An Incredibly Rich Star Field in Canis Major

Davoud:
The Starfish permits exposures from one ms to five minutes.

Anthony Ayiomamitis
After posting my message last night, I did check out the
manufacturer's webpage. Something I forgot to ask and which I
confirmed last night is compatibility with the ST-4 protocol given my
mounts are AP.

Yes, it is ST-4 compatible. The Starfish plugs directly into my 1200
GTO's guide port. That's where the simplicity comes in, IMO. USB to
computer and standard "phone-type" guider cable to the mount, and
that's all there is to it. You have to experience it to see how good it
is.

Davoud

--
I agree with almost everything that you have said and almost everything that
you will say in your entire life.

usenet *at* davidillig dawt cawm

Davoud:
Nonetheless, your guiding setup seems convoluted compared to Starfish
PHD and Starfish Mount. No arcane ASCOM, no USB-to-Serial.

Anthony Ayiomamitis:
This is the same scenario with the SBIG cameras having a second chip
for guiding and which acts as a "hub" between laptop and mount.

Yes, I know. I have an STL-11000M with a remote guide head. I say
"have;" I mean I own one, but it's on its way back from SBIG after
repairs.

Davoud

--
I agree with almost everything that you have said and almost everything that
you will say in your entire life.

usenet *at* davidillig dawt cawm

On 20 Äåê, 16:13, Davoud wrote:
Davoud:

The Starfish permits exposures from one ms to five minutes.

Anthony Ayiomamitis

After posting my message last night, I did check out the
manufacturer's webpage. Something I forgot to ask and which I
confirmed last night is compatibility with the ST-4 protocol given my
mounts are AP.

Yes, it is ST-4 compatible. The Starfish plugs directly into my 1200
GTO's guide port. That's where the simplicity comes in, IMO. USB to
computer and standard "phone-type" guider cable to the mount, and
that's all there is to it. You have to experience it to see how good it
is.

Davoud

--
I agree with almost everything that you have said and almost everything that
you will say in your entire life.

usenet *at* davidillig dawt cawm

Davoud,

You just made my day since you basically confirmed for me the most
ideal scenario vis a vis the wiring and which effectively emulates and
clones a dual chip SBIG CCD camera.

Anthony.

Davoud:
Yes, it is ST-4 compatible. The Starfish plugs directly into my 1200
GTO's guide port. That's where the simplicity comes in, IMO. USB to
computer and standard "phone-type" guider cable to the mount, and
that's all there is to it. You have to experience it to see how good it
is.

Anthony Ayiomamitis:
You just made my day since you basically confirmed for me the most
ideal scenario vis a vis the wiring and which effectively emulates and
clones a dual chip SBIG CCD camera.

Well, it duplicates an SBIG with an external guide camera on a separate
'scope, but I find it much easier to use. For one thing, the chip is
1280 x 1024 pixels while the TC237H is 657 x 495 pixels. And Craig
Stark's PHD calibration algorithm should be the envy of every
astro-software developer.

I understand people's concerns about tube flexure when using a separate
'scope, but I don't think I've ever experienced it, and I've been using
setups such as those shown on this page
http://www.primordial-light.com/technique.html since I began imaging.
Since these photos were made I've had a machine shop modify a Losmandy
double dovetail for the small Tak in order to gain extra stiffness just
as insurance, though I never saw evidence of the single dovetail
flexing.

My zerbat'ry is somewhere behind a six-foot snow drift just now, and
it's a crystal clear and starkly cold night. Enough to make a man whose
snow blower broke down today cry. We had about 60 cm of snow from
Friday night to Saturday night -- the heaviest December snowfall in
Maryland since records have been kept.

Davoud

--
I agree with almost everything that you have said and almost everything that
you will say in your entire life.

usenet *at* davidillig dawt cawm