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Short Wave have repaired astro cameras and other equipment for me. They were based nearby in Christchurch but have moved. You can now contact them on 01398 341279
Nick
Thin cloud at 02.00 hours enough to see partial eclipse but thick cloud at 04.00 here in Bournemouth
Nick
Hi, many thanks for all your replies. My wife came up with the idea to prevent water ingress under the base was to use pond seal, designed to repair concrete ponds aplied to the concrete base provides a fine surface for application of a flexible sealant. Having belatedly replaced my old wooden frames with double glazing the glazier suggested using roofing bitumatic as this will apparently stick everything despite being rather messy.
Clear skies
Nick
Hello James,
you can use pixinsight to process comets and asteroids.if you can track the comet and take some tracking the sky. I would use star align then stack proceeding to use the special comet tool. A4WIN is my preferance for doing the reductions as the script in Pixy is not user frindly.
Clear skies
Nick
Hi Jack,
I suggest you set one camera to simulation and try to connect the other using the Artimis HSC to see if you can connect one camera. Let me know how this goes.
Cheers
Nick
Hi Jack,
My set up with the Alpy600 has a ATIK Titan as the guider a SX 694 as the imager for the spectrum. Using Maxim I set camera 1 as the imager using SX Universal and Camera 2 as the auto guider and set Artimis HSC to connect to the Titan. I click on options and using track box size check multi star guiding, Then with the guider setting expose followed by calibrate there will then be series of exposures ending with a red l shape. Then click track. I like to open the graph option. Onc set exposures of at least 1200 secs is accuratly set, Generaly speaking I set Agressiveness at 7. The autosave option allow a series of exposures
It is worth noting the Maxim works without telescope control in my case using Sky X using T point take a series of images around the target noting the slit This will ensure the target star is in frame, up and down buttons will move the scope until it is centered on the slit. At this stage I use maxim to guide as noted above.
Hi Jack,
One solution would be to subscribe to SKY X Camera add on as this will allow autoguiding as well as imaging to work at the same time. I use Windows 7 with SKY X pro but use Astro-Physics driver and MaximDL for autoguiding which I have found to be more accurate than PHD. This makes sense for me as I have AP 900 mount and APCC control software, this driver will allow multiple fnctions to work.I notice that the SKY X driver uses version 10.2.0. The latest version of SKX is 109.5.0 Build 11360 I canot see why this should make any difference.
Do you have Microsoft .Net installed?
Clear Skies
Nick
Hi,
There would be a charge but I am a member of the Civil Service Club in Whitehall there are meeting rooms, a licenced bar, restaurant and accomodation if booked in advance.
Cheers
Nick
Thank you Robin. I will use these as referance stars next time. Would you kindly help me with another problem I have been experiancing viz data reduction in ISIS I get the bias frame loaded OK but cannot set the dark and flat frames.
Clear skies
Nick
Would someone kindly point me im the right direction for a catalogue of Class A & B stars.
Cheers
Nick
Hi Andy,
Thank you for suggesting a workshop on processing spectra using ISIS. Everybody will have different issues and I agree that your ideas of how to proceed are in line with my own thoughts. I do not think that setting up a session on tuning the instrument is necessarily the most difficult part but maybe it would be welcome to those just starting out. Isis is a very quirky piece of software and do have on my PC samples produced by Francois Cochard.
Working from first principles consider the following: –
1 Setting up the working directory
2 Data reduction using the master tab
3 Wavelength calibration
4 Instrument response curves
5 use of GNPLOT
Hi Mike
Should you come down this way another time you would I would be happy to show you around my Observatory and look at the software I use
Clear Skies
Nick
Windows 10 is buggy. When I got my new Laptop I took off windows 10 and installed widows 7. Everything works just fine
Cheers
Nick
Hi Robin,
Yes I do mean that the slt was perfectly horizontal but the Spectrum was slightly tilted. From what you say is that the most important thing to do is to have the spectrun horizontal. I do not think I will try to adjust the slit to make it parallel.
One other point. Do you think Demetra is better than ISIS?
Cheers
Nick
I am rather surprised you chose Christchurch Junior School as the location, Bournemouth Grammar School for Boys has a lecture theatre that would cater for larger numbers as well as Bournemouth University both more covenient for hotel accomidation
Nick
Hi Willaim,
I too have a Pulsar dome with a different moniter viz HitecAstro Deluxe Weather Moniter, This requires a 12 volt supply and a serial connection to ther computer- I have a serial to USB converter; You set parameters relevent to your location and set e-mail and mobile phone alerts. In similar vein there is an independant feed to the Pulsar Control Box modified with an aditional socket allowing weather monitoring without a computer. Maybe AAG Cloudwatcher would have been a better choice as I have had a few issues in setting up the system. I am hovering over ACP as I curently have an AP900 mount with APCC software SKY X and Maxim DL6 and set up each night with one target. Weather here on the South Coast has been appalling this winter with very few clear nights. CCD Navigator is also on my maybee list
Clear skies
Nick
Hi William,
I note in your thread that you have a weather moniter, which model do you have and does it automatically close the dome shutter when rain is detected.
Cheers
Nick
