the size thing. Scopes are like boats...I had a 4 metre boat I used to take out every weekend. I sold it and bought a 6 metre boat and took it out every couple of months :/

How does that collimator work? I only ever used a laser collimator.
The Zambuto mirror didn't have a centre mark which was a pain but by eye you'd get it near perfect or near enough for visual anyway. Plus it rarely moved much anyway.

I got the Ethos's when they first came out and I think they were about $800 or so back then. Checked the other day and 2nd hand they are fetching that and are up over $1000 new now.
I'm just glad I hung onto them. :Y:

 

[Outback]

That boat size was a good analogy !

I had many scopes without a centre mark years ago and because of the longer focal lengths they were easy to collimate .
I'm still using some eyepieces from the 70s , one day I'll get an Ethos .

The Autocollimator works like this : after you get the alignment close pop in the AC & whist looking through it adjust the mirror knobs till the view go's dark , it's got a reflecting surface on the inside that will cancel out all the reflections when everything is spot on giving you perfect collimation .

Best little device I ever bought ''' fast & easy to use

Cheers
Jack

 

[Outback]

Steve not sure if you have seen this photo but this bloke has the aperture fever bad