Come join the friendliest, most engaging and inclusive astronomy forum geared for beginners and advanced telescope users, astrophotography devotees, plus check out our "Astro" goods vendors.
Come join the friendliest, most engaging and inclusive astronomy forum geared for beginners and advanced telescope users, astrophotography devotees, plus check out our "Astro" goods vendors.
Hi from San Diego, CA. Apparently I joined this forum last year and promptly forgot all about it. But I'm on now and will introduce myself and what I do.
My name is Woody and I'm retired from the TV/Video industry. At the moment I'm 100% involved in star-gazing public outreach in the San Diego County area year-round, and San Luis Obispo County area in the Spring and Summer. My "thing" is live video outreach -- CAO (Camera Assisted Observing) on video monitors and projectors. "EAA" just means Electronic Assisted Astronomy. Well heck, GOTO or auto-guiding is EAA -- and doesn't address cameras or video at all. So I prefer to call what I do CAO.
I participate in live events with SDAA (San Diego Astronomy Association), CCAS (Central Coast Astronomical Society), California State Parks (Anza Borrego Desert State Park), San Diego County Parks & Recreation, and Santa Barbara County Parks. And I do both DSO and Solar CAO outreach.
As far as my public outreach equipment configurations go, I have three systems I currently use -- Baby Bear (a.k.a. Ursa Minor), Mama Bear (a.k.a. Ursa Midi), and Papa Bear (a.k.a. Ursa Major or SKY TREK).
Baby Bear/Ursa Minor: Celestron C6 on a Celestron Nexstar Evolution mount on a Berlebach Uni wooden tripod with a MallinCam DS-432cTEC CMOS camera at f/3.3 or f/6 for DSO video observing. For Solar observing I put a single or double-stacked Lunt LS60Ha/PT scope, 2x Barlow, and MallinCam DS-432mTEC monochrome CMOS camera. I use Celestron's StarSense auto-alignment system for alignment and SkySafari-6 Pro running on an old Samsung Android phone for WiFi wireless mount control and GOTO. I usually display on a single 24" monitor, but sometimes add a 19" monitor. This is the system I use at schools or when I need the simplest, lightest weight, fastest setup and strike system. And this is the system I use when I'm in San Luis Obispo County as I'm living out of a RV up there and space is at a premium -- storage space in the RV as well as space in my wife's Honda CRV.
Mama Bear/Ursa Midi: Celestron C8 on a SkyWatcher AZ-EQ5 mount in Alt/Az mode with a MallinCam DS-26cTEC CMOS camera at f/6.3 (perhaps at f/5 soon, maybe even f/2) for DSO observing. For solar observing I put a double-stacked Lunt LS80Ha/PT-DSII solar scope on the AZ-EQ5 mount in Alt/Az mode with a 2x Barlow, and a MallinCam DS-432mTEC monochrome CMOS camera. I use Celestron's StarSense for SkyWatcher auto-alignment system for alignment and SkySafari-7 Pro running on a Samsung Android phone for wired mount control and GOTO. I usually display on a single 24" monitor, but sometimes add a 19" and/or 32" monitor. I also project onto a screen with a video projector (not mine) with this system.
Papa Bear/Ursa Major/SKY TREK: This is my very unique monster outreach system. It's a mobile observatory -- 10 ft. x 7.5 ft. ROR PierTech StarTraveler with a Celestron CPC-1100 Deluxe (C11 EdgeHD on CPC mount) with a HyperStar v3 lens at f/2. As with my smaller portable systems, I use Celestron StarSense for auto-alignment and control using SkySafari-6 Pro running on an old Samsung Android phone -- or sometimes old Samsung tablet. The scope/mount is on an electric PierTech telescoping pier. I have three video monitors built onto the back of the entry door, so when I fully open the door, all three monitors are visible to an audience. On top is a 32" monitor, under that at my sitting eye-level are two 15" monitors. The observatory is self-powered by two 100 Ah deep-cycle batteries, each with its own dedicated inverter. The inverter that feeds most of the video equipment is 600 watts, the inverter that feeds the mount, pier, interior lights (red and white), and roof motor is 2200 watts. The observatory also has a built-in 160 watt solar panel to charge the batteries. 95% of the camera and control cabling is pre-installed. If I push it, I can setup and be displaying DSO images in 15 minutes after parking the mobile observatory. This is the setup I use for my "big" shows, such as JSF (Julian Starfest) and for the monthly Night-Sky shows at ABDSP (Anza Borrego Desert State Park) in the cooler months. I tow it with my pickup or small RV. I tow it with the RV when I need to stay overnight. Depending on what extra stuff I bring, the mobile observatory weighs 3,400 - 3,500 lbs.
I very heavily modified the PierTech StarTraveler for my needs. I had the trailer raised 3" because it didn't have enough ground clearance and couldn't be leveled front to back as it came. I also completley re-wired and re-configured the observatory's power system to put the batteries and inverters up front where their weight made the observatory safe to tow without the need for the 500 lbs. of cast iron weights PierTech bolted to the trailer's tongue so it had enough tongue weight. So by moving the heavy batteries (80 lbs. each) up front, I was able to remove the 500 lbs. of useless cast iron weights.
My newest system is the middle-sized portable one using the SkyWatcher AZ-EQ5 mount. I've been using the scope and camera for years in different configurations (started on a Tak EM-11 EQ mount). But this is a new mount to me and I'm still getting used to it. Everything is working well except that I can't reliably operate the mount wirelessly. And that's because Celestron intentionally made the StarSense for SkyWatcher system not be able to be remotely controlled -- hard-wired or wirelessly. Apparently they blocked being able to use the SS HC's USB with StarSense for SkyWatcher. Yeah, thanks Celestron Marketing. I thought I'd figured out a work-around, but so far, that method only works for about an hour -- and then I lose my connection and it won't come back. So I'm currently stuck with having to use the SS HC for mount control -- including GOTO's. Pain in the you know what.
Stephen
- - - - - Telescopes: Questar 3.5 Standard SN 18-11421; Stellina (EAA) Solar: Thousand Oaks white light filter; Daystar Quark (chromosphere) Hα filter Mounts: Explore Scientific Twilight I; Majestic heavy duty tripod Local Club: New Hampshire Astronomical Society
AstroBee wrote: ↑Thu Jan 19, 2023 12:35 am
Welcome to the forum Woody. Looking forward to seeing some photos of your trailer setup.
AstroBee, I would post photos but I can't figure out how. It appears there are two ways, attach the photos or create a photo album and then import from there. But I can't figure out how to create an album, and from reading posts here, it doesn't appear that I can upload photos from my computer anyway. But my avatar does show a shot of the mobile observatory.
AstroBee wrote: ↑Thu Jan 19, 2023 12:35 am
Welcome to the forum Woody. Looking forward to seeing some photos of your trailer setup.
AstroBee, I would post photos but I can't figure out how. It appears there are two ways, attach the photos or create a photo album and then import from there. But I can't figure out how to create an album, and from reading posts here, it doesn't appear that I can upload photos from my computer anyway. But my avatar does show a shot of the mobile observatory.
Try posting them now. Easiest way is to attach them as file attachments. Scroll down on your reply and click on “attachments”
Gordon
Scopes: Explore Scientific ED80CF, Skywatcher 200 Quattro Imaging Newt, SeeStar S50 for EAA.
Mounts: Orion Atlas EQ-g mount & Skywatcher EQ5 Pro.
ZWO mini guider.
Image cameras: ZWO ASI1600 MM Cool, ZWO ASI533mc-Pro, ZWO ASI174mm-C (for use with my Quark chromosphere), ZWO ASI120MC
Filters: LRGB, Ha 7nm, O-III 7nm, S-II 7nm
Eyepieces: a few.
Primary software: Cartes du Ciel, N.I.N.A, StarTools V1.4.
Gabrielle See Far Sticks: Elita 103/1575, AOM FLT 105/1000, Bresser 127/1200 BV, Nočný stopár 152/1200, Vyrobené doma 70/700, Stellarvue NHNG DX 80/552, TAL RS 100/1000, Vixen SD115s/885 EQ: TAL MT-1, Vixen SXP, SXP2, AXJ, AXD Az/Alt: AYO Digi II, Stellarvue M2C, Argo Navis encoders on both Tripods: Berlebach Planet (2), Uni 28 Astro, Report 372, TAL factory maple, Vixen ASG-CB90, Vixen AXD-TR102 Diagonals: Astro-Physics, Baader Amici, Baader Herschel, iStar Blue, Stellarvue DX, Tak prism, TAL, Vixen Eyepieces: Antares to Zeiss (1011110) The only culture I have is from yogurt
Hello Woody and Welcome to the forums from a one-time San Diego resident.
-Michael Refractors: ES AR152 f/6.5 Achromat on Twilight II, Celestron 102mm XLT f/9.8 on Celestron Heavy Duty Alt Az mount, KOWA 90mm spotting scope Binoculars: Celestron SkyMaster 15x70, Bushnell 10x50 Eyepieces: Various, GSO Superview, 9mm Plossl, Celestron 25mm Plossl Camera: ZWO ASI 120 Naked Eye: Two Eyeballs Latitude: 48.7229° N
Hi Woody. It's great to have you on board here with us at TSS. And that is a fantastic new concept that you have created; a mobile roll off roof observatory. Welcome to the forum Woody and I would like to see more pictures of your transportable observatory too.
Marshall
Sky-Watcher 90mm f/13.8 Maksutov-Cassegrain on motorized Multimount
Orion Astroview 120ST f/5 Refractor on EQ3 mount
Celestron Comet Catcher 140mm f/3.64 Schmidt-Newtonian on alt-az mount
Celestron Omni XLT150R f/5 Refractor on CG4 mount with dual axis drives.
Orion 180mm f/15 Maksutov-Cassegrain on CG5-GT Goto mount.
Orion XT12i 12" f/4.9 Dobsonian Intelliscope.
Kamakura 7x35 Binoculars and Celestron SkyMaster 15x70 Binoculars. ZWO ASI 120MC camera.
>)))))*>
Curious about your video Malincams. Did you get them from the US distributor or order from Canada or ???
I've considered trying EAA, but I just don't want to deal with a laptop and the Revolution Imager gets mixed reviews at best.
============================================================================= I drink tea, I read books, I look at stars when I'm not cursing clouds. It's what I do. =============================================================================
AT50, AT72EDII, ST80, ST102; Scopetech Zero, AZ-GTi, AZ Pronto; Innorel RT90C, Oberwerk 5000; Orion Giantview 15x70s, Vortex 8x42s, Navy surplus 7x50s, Nikon 10x50s
