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Saturday 19th 60F. The sun is featureless today. So I used the fine weather to open the dome and work on the telescope system.
The 7" f/12 was, yet again, had been getting on my nerves. It is so long and heavy, with such moment, that it swamps the handling of the 6" f/10 H-a scope. I have recently changed the Dec shaft for the longer one. Which meant I didn't need a counterweight at all!
Without the 7" I had no white light option without dismantling the filters on the 6" H-a. So I added the Vixen 90mm f/11 outboard of the 6". This combination was nicely balanced by a single 5kg weight. I have an old home-made, Baader Solar Foil filter to protect the Vixen and my eyes.
I shan't bore my readers with yet another, detailed description of the removal of the two large telescopes and the 4 x 5kg counterweights. As usual, I used the dome mounted, block and tackle for lowering the much heavier and longer 7". The usual plank was wedged under the Declination housing to allow safe removal of the counterweights.
Telescopes come off first. Then the weights. Doing it the other way around means the huge telescopes slicing though the air in the confines of the dome to find their low point! North of the pier.
13.41 68/64F Captured a filament central in the south. Just for the exercise and to check the balance and tracking.
A double pale spot is central on the disk. Poor seeing conditions.
Google has completely screwed up Blogger!
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