January 2016 Observing Report

The point in building an observatory in my backyard was to be able to use my equipment to observe more frequently.  So how is that going - GREAT !  Five observing sessions in January.

January 3, 2016
     Opened the roof at 7:15 pm to the first clear night in a week. Hope to get in a couple of hours viewing, but can't stay up too late as I have to work tomorrow. It's a chilly 50 F with only a slight breeze.  Powered up the camera but the Miloslick software doesn't seem to be communicating with it.  After several minutes I realized I had the video input set to composite instead of S-video.    With that little detail taken care of  I got to observing.   Using my Mallincam VRC-10 CF, a Mallincam 2" 0.75 focal reducer, Lumicon Deep Sky filter, and my Mallincam XT-418 camera, The first target - the Andromeda Galaxy, Messier 31.

Next up, Messier 110, a companion galaxy to Andromeda.

Next on my hit list is NGC 147 a galaxy in Cassiopeia.   This is an object I've never seen before.  The G11 mount slewed to the spot and nothing was there.  I slewed to Schedar and aligned the mount.  Back to NGC 147 - nothing.  This was my third attempt to observe this object.  After several more attempts I shut down at 1050 pm.

January 9, 2016

     Opened the observatory about 6:30. Clouds are to roll in around 9 – 10, so don't have a lot of time.  I spent some time working on the counter weight down position for the scope. I had noted the other night that the scope's axis was off set from the mount's Right Ascention (RA) axis. I looked again at the Losmandy video on setting this position and I used a small level just as he did to ensure the RA axis was a vertical as possible. Then I found that the Dec axis setting, using the built-in level was easy to carefully set. Then when viewed from behind the scope and mount's RA axis are aligned. This may have been a problem with my prior observing session and poor gotos and tracking.

I fired up the mount and did a 4 star alignment. I then slewed to several stars and bright deep sky objects and all were in the FOV in 11 and 18 mm eyepieces. The goto accuracy seemed to be better than it was the previous session. Got nice views of M42, NGC 457, M31, Castor (a nice double star), The Double Cluster (NGC 884) is really nice in the  Explore Scientific 30 mm eyepiece (82 degree FOV).

By 8 the wind really picked up and was blowing things around. It was nice being inside as it at least partially shielded me and the scope from the wind. The wind brought in the clouds and I shut down a little before 9 pm. Sure is nice & easy to simply unplug the electricity, close the roof, put on the turnbuckles, and lock the door. I love it !!

January 15, 2016

     Went out a little after 10 pm as the skies cleared up.  A cool damp night. At 0045 it is 53 degrees with no wind, 83% humidity, and 48 degree dew point.  I decided to try using the Mallincam MFR-3 0.64X focal reducer instead of the 2” 0.75 focal reducer as it gives a little faster scope (5.12 vs 6).   I had to add a second spacer to achieve focus.  Surprised how much it moved the focus plane.

Viewed the Leo Triplet of galaxies; Messier 65 and 66, and NGC 3628.  Here is a shot of M 65.   

 Shut down a little after 1 am so I'd been up since 6.   Excited I'm getting more opportunities to view now with the observatory so I don't feel so compelled to stay out as long when I view.

January 17, 2016

     Setup a little after 6 with my daughter Heather. She brought her scope (Celestron Edge HD 1100) over and so we finally have the observatory populated with both scopes.   

You have to watch your step around the tripod legs, wires, and tables, but the 8' x 12' observatory bay is big enough for us to use the two scopes simultaneously.  

We had a good time visual observing for a couple of hours and then called it a night.  It is wonderful to slide the roof closed, unplug the equipment, and lock the door and head inside !

January 29, 2016

Came out late after dinner around 9:30. A nice cool night with sparse thin clouds. Around 49 F with 71% humidity and 41 F dew point and no wind.  Experimenting with the MFR-5 II. I've got both elements on and a 10 mm spacer at the back and the image of Messier 42 (Orion Nebula) has comma shaped stars, stars with donut holes, although no vignetting, but an overall displeasing appearance. Removed the 10 mm spacer and it changed the focus plane by an amazing amount. I had to add another spacer to the focuser to achieve focus. The comma and donut stars are gone, replaced by a nice flat field.   The shot below is a 20 second exposure to pickup the wispy gas and also Messier 43, but at the expense of totally blowing out the center of the nebula.

I notice on the histogram I'm getting a broad band of signals instead of a concentrated smooth curve. Seems like a lot of noise – dirty optics ?  

Clouds became more numerous around 1245 so I shut down for the night.

January 2016 Summary

The observatory is so convenient.  It allows me to view much more often and without the hassle of setting up and tearing down.   I now spend more time actually observing objects and trying different equipment setups and techniques. I look forward to many peaceful nights viewing through my window of the universe.

Luling Skies Observatory, First Light

Friday Dec 18 provided clear skies and a wonderful opportunity for my first viewing in my new observatory.   The roof rolls off smoothly to offer a wide open view of the sky.  At 80" above the floor, the walls are higher than in most observatories, but in my light polluted backyard the walls provide a much needed light block from nearby streetlights.

Here is an inside view.  I haven't built any shelves yet so my gear is piled on the floor and a table.

Here is my Mallincam VRC-10 CF ready for a night of visual observing.   My daughter Heather came over and we had a great time until clouds rolled in a little after midnight.  The observatory worked out well and was a big improvement from setting up in the yard.

On Saturday night, December 19,  I slid my Mallincam XT-418 into the scope's focuser.  With this scope and no focuser rings installed, I've learned that I cannot achieve focus using the Mallincam 2" 0.75 focal reducer.  After some experimentation, I've found what works is placing a Baader Planetarium 2" Deluxe Clicklock Eyepiece Extension in the focuser, then the Mallincam 2" 0.75 focal reducer followed by a Baader Planetarium 2" / 1.25" Clicklock Reducer, and then the camera with a Lumicon Deep Sky Filter threaded onto the nose piece.

After getting the equipment running, I had some difficulty with a newly updated version of the Miloslick Mallincam control software.  I finally got it figured out and went to the Orion nebula as my first object.   I've gotten better pics previously, but this is the best I could manage on this night.  Given the size of the object I needed further focal reduction, but with clouds threatening I didn't take the time to change my setup.

 I viewed the flame and horsehead nebulas and the Pleadies before clouds rolled in and ended my observing session.  It was a pleasure to simply shut down the electricity, close the roof, and head inside.  Much better than spending the next hour tearing down the equipment and stowing it away.   I look forward to many more observing sessions in my backyard observatory.

Luling Skies Observatory Construction, Day 2

After heavy rains on Wednesday, the skies cleared and the crew got an early start to complete the observatory on Thursday Dec 17.   First task at hand were the 4" x 4" supports for the roof rails.  The posts sit on 10" diameter concrete footers.

Next came the 4" x 4" rails.  

 The rails and supports are constructed of pressure treated lumber.

The roof was assembled from trusses on 24" centers with a 2" x 4" side rails.  The roof profile is a shallow 1 x 12 pitch so that the roof blocks as little of the sky as possible.  The use of such a shallow roof pitch is possible as we have no concern with snow accumulation in my Southeastern Louisiana location.

Here the first of the v-groove rollers is added.  The v-groove wheels and track were obtained from Gate Depot.  For the 8' x 16' metal roof we used 3  wheels on each side.  The 4" diameter v-groove wheels have double bearings and roll very smoothly.   The wheels ride in a metal box .

Here is the heavy duty track that the v-groove wheels ride on.  Note that because of the width of the "ears" on the track, a 2 x 4 had to be screwed to the inside of the roof header and the roll off rails.

With the floor nearly 12" above the ground and 80" high walls, these guys were really stretching to hoist the roof frame into place.   

With the help of a third worker on a ladder, they set the wheels on the track.

Attaching the roof decking and then will come the metal sheeting.

Fascia added to the sides of the roof to cover the wheels. 

As night fell, they crew kept working to complete the job.

The roof rolls easily when pushed by hand, but using a 4' long 2" x 4" "pusher" makes the job easier.

At the end of the second day, the observatory was complete except for door sills and stops on the roof rails.   The important thing for now is I have a functional observatory !  In the days to come I need to install fittings to secure the roof, shelving, complete the electrical wiring, add lighting, etc, etc, etc..

Luling Skies Observatory Construction, Day 1

After months of planning, on December 15, 2015 Tuff Shed finally began construction of my roll off roof observatory.  Here is the corner of the yard with the pier and my buried blue conduit for DC power and grey conduit for computer cables.   Our Maltipoo Colby is surveying his area.

First came the aluminum floor supports on concrete blocks and wood leveling shims.

Here is a edge on view showing the supports.  Note they later added another beam on the left side so the floor is supported at least every 24".

Down goes the rest of the flooring.  The frame is secured to the ground with metal straps and an auger on each corner.

They did a nice job cutting the floor with a small gap around the pier.  I plan to fill the holes with steel wool to keep pests out.   And now for some walls !  

Here at the end of day 1 is the finished shell.  In this pic we are looking at the eastern side of the building.

An inside view from the eastern doorway.  The 8' x 12 ' observatory bay looks large at this point.  The interior wall with a rough door and window opening separates the control room from the observatory bay.

Here is a side view of the completed shell from the North.

Here is one of the 10" diameter concrete footers to support the 4x4" legs that will support the roll off roof rails.

On day 2 the roof, roll off rails, and doors will be installed.   However heavy rains are forecast for tomorrow so I'll have to wait until Dec 17 for completion.

Blackout EZ Window Covers

When my wife and I attend a star party we prefer to stay in our travel trailer on or near the observing field.  

While I'm out viewing my wife stays in the trailer and watches movies or  listens to music.  It is important to have the trailer windows and skylights covered so that my wife can do her thing with the lights on but avoid having the lights interfere with the viewing.  In our old trailer I covered the windows from the inside with aluminum foil.  It was effective in preventing light leaking out, but was difficult to remove and reapply.  With our new trailer as we prepared to attend the Deep South Regional Star Gaze I was looking for a better solution.

While perusing Amazon.com I came across an interesting product: Blackout EZ window covers.  These covers are an opaque fabric that attaches with hook and loop fasteners.  They sell these covers in small (36" width x 48" length), large (45" width x 66" length), and custom sizes. I ordered a large kit to try.  It arrived in a heavy cardboard mailing tube.  Inside was a piece of vinyl fabric that is white on one side and black on the other.  The fabric is stiff but flexible.  Also in the mailing tube was the hook and loop fasteners with adhesive backing.  

The trailer windows came with curtains and a shade.  They look nice but I had to remove them to install the Blackout EZ kit.

 So with the curtains and shade off I had access to the window frame.  Now to install the hook fastener.

The challenge with the rounded windows is to kerf the hook tape to fit around the frame.

It takes some time to fit the tape around the window frame.

With the hook tape attached to the window frame it is an easy matter to measure and cut the fabric.  It is easy to cut with scissors and on the black side of the fabric there is a grid that makes cutting in a straight line easy.   Then the loop tape is applied to the back side of the fabric.

Attaching the fabric with the hook and loop tape is easy and the result is a nice looking window covering.

Here with the curtains and shade reinstalled, the covering is attractive and doesn't interfere with the operation of the shade. 

When darkness fell I had my wife shine a flashlight all around the window on the inside and I stood outside looking for any light leakage.  There was none.    I was sold and the next day I ordered enough material to do all the windows, skylights, and door in the trailer.  It took 3 of the large kits to cover the 6 windows, 2 skylights, and door. For the two large picture windows,  I bought 2  custom pieces.  The kits come with the hook and loop fastener but I found for the large kits I needed additional fastener tape.

It took me several hours to get the openings in the trailer all covered, but I am quite satisfied with the results.  It looks good and is effective.  You can easily pull the fabric back when you want to look out the window and then firmly reattach the fabric.  When not at star parties we can peel the fabric partially back or even pull it totally off, roll it, and store it away.  The reverse process to reattach is quick 

So how did it do at the Deep South Regional Star Gaze?  Fantastic !  My wife enjoyed being able to have the lights and TV on without bothering the astronomers who were just 30 feet away.  We are happy with the purchase and highly recommend it.  Check it out.

2015 Deep South Regional Star Gaze

My wife and I have come to look forward each fall to our trip to the Deep South Regional Star Gaze at the Feliciana Retreat Center in Norwood, Louisiana.  This year the weather did not bode well.  We missed Tuesday night but, on Wednesday Nov 4 we packed up the RV and made the 1-1/2 hour drive up to the Feliciana Retreat Center.

Here is a shot of the Eastern side of the field.  My setup is at the right edge of the picture.

Here is my setup on the Southeastern corner of the field.  The tent works well to reduce the glow from my computer screen, which even at it's dimmest setting can be bright.  When I don't use the red screen filter, I drape black plastic around the tent.  {No, it wasn't foggy, just my camera lens fogging up from the high humidity.}

Here is our trailer.  Having it on the field just a short distance from my scope setup, is very convenient.  The site has electrical hookups for up to 4 camping trailers, but has no water or waste hookups.

 Here is a shot of the Western side of the field.

There were scopes of all descriptions from small refractors to large Dobsonians.  Here is one of the new Celestron Evolution 9-1/4" Schmidt-Cassegrain scopes.  I didn't get a chance to view through it but the owner seemed happy with it.

 A innovative binocular viewing chair ready for a night of observing.

As the sun set Wednesday night the skies were clear although it was very humid and warm.   My first challenge was identifying Polaris and other stars to align my mount.  Of course why we go to dark sites in the first place is that the darkness reveals many more stars than is visible in a more urban environment.  In my semi-urban backyard, my best Sky Quality Meter (SQM) reading is 18.65 which equates to visible star magnitude of 4.5.   After darkness set in, Barry Simon, DSRSG director, obtained a measurement of around 21.5 on his SQM or a visual star magnitude of 6.4.   This results in a HUGE increase in the number of visible stars  and can make identify constellations difficult.    I eventually got my bearings and built a model.

Some of my favorite targets are globular clusters and Mesiere 13 in Hercules is my favorite.   In my 11 mm eyepiece there were many discrete, bright stars resolved and a bright core.  In my 18 mm eyepiece the roundish shape of the cluster was better appreciated. 

The ring nebula, Mesiere 57, in Lyra is a bright planetary nebula.  In the 10" scope with my 11 mm eyepiece the image scale is very nice.  In my 6" Schmidt-Newtonian I frequently had to use averted vision to detect the shape, but in the 10" scope the nebula is easily seen directly.  I wasn't able to detect the faint (14.8 magnitude) central star. 

In going to Mesiere 31, the Andromeda galaxy, I found the gotos were off so I erased the model and rebuilt it.  I shifted targets to Mesiere 1, the Crab nebula.  It was easliy visible in the 30 mm eyepiece and the view in the 11 mm eyepiece was even better although there was no hint of the filament structure that I've seen with my Mallincam.

The 30 mm eyepiece provided a really nice view of NGC 884, the Double Cluster.  As 11 pm approached, Taurus and then Orion rose in the east.  As Mesiere 42, the great Orion nebula, cleared the trees I was rewarded with a wonderful view in my 30 mm eyepiece.  The extensiveness of the nebula was readily apparent and is an awesome sight.  In my 11 mm eyepiece some structural detail in nebula near the trapezium was gleaned.  This was easily the best visual observation I've had of M42 since I was able to view through a 24" Starmaster Dobsonian and Televue eyepiece at the 2013 DSRSG.

I shut down at 11:45 and headed to the trailer.  It had been a long day and I was tired.  Besides, clouds were gathering in the South West.

 Thursday was cloudy to partly cloudy early but cleared later in the day.  The hopeful congregating for the daily prize drawing on Thursday afternoon.  Some blue sky was visible by the 3 pm drawing.

The young lad, who's name I don't know, drew my wife's name on Thursday.  We won a Telvue 1-1/4" 2X barlow - a very nice prize.

On Thursday night we were hopeful to get in a few hours before the clouds rolled in.  I wanted to try out my Mallincam Extreme 2 which Rock Mallin had recently upgraded to a XT-418.  It took me a bit to get everything setup properly. I found that with the Mallincam 0.75X, 2" focal reducer, it pushed the focal plane back too far to achieve focus with the reworked camera.  I had to install a Baaader 2" spacer adapter that is around an inch thick.  In addition to the upgraded camera I had a new version of the Miloslick Mallincam control program to learn.   With the camera focused I found the mount's goto accuracy was poor so I deleted the model and built a new one.   I went to M57, the Ring nebula, as my first Deep Sky Object (DSO).  With AGC set to 4, I was able to get a nice image in 15 seconds.  Going up to 30 seconds revealed the 14.8 magnitude central star.   It was more readily seen on the monitor than in the image from the computer, but you can see it in the enlarged image.

I viewed a couple of other objects and then around 2030 as I was trying to capture NGC 147, a galaxy in Cassiopeia, , the clouds rolled in and the observing was over.  With rains and thunderstorms forecast for Friday and Saturday, my wife and I packed up and headed home Friday morning.   I enjoyed around 9 hours of observing time under clear, dark skies.  I also got to visit with several old friends that I hadn't seen since the last DSRSG.

On Friday afternoon I received the engineering drawings from Tuff Shed for my home observatory.  I noted a few issues with the plans that we need to resolve but I'm hopeful the observatory will be completed before Thanksgiving.