From: Terrence Redding <tredding@mac.com>

Date: September 18, 2009 6:41:55 AM MDT

To: Astro_IIDC@yahoogroups.com

Subject: Re: [Astro_IIDC] Setting up for a mutual event


The shaking has been an issue.


I first noticed it with the yard sprinkler system on.  The surge in the pipes caused a "pulse" in the stars.  Error in the drive introduces shake. Dave Herald in Australia advised me to do PEC training on the mount to solve part of the problem.  Balance also plays a part in the shake.  Hopefully the amount of shake is now greatly reduced.  I believe if I find a better balance solution I will be able to minimize the shake even further.


At this magnification I was not particularly worried about the shaking motion.  Maybe Milton can comment on the effect the shake might have on mutual events, or photometry.  Of course I know it is a problem imaging.


Scotty has asked that I increase the magnification for the next mutual event to see the disk of Io and Europa.  I purchased a Tele Vue Powermate 5X and plan to use it with the 14" LX200R to produce the photometry.


Scotty uses PC only, so his preference is to receive a MiniDV digital video tape.  If someone knows the best way to move the video from the DMK21 from Firewire to analog with no compression I am interested in doing that.  This weekend I will be playing with various solutions looking the best signal path to get  a low signal to noise level video to Scotty for the photometry.  At the same time, I would like to be able to do the photometry with Astro-IIDC as well.  Then we can compare the results.



Terry - W6LMJ - 14.287 


Terrence R. Redding, Ph.D. 

Redding Observatory South, West Palm Beach, Florida

http://olt.net/learningstyle/Site_2/Learning_Style_Research.html

How do amateur astronomers learn?


American Association of Variable Star

Observers (AAVSO): RTN http://www.aavso.org/




On Sep 17, 2009, at 10:27 PM, Mark Gaffney wrote:

Terry, 

Your previous "shaky Jupiter" movie came up OK through Mobile Me & even communicated itself to my iPod touch where I have limited space (upon Sync). This is no real problem except I`ve found deleting things from the iPod is impossible except by re-setting. Did you solve your shaking problem by the way?- I was showing your efforts to my Dad yesterday & explaining what you thought was water pipes causing the shaking!! How you estimate the extent of atmosphere on Io from the movies I saw is a mystery to me..but there you are! 


Mark. 

On 18/09/2009, at 11:29 AM, Terrence Redding wrote:

The mobile me link http://www.me.com/gallery/#100160 is suppose to be public - no reason to log in.  The http://www.me.com/gallery/#100160 with the # should start it loading and playing automatically.


The YouTube version is exactly the same thing - both created in iMove and published two different places on the web.  Clearly the YouTube version is the most reliable and easiest to see.  the MobileMe version is there because - well I can do it and it publishes three version, each of which is downloadable - or they are suppose to be.


Reference the atmosphere, I was quite surprised when Scotty suggested the atmosphere might extend out as much as six radii of the planet.  But now with all the reading I have done, it seems possible - given the common event associated with the volcanic material routine reaching escape velocity and thus that material would be in the nearby space.


The cool thing about the video is being able to compare the scopes and optical paths associated with three simultaneous solutions for collecting confirming data - plus the easy with which I can switch between views.  I have been talking with Milton about post processing the data using Astro-IIDC and hope to be successful doing that.  Whether we find support for the notion of an extended atmosphere or not, this effort will be published and I would like to have done my portion of it using a basic Mac only solution.


Terry


On Sep 17, 2009, at 6:56 PM, Mark Gaffney wrote:

 

Hi Terry, 

I wasn`t able to get the Mobile Me link to work. Your link was just taking me to my Gallery page (jn Mobile Me) without any advice as to how to connect. I have looked into things on Mobile Me before but have forgotten my way around! Links through this set-up I`ve found to be impossibly long & complicated so I don`t use it except if all else fails. I was however able to look at your movie on You Tube (quite a long time loading on our satellite broadband). The comparison was interesting but I was left wondering about that other matter you were referring to (atmosphere on Io) but I guess I`d have to bring up the other link?! I should soon be able to get some imaging done again. I was waiting to be able to buy a 2nd copy of Astro IIDC for my new iBook G4 laptop but have been held up in the credit flow department! 


Mark.

On 17/09/2009, at 6:15 AM, Terrence R. Redding, Ph.D. wrote:

In the process of setting up for a mutual event I have been able to document the comparison of three optical paths, three cameras and both the same video product distributed through Youtube and MobileMe.


I made the this video on a MacBook Pro with iMovie.  The video was imported to the MacBook Pro with Equinux Tubestick from an analog video output of a Q See four channel video/audio recorder that I use to capture the video from the telescopes in Redding Observatory South.


The video has been uploaded to both Youtube and MobileMe from iMovie


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DMAwA1B8rVQ


http://www.me.com/gallery/#100160


Thus the elements being compared in this video include 14" LX200R with Knight Owl FR, Vixen ED80sf with 3X

 Barlow and 902H2 Ultimate, and Stellarvue 70 ED with 

Powermate 2.5X and PC164CEX-2.


And YouTube, and MobileMe.



Terry - W6LMJ - 14.287 


Terrence R. Redding, Ph.D. 

Redding Observatory South, West Palm Beach, Florida

http://olt.net/learningstyle/Site_2/Learning_Style_Research.html

How do amateur astronomers learn?


American Association of Variable Star

Observers (AAVSO): RTN http://www.aavso.org/