Celestial hemisphere:  Northern  ·  Constellation: Auriga (Aur)  ·  Contains:  14 Aur  ·  16 Aur  ·  17 AR Aur  ·  18 Aur  ·  19 Aur  ·  21 Aur)  ·  21 sig Aur  ·  24 Aur  ·  24 phi Aur  ·  25 Aur  ·  25 chi Aur  ·  AE Aur  ·  B226  ·  Flaming Star Nebula  ·  HD241161  ·  HD241162  ·  HD241163  ·  HD241184  ·  HD241196  ·  HD241209  ·  HD241210  ·  HD241211  ·  HD241228  ·  HD241257  ·  HD241258  ·  HD241271  ·  HD241313  ·  HD241323  ·  HD241324  ·  HD241339  ·  And 836 more.
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Auriga Widefield 2022, Bob Stevenson
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Auriga Widefield 2022

Getting plate-solving status, please wait...
Auriga Widefield 2022, Bob Stevenson
Powered byPixInsight

Auriga Widefield 2022

Equipment

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Acquisition details

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Description

I was not able to get my usual 10 hours of Ha with this one for 2 reasons.

The first reason is clouds - the Great Lakes always create 100% cloudy conditions from late October until they start to freeze over. That freezing is happening later and later it seems.

The second reason was my carelessness. I created the FMA135 system on my light iOptron tripod and mount, and put it out by the pool in my backyard. Pools in Ontario, Canada mean that you have a nice area in your backyard from September 1st through May 31st that you can use for astronomy since no one in their right mind would go swimming. I use the concrete pool deck for the quasi permanent placement of the scope(s) all winter.

My backyard ends in a 73 foot cliff, and the winds can be unpredictable. I put the TeleGizmo cover on the scope and didn't think about the wind. The whole system had blown over the next day - OUCH . I had to send the mount back to iOptron for repair and tuning. The worm gears were shot as well as a few other things. The other equipment seemed to have survive the blow (pun intended).

To combat the wind I found some perfect DragonX O rings on Amazon really meant for public address and concert lighting systems. They fit the legs of the 2 inch tripod perfectly. I added some weights to 2 of the 3 legs, as well as a larger weight in the centre suspended by an M12 threaded rod from the eyepiece tray (pictures attached).

I hope this will solve the problem!

That whole exercise delayed the acquisition of enough data to call this project finished. I had to use noise reduction a bit more that usual, but I think it turned out well in the end.

Clear Skies,
Bob

Comments

Revisions

  • Final
    Auriga Widefield 2022, Bob Stevenson
    Original
  • Auriga Widefield 2022, Bob Stevenson
    D
  • Auriga Widefield 2022, Bob Stevenson
    E
  • Auriga Widefield 2022, Bob Stevenson
    F

D

Description: DragonX O Rings - very well made

Uploaded: ...

E

Title: Weight attached to tripod legs

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F

Description: The finished beefed up system with a larger weight suspended from the centre.

Uploaded: ...

Sky plot

Sky plot

Histogram

Auriga Widefield 2022, Bob Stevenson