With ESA SpaceCamp 2018 coming up fast there’s renewed interest and motivation to explore how to make DIY reaction wheels on the cheap. Basic requirements for 1 axis reaction wheel stem project: Flywheel that can be accelerated in 1 direction by an electric motor. (reverse direction is optional) Motor mounted to a 1 unit frame […]
Our trip is coming to a close but my heart has been won over by Tanzania. I have to come back! There have been so many highlights and hard to organise them here for you now. In short, come to Tanzania and experience it for yourself. I highly recommend Simba Tours for their professional and […]
Well, the sun is shining again and there’s clear skies to explore! After resigning myself to not getting the latest and greatest 3D Printer by Makerbot, the Replicator, I was pleased to see a TOM appear on ebay. To my joy and delight I won the bid and this weekend had the chance to put […]
While waiting for the weather to improve I was browsing youtube for more info on how to improve my polar alignment and came across a few videos from Astronomy shed. His site is here and is worth a look when you have time: http://www.youtube.com/user/astronomyshed?feature=watch I have since subscribed! One of his projects is to […]
Oh, the weather is horrible and I feel a little jilted because this morning the sky was so clear. Anyway, the clouds have thinned out and I can see Jupiter and moon though still through cloud. Let’s see if I can get another pick of Jupiter’s Satellites for the Jupiter mass determination experiment. 1) Jupiter […]
Well my summer love affair with a 115mm refractor came to an end last night when I decided to go back to my first love, Celestron SCT C11 and have another look at Jupiter. The APO 115 refractor has been a joy to use but in getting the detail of Jupiter while its in opposition […]
The clouds are clearing! There was news of a huge CME erruption on Nov 26th inspired me to get a picture of the sun as soon as the clouds and fog clears. At last I got my chance. Equipment: Astrotrac in Sun tracking mode 70/420mm APO ED Refractor Sun mask made from Baader Astrosolar filter […]
Quick picture of moon before the fog really rolls in. By 18:45, just 1 hr later I was covered in fog. Just made it!!! Equipment: Astrotrac in Sidereal tracking mode 70/420mm APO ED Refractor Baader Moon & Skyglow Neodymium filter DBK41AU02AS Astronomy camera by ImagingSource Weather: 1 degree C 90% Humidity 1021 hPa clear with fog […]
The diagram above shows that there is a difference of approx 4 mins between a sidereal day and a solar day. Here’s a great app that shows the difference pictorially. sidereal Solar Time
Sky clearing, seeing good. 2DegC, 86% Humidity, 1011hPa Session stopped at 23:15hr with poor seeing. Temp 0.5 Deg C, 88% Humidity, 1011 hPa with fast approaching Sirus cloud and slight fog Objectives for tonight: Start Jupiter mass determination exercise Moon pics with Astrotrac and eyepiece projection Try out Helmut’s eyepiece reducer 1) Jupiter mass determination […]