march targets

Introducing a -rather nice- sv550 80mm, contrasted with the good old pn208 light bucket.

sv550 80mm f6,0

pn208 203mm f3.9

galaxies m87 with markarian's chain in virgo
vtec571 on sv80    48x4min @ hcg 100 
  

galaxies m81 bode's below m82 cigar in ursa major
vtec571 on pn208    36x4min @ hcg100

globular cluster m3 in canes venatici
atr533c on sv80    18x4min @ hcg100

galaxies m106 and friends in canes venatici
atr533c on sv180    40x4min @ hcg100

...and a few trials with the abandoned omegon, just to make sure it still worked:

m106
vtec571 on sv80    8x4min

m101
vtec571 on sv80    5x4min

 

Sue

Susan Huntley nee Paul

1952 - 2025

- - -

 Today we say goodbye to Sue, known as the  air hostess. Strawberries, Prosecco, key flaps to cover keyholes, the baby-grand and many other memories. 
Hasta siempre.

Sue at The Royal Seven Stars, Totnes, in 2014

1x ff sv550 122

aperture ratio   spacing 

80       f6      81,2
80       f7      80,2
102      f7      75,3
115      f7      73,0
125      f7,8    69,7
130      f7      69,7
140      f6,5    68,0
155      f8      57,0 

That's the spacing from the ff itself. NOT from the spacer or m63 to m48 adapter.

equinox spring 2025

The apparent northerly motion of the sun placed it overhead on the equator at 10:01 CET today and we shall have equal day and night.

beach

 

Joaquin Sorolla, 1908

Jack Vettriano, 1991

clusters 35 and 44

 You know galaxy season is underway when you're struggling for anything else other than, erm, galaxies to image.

The old pn208 got a clean and a new focuser. The AAF. Who needs red?

Still in the learning-to-process-with-AI stage, so process everything twice.

open clusters m35 -top- with ngc2158 in gemini
atr533c on pn208    33x3min @ hcg100
process: startools

process: setiastro

open cluster m44 la colmena in cancer
atr533c on pn208    34x3min @ hcg100
process: setiastro

process: startools

Touptek AAF on ES-Bresser hexafoc focuser

intro
The hexafoc is an underrated 2-1/2" rack and pinion focuser. The pinion is housed in an enclosure secured by one pair of push and one pair of pull bolts. Both pairs are located centrally to either side of the locking screw. The push-pull system is used to control the pinion to rack backlash.

Adaption to the AAF is easy.

materials
m4 bolts, 2 off, 25mm long with associated washers.

method

1. Set tension and backlash correctly.
2. Remove the large central locking screw.
3. Remove the coarse adjustment focuser knob.
4. Remove the two diagonally opposed pull screws, leaving the push screws intact.
5. Fit the focuser bracket using the longer bolts (see photo for best slots) until the slack is just taken by the bolts but still adjustable longitudinally.
6. Locate the motor and coupling ensuring the flats on both the focuser spindle and the AAF spindle coincide with a grub screw.
7. Slide the bracket so that it is receives the AAF without distortion of the coupler.
8. Torque each of the long bolts alternately in small -say 1/8th.- turns evenly until the bracket is held firmly.
9. Finally, rotate the focuser until the two motor housing sockets align with the bracket slots and secure with the bolts and washers supplied with the AAF.

notes
You may wish to set the approximate focus position of the focuser and the absolute focus position of the AAF before tightening the coupling grub screws. Under INDI, we used an absolute start position of 10000.

AAF fitted to a hexafoc
ES-pn208 f3.9