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NLO has a Paramount ME that we successfully polar aligned using the polar finder imaging routine in Sharpcap. It is quite an old model kindly donated by the late Kieron McGrath of SCS Astro. Its been very reliable with no problem in slewing to objects.
David
Mike, the full apertture prism is still attached to the Kensington telescope. Unfortunately this telescope is currently out of action awaiting repairs to the dome shutter. I also believe we have the objective prism for the McClean telescope in store but not aware of any others.
David
Thanks Denis, yes that sounds exactly like the one we have.There is a wheel that slides a 10mm aperture over the plate to expose different parts of the spectrum. Many thanks for your research. Now we know what it is we will display it in our cabinet.
DavidMany thanks Barry, that’s a useful review. One problem we have here is that on many occasions we have to cope with cloudy skies but children always ask to look through the big telescope! They all climb the steps in turn only to look at the underside of grey clouds! Are you able to show stored images through the eyepiece of previous shots taken through the smarteye, so at least they get to see something? That would seem to be more engaging than just looking at a computer screen.
Thanks
DavidHi Giovanni,
I have passed your enquiry on to others more knowledgeable than me on this matter! In the meantime here are links to the Norman Lockyer Observatory real time magnetometer readings and our solar flare detector (VLF or SID detection). I do not believe we monitor UV emission.https://normanlockyer.com/the-observatory/lockyer-technology-centre/magnetometer/
https://normanlockyer.com/the-observatory/lockyer-technology-centre/solar-flare-detection/
Best wishes
DavidDavid Strange
Chairman
Norman Lockyer ObservatoryIs it still there? I couldn’t locate it with my ASIair Pro tonight, or locate it using co-ordinates in Skylive, although I could identify the correct field stars?
Thanks
DavidCaught on our Auroracam last night at NLO
Devon Moth Group set up some moth traps last night at Norman Lockyer Observatory. 175 different species were caught including a rare Maple Prominent (normally found in east of UK). Other favourites were the Privet Hawk Moth and the Elephant Hawk Moth, both very large creatures. Climate change suggests European species are now migrating northwards. A survey carried out two years ago caught 180 species, so numbers seem to be holding up here.
DavidSo very sorry to hear this news. Terry started me on my CCD journey probably now 35 years ago with one of his earliest cameras.
To see a faint galaxy appear on a screen after a matter of seconds or millisecond images of Mars clearly showing surface detail was a revelation in amateur astronomy at that time. He really set the bar in what his cameras could record. Terry, you will be sorely missed.David
And here is Part 2 of their around the world journey, calling in at Hawaii for volcano spotting, and then across USA visiting many observatories en route, Mt Wilson, Lick, Lowell, Yerkes and meeting up with the Wright Bros in Ohio. Frank McClean does a deal with them to let the Short Bros make Wright Flyers under licence in UK. Frank ends up with 13 aircraft since he tells the Short Bros, “I’ll buy any aircraft that you can’t sell!” 1911 was also the year before Jim & Norman Lockyer laid the foundation stone of their new Hill Observatory in Devon.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QJvy07mGU0U
David
I expect you noticed Jim Lockyer’s photo album does not include photos of the eclipse itself!
Sadly, it was rather cloudy at the time but they did achieve a few photos of the corona through thin cloud.
However, here is a wonderful detailed report on the preparations for the eclipse itself. I doubt many
of today’s eclipse reports are as detailed as this one:David
I now use Astrosurface, which is faster since it combines the roles of Autostakkert & Registax into a single program.
The wavelets function is much more intuitively adjustable and overall offers a simpler and quicker routine.David
Our Paramount will send out warning bleeps if we try to send it below the limits set on our declination axis.
I cant remember what the error code was but just check if the limits were still set for when the mount was set for its US location.
Will it return to its park poosition? If not switch it off, loosen the RA and Dec axes, and manually slew it back to its park position (pointing north).
Switch it back on and start again.David
Just found Jonathan’s link to this great simulation of tail orientation:
https://hdr-astrophotography.com/comet-tails-simulations/
Probably need to wait until 14th October until tail swings around in a darker sky.
David
