Since First Light at the beginning of 2013, the mini-WASP array has undergone a number of changes.

The current status of the array is:

Megrez 80 guide scope with SX guide camera linked to M26C camera 1.

Sky 90 imager with f#4.5 reducer/corrector and filter-wheel with H-alpha, H-beta, OIII and SII filters (IDAS filter always on) and an M26C CCD (camera 1).

Two TS 80 refractors with correctors and IDAS filters and also with M26C CCDs (cameras 2 & 3).

A Canon 200mm prime EF lens with a Geoptik adapter to take the fourth M26C imaging CCD.

So the array has the potential to download 40 Megapixels worth of data in one shot.  Nice

See the current configuration here.

Managed to get 15 x 4-minute subs using the Hyperstar III on the new supernova in M82 last night.  Although the sky looked crystal clear, and was Moonless as a bonus, the seeing was terrible.  Never mind – I do have at least a decent record of the event

So what’s the excuse for such a grubby image then? Half the sky (towards the East) was clear at 6:00 p.m. but half the sky running north to south and covering the whole of the West was black and overcast. M82 was in the clear bit  Fired up the Hyperstar, did the 2 star align, autofocused on the second star and slewed to M82 – all going well so far. Took a single 30-second sub to check the framing (that’s the image above) – great – M82 is dead centre. Now just need to get a guide star, get autoguiding, and get a load of subs. Autoguide setup playing up – yep, completely clouded out in those 10-15 minutes  So all I got was this 30-second setting up sub. But at least you can see the damn thing.

Where are the peer-reviewed Journal papers in a quality publication to back up your claims??

But will we get 10-minutes of clear sky to be able to image it?

On the 17th – 18th February 2014 there will be a joint Royal Photographic Society/Royal Astronomical Society meeting on Astroimaging.

Looks like this will be an interesting event.

Got today’s Earth Science Picture of the Day (EPOD) http://epod.usra.edu/ with the recent “12 brightest stars” montage I put together.

Thank you Jim at EPOD for continuing to publish my work

I believe that recently Alan Turing has been pardoned.  Pardoned for what exactly?

Shouldn’t the Government of the day actually be asking for forgiveness of the Government of Turing’s day for the vicious chemical assault of Turing?

Let this be a warning to any scientist to NOT get involved in ANYTHING to do with the U.K. government whatever sexual preference you may have.

As it has been non-stop rain for days on end now, I have resorted to taking a look at old data.

Just put together all the datasets I could find of the Cygnus Wall region taken with the Hyperstar III and the M25C one shot colour camera.

You can see the result here:

Went into the garage and loaded up the pinhole camera tonight  All set and ready to go.  Will put it out tomorrow (one day early) and take it down on 22nd June (one day late) if I can keep my paws off it for that long.  Fingers crossed for a 6-month sub-exposure.