I’m pleased to announce INDI support for the Omegon EQ500-X Equatorial Mount. The EQ500-X is a sturdy and efficient mount that is relatively lightweight. It has a pad which controls rate and movement. With a polar alignment tool to speed installation up, it is a neat equipment for backyard astrophotographers. The INDI driver, available in… Continue reading INDI Support for Omegon EQ500-X
KStars v3.0.0 is released!
Contributing to the observatory automation module Ekos for this major milestone of KDE KStars was a truly enriching experience. #astrophotography
Messier 16, the Eagle Nebula.
Messier 16, the Eagle Nebula, from my backyard, through the large light pollution halo of Rennes. ~120min Luminance with 480s LPR subs on #Atik 314E, New Moon. #Orion ED80T on HEQ5-Pro. DeepSkyStacker3, #Gimp+G’Mic. Propelled by #KStars #Ekos #INDI.
NGC6992, the Cygnus Veil
Very small part of Cygnus’ Veil, before attempting mosaics. ~176min Luminance with 480s LPR subs on #Atik 314E, after Full Moon. #Orion ED80T on HEQ5-Pro. DeepSkyStacker3, #Gimp+G’Mic. Propelled by #KStars #Ekos #INDI.
Testing wheels for the observatory.
50% weight test on the roll-away observatory shows that rubber wheels sustain the load, but display damage due to rough concrete floor. Planning for wood rails… And single door was cut into double doors to balance the installation. #astrophotography
Messier 42, the Orion Nebula.
Usual winter target 🙂 the soul of Orion’s sword, M42. Taken Feb 2018, -5°C but waxing moon and pollution peak… 15x60s #Atik 314E #Orion ED80T #HEQ5 unguided Bortle 5.
Roll-away observatory.
Applying basic knowledge to woodworking. It’s been 25 years since I left that course 🙂 This is a roll-away observatory, planned for installation end of this summer in my backyard. #astrophotography
Plate-solving the Markarian Chain.
In #astrophotography, plate-solving is the process of correlating stars in the field of view of a telescope with stars in a reference catalog. The name refers to the photographic glass plates that were in use for survey catalogs during 19th and 20th centuries. By matching the relative position of light sources in an input capture… Continue reading Plate-solving the Markarian Chain.
Bahtinov masks.
Bahtinov masks are easy to #3dprint, and are a very precise focus tool when preparing an #astrophotography session. Grid holes in the mask cause diffraction spikes to appear when looking at the point light from stars. Achieving optimal focus consists in centering the middle spike between the side spikes, so that the figure is symmetric.
Telescope piers.
I’m prototyping telescope piers with #3dprinting. Usual discussion over rat cage and fixed plate… Then, wood, metal or concrete implementation.