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11 minutes before the occultation I took this image showing the field around HIP 14977 with 275 Sapientia just about to occult the star.Peter
I also use a Unihedron SQM to measure the sky brightness on every decent night I observe. It appears to produce consistantly accurate results but I’m not sure how comparable the measurements are with other meters.
Its always better to have a quantitive measurement of your observing sky rather than a subjective assessment. The measurements of my home sky are being used by the Local Authority to deturmine the effects to light pollution of the change over from sodium to LED streetlighting in my area.Peter
Hi Cameron,
The 460EXM is a popular camera and uses the Sony EXview CCD which is very low noise and has an excellent spec. The pixel size is important and at 4.5um will be well matched to the 130PDS which I believe has a focal length of about 650mm. I wouldn’t get too hung up about a high QE, providing the camera has low noise then you just expose a bit longer if you’ve got a slightly lower QE camera.
Best of luck finding a second hand one. Before you purchase get the seller to send you an uncalibrated light image and a dark and check for any major CCD chip blemishes or dead pixel columns. Use your existing camera as a guide to what you find acceptable.
Peter
My Local Authority is part way through the change over from a mixture of high and low pressure sodium to LED street lighting. I’ve been measuring the sky brightness using a Sky Quality meter, as I’ve done for the past two to three years. In the next 12 to 18 months I will have the facts as to whether LED streelights make my sky brigher or darker. The LED street lights are much better targeted than the lamps they replace, but they illuminate the highway to a level about 2-3 times brighter than the old lights. My local authority is installing a central management system where they can control each lamp individually including dimming each or any light by up to 50%.
I introduced myself to the local authority and am providing them with my light pollution data. They have been very positive and have taken on board many of my suggestions such as adjusting the light fittings so they do not spill light into the sky. They are currently formulating a part night dimming policy and have invited my input.
If your local authority is planning a central management system for the street lights then you should be talking to them so as to influence the lighting control policy …its your chance to control your local night sky.
Peter
Hi Cameron,
I also used to have a Starlight HX916. I liked the camera and there are many features that are better than my current Sbig 8300, mainly the condensation control. The Starlight cameras use the body of the camera as the heat sink so providing gentle warmth to prevent condensation build up to the internal eletronics and the CCD optical window. My Sbig8300 has a heat exchanger and fan which expels the heat and leaves the electronics vunerable and worse the CCd window sometimes condensates. Something to consider when choosing a new camera.Peter
Hi All,
I knew I wouldn’t be able to view the conjunction from my observatory after dark due to horizon obstructions so decided to image the pair in broad daylight. My image was taken at 16.29UT under the blazing Sun.
Later as it went dark I joined members of my local astronomical club on a nearby hill (not many of those in Essex) and was treated to the conjunction in a dark blue sky. Venus and Jupiter hung in the sky majestically above a bank of thunder cloud which was occasionally lit up by lighting. Great sight!
I guess observers in East London / South West Essex were in the rain!!
Peter
I know someone who uses an Ioptron Smart EQ pro for wide field imaging. It is a very successful set up. The mount is quite light, self contained and will track accurately past the 2 hour limit of an Astrotrac. The Ioptron tripod is a bit flimsy, but my friend uses a camping ground anchor wound into the earth and attaches a”bungy” chord between the anchor and the underside of the mount, that firms it up no end. One of the very annoying features of an Astrotrac or similar trackers is the inability to make fine positional adjustments to frame the picture or infact to find an object when its not near a bright signpost. The Ioptron has a motor drive in RA and Dec and a goto feature which speeds up the framing of a picture. I’ve got an Astrotrac but would have purchased an Ioptron Smart EQ Pro instead if they were around at the time.
Peter
I hadn’t intended to view the eclipse whilst on holiday in Tenerife but all the publicity got me wanting to see something. The weather looked fairly promising and I did have a BAA eclipse filter in my suitcase (who goes on holiday without one!!) The only problem was the eclipse was due to start at around 07.40hrs which is a bit early for me when on holiday and the resort I was staying in was on the west side of a large rock face. I didn’t have a car so decided to do a spot of early morning exercise and walked up the large hill (nearly a mountain) until I found a location with an easterly view. The cloud was a bit patchy but there were enough holes for me to observe the Sun and record the event on a small hand held pocket camera used for the holiday snaps!I enjoyed myself but others thought I was a bit mad……PeterThe cloud held off until the early hours of this morning here in SE Essex. I managed a series of visual sightings through my 315mm reflector from early evening up to just after midnight. I’ve also imaged several sequences of 2004BL86 crossing the 36’x27′ field of view. See my animation from just after midnight here http://youtu.be/ORPvj–5WDw Detail of the timelapse are on the Youtube page.PeterHi Nick,
I think I witnessed the bright Perseid meteor at 02:00:11UT… through the frosted glass of my bathroom window!!
I had finished a nights comet imaging just before 02.00UT and was getting ready for bed. The bathroom was in darkeness so I didn’t disturb my sleeping wife…however my following rush for a clear glass window to view the sky probably did disturb her!!
Can’t say I can confirm seeing the persistant train though.
Peter
