From: "Tim" <tjp314@pacbell.net>

Date: May 23, 2005 2:52:32 PM MDT

To: Astro_IIDC@yahoogroups.com

Subject: Re: First real videos

Alan:

I'll do that offline at some point if you wish.

I experimented with Keith's Image Stacker some more last night on videos I've acquired.  It 

took me quite a while to get familliar with the basic commands, but I'm getting there!  One 

thing I want to try out is to image with one of my other scopes out in the yard to see if the 

"limited goodness" of the results I'm getting is due to  the placement of my scope in the 

roof of my house.  My first Saturn image through the C925 was taken out in the yard 

before I mounted the scope in the roof.  And even though the collimation wasn't quite on, 

the result was pretty encouraging.  

My concern is that, now that summer's a'comin' the roof is staying hotter than the ambient 

air and ruining the seeing, even though the scope is isolated from below by doors that 

close beneath it.  And that might be why I haven't gotten results as good as I had when it 

was cooler (but before the firewire camera).

Now that I've got a camera and Astro IIDC, I should be able to quickly go from the 9.25 to 

my old C-8 on the driveway and compare the resultant videos.  If the C-8 does better than 

the 9.25, I'll know I've got a problem.

I could go back to my old setups - where I have a scope in the garage that I wheel out 

onto the driveway for imaging rising planets; and a scope in my shop that I wheel out on 

the grass for setting planets.

I put the 9.25 on the house because I have an unobstructed horizon that way.  From the 

ground, the house blocks a good portion of the sky - it's about 40 feet tall.

I might be able to help disburse warm thermals by installing a fan near the scope, I 

suppose.  That would also be a simple and inexpensive experiement I could try.

-Tim.

--- In Astro_IIDC@yahoogroups.com, "Alan Friedman" <alan@g...> wrote:

Hi Tim -

Why don't you post some of your tests - we might be able to offer some comments/

suggestions if we can see the results you are getting.

Alan

--- In Astro_IIDC@yahoogroups.com, "Tim" <tjp314@p...> wrote:

All:

I'm going to have to explore this some more when I can take the time to do so, but 

here's  what I found: