Star Adventure Eq Base for Seestar Locking Bolt
I recently purchased a Sky Watcher Star Adventure Latitude Eq base for my S50.? Found that during mounting the knob that secures the dovetail is too big.? After some trial and error, I found that an M8 machine screw fits perfectly and secures the dovetail.?
|
Space Weather Today ¨C Uh-oh
Comet Swan is in trouble it seems ¨C lost its tail! ?May not make it through perihelion.?
?
And it seems my area is in trouble too ¨C recent extreme solar storms have caused geomagnetic ground currents through the Appalachians area that are 70 times normal! ?This may cause power outages, similar to the Great Quebec Blackout of March 13, 1989. ?No comment on what else that causes ¨C higher electric bills?
|
Re: This Saturday: YRSP attendance
Troy,
There is a "York County Parks & Rec Movie" on the BBAA calendar.? Is this something you guys on the peninsula will handle?? I don't know who put it on our calendar.? It is the same night as our monthly Skywatch.
George Reynolds
"Solar System Ambassador" for South Hampton Roads, Virginia
Back Bay Amateur Astronomers (BBAA)?
?
On Thursday, April 17, 2025 at 05:40:28 AM EDT, Troy Riedel via groups.io <troy.riedel@...> wrote:
Greetings,
Saturday Night's forecast is iffy - strong southwest flow ahead of a warm front usually indicates high clouds (see attached). If we have clear skies, given the Holiday Weekend can I get a head count of who plans to attend?
Cheers,
|
Re: Comet SWAN (C/2025 F2)
How deep a hole do you have to dig?
On Thursday, April 17, 2025 at 01:59:44 PM EDT, Roy Diffrient <mail@...> wrote:
On Friday evening May 2, comet Swan should be flying past the Pleiades less than 2¡ã away. ?At 9PM it will be about 8¡ã altitude in the NW. ?Predicted magnitude, FWIW, is 6.4.
On 04/17/2025 10:05 AM EDT Ted Forte via groups.io <tedforte511@...> wrote:
?
?
I caught it on April 9 from here in the southwest. In a 10-inch Dob, it was an obvious fuzz ball, brighter toward the center, with just the slightest hint of a tail.? It was ¡®detectable¡¯ in 18 x 50 IS binoculars.
?
It¡¯s been getting lower in the sky every morning since. It¡¯ll become an evening object if it survives its perihelion and could become quite nice in Early May.
?
Ted
BBAA Southwest
?
?
Has anyone seen Comet SWAN (C/2025 F2), if so how did it look?
|
Re: Comet SWAN (C/2025 F2)
On Friday evening May 2, comet Swan should be flying past the Pleiades less than 2¡ã away. ?At 9PM it will be about 8¡ã altitude in the NW. ?Predicted magnitude, FWIW, is 6.4.
On 04/17/2025 10:05 AM EDT Ted Forte via groups.io <tedforte511@...> wrote:
?
?
I caught it on April 9 from here in the southwest. In a 10-inch Dob, it was an obvious fuzz ball, brighter toward the center, with just the slightest hint of a tail.? It was ¡®detectable¡¯ in 18 x 50 IS binoculars.
?
It¡¯s been getting lower in the sky every morning since. It¡¯ll become an evening object if it survives its perihelion and could become quite nice in Early May.
?
Ted
BBAA Southwest
?
?
Has anyone seen Comet SWAN (C/2025 F2), if so how did it look?
|
Re: Comet SWAN (C/2025 F2)
I caught it on April 9 from here in the southwest. In a 10-inch Dob, it was an obvious fuzz ball, brighter toward the center, with just the slightest hint of a tail.? It was ¡®detectable¡¯ in 18 x 50 IS binoculars. ? It¡¯s been getting lower in the sky every morning since. It¡¯ll become an evening object if it survives its perihelion and could become quite nice in Early May. ? Ted BBAA Southwest ?
toggle quoted message
Show quoted text
From: [email protected] <[email protected]> On Behalf Of Jonathan Scheetz via groups.io
Sent: Thursday, April 17, 2025 6:32 AM
To: [email protected]
Subject: [BackBayAstro] Comet SWAN (C/2025 F2)? Has anyone seen Comet SWAN (C/2025 F2), if so how did it look?
|
Re: Comet SWAN (C/2025 F2)
Hey Jonathon, should be better by the end of the month following
the sun down.
On 4/17/2025 9:50 AM, Jonathan Scheetz
wrote:
toggle quoted message
Show quoted text
Awesome.? I'll have to check it.? I can't believe this one
snuck up me like this.? Thanks for the photo.
|
Re: Comet SWAN (C/2025 F2)
Awesome.? I'll have to check it.? I can't believe this one snuck up me like this.? Thanks for the photo.
|
Re: Comet SWAN (C/2025 F2)
I just looked this morning. Very low on the horizon before sunrise and a very bright moon.? -Mike
toggle quoted message
Show quoted text
On Apr 17, 2025, at 9:32?AM, Jonathan Scheetz <jonathan@...> wrote:
?
Has anyone seen Comet SWAN (C/2025 F2), if so how did it look?
I just heard about it.
?
?
|
Has anyone seen Comet SWAN (C/2025 F2), if so how did it look?
I just heard about it.
?
?
|
This Saturday: YRSP attendance
Greetings,
Saturday Night's forecast is iffy - strong southwest flow ahead of a warm front usually indicates high clouds (see attached). If we have clear skies, given the Holiday Weekend can I get a head count of who plans to attend?
Cheers,
|
Re: Telescope and Mount Recommendation
I don¡¯t use a heater for the Lunt blocking filter*.? I store it inside the house over the winter nights and wait until the temperature breaks 40 before setting up. ??It almost never stays below 40 later than 9 a.m. ? I¡¯ve noticed that I have to adjust the tuning as the temperature rises (if I¡¯m observing for longer than my usual hour) but I can¡¯t say that I¡¯ve noticed an improvement in performance at higher temperatures.? I¡¯ve always just assumed that the higher sun altitude was responsible for any improvements seen through the day. ?But I suppose it could be the temperature, the two do generally rise concurrently. ? Ted ? *I don¡¯t use heaters on ANYTHING anymore (eat your hearts out). Dew isn¡¯t a problem here where I¡¯ve seen humidity below 15% on occasion.? I do still have some connectors for dew heaters and my dobs still have heat cord wrapped around their secondary mirror mountings.? It¡¯s a fun conversation starter ¨C which usually starts with ¡ what the heck is all that? ?
toggle quoted message
Show quoted text
From: [email protected] <[email protected]> On Behalf Of Roy Diffrient via groups.io
Sent: Wednesday, April 16, 2025 2:32 PM
To: [email protected]
Subject: Re: [BackBayAstro] Telescope and Mount Recommendation? Lunt Blocking Filters (which look like a simple diagonal under the eyepiece) are temperature sensitive. ?Lunt says they work down to 40¡ãF. ?But they don¡¯t snap on and off¨C mine works much better (I see lots more) at 80¡ãF. ?So I made an inexpensive thermostatically-controlled heater for it (see photo). ?That works great. ?Also Lunt made a heater (about $200) but it¡¯s discontinued. ?Dew heaters may be another way to go. ?Or some individual ?Blocking Filters may work well enough (or the climate is warm enough) not to need heat. ?Ted Forte can address that as his Lunt (same model as mine) uses no heater. One last note. Daystar does use a power heater on their filters if that is any consideration, which it may not be. Some Lunts require heating too under certain ambient temps. Roy can address that as he has had to deal with that issue, if it matters at all. Coronado never required heaters due to a different design. On Wednesday, April 16, 2025 at 12:32:33 PM EDT, Shawn Loescher via groups.io <shawn.loescher@...> wrote: The ranger (Austin) in North Carolina that we work for their annual statewide star party is interested in getting an entry level solar telescope. Does anyone have suggestions? Do you think this one is better than the Coronado PST? If neither, can someone recommend one near the $1000 price point? I see High Point has a good selection but I'm not sure which is the best one to recommend to them. Does anyone know a good tracking mount to use with it? The club has the iOptron Cube and it works great. Unfortunately it has been discontinued or I would recommend it. I think they would rather have an easy to use tracking mount than manual but I am sure that Austin would be interested in any recommendations we can give him.
|
Re: Telescope and Mount Recommendation
Lunt Blocking Filters (which look like a simple diagonal under the eyepiece) are temperature sensitive. ?Lunt says they work down to 40¡ãF. ?But they don¡¯t snap on and off¨C mine works much better (I see lots more) at 80¡ãF. ?So I made an inexpensive thermostatically-controlled heater for it (see photo). ?That works great. ?Also Lunt made a heater (about $200) but it¡¯s discontinued. ?Dew heaters may be another way to go. ?Or some individual ?Blocking Filters may work well enough (or the climate is warm enough) not to need heat. ?Ted Forte can address that as his Lunt (same model as mine) uses no heater.
?
Roy
?
toggle quoted message
Show quoted text
On 04/16/2025 2:50 PM EDT jimcoble2000 via groups.io <jimcoble2000@...> wrote:
?
?
?
One last note. Daystar does use a power heater on their filters if that is any consideration, which it may not be. Some Lunts require heating too under certain ambient temps. Roy can address that as he has had to deal with that issue, if it matters at all. Coronado never required heaters due to a different design.
?
On Wednesday, April 16, 2025 at 12:32:33 PM EDT, Shawn Loescher via groups.io <shawn.loescher@...> wrote:
?
?
The ranger (Austin) in North Carolina that we work for their annual statewide star party is interested in getting an entry level solar telescope. Does anyone have suggestions?
?
Do you think this one is better than the Coronado PST?
?
If neither, can someone recommend one near the $1000 price point? I see High Point has a good selection but I'm not sure which is the best one to recommend to them.
?
Does anyone know a good tracking mount to use with it? The club has the iOptron Cube and it works great. Unfortunately it has been discontinued or I would recommend it. I think they would rather have an easy to use tracking mount than manual but I am sure that Austin would be interested in any recommendations we can give him.
?
Thank you!
|
Re: Telescope and Mount Recommendation
Sorry for the confusion. The $1000 price point was just for the solar telescope. This telescope will be used for public events.
?
Thank you for everyone's insights so far.
|
Free Astrophysics Talk at Virginia Living Museum - 4/17 (6:00pm-7:30pm)
Evening, folks!
Apologies for the late breaking news, but for anyone who wasn't aware and is interested, the Virginia Living Museum is hosting part of their "Naturally Speaking" series, with Dr. Michael Rutkowski (Assistant Professor of Astronomy at Minnesota State University) for "A Casual Review of the First Century of Astrophysics - Where We've Come From and Where We're Going."
Register for this free event here:??
Summary: Astronomy is arguably the ¡°first science¡±, but inchoate astrophysics deserves the credit for fundamentally transforming humanity¡¯s understanding of the natural world.? Over the last century, the history, shape, and composition of the universe has been revealed in surprising, remarkable ways.? Over the past few decades, the application of some of the most complex, powerful scientific instruments ever constructed have dramatically accelerated these discoveries. In this lecture, I will introduce fundamental (coincidentally, within a Virginia context) concepts in astrophysics, including a brief review of some major revolutions in our understanding of the universe.? Following this gentle introduction, the audience will then be able to appreciate some of the technical insights I have derived with large collaborations using ultraviolet and near IR space-based observations like the Hubble and James Webb space telescopes. Specifically, we¡¯ll discuss the curious formation and evolution of massive galaxies in the universe and the impact of the smallest galaxies on the cosmic evolution of elements.? We will then focus on two topics, looking towards the future. First, we review the launch of new astrophysical observatories and their potential to fundamentally transform our understanding of the nature of the universe.? Second, we discuss the application of machine-learning techniques to support new discoveries in astrophysics.
Hope to see some of you there!? Clear skies!
Jeremy
|
Re: Telescope and Mount Recommendation
One last note. Daystar does use a power heater on their filters if that is any consideration, which it may not be. Some Lunts require heating too under certain ambient temps. Roy can address that as he has had to deal with that issue, if it matters at all. Coronado never required heaters due to a different design.
On Wednesday, April 16, 2025 at 12:32:33 PM EDT, Shawn Loescher via groups.io <shawn.loescher@...> wrote:
The ranger (Austin) in North Carolina that we work for their annual statewide star party is interested in getting an entry level solar telescope. Does anyone have suggestions?
?
Do you think this one is better than the Coronado PST?
?
If neither, can someone recommend one near the $1000 price point? I see High Point has a good selection but I'm not sure which is the best one to recommend to them.
?
Does anyone know a good tracking mount to use with it? The club has the iOptron Cube and it works great. Unfortunately it has been discontinued or I would recommend it. I think they would rather have an easy to use tracking mount than manual but I am sure that Austin would be interested in any recommendations we can give him.
?
Thank you!
|
Re: Telescope and Mount Recommendation
Shawn. Does he want it for personal use or public use? There is no reason (unless you really want one) to have a tracking mount on a solar scope as I personally would not leave it exposed on the sun for extended periods no matter who makes it. If for personal use, he can get by with an alt az just fine (the sun is a bit easy to locate :) ). Saves some money.
PSTs are a thing of the past, somewhat, as I have no idea who sells or services then now, if anyone. I would be very wary of a used PST purchase as they all deteriorated to the point of not working after a few years.
You certainly don't need aperture for a solar scope. For an Ha scope the narrowness of the band pass is the critical function. Do you want to see proms or surface details? Surface requires tighter band passes (more money). Daystar is a well established company as is Lunt (His father was the founder of Coronado). The Daystar uses a slightly different system or at least used to.
One thing they all have in common is that they all are persnickety and can be difficult to share the view with the public under some circumstance. If just for general public viewing, white light is much easier to deal with.
On Wednesday, April 16, 2025 at 01:45:29 PM EDT, Will Kiff via groups.io <modok4@...> wrote:
I saw a 50mm Lunt on cloudynights foor $650
I use a Skywatcher AZGTI?with mine and it does decent.? I know they have a version that is only for solar tracking, It's called the SolarQuest.? Supposedly?you just plop it down, level it and it uses GPS to know where it's at and it uses a solar sensor to track.
On Wed, Apr 16, 2025 at 12:32?PM Shawn Loescher via <shawn.loescher= [email protected]> wrote:
The ranger (Austin) in North Carolina that we work for their annual statewide star party is interested in getting an entry level solar telescope. Does anyone have suggestions?
?
Do you think this one is better than the Coronado PST?
?
If neither, can someone recommend one near the $1000 price point? I see High Point has a good selection but I'm not sure which is the best one to recommend to them.
?
Does anyone know a good tracking mount to use with it? The club has the iOptron Cube and it works great. Unfortunately it has been discontinued or I would recommend it. I think they would rather have an easy to use tracking mount than manual but I am sure that Austin would be interested in any recommendations we can give him.
?
Thank you!
|
Re: Telescope and Mount Recommendation
I saw a 50mm Lunt on cloudynights foor $650
I use a Skywatcher AZGTI?with mine and it does decent.? I know they have a version that is only for solar tracking, It's called the SolarQuest.? Supposedly?you just plop it down, level it and it uses GPS to know where it's at and it uses a solar sensor to track.
On Wed, Apr 16, 2025 at 12:32?PM Shawn Loescher via <shawn.loescher= [email protected]> wrote:
The ranger (Austin) in North Carolina that we work for their annual statewide star party is interested in getting an entry level solar telescope. Does anyone have suggestions?
?
Do you think this one is better than the Coronado PST?
?
If neither, can someone recommend one near the $1000 price point? I see High Point has a good selection but I'm not sure which is the best one to recommend to them.
?
Does anyone know a good tracking mount to use with it? The club has the iOptron Cube and it works great. Unfortunately it has been discontinued or I would recommend it. I think they would rather have an easy to use tracking mount than manual but I am sure that Austin would be interested in any recommendations we can give him.
?
Thank you!
|
Re: Telescope and Mount Recommendation
Tough one at 1000 price point for scope and tracking mount. Why a tracking mount though??
On Wednesday, April 16, 2025 at 12:32:33 PM EDT, Shawn Loescher via groups.io <shawn.loescher@...> wrote:
The ranger (Austin) in North Carolina that we work for their annual statewide star party is interested in getting an entry level solar telescope. Does anyone have suggestions?
?
Do you think this one is better than the Coronado PST?
?
If neither, can someone recommend one near the $1000 price point? I see High Point has a good selection but I'm not sure which is the best one to recommend to them.
?
Does anyone know a good tracking mount to use with it? The club has the iOptron Cube and it works great. Unfortunately it has been discontinued or I would recommend it. I think they would rather have an easy to use tracking mount than manual but I am sure that Austin would be interested in any recommendations we can give him.
?
Thank you!
|
Boy that's gonna need a 100 element wide field eyepiece. :)
On Wednesday, April 16, 2025 at 12:05:55 PM EDT, Roy Diffrient <mail@...> wrote:
|
Ted Forte
Jonathan Scheetz
Shawn Loescher