ASTRO: NGC 69 et al

Sorry about the horrid stars. The scope wouldn't come to temperature.
All night it had a horrid tube current that led to these elongated
stars. But while I was processing everything I'd passed over in the
past I added this one to the list. I need to do it again on a night of
much better seeing and without that heat tube. It came out the baffle
tube and left a dark column in the out of focus donut from center to
top. Never had that before. 4 hours later it was still there. Never
seen it before or since. Ruined an otherwise good night.

I have no idea how many galaxies are in this shot. I don't think I want
to try and ID them. Fortunately George N has an ID map of the center so
I'll refer to that. Note George has south up while I have north at the
top. George has one error however (Sorry George), he mentions NGC 74 to
the west outside his image. It really is to the east, left in my photo.

14" LX200R@f/10, 16x5 binned 2x2, STL-11000M, Paramount ME

Rick

--
Correct domain name is arvig and it is net not com. Prefix is correct.
Third character is a zero rather than a capital "Oh".

Rick,

great picture even with the elongated stars. The vast number of galaxies
makes up for this.

Stefan

"Rick Johnson" schrieb im Newsbeitrag
...
Sorry about the horrid stars. The scope wouldn't come to temperature.
All night it had a horrid tube current that led to these elongated
stars. But while I was processing everything I'd passed over in the
past I added this one to the list. I need to do it again on a night of
much better seeing and without that heat tube. It came out the baffle
tube and left a dark column in the out of focus donut from center to
top. Never had that before. 4 hours later it was still there. Never
seen it before or since. Ruined an otherwise good night.

I have no idea how many galaxies are in this shot. I don't think I want
to try and ID them. Fortunately George N has an ID map of the center so
I'll refer to that. Note George has south up while I have north at the
top. George has one error however (Sorry George), he mentions NGC 74 to
the west outside his image. It really is to the east, left in my photo.

14" LX200R@f/10, 16x5 binned 2x2, STL-11000M, Paramount ME

Rick

--
Correct domain name is arvig and it is net not com. Prefix is correct.
Third character is a zero rather than a capital "Oh".

I forgot the link to the Kopernik site with the ID for these guys.

http://www.kopernik.org/images/archive/n68.htm

Rick


Rick Johnson wrote:

Sorry about the horrid stars. The scope wouldn't come to temperature.
All night it had a horrid tube current that led to these elongated
stars. But while I was processing everything I'd passed over in the
past I added this one to the list. I need to do it again on a night of
much better seeing and without that heat tube. It came out the baffle
tube and left a dark column in the out of focus donut from center to
top. Never had that before. 4 hours later it was still there. Never
seen it before or since. Ruined an otherwise good night.

I have no idea how many galaxies are in this shot. I don't think I want
to try and ID them. Fortunately George N has an ID map of the center so
I'll refer to that. Note George has south up while I have north at the
top. George has one error however (Sorry George), he mentions NGC 74 to
the west outside his image. It really is to the east, left in my photo.

14" LX200R@f/10, 16x5 binned 2x2, STL-11000M, Paramount ME

Rick

"Rick Johnson" wrote

Sorry about the horrid stars........

Looks like New York seeing Rick!

.....but still a neat image!!


.. George has one error however (Sorry George), he mentions NGC 74 to
the west outside his image. It really is to the east, left in my photo.

It must be "dark matter" pulling that galaxy to the wrong side!

George N

George Normandin wrote:

"Rick Johnson" wrote


Sorry about the horrid stars........


Looks like New York seeing Rick!

.....but still a neat image!!



.. George has one error however (Sorry George), he mentions NGC 74 to
the west outside his image. It really is to the east, left in my photo.


It must be "dark matter" pulling that galaxy to the wrong side!

George N



I found the source of the heat column. I had the problem return the
other night. Somehow I had turned off the fan on the camera. The heat
from the Peltier cooler had to go someplace, that was right out the
camera and up the baffle tube! Physics is right, hot air does rise!
Took an hour with the fan on and cooler off but then the column vanished
and restarting with the fan on kept it from returning. Not sure how I
managed to turn that off. Not on a menu I normally use. Computer did
crash while running CCDSoft, that may have done it.



--
Correct domain name is arvig and it is net not com. Prefix is correct.
Third character is a zero rather than a capital "Oh".

George Normandin wrote:
"Rick Johnson" wrote

Sorry about the horrid stars........

Looks like New York seeing Rick!

.....but still a neat image!!


.. George has one error however (Sorry George), he mentions NGC 74 to
the west outside his image. It really is to the east, left in my photo.

It must be "dark matter" pulling that galaxy to the wrong side!

George N


prt fffffllllll/////.............

"Rick Johnson" wrote

I found the source of the heat column. I had the problem return the other
night. Somehow I had turned off the fan on the camera. The heat from the
Peltier cooler had to go someplace, that was right out the camera and up
the baffle tube! Physics is right, hot air does rise! Took an hour with
the fan on and cooler off but then the column vanished and restarting with
the fan on kept it from returning. Not sure how I managed to turn that
off. Not on a menu I normally use. Computer did crash while running
CCDSoft, that may have done it.


Rick,

Interesting find on the heat! I've not turned the fan off on the STL, but
I have gotten my fingers in it a few times! On several occasions at Kopernik
Observatory I've found that having people stand under the open end of the
RC20's tube during cold weather results in a noticeable degradation in
seeing as their body heat rises. As soon as they step aside the seeing gets
better.

I'm glad that it was not something inherent with the 14-inch. If Kopernik
ever closes I may trade up from my 10-inch RC to the Meade 14R. I'm pretty
sure that my MI-250 would hold it. But then I keep threatening to sell all
of my scopes and cameras and order an Obsession 30. I probably would have
done it already except the entire 2007 production of 30's is sold out and
I've never been brave enough to climb up to the eyepiece on those really big
Dob's when pointed near the zenith. I've done it several times with a
32-inch but chickened out with a 36.

George N