Category Archives: Astronomy

Revelation/Skywatcher SCT dual speed focuser motor drive conversion

Posted on August 13, 2014 by james

Last year I modded my PST, replacing the “black box” with a slightly modded Revelation dual-speed Crayford that was originally intended for SCTs. I’ve been meaning to do a motor drive conversion for some time and had bought a second-hand … Continue reading →

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Access to all camera controls in oaCapture

Posted on August 13, 2014 by james

I’ve now added functionality to provide access to all the supported camera controls in a single popup in oaCapture.  In the general case I suspect many of these will not be required, but if you want to fiddle with everything … Continue reading →

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oaCapture QHY5L-II support

Posted on August 13, 2014 by james

Note quite there, but very nearly (for the mono camera, at least).  The splitting of the frame clearly means there’s an issue somewhere, but it can’t be too hard to get sorted.

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oaCapture on Raspberry Pi

Posted on August 13, 2014 by james

I’ve finally done the (small amount of) work to get oaCapture working on the Raspberry Pi.  There genuinely wasn’t that much to do.  I was surprised how easily it all worked.  It does struggle to keep up with high frame … Continue reading →

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A second attempt at Jupiter

Posted on August 13, 2014 by james

A week after the first, I managed another session on Jupiter.  I feel exceptionally out of practice this year, though I’m happier with the detail this time around. And another animation.  Watch the seeing completely go to pieces just after … Continue reading →

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Jupiter at last!

Posted on August 13, 2014 by james

Whilst we weren’t subject to the flooding suffered by those living on the Levels at the other end of Somerset, it was nonetheless an exceptionally wet winter here and it wasn’t until well after opposition that I could get out … Continue reading →

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Mono lunar imaging with a DSLR

Posted on August 13, 2014 by james

I got to thinking the other day that when I capture lunar images with my 450D they’re pretty much monochrome.  I know there is a tiny amount of colour there, but you really do have to drag it out.  If … Continue reading →

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DIY dew controller

Posted on August 13, 2014 by james

I can’t take credit for this idea.  I had to bite the bullet and sort out some dew control stuff because my C9.25 dews up even if there’s a forecast for a clear sky.  A few people have mentioned making … Continue reading →

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Time for a new white light solar filter

Posted on August 13, 2014 by james

I’ve had a white light solar filter made from Baader ND5.0 film (two, in fact) for several years and one of them was starting to look rather tatty so I decided it was time to make another.  Baader’s instructions suggest … Continue reading →

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Collecting meteorites from rainwater

Posted on August 13, 2014 by james

Allegedly it is possible to collect tiny fragments of meteorites from rainwater.  The story goes that they can drift in the atmosphere until they get caught in the rain and end up falling to the ground.  By trapping the flow … Continue reading →

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