Sunspots! First attempt imaging the sun with the 130ST telescope after getting the slewing and tracking rates sorted. Control, capture and processing remotely from the couch. Hard to explain but a solid milestone in the software setup.
First image produced from the remote Astro Shed setup, wireless network controled from the laptop indoors. Meade Etx-70 telescope, ZWO ASI120MM (monocrome) camera with amber color filter, 100 frames captured with SharpCap, stacked in AutoStakkert, noise reduction in Registax. Humble beginings to be sure, but progress!
The Astronomy Shed has arrived! Plus wire for power to the Astro Plaza. This will be storage for telescopes, computers and 12v power supply. Some assembly required. Clear sky’s everyone.
Building the Edmund Scientific 6″ reflector
I still have this scope!
It’s hard for even me to believe that as a child I built a 6″ Newtonian Telescope somewhere around 1971. Not just assembling the parts, but grinding and polishing the mirror. And not just polishing the mirror, but testing the curvature to create a good parabolic curve meant also building the foucault tester and learning how to use it.
As a young teenager I purchased an Olympus OM-1 35mm camera with the express intent to use it with my telescope. I had even joined the Seattle Astronomical Society and attended a few meetings, but the astrophotography bug would not take hold for many years.
I need to get a good picture of my telescope but I found this image of the complete setup for sale from back in the day. This is basicaly the same as what I own.