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Friday: 36F. Early cloud cleared to the promised sunshine just before 11am. A strong and gusty north westerly is roaring around the dome and in the surrounding trees. Fortunately I am looking south east so the telescopes are remaining sheltered and still.
The image is covered in thermal waves on the monitor as I capture videos of weak and dim prominences. Like looking through the water in a tumbling stream. Gong-Ha is showing some markings near the easterly, solar limb. All I have is an elongated lighter spot. Except it looks too far south to be the correct disturbance. I am getting very low fps from the ASI174. Usually up in the 300s fps it is 1/10 of that. I didn't have High Speed engaged in SharpCap. It has shot up to nearly 400fps now!
The sunshine continued until after lunch when cloud started drifting across the image. I captured lots of videos for later processing.
My new sets of o-rings arrived 45, 46 & 47 x 1.5mm and all were too thin. I have tried rocking the outer shell with the adjustment band in place but it makes no difference [at all] to the image.
Looseness of the etalon adjustment won't matter with the drive belt in place. The belt will safely lock the adjustment wherever it stops. It just feels loose in my fingers. So I have returned to the original 42 x 2mm rings. Which are very stiff. The etalon ring was still too stiff to turn using 1.6mm monofilament packing rings after rubbing between folded sandpaper to take off any possible high spots. Which makes no sense unless it is the hardness. Rubber o-rings must flatten against the outer shell. Dismantling the etalon and replacing the rings is now a 1 minute job after so much practice.
As I am still waiting for the toothed timing belts to arrive I am back to manual adjustment. Which is much easier after lunch following the meridian flip. This places the focusers and cameras within easy reach. The sun is noticeably lower in the sky than last time I was imaging. That was before the overcast weather descended.
3pm and the sun has sunk below the ridge of the house roof. A tiny, crescent moon is dragging along the horizon to the south.
The sunshine continued until after lunch when cloud started drifting across the image. I captured lots of videos for later processing.
My new sets of o-rings arrived 45, 46 & 47 x 1.5mm and all were too thin. I have tried rocking the outer shell with the adjustment band in place but it makes no difference [at all] to the image.
Looseness of the etalon adjustment won't matter with the drive belt in place. The belt will safely lock the adjustment wherever it stops. It just feels loose in my fingers. So I have returned to the original 42 x 2mm rings. Which are very stiff. The etalon ring was still too stiff to turn using 1.6mm monofilament packing rings after rubbing between folded sandpaper to take off any possible high spots. Which makes no sense unless it is the hardness. Rubber o-rings must flatten against the outer shell. Dismantling the etalon and replacing the rings is now a 1 minute job after so much practice.
As I am still waiting for the toothed timing belts to arrive I am back to manual adjustment. Which is much easier after lunch following the meridian flip. This places the focusers and cameras within easy reach. The sun is noticeably lower in the sky than last time I was imaging. That was before the overcast weather descended.
3pm and the sun has sunk below the ridge of the house roof. A tiny, crescent moon is dragging along the horizon to the south.
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