From: Milton Aupperle <milton@outcastsoft.com>

Date: April 13, 2008 5:39:13 PM MDT

To: Astro_IIDC@yahoogroups.com

Subject: Re: [Astro_IIDC] moon image...


Hi Mark;


On 13-Apr-08, at 5:06 PM, Mark Gaffney wrote:

Great moon image Milton, It`s interesting that you`re using shots taken from 10 different 

films. My attempts have been too inconsistent as to tracking so far to try more than 1. 


You need good polar alignment (I just do drift alignment as I can't see a pole star here) and also need to use Lunar tracking speeds when your shooting at long focal lengths.


Yesterday I managed a Polar alignment using the HC and mount and was able to have 

Equinox 6 and Astroplanner working consistently. It`d be nice though to have a dome and 

not have to set-up each time!


I don't have a dome. I actually shoot off a 10th story apartment balcony that faces south. If you jump on the balcony floor, the moon will oscillate up and down 30 arc seconds, so you can't move around when recording. I had to make a set of rubber dampening pads because of people moving in the building and also large trucks / construction too. They are building another 28 story condo behind me, so my view to the south is being cut by 1/3 again. So I'll have to move once they stop filling in the foundation of the building with concrete and start moving up wards.


I`m finding with the C10-NGT aligned south that the plastic 

housing on the mount drags across one of the locking levers when slewing to things in the 

north?! Last night I was trying to find another crater which I think I`ve identified as 

Theophilus. One of the maps I found on Google had led me astray! I`ve ordered the Hatfield 

lunar atlas from Amazon- I found only 1 place selling the Rukl atlas on Amazon which 

allowed International postage and that was out of my price range at present at $128 USD!


I got the Rukl Atlas for x-mas last year in Canada via Amazon.ca for about $50 CDN. However you can't even buy it in Canada right now so I'm guessing they are out of print, which is why the cost is so high.


Is 

"My Compositor" available yet or are you making it so? Mark.


"My Compositor" is a little tool I whipped up when I was working with Carbon / CoreGraphics instead of QuickDraw. I eventually went back to QuickDraw / CopyBits cause CoreGraphics is (still) way to slow for the stuff I'm doing. It's quirky, limited in scope and not something I would release for use to other people.


HTH...


Milton J. Aupperle

President

ASC - Aupperle Services and Contracting

Mac Software (Drivers, Components and Application) Specialist

#1005 - 815 14th Avenue. S.W.

Calgary Alberta T2R0N5

1-(403)-229-9456

milton@outcastsoft.com

www.outcastsoft.com