nikonshooter Loc: Spartanburg, South Carolina

I moved to our downsized home on Friday, Oct 20th. I have two days to image - mostly just too busy plus finding enough kit to setup hasn't been easy - lots of unopened boxes. But, this is 1 of 80 Ha images I have taken over a two night period. The skies have been clear but the "seeing" was poor, according to "Clear Skies." The one thing I have noticed is that I can see stars....lots of them compared to barely making stars ou t at our prior home (front yard site). Plus - I now have a 360 view of the sky from 20 degrees up. I think I have died and gone to astro-heaven. I have attached one of the subs of the California Nebula taken with the Stellarvue ST70T and ASI 1600MM-Cool Camera. It is a 5 minute exposure...camera cooled to -20C~. I have tonight to take some SII and will shoot for 40, 5 minute exposures. Halloween I am taking family pics at our Church so I doubt I can get "much up" done...then skies are going cloudy for what is forecast to be a week or two. I will return for some more SII and start on OIII when the skies and schedule allow. This is a straight out of the camera shot with the only processing being a stretch in Nebulosity 4 so the nebula can be seen.

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rgrenaderphoto Loc: Hollywood, CA

Beautiful. Enjoy your new digs.

SonnyE Loc: Communist California, USA

Beautiful Ed!

Have you ordered your new Observatory yet?

Glad to see you found your Astro gear.

nikonshooter Loc: Spartanburg, South Carolina

No on the observatory. At the present time our HOA does not allow ANY outbuildings. The Architectural Committee is working on amending that clause to allow for outbuildings but even then. I am having a pier made and plan on putting in a concrete slab 8x8 but I may just use a 365gismo to cover.

Europa Loc: West Hills, CA

Congrats on the move. It’s nice when you can look up and see more than the moon and a few planets.

Albuqshutterbug Loc: Albuquerque NM

Really nicely done.
Congrats on the new location.
When are you going to have a house warming so that all of us can get you kicked out of the HOA?
Kidding of course but sure wish I had this view.
Jim the light polluted Pilot...

bwana Loc: Bergen, Alberta, Canada

Great start on the California!

bwa

SonnyE Loc: Communist California, USA

Oh, I hate HOA's! Bunch of busy-bodies tellin everybody what to do.

Telegizmo's look promising.
I'm sticking with my 32 gallon dome.

If they b!tch you out, make the stem removable, hinged, or put an outhouse over it. Do you need permission to put down a slab?

The Daughter and SIL use to live where they told them what flowers to put in their front yard.
I would have chewed somebodies head off and made a junkyard in the front yard.

I'd love to punch down a pier. But the best Real Estate is taken up with a built in hot tub. A guy came out to fix some valves when we moved in, he called it a dam spa. It has a wall and keeps the water level above the main pool. He had a fish on his work truck.
When he told me it was a Dam Spa, I replied, "Well sometimes it's a damn spa.... but usually it has worked OK."
As I recall, he didn't see the humor in it...

Still, I'd love to have a socket I could put a piece of heavy aluminum bus pipe in that I have saved away. I may still work something up. I do have another spot in mind.

nikonshooter Loc: Spartanburg, South Carolina

So far this is all I have - I have a friend (fellow photographer shoot'n pal) that I have gotten interested in "Up" shoot'n. He has a friend that does this sort of thing. He met with me last month and took some measurements and sent me this blueprint. As far as I know he is working on them but I am not in a big hurry.

Yes, I can put out a slab of concrete and we got permission today to put up an outbuilding - with lots of requirements - gable roof, same shingles as house, no bigger than 14x14, on slab or wooden floor, no windows, must be built by a licensed contractor.....are a few of the "bits and pieces" that I just got.

I want a slab large enough for three mounts (that's all I use) and will just keep covered by the 365 Gizmos year around.

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bwana Loc: Bergen, Alberta, Canada

I would be better to mount the pier on a concrete pile isolated from the slab. It is amazing how even a little vibration in the slab can impact astro-imaging. Even walking on the slab will cause vibration!

After vibration problems with my own setup I cut a hole in the slab, poured a reinforced 12" dia., 6' deep pile and mounted the pier on the pile. I was sure to keep the pile from contacting the slab. The result has been a vibration free pier and one that doesn't shift with slab movement (due to moisture or frost).

bwa

nikonshooter Loc: Spartanburg, South Carolina

Good point! But my slab is primarily going to be used to put a small table for a laptop and a few odds and ends and two other mounts. Once I have everything turned on....I am inside so I don't anticipate affecting my imaging. But visual use (which I rarely do - unless the grands or new neighbors want a peek) could present those issues.

SonnyE Loc: Communist California, USA

I can vouch for that! Early in my adventures in imaging, merely sitting there near my mount transmitted 'giggles' into my images. Just moving one of my feet showed up. It taught me how important it was to be still.
But remember I use to have to do very long exposures, so it became even more aggravating. Ronnie had the answer to get me to wireless control with Team Viewer. But I migrated to Tight Vnc because Team Viewer kept going to commercials. Vnc has none.

But like Ed, when it comes down to ready to go, there is no reason for me to babysit my mount, and I come inside to run things remotely.
Which was kind of a dream of mine finally realized.

I'd love to have a pier though, but I don't have a place to sink one. So I've been eyeballing a isolated semi-circle block wall and thinking about attaching to that monolith. I think it could work. But things like that keep my gray matter quiverin.
(The wall blocks the pool equipment, and is quite a substantial chunk of 'rock'. But is free standing from walkways.)

I have an experiment set up right now. But my skies are NOT cooperating with me.

bwana Loc: Bergen, Alberta, Canada

You probably need it 'free standing' from earthquakes!?

bwa

SonnyE Loc: Communist California, USA

Naw, that's just the way they built it. Access from two directions.
But it looks inviting to put a mount above it.
Especially with the trees gone now. Mui sky.

CraigFair Loc: Santa Maria, CA.

Congrats Ed on your new digs. And a beautiful shot of Calif.
I can see Sonny's house.
Craig