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Sunday: All day sunshine! I have spent the entire day out in the observatory. A dark area and a spot are visible in H-alpha but nothing can be seen in white light in the 7". A triple, "chimney stack" prominence is also visible in H-alpha.I am getting a dark doughnut of increased surface detail imposed on the sun's disk. Presumably an effect of the donor PST's etalon.
The sun is so low that the shadow of the house chimney has passed across the dome. At 14.30 CET the sun is only 8° in altitude according to Stellarium. I am still getting remarkably clear views with sharp edges to the disk at any power tried so far.
The T-E binoviewers provide excellent views of the sun. Allowing me to let my eyes wander effortlessly in the search for fine detail. I only have three pairs of eyepieces so far. 32, 26 and 20mm. Even with the 32mm EPs the 2.8x T-E GPC produces a huge image. It might be useful when the sun is high in the sky but not very practical at this time of year. As I finish scribbling this after lunch I can see the shadow of the house ridge rising up the dome.
Being able to spend hours in the dome during the day is very satisfying. It is warmer than at night and better sheltered than being outside. I can see what I am doing and can safely avoid the things which catch me unawares in the dark.
The next step is to move the computer "desk" shelf to the north side of the pier. It seemed most natural on the east side but I couldn't see the computer screen from the eyepiece. The telescopes don't usually sweep across the north side of the pier. Which makes it much safer to carry out long slews. Perhaps I can come up with an edge hinged, shelf arrangement to allow viewing from any angle. If I have the shelf on the north side I shall be looking straight into the sun. Two, drop-down, hinged shelves?
I need to add more tube rings to the 6." These will help me support the weight of the binoviewer and a pair of low power eyepieces on the end of a stiff aluminium bar/tube. A simple plate, to act as a supporting bridge on the end, should be all that is required. A bolt or stud joining the plate to the tube will allow for some adjustment.The tube rings can be moved around the main tube to bring the support directly underneath regardless of the OTA's angle. Fortunately I have a couple of older tube rings as spares. I don't want anything bulky which would hinder etalon tuning or focusing.
Monday: The 6" tube rings proved to be the wrong size. So I bolted the offset counterweights for the 6" to the tube rings of the 7" instead. I had used cord to check if the weights helped and now they could be fixed properly. They used to clank unexpectedly as they dropped with changing OTA attitude. Which was always a shock when the sound was amplified by the 8" steel tube inside a silent dome!
Tomorrow a low passes east of us with winds forecast to gust to 50mph for at least 12 hours. I hope the obs doesn't blow over! It didn't and the wind was hardly noticeable as I pottered about improving details.
The T-E binoviewers provide excellent views of the sun. Allowing me to let my eyes wander effortlessly in the search for fine detail. I only have three pairs of eyepieces so far. 32, 26 and 20mm. Even with the 32mm EPs the 2.8x T-E GPC produces a huge image. It might be useful when the sun is high in the sky but not very practical at this time of year. As I finish scribbling this after lunch I can see the shadow of the house ridge rising up the dome.
Being able to spend hours in the dome during the day is very satisfying. It is warmer than at night and better sheltered than being outside. I can see what I am doing and can safely avoid the things which catch me unawares in the dark.
The next step is to move the computer "desk" shelf to the north side of the pier. It seemed most natural on the east side but I couldn't see the computer screen from the eyepiece. The telescopes don't usually sweep across the north side of the pier. Which makes it much safer to carry out long slews. Perhaps I can come up with an edge hinged, shelf arrangement to allow viewing from any angle. If I have the shelf on the north side I shall be looking straight into the sun. Two, drop-down, hinged shelves? I need to add more tube rings to the 6." These will help me support the weight of the binoviewer and a pair of low power eyepieces on the end of a stiff aluminium bar/tube. A simple plate, to act as a supporting bridge on the end, should be all that is required. A bolt or stud joining the plate to the tube will allow for some adjustment.The tube rings can be moved around the main tube to bring the support directly underneath regardless of the OTA's angle. Fortunately I have a couple of older tube rings as spares. I don't want anything bulky which would hinder etalon tuning or focusing.
Monday: The 6" tube rings proved to be the wrong size. So I bolted the offset counterweights for the 6" to the tube rings of the 7" instead. I had used cord to check if the weights helped and now they could be fixed properly. They used to clank unexpectedly as they dropped with changing OTA attitude. Which was always a shock when the sound was amplified by the 8" steel tube inside a silent dome!
Tomorrow a low passes east of us with winds forecast to gust to 50mph for at least 12 hours. I hope the obs doesn't blow over! It didn't and the wind was hardly noticeable as I pottered about improving details.
Click on any image for an enlargement.
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