Remote Video Astronomy - Blog

DS8300cTEC First Light w C6 Hyperstar at f/2

Fri, 09 Aug 2024 07:00:00 GMT

Last night I tried out my new DS8300cTEC video astronomy camera on my Celestron 6” telescope with Starizona Hyperstar at f/2. I have seen some great images by others using the DS8300cTEC on a Celestron RASA8 telescope using post processing that show what this camera can do on the high end of the scale. I plan to use my DS8300cTEC on the other end of the scale on a portable setup for near real time viewing and outreach. For this, you need the ability to “show something quickly to talk about” and to be able to see several Deep Sky Objects in one viewing that is much more impressive than looking through an eyepiece on a telescope.

The C6 with Hyperstar is a promising portable combination that I have used with my DS10cTEC. I used my AVX mount on my pier in my SkyShed for my DS8300c first light testing on the same C6 with Hyperstar. For portability, I would use this on my Evolution mount.

In the above picture the Hyperstar is hidden by the Dew Shield. The following picture shows the C6 before and after the Hyperstar is installed replacing the secondary mirror. The DS8300c (or DS10c) easily screws onto the Hyperstar. This also shows the C6 on my portable Evolution mount.

The DS10c had a very large field of view due to its fairly large sensor size, especially when used with Hyperstar. This requires notable zooming (or using ROI) for many typical outreach targets. I found the DS8300cTEC seems to work well visually to see objects reasonably well without zooming, and works well when zoomed in due to its small pixel size. The DS10c has 4.63 micron pixels and the DS8300 has 2.9 micron pixels. The DS10c is a 10.7MP camera while the DS8300c is an 8.3MP camera, which seems to make the stacking a little quicker with the DS8300c since less data is being transferred and the FOV is smaller on the DS8300c.

Below are some images from last night that confirmed for me that the DS8300cTEC should accomplish my objective. The small crescent moon was up at twilight when I captured my first image, which gives a good idea of the FOV with this setup. I was only able to do a quick focus just before the moon set below my rooftop. Before moving onto other targets, I performed a better focus using Vega and a focus mask. The following images include the exposure time in seconds, gain, histogram settings and number of stacked images. All images use bin 1 and a CLS filter.

Moon 1.6ms 1g 0-255h no-stacking CLS filter 8.25pm-twilight

M13 Hercules Cluster 1.1s 75g 0-255h 20stk CLS filter

DS10c: M13 Hercules Cluster 1.1s 160 16-255h 15stk CLS filter. This is a prior night's image using DS10c with same setup for comparison purposes. The field of view is much larger than the DS8300.

M29 Cooling Tower 1s 130g 0-255h 10stk CLS filter

ngc6633 Captain Hook Cluster 1.3s 65g 10-255h 10stk CLS filter

As an example to “show something quickly to talk about”, the Dumbbell immediately appeared on the screen when the slew stopped. This image was captured in less than a minute using 1.1 second exposures, 75 gain and 20 stacked images. It is followed by a zoomed image that shows more detail.

M27 Dumbbell 3s 105g 75-255h 10stk CLS filter (<1min) – FULL field of view

M27 Dumbbell 3s 105g 75-255h 10stk CLS filter (<1min total time) - Zoom/cropped image to see more detail.

Keep in mind that this is from my Bortle 6 southern skies in my hot and humid backyard in the summer. To combat the skyglow, I used an Astronomik CLS-2 Filter. I will probably need to wait for winter skies here to be able see fainter nebula (or use a different filter).

Based on this "first light" night, I expect my DS8300c will become the camera for my portable setup. Using the DS8300 felt like it was easier to get a nice view of a target.

Second Night

Amazingly I had a 2nd clear night to try out my new DS8300cTEC! It was a “little” cooler (79 degrees) and less humid (68%), but still not ideal viewing conditions in my backyard Bortle 6 skies. I decided to try some other filters that might help with faint nebula. I have a filter drawer on the Hyperstar C6 so it is easy to swap filters out. I just have to refocus whenever I remove or swap filters. I found the Crescent Nebula fits nicely in the DS8300c Field of View. It was easy to remove the CLS filter I used the previous night and try the L-Extreme filter followed by the L-eNhance filter. This is the first time I have used these filters and I need to learn how to adjust the colors a little better, but I was definitely pleased with how well I could see the Crescent Nebula without needing to zoom in.

Due to using these filters and my subject target, I switched to using 15 second exposures and stacked 10 images for the captures. Below are images using each of these filters. Even though each image took longer than the previous night due to the filters used, I timed it and found it just took a total of 3.5 min to stack the 10 images. This is still within near live “talking time” for outreach purposes and was interesting to watch as more images were stacked. Note: these images were “post processed” for 1 minute using MS Photo viewer to show up better on the web.

c27 Cresent Nebula 15s 150g 20-200h 10stk L-Extreme filter (=~3.5 min) pp

10 - c27 Cresent Nebula 15s 150g 14-200h 10stk L-eNhance filter (~3.5 min) pp

DS8300 moved to a small refractor

I saw posts where others have used the DS8300c on a small refractor. So, another night I decided to try my DS8300c on my small MCR-80ED refractor. Since my C6 with Hyperstar was set up on my equatorial mount on my pier, I just used my small portable SkyProdigy Alt-Az mount I had handy.

The tracking on this mount limited me to stacking 10 second exposures, which is fine for my outreach use. I looked at three targets: M13 Hercules Cluster, M27 – Dumbbell and C27 – Crescent Nebula. No filter was used for M13 and M27. I used the L-eNhance filter with C27. Again, these are at a Bortle 6 sky in a neighborhood with 80 degree night temps and very high humidity (95%+).

I mainly wanted to see the Field of View and image results on the 80mm f/5 refractor compared to using my C6 with Hyperstar f/2. This refractor and DS8300c seems to work fairly well for an extremely portable setup, and some typical targets fit nicely in its FOV. As expected, the C6/Hyperstar FOV will be better for larger nebula and f/2 exposures, while still being portable.

Below are 3 images using the 80mm refractor plus one image from C6/Hyperstar capture of m27 for comparison.

m27 Dumbbell 2.6s 140g 70-200h 20stk FULL field of view using no filter with 80mm refractor

m27 Dumbbell 3s 105g 75-255h 10stk FULL field of view using C6 with Hyperstar (comparison image)

m13 Hercules 2s 73g 42-255h 60stk using no filter with 80mm refractor

C27 Cresent Nebula 10s 150g 30-70h 10stk using L-eNhance filter with 80mm refractor

I think both of these setups will work for my portable use. If I need a really lightweight setup, I will use the MCR-80ED refractor and small Alt-Az SkyProdigy mount. I can run it all for several hours with the TEC cooling active using my ROCKPALS 250-Watt Portable Lithium Battery Pack with 12v DC and 110V AC Outlet.

The C6 with Hyperstar packs a lot in a small package and paired with an Evolution mount is also very portable. Since the Evolution has a built in Lithium battery, my battery pack could easily run the DS8300cTEC with cooling active and supplement my laptop with a 2nd monitor for a long time.

One other item I have come to appreciate about the DS8300cTEC is it’s power cable. It is noticeably smaller and more flexible than the power cables for the DS10cTEC and DS26cTEC that I have. The cable to the left in the picture below shows the small flexible portion of the power cable that goes into the back of the DS8300cTEC.

You can piggyback this small cable onto the USB cable (e.g. using Velcro) to make it seem like you are just routing a single cable to the back of the DS8300cTEC. One thing I have noticed with the DS8300cTEC is that I am not able to use it with my portable laptop with just the USB cable connected. Once I also plug in the power cable, MallincamSky shows the camera is connected. By having the small power cable paired up with the USB cable ahead of time, I can quickly route and plug them both in when assembling my portable setup and be able to use the fan and/or cooling as needed.

Below is a link to my post showing how to install the Hyperstar on the Celestron 6" telescope. It also shows my initial images using the DS10c on the C6 Hyperstar.

Click Here for more C6 Hyperstar details.

2024 Eclipse from Riesel, TX

Sat, 20 Apr 2024 07:00:00 GMT

When I woke up on Monday, April 8th, at our Eclipse RV site in Riesel, TX, I looked out the window to see if the prediction of clouds was true. It was! Clouds from horizon to horizon!! Then I remembered it was cloudy the morning of the 2017 Eclipse and it cleared for totality. So, I proceeded as planned and put my C130 Newtonian onto my SkyProdigy mount that was previously aligned. The C130 already had my Mallincam DS10c inserted with a 0.8x focal reducer and locked in focus from the prior CLEAR night test. I selected the sun and then slewed to it, or rather where it was behind the clouds. Here is what the skies were looking like mid-morning and me trying to stay optimistic next to my telescope that was dutifully tracking the fuzzy sun as the morning progressed.

It turns out it became less cloudy later in the morning with occasional breaks during partiality. Like 2017, it became reasonably clear during totality! I was capturing images every 2 minutes during partiality and switched to every 2 seconds just prior to totality. I did have to make periodic centering adjustments as you will notice in my images.

Below is an overview of a few of my best images during the eclipse...

Since I was using an Alt-Az mount, you will notice some field rotation. I used video mode with auto exposure to handle the changing cloud conditions. Here is a picture of my MallincamSky screen using the auto exposure box while cloudy … and you can even see a couple of sunspots (as well as the clouds)!

When totality began and I removed my solar filter, all I had to do was quickly move the box around on the screen until I saw a viable image appear. I then looked up and enjoyed seeing totality using just my eyes. Once again, I was amazed at what I saw. I believe there was some haze affecting how much of the corona was visible. But we could easily see with our naked eyes a noticeable red prominence extending down at the bottom of the sun! You can see it and some other prominences in the images. Below is an image where I have adjusted the color to approximate the view of the sun we saw with our eyes when we looked up (but without the cloudy background).

Since totality lasted 3 min 45 sec at Riesel, we also took time to view things around us during totality. We even felt a breeze at totality. Shortly after totality it began to get cloudy again.

I originally had another mount and telescope setup that I was unable to use due to focuser problems on the telescope, so I used my little SkyProdigy backup mount setup. As it turned out, it worked pretty well.

During partiality we used highly calibrated and expensive devices to also view the eclipse progress. Can you guess what devices produced these images of the eclipse of the sun?

We had some visitors to our RV site that we invited to see images on my screen of the eclipse as it progressed, in addition to their seeing it live through their paper solar glasses. Needless to say, they were astonished at what they saw live on my laptop screen. One person asked if he could take a picture of the image on the screen. I said sure. What we did not realize is their reflection on the laptop screen was also captured in their photo, turning it into a selfie with the eclipse. So, Sharon and I quickly posed for our own selfie with the eclipse. Here is our unique “selfie” on that day with the eclipse.

When Sharon and I were first married we lived in Austin, Texas for a couple of years. We enjoyed driving out into the hill country exploring what we could see. While we were in Reisel we took a day trip to drive through the hill country again. We were fortunate on this Eclipse trip to see a couple of our favorite things we remembered… fields of Indian Paintbrush flowers and Texas Bluebonnets.

Below are the full images of the 2024 Eclipse that were included in the overview.

Before eclipse began

Partial Eclipse of the Sun by the Moon

The Diamond Ring

Bailey's Beads

Corona

Totality

Partial Eclipse after totality

Eclipse of Sun by the Moon completed

When we headed home, we declared the trip to Riesel, Texas was a success!!

First use of Hyperstar 6 on Celestron 6” with DS10c

Sat, 17 Feb 2024 08:00:00 GMT

I recently received my Starizona Hyperstar 6v4 for my Celestron 6. My idea is to use my C6 on an Evolution mount for portable outreach at f/2 using my DS10c. I first had to install the Starizona secondary mirror plate with knob onto my C6 secondary mirror to enable it to be easily removed when using the Hyperstar 6. If your Celestron 6” secondary mirror does not have a plate with a knob, click on the link at the end of this post for further instructions.

To set up the Hyperstar, position your telescope tilted slightly upward. Then carefully unscrew the secondary mirror retaining ring.

Unscrew the can from the end of the Hyperstar and place it nearby. Grasp the knob to pull the secondary out and then place it in the can you removed from the Hyperstar. Then screw the retaining ring onto the can so the secondary mirror can be safely stored while the Hyperstar is in use.

Now carefully insert the Hyperstar where the secondary mirror was removed and screw it in place. Do NOT overtighten - just screw it on until it is slightly snug.

Now screw the camera onto the end of the Hyperstar. Again, screw on until snug, but do not over tighten.

Now attach the USB cable, and if using TEC cooling, attach the power cable.

First Light with Hyperstar C6

I had my initial HyperStar C6 + DS10c viewing session using the Evolution mount on Monday 2/5/2024. It was a clear night in my backyard and about 45 degrees, but with humidity here in the South of 85%.

After setting up the C6 on the Evolution mount and adding the Hyperstar 6v4 and DS10c, I performed a StarSense AutoAlign and then slewed to a bright star. Using a Bahtinov focus mask, I focused as best I could, knowing I would have to collimate the Hyperstar since this was its first time use. Having used a Hyperstar on my C8 I was familiar with the process of using the Hyperstar adjusting screws. After a period of time I had a good enough collimation to begin.

Even though it was clear, I did have to contend with humidity and my Bortle 6 surrounding Skyglow. Due to the conditions, I first checked out star clusters to get a feel of the field of view and exposure time. The DS10c was set at bin 1 for this session. Since this was my first time with this setup, I just have a few examples. With the Hyperstar on the C6, note that star cluster exposure time is under 1 second at bin 1.

Here are my “first light” image captures using the Hyperstar C6 with a DS10c Video Astronomy camera.

m45 Pleiades
Settings: 0.5 second exposure, 160 gain, 50-255 histogram, 15 stacked images

m36 Pinwheel cluster
Settings: 0.75 second exposure, 130 gain, 45-255 histogram, 20 stacked images

m37 Salt-and-pepper cluster
Settings: 0.75 second exposure, 135 gain, 45-255 histogram, 10 stacked images

Second Night

I had my second night with the Hyperstar C6 + DS10c viewing session on Tuesday 2/6/2024. It was also a clear night in my backyard and about 50 degrees, with humidity of 55%. The SkyGlow and humidity gave me some grief again trying to view nebula. So, I decided to give the filter drawer a try and inserted a 2” SkyGlow filter hoping it would help, which it did. The first thing I realized though was the added glass of the filter in the optical train changed my focus. So, I slewed to a bright star, used the Bahtinov focus mask and brought it back into focus. Using a filter also increased the exposure time some, but at f/2 it was still fast and definitely helped with my Bortle 6 skyglow.

I was pleasantly surprised that the exposure time was still within the crowd-pleasing range for outreach. Looking at the list below, you can see that my exposure time was still under 2 seconds even with this filter in place with the DS10c at bin 1. I did begin to notice some vignetting with the Hyperstar on the C6, but to me it was OK for outreach where speed of seeing a nice image is needed. What really made this effective was the use of ROI which produced a significant difference in stacking speed since only the pixels of the region of interest were being transferred from the camera to the computer and stacked. Also the image cropping when using ROI reduced the visible vignetting.

The Andromeda Galaxy image using ROI 2200x1700 enabled MallincamSky to stack 50 1.6-second images in 1.5 minutes. Even though the Crab Nebula was small, you do begin to see some detail in its ROI image. The Orion Nebula was also small in the full field of view image, but note that it was produced by a 0.6 second exposure with no stacking! I included two 1600x1000 ROI images of the Orion Nebula, each stacking 30 1-second images at a lower gain. I used LHDR in the last one to enable the core stars to be visible. Notice that I started it with same the exposure as the other one and then dropped the exposure briefly at the end using LHDR to populate the center core.

The SkyGlow filter was in place for all the following images.

m31 Andromeda Galaxy
Settings: 0.75 sec then 1.2sec LHDR, 160 gain, 95-255 histogram, 20 stacked images

m31 Andromeda Galaxy
Settings: 1.6 sec, 160 gain, 130-255 histogram, 50 stacked images, ROI 2200x1700, total time 1.5 min

m1 Crab Nebula
Settings: 2 sec, 160 gain, 80-255 histogram, 55 stacked images, ROI 1200x800

m42 Orion Nebula
Settings: 0.6 second, 160 gain, 20-255 histogram No stacking

m42 Orion Nebula
Settings: 1 sec, 110 gain, 60-255 histogram, 30 stacked images ROI 1600x1000

m42 Orion Nebula
Settings: 1 sec then briefly 0.2s LHDR, 110 gain, 60-255 histogram, 30 stacked images, ROI 1600x1000

I am pleased how the C6 with Hyperstar and DS10c work well together, and I believe it will be a good portable combination.

Note: If your Celestron 6” secondary mirror does not have a plate with a knob, for further instructions click: installing-secondary-mirror-mounting-plate-wknob-on-celestron-6.html

Installing Secondary Mirror mounting plate w/knob on Celestron 6”

Sun, 04 Feb 2024 08:00:00 GMT

It is stated that all Celestron 6” telescopes are compatible with the Hyperstar 6. However, some C6 (like mine) need a new plate installed on the back of the secondary mirror to make it easy to remove and store it into the supplied Hyperstar container. So, I had Starizona include their secondary mirror mounting plate w/knob and appropriate screws in my order. Once installed, it makes it easy to remove the secondary mirror and insert the Hyperstar in its place.

I learned most 6" Celestron telescopes are factory compatible with the Hyperstar and come with a knob you can grasp to pull the secondary out after you remove the retaining ring. Then it fits nicely into the little can that you remove from the Hyperstar before inserting the Hyperstar in place of the secondary mirror. Then the retaining ring screws onto the can so the secondary mirror can be safely stored while the Hyperstar is in use.

However, I purchased my Celestron 6" separately from other equipment and it had no knob for me to grip to slide out the secondary after removing the retaining ring. If you look closely at the following image, you will see that there is a serial number stuck on my secondary mirror back plate where most C6’s have a knob.

Without a knob, the only way to get the secondary out is to use a knife to pry along different parts of the lip of the secondary after you remove the retaining ring. Once you have it out it would be risky handling it and trying to put it in the container. So Starizona provides a replacement mounting plate w/knob that solves this issue.

Now, here is a word of caution. Do NOT try to replace the plate when the secondary mirror is still in place on the C6! You must remove it from the C6 to perform the simple modification procedure.

To begin, keep the telescope tilted slightly up, carefully unscrew and remove the retaining ring. The following picture shows that the lip of my secondary mirror plate sits flush and it would be very hard to remove just using your fingers.

Using a sharp knife, ease the secondary mirror out and place it mirror down on something very soft (e.g. stack a few plain Kleenex on a table - ones without lotion).

Note the location of the side index screw. Then carefully remove the top 3 screws and remove the plate from the mirror. Use the new screws provided to attach the new plate with the knob, with its side index screw in the same orientation as shown below.

This process is pretty easy if you just take your time, and you never have to do it again! You will have to re-collimate the secondary the first time you use the telescope with the secondary mirror back in place.

Starizona also recommended when installing the new plate to adjust the new screws so the plate is approximate parallel to the secondary mirror to make it easier to collimate later. When you first attach it, just lightly screw the new plate in place. Then look at it from the side and adjust the screws until it is approximately parallel (loosen other screws before screwing one in further). Having it about parallel to begin with means it doesn’t take much adjusting once installed on the telescope to collimate it.

In the following picture, the secondary mirror is now back in place and shows it now has the new plate w/knob, just like most standard factory C6 telescopes.

Arkansas Starry Night Viewing Site

Fri, 13 Oct 2023 07:00:00 GMT

A little over a week ago I was getting ready for a week-long camping trip under the Arkansas skies near Mammoth Springs. In the past this has been primarily a camping/fishing trip for some men (and some of their sons) from our church and any others who wish to attend what has come over the years to be known as the annual Knucklehead Family Reunion. Since I had not had much luck with fly fishing, I had not been in a few years. I found out there was a good open sky area on a hill in a field right across the road from some of the cabins at the location they have used for the last 3 years. And I learned it also has good dark skies there (Bortle class 3!). Hmmm, I said to myself. Maybe it is time for this to become a camping/fishing/video astronomy trip. As I discussed it with some of the guys, they encouraged me to come and bring along my astronomy gear. And that’s what I did.

I was limited on packing space in my Jeep Cherokee, so I took my basic portable video astronomy setup. I carried my small Celestron Alt-Az SkyProdigy mount with built-in StarSense AutoAlign Camera, my Mallincam 80mm refractor telescope and Mallincam DS10c camera. Here is a daytime picture of my setup with my laptop inside a bin turned on its side on the table.

Starry Night Viewing Site in process of being set up in field across from cabins. Battery power used for telescope, laptop and viewing monitor.

This refractor telescope and camera work great together without the need for a focal reducer and are well balanced when mounted on the small SkyProdigy mount.

MC DS10c on Mallincam 80MM Telescope using Celestron SkyProdigy Mount with built in StarSense AutoAlign

Here is a night picture with an external monitor connected to my laptop and set up on the table so everyone could easily see the “near real time” live image from the video astronomy camera “looking” at the sky through the telescope. The telescope was pointed at the Andromeda Galaxy when this picture was taken.

KFR 2023 Starry Night Viewing Site with telescope in background, viewing monitor on table, Laptop control inside bin also on table

I had 4 straight nights (Oct 7-8) of clear dark skies with various interested men and boys watching my monitor, discussing what we saw and asking questions. Some really good questions were asked like “can we see stars outside our galaxy?” (Basic answer - all stars that we see are in our own galaxy, unless you have a Hubble or Web telescope and a gravity lens handy). For the first time some saw the Dumbbell Nebula, the Hercules Cluster, the Ring Nebula, Andromeda galaxy, etc. appear on the screen shortly after slewing to it. Then after making a few adjustments and just a little stacking they were amazed at what they saw. We discussed distances to objects inside our own galaxy, and galaxies far, far away – millions of light years away. I decided afterwards the trip was a success.

I kept my exposures to a max of 5 seconds and used the histogram to keep the background dark and quickly bring out features using LHDR stacking. Due to the Alt-Az mount you can see some field rotation at the edges of an image when the target was high in the sky, but the centered object is the main attraction. As I went from one target to another, they quickly got the idea that this is more like looking at objects in the sky through a telescope rather than taking pictures. In fact, I sometimes forgot to do screen captures before jumping to show them something else. When I said “I think there is a galaxy here on the screen... I’ll zoom in and make some adjustments to see what we can see”, they really got the idea it's near real time viewing.

The following are some of the images that I did capture. Most of these images are zoomed in with the target centered to show the detail like I do on the monitor. For reference, the first image is the Dumbbell Nebula shown in the full field of view for the DS10c camera on the refractor telescope before I zoom in. It is followed by its “zoomed in” image of the Dumbbell Nebula. I have found that captured images sometimes don’t show up as well on the web, so I take a couple of minutes of post-processing per image later on using the Microsoft Photos adjustment sliders before posting them here.

The name of the target object is listed beneath the image along with its distance in light years from Earth (ly = light years, Kly = 1,000 ly, Mly = 1 million ly). For example, light from the Dumbbell nebula at a distance of 1.4 Kly takes 1400 years to travel to Earth. So, what we see now is the Dumbbell nebula as it looked 1,400 years ago!

M27 - Dumbbell/Apple Core Nebula - 1.4 Kly - Full Field of View using MC DS10c on Mallincam 80MM Telescope Stacked 5 sec exposures

M27 - Dumbbell/Apple Core Nebula - 1.4 Kly – “Zoomed” image from MC DS10c on Mallincam 80MM Telescope Stacked 5 sec exposures

M13 - Hercules Cluster - 2.3 Kly

NGC891 - Edge on Spiral Galaxy – 32 Mly ... what we see now is how it looked 32 million years ago!
Note: Targets that are millions of light years away are outside our own Galaxy.

M45 - Pleiades/Seven Sisters - 430 ly

M31 - Andromeda Galaxy - 2.5 Mly
M110 (upper right) - Elliptical Galaxy - 2.7 Mly

M103 - Open Cluster (micro-dipper) in Cassiopeia - 7.2 Kly

NGC7293 - Helix Nebula - 790 ly

As a backup telescope I brought the 5” f/5 Newtonian telescope shown below that came with the SkyProdigy. It provided a slightly larger field of view than the refractor, and I used it the last couple of nights.

MC DS10c on 5" Newtonian Telescope Celestron SkyProdigy Mount with built in StarSense AutoAlign

Here are some images using this camera/telescope combination.

NGC253 - Sculptor/Silver Dollar Galaxy - 12 Mly

M76 - Little Dumbbell/Cork Nebula - 5.8 Kly

NGC6946 - Fireworks Galaxy - 22 Mly

M82 - Cigar Galaxy - 12 Mly

M57 - Ring Nebula - 1.4 Kly

There were a little over 20 campers including the boys. Over those 4 nights many of them came up a hill in small groups to gather around the monitor and telescope. Below is a picture of the KFR Starry Night Viewing Site with a few gathered around in the viewing area in the glow from red led lights I had on the ground.

Campers gathered around monitor and telescope setup in open field

I bought a red led string the day before I left and also grabbed my Christmas tree extension cord containing a foot switch. I put the string of red leds around the telescope which effectively kept everyone outside the “red ring of fire”. I would tap the foot switch to turn the red leds on when I slewed to a new target so they could watch the telescope as it moved and stopped. It was fun for them to watch it slewing to its target, and it also allowed them to see which way the telescope was pointing when it stopped. I would then tap the foot switch to turn the red led string off so they could focus on watching the image beginning to show up on the second monitor I had set up on the table. I was able to show how I could control the mount and slew to targets using the telescope hand controller, the laptop connected to the hand controller, or my phone (with SkyFi).

Laptop inside bin on table to protect from dew. "Ring of Fire" red led string around telescope area to protect against accidental bumps.

Below are a couple of photos of my favorite daytime viewing site next to the Spring River in a recliner with my Kindle and lunch at hand.

Step 2 – Build SkyShed around Pier Location

Sat, 24 Jun 2023 07:00:00 GMT

I needed a neighborhood friendly approach to having an observatory in my backyard that looked like a nice garden shed (but with a roll-off roof). I purchased SkyShed plans from SkyShed Observatories and selected their 10’x10’ plan. The plans have great step by step details which enabled me to hire Austin Barnes who had very good shed construction experience and enjoyed the challenge of this unique SkyShed design. He obtained most of the materials locally and built it on site in my backyard in approximately 2 weeks of work. We used pressure treated lumber for the construction, which was readily available and typically used in our area.

The result of my prior blog “Step 1 – Install a Pier” is shown below on the left with a fully operational pier, mount and telescope in my backyard.

Although it was great having a pier, a backyard observatory was still my goal. The concept illustration of a SkyShed observatory is shown on the right. The trellis attached to the SkyShed provides the rails needed when rolling off the roof.

This following is a pictorial walk through showing how a SkyShed was constructed in my own backyard…

Since the concrete pier is an immovable object, you need to carefully plan how the SkyShed and trellis will be oriented on your site around the pier. Painter’s poles from Lowe’s were very helpful planning my layout. I originally thought I would build an 8’x10’ building, but then realized I could build a 10’x10’ with the pier offset a foot from center and still have the same space around the mount plus some extra room. I picked the angle orientation so the roof rails at the back stopped right at the required setback from the fence. There are tall pine trees behind the back fence, so it also made sense for the roof to slide back toward the fence since I would never view in that direction.

I knew I would have to get help to build the SkyShed, but I figured I could buy and place all the blocks in the right places and level them with one another myself before the construction began. My site has a slight downward slope that required more blocks on the low end, but the slope provided good drainage so no water would accumulate under the SkyShed.

I also bought and added a layer of drainage rock around the support blocks before construction began to ensure it drained well. Work began by installing and squaring up all the 4”x4” supports. Then the floor planks were nailed onto the supports making a very rigid and solid floor.

A circular hole was cut around the concrete pier to allow the metal pier to be bolted down and isolated from the flooring. I realized that having a hole in the floor would be a construction hazard, so I put a small table upside down over it to avoid accidentally stepping in the hole. I also assigned a yard gnome to warn others not to step there.

Using the plans, the 4 sides and 2 gables were constructed in our garage and smart siding nailed to them while the panels were lying down. Each side panel was adjusted to be square before nailing on the siding. The side panels were then carried into the back yard next to where the floor had been installed. The gnome kept falling asleep, so I replaced him and the table with a piece of plywood painted black and screwed to the floor over the pier hole so you could safely step where the hole was.

Now we were ready to install the 4 sides that had been built. I played an important role by holding the first wall in place while he raised and nailed the adjoining wall in place. I also helped with placing and holding the other walls when they were installed.

Once all 4 walls were in place and secured, the trellis supports were added in back with tracks that would enable the roof to roll off from the shed.

The plans show how to make an adjustable “foot” for the two back support poles that allow you to easily adjust them by turning a nut to make both posts level with the shed and with each other. My son-in law built the adjustable foot for each pole according to the plan specifications and they work great! You can easily adjust them as needed over time to ensure the structure remains level.

Next the massive roof support rails were built, and a roller installed at each end (the left photo is rotated to match the perspective of the installation picture). This was lifted up into place (with 2 people) and carefully inserted into the side rails. The portion that extends out over the rollers wind up extending out over the side walls when installed as shown in the picture on the right. Once the rail is in place the remaining rollers are inserted and installed at the appropriate spacing between the two end rollers.

The two roof support rails were then rolled into position over the walls and the rear gable was lifted into place and installed. Then the front gable was installed, making the square rolling roof frame a single unit.

The top cross beam was installed stabilizing the roof structure. The side rafters were then installed that would support the metal roof.

The roof structure could now be rolled back onto the trellis to make it easier to install additional roof supports as needed.

The completed roof structure was then rolled back onto the shed to enable roofing felt to be installed over the trusses. However, instead of roofing felt, I obtained locally a thin Low-E Peel & Stick 1/8” R10 insulation roll for tin roofs that was stuck into place over the trusses with the metal reflective side up and cut to fit.

The underside of the tin roof insulation is white as shown in the picture on the left. Next the metal roof was put in place on top of the insulation and nailed into the roof support trusses.

Side note: I had plenty of this insulation left over and later used it on the inside walls and roof gables between the studs with the reflective side against the wall and the white side toward the inside. This provided an effective insulation layer on all the walls that was both thin and neat.

Next the door that had been constructed in the garage was installed. Then all the outside walls were painted to match our garage to complete the project! Austin did a great job!!

This design enables you to roll the roof off and back on by hand. I added some flowers beneath the windows and some hanging plants on the trellis to complete the garden shed effect.

After a few days I used a laser level to check if any leveling adjustments were needed. (I only had to add two small shims).

The first telescope I used in my new SkyShed was my ED80 on my SkyProdigy mount. When finished for the night, I just rolled the roof back on, turned everything off and went inside the house. It was great!

I decided to use rubber interlocking squares to go over the floor inside the sky shed. I cut a hole for the pier mount and bolted my metal pier back onto the concrete pier below. I refilled the metal pier with sand and bolted its top back on.

The completed SkyShed observatory fits in nicely as a backyard garden shed. The picture on the right shows the same setup as the first picture in this post, but now with the pier, mount and telescope in its new cozy home with the roof rolled off for viewing the night skies!

To view my first post click here: "Step 1 - Install a Pier"

For more information about SkySheds click here: SkyShed Observatories

Cool Breeze 2022 mini-star party in honor of Michael Carnes

Sun, 25 Sep 2022 07:00:00 GMT

Michael Carnes was a good friend and fellow observer of the night sky using video astronomy equipment. Michael passed away earlier this year as a result of a very unexpected heart attack. Michael and DiAnne had moved to one of the park homes at Cool Breeze Campground in Galax, Virginia in April 2021. Cool Breeze had become a great dark sky location for small star parties that my wife and I attended. Michael built a great observing deck and place for his astronomy equipment after they moved there. It was fitting that, with DiAnne’s encouragement, we had another mini-star party in Michael’s honor on his deck. Some of the deep sky images I captured there are part of this post.

I learned that Michael had a PhD in Plant Sciences and, as part of his career, he was hired by Monsanto Company in St. Louis, MO, to head up a research lab. He developed techniques that led to significant scientific breakthroughs to help make crops more productive and resistant to disease and weather. He travelled often to Switzerland and Japan for research collaboration. Michael also founded a company to provide greenhouse technology to poultry farmers.

After retiring, Michael became extremely interested in the advances in Video Astronomy that enabled someone to see on a screen during an observing session what we never would see just looking through a telescope. He met other amateur astronomers as DiAnne and he travelled in their small RV to night sky sites. This is how Sharon and I met them since we were doing the same thing.

I have included in a prior 9/1/2022 post a great article that Michael wrote for those who might be considering Video Astronomy. In the article he discusses suitable telescopes, mount characteristics, Video Camera considerations and software.

I brought my 8” RASA telescope and DS26cTEC camera to use on my Celestron AVX mount with StarSense AutoAlign while at this special star party on Michael’s deck. Below is a picture that shows his storage shed for his equipment on the left and the open deck on the right.

You can see three telescopes set up on the deck (my RASA is on the left). This was the first time I used my RASA away from home. I really like going to Cool Breeze because it has Bortle 4 dark skies, low temps and low humidity. Below are several images I captured while viewing on Michael’s deck at night. As I have done in the past for smaller deep sky objects, I include both the full FOV image and a zoomed (cropped) image. These are the actual images I captured with no post processing or enhancements. The key exposure information is listed below most images.

Hercules Cluster m13 – 1b 1s 100g 0-255..150..100h-lhdr 35stk 5.78 magnitude 23 Kly

Eagle Nebula m16 100g 2s 50-150h

Dumbbell Nebula m27 100g 2s 20-150h

Andromeda Galaxy m31 100g 5s 30-150h 50stk

Whirlpool Galaxy M51 - 1b 4s 100g 30-150h 50stk 7.92 magnitude 28 Mly

Bode’s Nebulae/Cigar Galaxy M81/M82 - 1b 2s 100g 20-150h 20stk 6.77/8.02 magnitude 12 Mly

Owl Nebula/Spiral Galaxy m97/m108 100g 5s 70-150h 30stk

Spiral Galaxy in Ursa Major m101 100g 5s 15-150h 30stk

North American Nebula NGC7000 4 magnitude 2.6 Kly

Considering Video Astronomy?

Thu, 01 Sep 2022 07:00:00 GMT

The following article was written by Michael Carnes for those who may be considering Video Astronomy. It is included here with permission by his wife DiAnne.

RASA + DS26cTEC first use on New Pier

Fri, 27 May 2022 07:00:00 GMT

On Friday, 5/27/2022, my DS26cTEC + “new” 8 inch RASA telescope saw it’s first real use on my new backyard pier. I actually received my RASA telescope last year but other than testing it once, I just now started using it … so it is still “new” for me. RASA stands for Rowe-Ackermann Schmidt Astrograph and is a high precision very fast f/2 telescope made for astronomy cameras. “Fast” in this context means it can use very short exposures times. Your camera attaches to the top end of a RASA telescope (similar to using a Hyperstar lens on a regular telescope). The left picture below shows the camera mounted on the top end of the RASA, which is on my AVX mount. The right picture below shows the setup on my new backyard pier with cabling and the dew shield in place over the camera.

Because the telescope is tailored for use with a camera, you cannot look through a RASA telescope with your eye – there is no place for an eyepiece to be inserted. Even though is not useable for visual viewing by looking through it with your eye, it is very useable for viewing using a video astronomy camera that “looks” through the telescope for you and displays what it sees in near real time on a monitor screen.

Pairing the f/2 RASA telescope with the Mallicam DS26cTEC video astronomy camera means it only takes 2 seconds to see on your screen your first image of an object you just slewed to, and with just a few stacked frames you can see a really nice image of the object. It is easy to zoom in from the full field of view image to a bigger image of the object while viewing. On the left below is the full field of view image. On the right of all the images is a digitally zoomed-in portion of the target object.

Whirlpool Galaxy
M51 - 1b 2s 100g 40-100h 30stk
7.92 magnitude 28 Mly

As you can see, the DS26c+RASA produces a very wide field of view yet is capable of digitally zooming in on the image in real time to see some nice detail of the Whirlpool Galaxy (M51) using the DS26c bin 1 mode (bin 1 uses the native pixel resolution of the camera). The caption below the image identifies the object, camera settings, magnitude and target distance in light years (in this case 28 Million light years away). Here is what the camera settings mean:

1b : the basic bin 1 mode of the camera was used
2s : the exposure time is 2 seconds
100g : gain was set at 100
40-100h : the histogram was set to 40 on the left and 100 on the right
30stk : 30 images were stacked (2s x 30 = 60 seconds = 1 minute)

I live just north of Jackson, MS with Bortle 6 skies, it was 67 degrees, clear and no moon. The DS26TEC cooling was set at 32 degrees, and I did not use any darks and did not use a filter. All images are the actual camera image captures (with no post processing).

Here are some of the other objects I viewed the over the first two nights using my new RASA and pier…

Bode’s Nebulae/Cigar Galaxy
M81/M82 - 1b 2s 50g 50-200h 15stk
6.77/8.02 magnitude 12 Mly

Needle Galaxy
NGC4565 - 1b 2s 100g 50-150h 25stk
9.08 magnitude 39 Mly

Globular Cluster in Serpens
M5 - 1b 2s 100g 50-150h 20stk
5.65 magnitude 24kly

Spiral Galaxy in Canes Venatici
M106 - 1b 2s 50-150h 100g 40stk
8.31 magnitude 25Mly

I was initially viewing beside my telescope using my laptop on a table as shown at the beginning of this post. Later I ran an ethernet cable from my laptop on the table outside to inside my house and plugged it into my home network switch, enabling me to view from inside at my office desktop with a 32” curved monitor using Remote Desktop to control the mount and camera. Note that I was still using the MallincamSky software and Stellarium software running on my laptop next to the mount to control the camera and to slew to my target objects (with Remote Desktop my inside monitor, keyboard and mouse just acted as if they were directly attached to the laptop outside next to the mount). Here is a handheld phone picture of my desktop screen inside as I checked out a preliminary zoomed image of M64.

Below is the actual image I captured from the camera with improved settings …

Black Eye Galaxy
M64 - 1b 2s 100g 50stk 50-150h
8.38 magnitude 14Mly

While I was using Remote Desktop inside, I used a Blink camera setup next to my telescope outside and activated a live view on my phone to watch the movement of my outside setup whenever I slewed to a new target. This being my first inside control of my new telescope and pier, I wanted to monitor the slew in real time. Everything ran smoothly and I had no cable issues. Here is a short video clip from the Blink camera.

I did try out 2x2 bin mode as well …

Globular Cluster in Canes Venatici
M3 - 2b 1s 50g 5stk 25-255h
6.19 magnitude 33kly

I mainly chose to use camera settings during my first use that allowed me to quickly see my targets and watch a nice image appear on the screen and zoom in for the ahhh effect, and I wanted to see if it could be done at native bin 1 for maximum resolution. It worked. I plan to try out 2x2 bin some more with the RASA in the future.

I have decided I like my new pier, “new” RASA and the DS26cTEC combination whether I am outside next to the mount or using Remote Video Astronomy from inside.

Step 1 - Install a Pier

Mon, 09 May 2022 07:00:00 GMT

I have been planning a SkyShed Observatory for my backyard and have completed my first step! On April 29-30 I installed a 14” x 4’ concrete pier footing that is buried 3.5’ into the ground leaving 6” above ground with 4 embedded bolts on top. The following weekend I put my 8 5/8” metal pier (purchased from SkyShed) onto the embedded blots, leveled it and bolted it down. I also bolted my AVX mount on top and added my 8” Celestron with my DS10c and Universe focal reducer and gave it a successful test drive.

I followed SkyShed’s excellent pictorial documents to install the concrete footing and set up the SkyShed Metal pier. Here is how I set up a pier in my backyard in 10 “easy” steps:

1. I bought a 14” diameter Sonotube and cut a 4’ long piece for the concrete pier. I also cut a 6” long piece to place on the ground to simulate and visualize what the above ground portion would look like.

2. I cut a 12”x12”x1” piece of wood to make a template to make it easy to insert the 4 J-bolts onto the top of the concrete pier as described in their instructions. Right after the Sonotube is filled with concrete, this is placed down into and rests on top of the Sonotube and is left undisturbed for 3 days.

3. I started digging the hole for the Sonotube on a Friday afternoon and created one 2’ deep. Saturday morning I was joined by 2 friends with a post hole digger and we dug until the hole was 3.5’ deep. We put the 4’ long Sonotube down in the hole, used a long level across the top of the Sonotube to level it and backfilled around it with some of the available dirt, checking it periodically to make certain the top remained level.

4. Using a wheelbarrow, hoe, shovel, eleven 50 pound bags of Quikrete plus water, the Sonotube was filled with concrete up to 1” from the top of the Sonotube.

5. I then carefully placed the wood template with 4 J-bolts down into the concrete and rested it on the top of the Sonotube. I then put a tarp over it and used bricks to keep it in place in case it rained during the curing time (it did rain). You should wait at least 3 days. I waited until the next weekend.

6. The following Friday I took the top nuts off the bolts and removed the wood template. I also removed the portion of cardboard Sonotube that was above ground.

7. The next morning I took the metal cap off the metal pier to make it easier to handle as recommended by the instructions. One of my friends joined me to help lift the metal pier onto the bolts and rest it on the washers. With a level across the top, I adjusted the lower nuts until the metal pier was level and then put the top nuts on and tightened them down.

8. I had bought two 50 pound bags of play sand from Lowes, which I used to fill the 3 foot long metal pier. (Note: first place a piece of duct tape over the small hole in the bottom to keep sand from leaking out).

9. I then put the cap on and leveled its top as described in the instructions. I had purchased an AVX “doughnut” adapter with my SkyShed metal pier. I bolted this onto the top of the pier cap.

10. I was then able to place my AVX mount onto the adapter and to bolt it into place using a 1.5” bolt up through the center hole of the adapter.

My pier and mount was now in place ready for whenever I want to use it!

I wanted to use it, so my first test was that evening, which actually went well. I attached my telescope, camera, StarSense, cables, etc and used my laptop on a table next to the telescope.

Due to lots of prior planning, I could just see Polaris over the top of my backyard garage in order to perform a rough polar align looking through the AVX polar scope.

This was followed by an Auto Align using the StarSense. I selected Arcturus, it whirred and stopped, and there it was on my laptop screen (out of focus of course). After focusing I just selected the brightest object in the sky that night, a half full Moon, and enjoyed checking it out.

I decided to quit while I was ahead and removed all the equipment, leaving the AVX mount in place. I have a very good telescope cover I can keep over the pier and mount when not in use.

Then I declared victory, finished packing up and went inside.

Now for the rest of the story

I had steps 1 & 2 ready in January, then I waited for a good weekend to dig and pour my concrete pier. And waited. And waited. And waited…until it was warm, no rain, and had some friends that could assist. So, I had a lot of time before hand to spend with my 6” high simulated above ground sonotube and 10’ poles to simulate a 10’x10’ SkyShed in various places and make sure I could see Polaris.

By April I knew exactly where it would be located and marked the spot with a stake. Some landscaping changes will obviously be required. I also used 4 other stakes and string so that literally “X marks the spot”.

This enabled me to temporarily lift one end of each string and set it aside to dig and then put it back in place to check the center as the hole got deeper and bigger. And then I ran into my first snag. I had a sprinkler system installed in our yard when we built our house 30 years ago, and “sorta” remembered where the pipes may run. I dug slowly at first with a shovel to avoid a close encounter of the wrong kind. Of course, Murphey was right there with me when I began, and my “perfect” location was right next to 2 of my sprinkler pipes. Fortunately, I was able to move my “perfect” spot over 9” and slightly adjust my hole center to avoid them.

As previously mentioned, I was joined by others (2.5 friends to be exact - Richard, Daniel and Evan). They brought a much needed post hole digger, and we dug until the hole was 3.5’ deep.

We lowered our autonomous, self-powered stomper into the hole and let it operate on its own to pack down the bottom of the hole.

We put the Sonotube in the hole and completed the concrete pier as described. After I placed the template with the bolts into and on top of the sonotube, I used a level to recheck one last time and was pleased to see our periodic checking while backfilling paid off. It was level! (Note: it does not have to be perfect, there are plenty of adjustments with the metal pier to fine tune the leveling process).

I ran into my next snag the following weekend after I removed the top nuts off the bolts. When I tried to lift the wood template off of the bolts, it wouldn’t budge. I think the wood warped a little from the moisture in the concrete. I had to cut V slots around two of the bolts to free up the wood to remove it.

I used a box cutter to cut a slice down through the cardboard sonatube that was above ground. I was then able to peel the portion of the sonotube off that was above ground. I put the nuts and washers back onto the bolts and used a level on top of two washers at a time to adjust the nuts until they were all level.

The next morning, with a little help from friends again (Daniel and Michelle), we successfully lifted the metal pier (without the cap) onto the bolts of the concrete pier.

With a level across the top of the metal pier, I adjusted the lower nuts until the metal pier was level and then put the top nuts on and tightened them down.

There is a hole in the bottom of the metal pier that needs to be taped over so the sand that is poured into it does not leak out. The metal pier is 3’ high & my arm is not that long. How do you do that? See below…

No, that is not a worm hole into another galaxy.

I put black duct tape onto the end of my long level with the ends turned slightly up to stick to the end of the level. I then lowered the level into the metal pier, carefully held it above the hole in the bottom, then lowered it and pressed down. I gently lifted the level upward and the tape stayed in place stuck to the bottom of the metal pier over the hole as seen in the above picture. I repeated with a second piece of tape just to make sure the hole was covered.

I then filled the metal pier with sand and put the metal cap on top of the pier with the AVX “doughnut” adapter bolted on as previously described.

Then came my next hmmmm. The instructions say to remove the North peg from your AVX tripod and screw it into the doughnut adapter, but the hole threads did not match. I went to the hardware store and bought a 1” bolt with the correct thread and a round head to use instead. This turned out to work well, and I placed the North peg back into my AVX tripod for use when I want to take the mount and tripod with me on a trip.

Now I was ready to bolt the mount onto the adapter. When I tried to put the AVX mount onto the adapter I ran into my next uh-oh. When resting the AVX mount onto the doughnut adapter in my garage earlier, I did not have the altitude adjustment knob screwed into the mount. Now I found my long AVX altitude bolt handle hit the metal pier when I tried to bolt it in place. So, I cut half of the plastic handle off and was able to bolt the mount down and still grip the remaining portion of the plastic end of the altitude bolt enough to make adjustments when needed. It just clears the top plate of the metal pier and works fine.

I adjusted the bolts of the cap to provide a 2.5” distance between them as recommended in the instructions. These bolts can also be used to fine tune leveling of the top plate.

I was finally ready to put my equipment in place and wait for the evening for the test drive.

When it was close to dark, I looked through the polar scope of the AVX mount and was pleased to see my friend Polaris clearly in view as I had tested many times earlier in the year! It was enough above the top of the garage to accommodate the circle of possible positions of Polaris. (Note: view is reversed - up is down & left is right). I use an app on my phone to determine the current position of Polaris on the circle around the North Celestial Pole (I don’t use the Polaris and constellation markings of the Polar scope). I used the mount adjustment knobs until Polaris was at the proper position on the circle as indicated by the app.

I will do a more precise polar align later using my StarSense All-Star polar align (or other techniques). I should not have to look at Polaris again through the Polar scope until I remove the mount for use on a trip or change mounts.

My location planning paid off and I even avoided a pesky tree limb as well (I may have to cut if off some day).