Monthly Archives: October 2012

Flattening the M26C APS-sized chip with a Takahashi collimator

I have three M26C one shot colour CCDs on the mini-WASP array, and for some reason one of these cameras was proving difficult to flatten precisely. My usual technique for getting the chip flat to the optical plane is to … Continue reading

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Did it really require a higher administrative Court to deal with the Idiocracy?

Apparently a German Court has decided against a woman’s claim that the large hadron collider should be shut down as it will create black holes and destroy the Earth.  Did it really require a Court to be assembled to consider this … Continue reading

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Greg’s Charm Bracelet – the Double Cluster in Perseus is the “charm”

If you look at the Double Cluster with a pair of binoculars or a low power telescope, there is something that immediately strikes you.  There is a group of very bright stars forming a large ring that emanates from the … Continue reading

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Hyperstar III and mini-WASP array images from the same night.

    The same night I got the California nebula data with the mini-WASP array, I also got some earlier Double Cluster data with the array, and, some M33 deep data with the Hyperstar III.  The Hyperstar was using 20-minute … Continue reading

Posted in Hyperstar and SXVF-M25C, mini-WASP Array | 3 Comments

The latest images from the mini-WASP array

    We’ve been very fortunate to have a couple of clear Moonless nights recently and I’ve been able to fire up the mini-WASP array, and the Hyperstar III. The Double Cluster was taken using an imaging time of just one … Continue reading

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A clear night :)

Nice clear night (so far) tonight and I have both the mini-WASP array and the Hyperstar III grabbing data.  Took one of two frames with the mini-WASP and then moved onto the California nebula for some half-hour subs (that’ll be … Continue reading

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Image of the Month – October 2012

This month’s Image of the Month is in my opinion the most underrated and unappreciated deep-sky image of all time – amateur or professional.  It hasn’t even appeared as an APOD.  Why on Earth not?  Because I guess it is … Continue reading

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