Відео

Thanks very much Tich. The Cloudwatcher is a nice extra layer of safety since our weather can change in an instant so hopefully I might be able to get a bit more sleep now....hopefully. CS

Thanks Simon. I'd say its a must have device (well at least, that's what I told management 🤣). So far it has been working well so I'm hoping to get more sleep during imaging nights in the future. Part 3 hopefully not too far away. CS Logan

Thanks Pat. Humidity is a curse that's for sure. And yes, it could work quite well just as a weather station in a non observatory setup to alert you that clouds are arriving/arrived as you can set alarms to warn you, if you are busy doing something else while imaging.

Thanks Steve. Hopefully this series of videos will help in your decision whether to use this or another type of safety monitor ( I think there are a few out there to choose from). Clear skies.

Thanks Stuart. It's a nice piece of kit and I figure if it's good enough for PixelSkies in Spain to use it, it's good enough for me. So far it has worked extremely well and it's currently doing its thing as we speak. But you do need to watch it for a few nights and tweak those settings to fit your setup and conditions. Definitely a must have device (at least that's what you need to tell management 🤣). Clear skies.

@@LogansAstro 😂 yes I will have to convince the bank manager as just looked at the prices 😮

Thanks Aleixandrus. I probably should have mentioned that I am just using the basic CloudWatcher software and the CloudWatcher main unit and I don't actually have the Solo. Unfortunately I ended up taking down my previous video about setting up roof gate control using the Arduino etc as the owner of the Skyroof program that was just available to use when I did the video, is now using it more commercially. As it turns out, you don't need to use that software anyway and I am just using the RRCI Ascom driver to control the roof.

@@LogansAstro yeah, I mean CloudWatcher configuration, not Solo 😅 Regarding the roof control, that's what I though. The Skyroof seems not available unless you buy their products but the RRCI seems just enough, so it confuses me why other people use Skyroof app (well, I understand that it is able to monitor the mount position so it's safe to close the roof when it is safety parked, among other useful features). I'm trying RRCI but I'm concerned it may be a death end if ASCOM or Windows updates.... or whatever, as it has no support at all. I manage to get the source code of RRCI but it uses Visual Basic 6, waaaaaay outdated. I explore the code just a bit and it seems to have a class-object to bridge the arduino serial port with a 'basic' ASCOM driver of Dome-type. Don't know, hard to get Visual Basic 6 working in 2024 for development purposes but I suppose rebuild the Arduino code plus ASCOM driver in .NET and share as an open source may be a cool project for the winter-cloudy-rainy season. But for now, I must finish my obsy, so step by step... 🥵 Oh, by the way, thank you so much for your clarifications, that really helps!

@@aleixandrus not sure about ASCOM updates but my PC out in the obsy has been through multiple Windows updates including going from Windows 10 to 11 and it still works, if that's any comfort.

Thanks Pat. Feel free to have a play within any of the files. I hadn't noticed the abundant OIII flowing out from the Lagoon either until very recently. The images being produce by the NHZ and DSC groups are beyond what one person could achieve as far as hours of integration time is concerned so it's nice to be apart of those projects also. Sorry to hear about your cloudy skies - it hasn't been much better here lately but might be clear tonight.....might. Clear skies.

Thanks very much Mike. A lot of time definitely helps which is why being able to image from Spain has been so great as they have a lot of clear nights (unlike here at home). There is a lot of interesting stuff to image around the Tulip for sure. Clear skies.

Thanks. I have read quite a lot more about this and several papers refer to it as a bubble or a nebula blown by the jet so whilst it probably started out as a bow shock wave, the jet is propagating forces out in 3 dimensions and therefore creating the bubble. CS

@@LogansAstro So interesting to imagine how that process happened over time and try to visualise in your mind.

Thanks very much Ollie. I was pretty worried when I saw that first exposure of the squid roll in thinking I had wasted a lot of time on the Ha already but managed to catch that mollusc in the end. I don't know what I have done wrong but the card link I placed in the video for your video and James' video isn't working so I'll need to sort that out at some stage🤔.

Thanks Tich. I know how you feel as the weather here is crap - endless clouds and even if it's clear all day, the clouds roll in at sunset. Thankfully Spain stops me from going all "Here's Jonny"!!! 🤣.

Yes I think this must be what is going on here. Looking at several articles, it is often referred to as a bubble or a blown nebula. The bow shocks I've seen in various images related to stars etc have been visualised as arcs where as this appears to be more like a bubble. So from what I can make out from the various articles (although they are written in highly scientific language which does go over my head at times), it seems that the jet is not just creating an arc at the far end of where it hits the ISM, but is also blowing a bubble in three dimensions as you suggested.

Thanks very much Frank. Enjoy having the play about the data. CS

Thanks James. The Cocoon was always on my wish list and like you say, unattainable for us down here. So once it popped into view up in Spain, I was all over it like a rash. I find dark nebula quite challenging to process so it was good to get back to processing one again. Hope your weather in Oamaru is better than up here at present ( just going outside to shout at the clouds again 😅).

Thanks Stuart. I'm imaging most days at the moment with the rig in Spain so even though the weather is its usual crappy here, I can still stay sane (well relatively sane 🤣).

Thanks Pete. NGC5189 is also relatively bright so doesn't need a lot of integration time like a lot of PN. CS

Thank you very much. Having the rig in Spain has certainly upped the integration time massively that I'm able to do. Group collabs are a lot of fun and for my part in the two groups, I'm not actually doing any processing so it's really data collection and calibration of my frames so don't let concerns about skill level stop you from joining - the main thing they are after is dark skies and the ability to do longish exposures like 10+ mins etc.

Thanks Simon. Before having the rig in Spain, the weather here at home was always a source of frustration as I wanted to do long integration projects which just are not possible with out local climate. The rig in Spain has really filled that gap and has opened up a whole new hemisphere to explore. While I don't do any of the processing for the large group projects, it's still fun to be part of some of these incredibly deep imaging projects. Hope you are getting some clear nights at home. CS

Thanks Nik. Hopefully good weather coincides with your leave. It's nothing but clouds here but at least Spain is keeping me sane. CS

Thanks Stuart. I hope the weather improves here soon so I can give the Cloudwatcher a good test run. CS.

Thanks Don. I'm also looking forward to seeing it in action but this damn cloud and wind and rain just won't go away. I think we all need some luck dealing with Windows 🤣. Clear skies.

Thanks Ollie. I seem to have had a lot of cable issues recently. Two USB cable failed around the same time but fortunate that the fix was easy. There serial to USB cables can be a real pain with so many knock offs causing issues. Now just need the rain to stop so I can get the Cloudwatcher working with NINA.

Thanks for the info Dave and glad to hear it is working well for you. I will definitely look at downloading that plugin you mentioned - sounds useful. I can understand what you mean about needing to tweak the cloud/rain-dew settings - I'm currently doing that with the Cloudwatcher not connected to NINA just to see it's behaviour with changes in the weather. Clear skies.

Thanks Adrian. Yes we have that one here too but unfortunately I can't mount it on the fascia as the fascia part moves with the roof so I needed one that extended from the wall of the observatory out horizontally about 30cm to clear the soffit/eave before it turns upwards and unfortunately the one at Bunnings didn't extend horizontally quite far enough. CS

Thanks Simon. One thing Microsoft doesn't like, and that's choice 🤣. Honestly, it is so hard to get stuff down here even as simple as the right angled pole and if there is one here, they charge like a bull. A classic example was when I was doing my Christmas lights display; I used a lot of 20mm conduit - Bunnings Australia charged about $5 per 5m length in Ozzy where as Bunnings in NZ ( and owned by Australia) charged $25 dollars per 5m length! You see my problem. Anyway, I will stop ranting now. Currently I am watching the behaviour of the Cloudwatcher with it NOT connected to NINA so I can adjust the parameters so it won't make the roof open and close unnecessarily. CS

A TV antenna facia mount is cheap and should be easily available.

@@hawkesworth1712 Yes those fascia mounts are available but my fascia moves with the roof and those hockey-stick style mounts don't extend far enough out under my eave so I couldn't use one unfortunately.

Thanks Pat. Haha yes Part 2 might take longer to come out than planned as the weather here has...well.... turned to custard so to speak. I have been watching the behaviour of the Cloudwatcher over the previous couple of clear-ish nights with it NOT connected to NINA just to see its behaviour and adjust the parameters as necessary as the default parameters in the unit aren't necessarily ideal for every climate. Fingers crossed it clears again here soon. CS

Thanks Tich. Yeah I think people with tidy cables have issues🤣🤣. It's definitely these knock off chipsets causing an issue and whilst we could get away with it in Windows 10, they ain't letting us get away with it in Windows 11. Clear skies.

Thanks. I did a recent video showing how to set the instructions in the advanced sequencer (as I had to set up the instructions in the remote rig I use in Spain although I don't control the roof there) which you can see here ua-cam.com/video/SVoeTUP4-j0/v-deo.html I'll probably go over it again in Part 2 anyway which will also included instructions to control the roof here at home. And yes, the adapters are a bit of a PITA , especially now with Win 11. CS

@@LogansAstro yeah, that is what I was referring to, the whole config, roof included along with the rain/cloudy parameters to determine the safe status. I was aware of having to adjust them along the year, as seasons pass. I saw yout previous video but all that stuff is already set by the remote hosting so it will be interesting see how you set it up :)

Sorry to hear your mount is causing such issues.

Thanks. Oh, that's a good point. As far as I know it works over both. CS

Thanks. Yes I would recommend trying to keep the OTA's as close as possible for the reasons you mention and for making it easier getting both OTA's aligned on a target. Unfortunately, the shallowness of the cross bar along with the position of the knobs on the saddle meant I had to have them quite far apart. CS

Thanks Niall. Damn, I was going to pronounce it Neil but thought, nah, it must be pronounced like Nile😅.

@@happinessloveyoursmile thank you, greatly appreciated

@@LogansAstro 🤗☀️

@@HeavenlyBackyardAstronomy just waiting on one more piece to arrive and then will be installing.

Just checked out your video and subbed 👍

@@LogansAstro many thanks you've joined a select group 😃😃😃

Thanks Dave. The 65PHQ is working great with the 2600mm. If I look very critically at the corners, three have perfectly round stars and one has just a tiny bit of elongation but isn't an issue really.

Thanks very much for that info. You make a very good point about vibrations/breeze etc using a heavy rig on something like the AM5 and while it probably can handle a bigger rig without the counterweight, there could be a significant rate of sub loss. Sounds like a great solution to mount the AM5 on the EQ6 tripod, not only for the extra stability but also the peace of mind (I've already had a light tripod with a rig on it crash to the ground as one of the leg extension clamps had worked it's way loose so I'm a case of once bitten, 10x as shy). If I ever put a heavier rig on my AM5, I think I would go down the same route as you and get something a bit more solid and stable for it to sit on (in which case I think I might just HAVE to get an AM3 for my Redcat 😅). CS

Thanks Daniel. Hopefully there is something useful in there for your setup. CS

Thanks very much Glenn. CS

Thanks. I'm just waiting on a few last parts to arrive but keen to get it up and running as soon as possible. It seems to work extremely well for the remote rig setup in Spain so that gave me more confidence to go ahead and purchase it for my home obsy.

@@LogansAstro yeah, all I heard was good opinions... although not cheap. I am thinking about making a cloud watcher using an allsky and some IA stuff, but I'll have to buy the camera and the housing, so no free option out there 😅

I was doing these commands in the situation where I don't have control over opening and closing the roof myself - Pixel skies is in control of that. As far as I know, the rigs are all clear of the roof no matter position they are in. The .json files are there as a sort of basic starting point that you adapt to your particular setup. So, for example, you would add in an command 'Close Dome Shutter' in the list of instructions when things become unsafe and 'Open Dome Shutter' when they become safe again . If your scope isn't clear of the roof when in home position or when imaging then you would want to scope to return to the park position first, then close the roof which I imagine would be done by making those instructions under 'When Becomes Unsafe' a Sequential Instruction Set just like you probably have for your basic sequence end instructions when your sequence ends in the morning. I will be setting up my Cloudwatcher here at home as soon as the bracket arrives so I will have to adapt those .json files to my situation also where I control the roof opening and closing. Whilst my Skywatcher is clear of the roof in any position, my Meade 10" with it's dew shield isn't so I will have to make sure those instructions send the scope home first (where it is clear of the roof.... just) and then close the roof just like I currently have for my 'Basic Sequence End" set of instructions. I'll add a note in the description that the set of instructions I have provided is in the situation where I don't control the roof.

I've yet to set up my Cloudwatcher but as far as I know, you set up your safety monitor device (such as the Cloudwatcher) and install it's software where you set the parameters for the safe and unsafe conditions. Then in NINA, with the Safety Monitor device connected to your PC controlling your rig and obsy roof, you connect to your Safety Monitor Device in NINA and NINA will get told from the Cloudwatcher software when it is safe and unsafe.

Thanks Simon. The weather has definitely taken a turn for the better in Spain (quite the opposite here though). Hopefully things improve in your neck of the woods. Haha yes I'm very slowly inching my way to 2k.

Yeah Grant has been very quick to act on any issues and he is very open to letting us installed which ever imaging software we are most happy with which is very accommodating. SgPro does seem to be quite buggy (and it's not just me who was experiencing this) so NINA is a breath of fresh air. I think more rigs there will be converting to NINA shortly.

That's a good point. It doesn't seem to have any issues doing it that way around. I think that disconnecting NINA from the switch first would mean it can no longer communicate with the switch to turn the power to zero.

Thanks. Yes I guess that is a possibility although when I have seen them, they have tended to be more circumferential rather than a narrow strip of curves but maybe in some circumstances they could be more localised I guess. Thanks for sharing that possibility. Clear skies.