Thanksgiving Plan-B and December’s month-long laptop struggles
We cancelled our planned Thanksgiving trip to Cincinnati because of Zeus – he had been bitten by a horsefly who, apparently, had deposited a worm into his paw. On Monday afternoon (25Nov2024), before our Tuesday departure, he started limping, by Monday night he could barely walk, and when I got up early on Tuesday morning to take him for a trail walk before leaving for DEN, we discovered the bloody paw – and he would not walk more than a few feet before sitting or laying down. Our amazing vet discovered and removed it – and he was back to his normal self by Wednesday, but by then it was too late to make the trip. After cancelling the Cincinnati trip, we briefly thought about driving to Albuquerque or going on our planned dark skies trip over the long weekend. But we ultimately decided that since it was still a holiday weekend it would be better to just stay home away from the maddening crowds on the roads. So, I decided to set up Big Bertha and capture some data from the front patio, so as not to completely forego the clear nights of and surrounding the New Moon. That move started a month-long struggle with my HP laptop that I use to control Big Bertha…this blog is that story and the images that I was able to capture in spite of it!
The Final Puzzle Piece in the Auto-Focuser Saga Falls into Place!
Since returning from my March 2024 Atacama Desert imaging trip, I’ve been struggling with hardware and software issues. The GPS card in my Rainbow Astro RST-135 mount seems to have been the final malfunctioning piece of hardware to be identified, diagnosed, and fixed in early June. Mid-June provided the first clear skies to give the full set-up a test run. …and it seems apropos that I would chose to image M8 Lagoon Nebula!
Exercising and experimenting with the focuser and auto-focuser
I spent from mid-August through early September working to overcome the issues I’ve encountered with the ZWO EAF autofocuser. Running (inside) in/out movement experiments to determine the various telescope’s movement in response to the EAF’s commands and (outside in clear skies) exercises with the SGP EAF algorithm. I don’t yet have a full data set across all my telescopes and filters – but I can say – I am seeing light at the end of the tunnel and I have prevailed over that pesky little red box!!
Crayford vs. Rack&Pinion focuser – time will tell…
We finally had a clear night at home, to give me the chance to run the autofocuser exercise with my new rack&pinion focuser…which is still being elusive. Nevertheless, when patience ran thin with that process, I was able to gather data on NGC6888 Crescent Nebula.
The Miracle of 3D Printing!
ZWO EAF Autofocuser Needed a Ritchey-Chretien Friendly Bracket… After listening to Nico Carver talk about his autofocuser during a recent Patreon Sunday Chat, I decided I needed one! The (actually two – one for Big Bertha/Big Zeus and one for the Southern Cross) ZWO EAF Autofocuser(s) arrived about a month ago. Paul and I began […]