Nighttime Skies Above Upper Pottsgrove Pennsylvania
I left both my scopes out on March 4, 2025 because March 5th was also going to be a clear night. With a temperature of 18 degrees Fahrenheit was pretty cold. On the 5th, I went out to make sure I was still polar aligned. When I turned the scope on, the hand controller stated … Read More “CGEM II Error 17?” »
This in one of two videos on how easy it is to use artificial stars to collimate an SCT. I use the Hubble Optics Artificial Stars Flashlight @ https://hubble-optics.com/artificial-stars.html If you use a mount to steady your telescope, you need to turn tracking off. I use CPWI so it is simple to turn it off … Read More “How to Collimate using artificial stars and a hyperstar” »
This in one of two videos on how easy it is to use artificial stars to collimate an SCT. I use the Hubble Optics Artificial Stars Flashlight @ https://hubble-optics.com/artificial-stars.html If you use a mount to steady your telescope, you need to turn tracking off. I use CPWI so it is simple to turn it off … Read More “How to Collimate using artificial stars” »
I tried making this video a couple times. It was too light, too much wind or my voice was muffled. Hopefully this one came out good… This video is a step by step guide on how set up and use a StarSense Autoguider. I set it up on an AVX mount, however, it would be … Read More “Setting up the StarSense Autoguider” »
Last night I set the telescope on the Beehive Cluster around 1am. This morning I woke up at 6 am and stopped SharpCap from imaging. Around 7:30 am I used Weighted Batch Processing script in PixInsight on and started combining the 622 images taken. When I compare the image below to the first one I … Read More “Beehive using HyperStar 4” »
It was a clear night. I finally had time to get out around 11:30. All the planets had set except Mars was still viewable. It was pretty far away but was able to see it. I got a good look at Sirius, Procyon Betelgeuse, Capella and Double Cluster . I tried to view Bode Nebulae, … Read More “Clear Night” »
2 years ago my wife passed away from a long battle with lung issues. She survived 2 separate lung transplants. Together we created and I still run a charity that helps people pay for transplant related expenses named Transplant Alliance Foundation. The past Christmas, I moved out of our house of 20 years to a ranch … Read More “Starting Over” »
