Radar

Observatory is looking old and haggard. So spent all Sunday pulling the wood off the observatory. The job was bigger than I expected as everything was nailed in. I was expecting three hours, it was more like 9 hours. Paint and touch ups coming. Ray

Beautiful mate. Ray

Some text on the outside. Some other minor tweaks coming. Far cry from where it was. Finally back in there at nights as well. I've almost finished a tarantula (which has taken about twelve months). Ray

It's made by james hardie, outdoor cladding sheets. Its a slightly flexible thin board, about 7mm. It's quite handy. I've painted it white, still have a few tweaks to do, but its certainly looking more like an observatory now. I still need to trim the fibreglass and replace door. No longer an eyesore though. Ray

Lucky you are handy though Dave, you can most likely fix it. But a pain either way. Ray

Holy crap! It was a 104f here on Saturday. We are at opposite ends of the spectrum. Ray

Very nice mate. Looks like you have some half decent skies with those big blocks as well. Can't wait to see the obs. rayu

lol, they are aren't they. How things Greg? Good to see you. Ray

Tim! What's been going on my mate? Good to see you are still on the optics. I missed this transit, just got back from overseas (last night). So you had some cloud, but at least you got a half decent gif. What type of solar filter are you using these days? Ray

Love the fireworks. Ray

Cat Alzheimers? Poor thing. It is bad enough for a human that knows what is happening to them, let alone a poor cat waking up and not having a clue where it is or who it is. Shame. These types of diseases (side effects of aging) are beginning to be prevented, but certainly not cured once they take hold. Ray

She sounds very spoilt mate. I suppose she sleeps on your bed? Ray

Not sure how that cat doesn't have more grey hair. Its doing well for a 17 year old. Ray

Great to see your images being used mate. We wanna see the gaming mats once they are finished. I think they will look super cool. Ray

No mate, I'll watch some videos on youtube and possibly download the demo. Thanks for the tip. Ray

No worries on the PI jargon, PI is jargon. I got a ton of stuff on my observatory PC that requires processing. When I bought PI I went through it with a fine tooth comb and performed some great processing with it. However I found that if I had a two month hiatus from it, I would need to rehash the learning curve, and being so time poor, images are left unprocessed. I love PI but I find it is not intuitive. I think it needs to be used regularly in order to harness all its great features. For example, some noise reduction algorithms are better for galaxies or nebula, but instead of calling them that, they give them highly mathematical names that really mean little to the average person. From a business perspective, the easier they make it, the more subscriptions they'll maintain. AP processing for me at the moment has to be point and click (for me that makes it more enjoyable). I love the image acquisition side, but I find myself looking for software that can deliver fast results. I used to spend hours processing, which I didn't mind, however at the moment I can't afford that kind of time. That is awesome about the gaming mats. You are doing well my mate. Ray

Geeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeesuuuzzzz!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Wow mate! You are killing it. I love the dark nebulae sitting in front of the emission. What is your image processing software / flow? Ray

That is actually a very clever feature. When I think back to all the issues I had with Teamveiwer, using the same program is a great idea. I currently use AnyDesk which I found was 10 times easier, 10 times more reliable and more intuitive than teamviewer. My software needs upgrading badly, I'll give this a look. Thanks for the heads up. Ray

Wow mate, great to hear. Buying a new mount is no easy feat, the learning curve alone can make it daunting, so when it is delivering the right vibes and reciprocating, then that is exactly the right path. I'm really glad it has enriched your AP my friend. Ray

The pillars and lagoon. Well done Tone. Pretty incredible when you factor in the light pollution. I'll be up that way next week, but unfortunately won't be able to do any observing anywhere. Ray

Great effort my mate. And yes, PI is a mind bending experience. Some crazy looking dust lanes as well, wow! Ray

My observatory is always delivering surprises this like. Mostly it behaves itself, but yeah, the temperature drops and moisture outside can wreak havoc on certain facets. I keep tools in the observatory now for instant repair work. This sport of AP teaches you a lot, especially patience. Ray

Very nice mate. Hopefully you'll get some good action from this unit. We have some sun here today, I might open up the observatory and spy on the sun. Ray

I agree, I have never seen a white one before. Looks awesome. Dave that is a nice little camera rig you have there. Got any moon or Jupiter shots from it yet? Ray

Awesome mate. When I get back there I will definitely pop in. It is always dangerous for me to visit telescope shops. Ray