March 2011 SuperMoon

bigger

Pier and Remote control ready to rock!
Great timing for this SuperMoon; this is the first picture I got with the new system setup.
FS-102NSV f/6 + ST-2000XM; RGB 1x 0.002" per channel.
Leiria, March 19th, 23h10m UT.

Finally, Pier is almost ready. 20110118

I finally did it.

Pier is bolted on to the floor (though these pictures show it before I did it), and G11 is placed on top of it. Now all it needs is a perfect polar alignment. I am working on it now.
Still a few things to work out, but it is going quite smoothly. =:-D

Rupes Recta 20110113

First light with C14.
Low transparency and unsteady skies....
Can't tell if out of focus or decollimated scope!
Hopefully this will be the last shot before my pier is ready :-)

Pier Project

I just have paid a visit to the blacksmith where my pier is to be made.

It is almost ready to rock!
The picture below shows a similar pier project in which the big difference will be the bottom plate; mine will be really wide (oh, my...!) and square.

These are the specs I have came up with:

A- 250mm/10"
B- 750mm/29.53"
C- 100mm/3.94" (adjustable)
D- 20mm/0.78"
E- 110mm/4.33"
F- 700mm/23.56"
G- 152mm/5.98"
H- 980mm/35.58" (depending on C)

E/G is a DIY (actually a blacksmith's job) Losmandy MA adapter to connect to my G-11 mount.

I will have it delivered next year, by tuesday or wednesday and will have to set it up as soon as the weather allows it to be bolted on.
In the meantime, a Telegizmos 365 T3G2 cover is also expected soon next week to permanently set my rig up.
Looking forward to it very much.

Hope I can post a picture of the entire rig soon.

Moon (20101216)

The skies have cleared up a bit and the setup got dusted off :)
Seeing was not so great as can be figured out by the stack I got of some 30 frames, out of 1700 frame avi file.
Anyway, it was so nice to have a glimpse of the moon, M31, M42, NGC2392, NGC 884 & 869 (double cluster).
This evening I invited Mateus, my 6y-o (I guess) little neighbor to have his first view through a telescope. Though not a "wow!" guy, he enjoyed it pretty much watching those DSO's and Moon.
Here he is, next to the setup

Mateus all dressed up, ready to rock in his first astronomy experience.

He was able to detect those faint whitish "clouds" without a doubt. Cool; I did not have to tell him what to look for. He spotted them right away, though he doesn't know (yet) what a galaxy is or, for that matter, how HUGE the Universe is...

Before he joined me, I had some time to snap a couple of moon shots:
this one was shot at a 68%RH & 3.1ºC (37.58ºF)

full resolution

shot at 60%RH & 3.6ºC (38.48ºF)

full resolution

M33 - Oct. 17th

The Triangulum Galaxy (M33) is located on the Triangulum Constellation and lies between 2.4 to 3.0 million light years from Earth. M33 shines at mag. 5.7 and was discovered by Charles Messier in 1764. It is believed to have been first spotted in 1654 by Hodierna.
Under dark skies it can be seen with the naked eye.

Oct. 17th
10x 600" at -20ºC
FS102NSV + ST2000XM + C Astronomik IIc
Flats only.
Maxim + CS4
reduced to 800x600

higher resolution

Jupiter, Nov 4th

Though seeing and transparency were far from good (fair, to be honest), I gave it a shot at Jupiter.