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Thank you for posting that video Denis. I’ve never seen an observatory like that before, it gives me all sorts of ideas!
I must put Peltier’s Skylight Nights on my list of things to read, as rather embarrassingly I never have.Peter
Hi James,
I’ve sometimes had issues with DSS that I’ve never understood…it’s not just you!
It could well be that the comet centroid is being biased by the nearby field star. DSS is not very clever and needs a well-defined comet movement between each frame to distinguish it from the background stars. Try stacking the first, last and middle frames of the series and see if that makes any difference.
Good Luck
PeterHi Grant,
My Planewave 315mm CDK has forced tube ventilation that sucks air down the tube past the secondary, primary, and out the back of the primary mirror cell.
I’ve noticed that all ASA reflectors have a fan that blows air into the side of the tube just above the surface of the primary. I understand this is to reduce or eliminate condensation as they don’t have any form of mirror heating.Peter
You might be able to see your own full name in your profile when you are logged into the BAA website but others can only see your first and last names. I’ve checked profiles, galleries, and forum posts for everyone on this thread and I can only see your first and last names.
PeterHere’s my animation of NEO (7482) 1994 PC1 taken on 2022 January 18th at 19:55UT.
It is 50 x 10 second exposures using my 315mm CDK reflector from my remote observatory in Spain.
My still image is here https://britastro.org/observations/observation.php?id=20220119_211304_d85e6413ccc59e53
Peter
I own and operate a 315mm Dall Kirkham reflector on a remote site in Spain. I moved the telescope from my back garden to its remote site just over two years ago and it has functioned superbly. It hasn’t had a human finger touch it in around 19 months as (touch wood) it has worked so reliably.
I think the BAA owning and operating a remote based telescope is a practical option although there a number of issues to overcome. For instance each morning after a dewy night I open up the observatory, move the telescope into the Sun to dry it out etc., who would do that? I am also familiar with the myriad of of controls that would puzzle a casual user. A User interface similar to those on a rental telescope would probably be required, but that would make it less flexible.
Despite obstacles, it could be made to work and even a single telescope would provide significant observing time provided it was located on a favourable site,
Hello Grant,
Until fairly recently I used a 315mm f/8 Dall Kirkham astrograph in my 2.1m dome. It was a bit snug!Jeremy is right to draw your attention to the Pulsar narrow slit and viewing obliquely through it. This is a major concern if you have a German Equatorial mount with a large dec axis offset from the RA axis as it exaggerates the obliquity.
My dome is over 30 years old and didn’t owe me anything so I took a saw to it and enlarged the slit to one metre wide. I fibreglassed some new slit aperture perimeter upstands and made a new aluminum shutter and it works a treat.
I don’t suggest you try this on a new Pulsar dome though.
Peter
Here’s my image of the eclipse near maximum through the clouds. I was in a friend’s garden at Rettendon near Chelmsford Essex.Hi Alan,
Yes there are several members who have made the transfer in that direction. Make contact with the BAA Office during working hours (as Dominic’s message above) and they will make the change for you.
Peter
Peter Carson
Membership CoordinatorHi Jeremy,
I use a 15 year old Sbig camera via USB 3.0 and it works OK. Cable lengths up to 5m are Ok if you’re using a USB 2 device on a USB 2 or 3 port but be careful if you move to a USB 3 camera. It won’t work if the cable is longer than 3m or if the cable is of poor quality. I’ve had all sorts of issues with USB 3 camera and cables types and lengths at my remote observatory. (All working fine now)
Peter
Hi Jack,
I built up a library of dark, bias and flat frames for my CCD camera that I reused many times over. Provided your light and dark images are taken at the same camera temperature and duration then darks and bias images can be reused for a long period. I refreshed my library about every year, not that I needed to but just thought I ought to. Flat frames can be reused provided the focus position remains the same and the camera has not been re-orientated or moved in any other way.
I’ve just moved on to a CMOS camera and am re using the darks and flats. Does any have an opinion about the re use of CMOS calibration frames?
Peter
Better luck this morning. I watched this comet rise in binoculars and followed it until daylight. Lovely sight. It was just visible to the naked eye as a point of light.
Very lucky with the weather.
Peter
Hi Nick,I gave it a go. At around 03:00BST all looked good but by the time the comet had cleared the horizon it was behind the only lump of cloud in the sky!
Oh well, back to bed.
Peter
I watched the Venus Moon Occultation this morning from sunny Spain.
See my images here
https://britastro.org/node/22733
https://britastro.org/node/22732
https://britastro.org/node/22731
Venus was brighter than I had expected and is a little over exposed. I couldn’t make the exposures any shorter as the camera was already on its shortest setting.
I operate a meteor camera as part of the NEMETODE network. My camera is aimed NE from my home in SE Essex and the main incoming continental air lane crosses it’s field of view.
Because the detection software can’t distinguish between the movement of a meteor and an aircraft I usually get over 200 false detections a night. Last night I got just 25!!It made this morning’s weeding out of false detections much quicker. Can’t think of many advantages of a pandemic but lack of “sky clutter” has got to be one.
Peter
Three of us from my local atsronomy club went to a fairly dark local site to view the Quadrantids between 04.00hrs and 06.00hrs. The weather was mixed with quite long periods of total cloud cover. Despite the cloud we recorded 49 Quadrantids which I class as a success.
I recorded 41 Quadrantids on my home meteor camera.
I’m a bit tired now!Peter
After a happy hour or two with Astrometry.net and JPL Horizons I’ve come up with these solutions:
Print 2
Comet C/1969Y1 Bennett
1970 May 23rd at around 00.00hrs + or – 1hr UT
Up is 7.61 degrees E of N
FOV 12.8 x 9.21 degsPrint 3
Comet C/1969Y1 Bennett
1970 May 6th at approx 04.40UT
Up is 358 degrees E of N
FOV 13 x 9.18 degPrint 4
Comet C/1969Y1 Bennett
1970 May 4th at approx 01.15UT
Up is 358 degrees E of N
FOV 13 x 9.18 degWould someone like to check out my conclusions?
Can’t help with observers though!Peter
A friend and I went to a dark site at 4am for around 70 minutes. The sky was a perfectly clear on our arrival but it soon degenerated into patchy cloud then clouded over completely and started raining about the time of the predicted maximum.
I did see a couple of bright sporadics and one very bright meteor through the clouds that could have been an Alpha Monocerotid, its path was about right but no stars were visible for reference. It must have been bright to have been plainly visible through the clouds.
My meteor camera didn’t pick up anything.
Peter
Hi Tim,
I can’t help you with an observatory visit I’m afaid but would like to make a comment.
I was considering the purchase of a pulsar dome some time ago but decided the opening aperture was too narrow and didn’t go far enough over the zenith.
Other dome manufacturers provide much wider opening slot apertures and go further over the zenith so are more useful if you’ve got a telescope with a piggyback guide or second scope.
Just thought I’d say!Peter
