August 13th - First Light

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MapleRidge
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August 13th - First Light

Post by MapleRidge »

Good day everyone...

It has taken roughly 11 months to get to this point...
frankenstein-its-alive-2.gif
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A few shots of the setup:
Inside.jpg
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Looking_out.jpg
Looking_out.jpg (620.15 KiB) Viewed 560 times
Today saw the first light through the scopes installed in the new observatory. Demolition of the old roll-off roof observatory began in early September 2021, and worked away slowly in my free time to get the lower section installed by New Years. Supplier delays put the dome delivery 4 months behind the original plan, just in time for my busy work season to take precedence. The past 6 weeks have allowed the dome to be installed and interior finishing to be complete...well, almost complete ;)

The scopes will primarily be used for solar and deep sky imaging

I ran the inaugural WL and Ha images just before noon today. I still have some cabling issues to resolve, but off to a good start:
16x_LS80T_LS75_124329-FD.jpg
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16x_LS80T_LS75_134313-FD.jpg
16x_LS80T_LS75_134313-FD.jpg (1.02 MiB) Viewed 560 times
Next step is to re-install the C14 on the mount on the large roll-off, finish disassembly of the old dome, and do a massive clean-up/purge of left over parts from the 2 merged observatories that were not re-used.

I'm looking forward to many years of observing and imaging from this facility...and I hope not to have to build another (unless I win the lottery) ;)

If there are any questions feel free to post them.

Brian


Brian Colville

Maple Ridge Observatory
Cambray, ON Canada

Photos: https://www.flickr.com/photos/185395281@N08/albums

10'x15 Roll-off Roof Observatory
Takahashi EM400 Mount carrying:
C14 + Lunt 80ED
Deep Sky Work - ASI294MM Pro+EFW 7x36/Canon 60D (Ha mod), ONAG
Planetary Work - SBIG CFW10, ASI462MM

2.2m Diameter Dome
iOptron CEM70G Mount carrying:
Orion EON 130ED, f7 OTA for Day & Night Use
Ha Setup: Lunt LS80PT/LS75FHa/B1200Ha + Home Brew Lunt Double Stack/B1800Ha on the Orion OTA + Daystar Quantum
WL, G-Band & CaK Setup: Lunt Wedge & Lunt B1800CaK, Baader K-Line and Altair 2nm G-Band filter
ASI1600MM, ASI432MM, ASI294MM Pro, ASI174MM, ASI462MM
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Re: August 13th - First Light

Post by DeepSolar64 »

Brian,
Congratulations on your new observatory build. It looks really nice. It's something I dream of. Take another picture when you get the C14 on it. Do you ever image the Sun with the C14? Also what mount is that. It's really robust.

The Orion 130 EON is a bit bigger than I pictured it being.

Your first light images look good too!

James


Lunt 8x32 SUNoculars
Orion 70mm Solar Telescope
Celestron AstroMaster Alt/Az Mount
Meade Coronado SolarMax II 60 DS
Meade Coronado SolarMax II 90 DS
Meade Coronado AZS Alt/Az Mount
Astro-Tech AT72EDII with Altair solar wedge
Celestron NexStar 102GT with Altair solar wedge
Losmandy AZ8 Alt/Az Mount
Sky-Watcher AZGTI Alt-Az GoTo mount
Cameras: ZWO ASI178MM, PGR Grasshopper, PGR Flea
Lunt, Coronado, TeleVue, Orion and Meade eyepieces

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Re: August 13th - First Light

Post by MapleRidge »

James, thanks very much for your comments on the new setup and pics :bow

I will post a pic of the C14 once I get it remounted on the EM400 mount in the roll-off. I have not used it much for solar work as I received a Baader ND5 full aperture filter just before I took it down to make room for the Solar scopes which would be the main focus after Jupiter had departed the sky. It has just taken a lot longer to return it home. I have put my name in for a roll of the ND3.8 solar film, so I'll replace the film in the existing filter cell and try again. I'll try it again with the filter I have in the better seeing conditions to see if have any more luck...late fall seeing was the biggest issue.

The mount carrying the solar scopes is a MI250. I've had this one for many years, and was under the C14 until I replaced it with the Takahashi unit. These are rated to carry more weight than the Losmandy G11 and use the Losmandy Gemini Goto system as a drive. It has had better days and Mountain Instruments is no longer in business, so I keep babying it along. I am waiting on a replacement board to arrive to allow it to connect to the PC and allow me to run it from the desktop for night work. I was also able to clean up a lot of the loose cabling in the pic after lunch today, so fewer cable to wrap while slewing the mount.

As is, I'll be busy a while yet getting it all fine tuned but nice to see the light at the end of the tunnel ;)

Brian


Brian Colville

Maple Ridge Observatory
Cambray, ON Canada

Photos: https://www.flickr.com/photos/185395281@N08/albums

10'x15 Roll-off Roof Observatory
Takahashi EM400 Mount carrying:
C14 + Lunt 80ED
Deep Sky Work - ASI294MM Pro+EFW 7x36/Canon 60D (Ha mod), ONAG
Planetary Work - SBIG CFW10, ASI462MM

2.2m Diameter Dome
iOptron CEM70G Mount carrying:
Orion EON 130ED, f7 OTA for Day & Night Use
Ha Setup: Lunt LS80PT/LS75FHa/B1200Ha + Home Brew Lunt Double Stack/B1800Ha on the Orion OTA + Daystar Quantum
WL, G-Band & CaK Setup: Lunt Wedge & Lunt B1800CaK, Baader K-Line and Altair 2nm G-Band filter
ASI1600MM, ASI432MM, ASI294MM Pro, ASI174MM, ASI462MM
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Re: August 13th - First Light

Post by DeepSolar64 »

Brian,
I don't think I have ever heard of Mountain Instruments. It looks like a rock solid mount. Losmandy, yes, of course. I have their AZ8.

http://www.losmandy.com/AZ8.html

James


Lunt 8x32 SUNoculars
Orion 70mm Solar Telescope
Celestron AstroMaster Alt/Az Mount
Meade Coronado SolarMax II 60 DS
Meade Coronado SolarMax II 90 DS
Meade Coronado AZS Alt/Az Mount
Astro-Tech AT72EDII with Altair solar wedge
Celestron NexStar 102GT with Altair solar wedge
Losmandy AZ8 Alt/Az Mount
Sky-Watcher AZGTI Alt-Az GoTo mount
Cameras: ZWO ASI178MM, PGR Grasshopper, PGR Flea
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Re: August 13th - First Light

Post by Carbon60 »

Excellent, Brian. I’m not jealous at all :mrgreen: Okay, yes I am. I’d love something like this, but don’t have the space in the right location to view the Sun.

I wish you many happy hours of solar and deep sky imaging in your new observatory.

Stu.


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Re: August 13th - First Light

Post by marktownley »

That is a way cool setup you have there Brian! Tidy disks too!


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Re: August 13th - First Light

Post by MAURITS »

Congrats Brian with the new observatory, lots of places around the scope and great equipment.


Regards,
Maurits

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Re: August 13th - First Light

Post by arnedanielsen »

Congrats on first light from your new observatory, Brian! Looks really nice!

Best regards,
Arne


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Re: August 13th - First Light

Post by Montana »

Wow!! what a posh set up, the stuff of dreams and lottery wins, you are so lucky Brian :hamster: :hamster: :hamster:

Great discs as well :bow

Alexandra


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Re: August 13th - First Light

Post by MapleRidge »

Stuart, Mark, Maurits, Arne, and Alexandra...

Thanks so much for all of your support and feedback on the new dome and the first images...very much appreciated :bow

James, that mount from Losmandy is a beauty.

It didn't take a lottery but put it up, but if you ask Sandy it's awfully close to that :lol: I have to give her credit to put up wit the the project and mess around the yard. They observatories are great to use and I guess the only drawback is that the scopes are in one fixed location and if a target is behind a tree or house I can't make use of the fixed mounts. The tradeoff for portable scopes that you can move where you need to, especially with limited views.

Thanks again,
Brian


Brian Colville

Maple Ridge Observatory
Cambray, ON Canada

Photos: https://www.flickr.com/photos/185395281@N08/albums

10'x15 Roll-off Roof Observatory
Takahashi EM400 Mount carrying:
C14 + Lunt 80ED
Deep Sky Work - ASI294MM Pro+EFW 7x36/Canon 60D (Ha mod), ONAG
Planetary Work - SBIG CFW10, ASI462MM

2.2m Diameter Dome
iOptron CEM70G Mount carrying:
Orion EON 130ED, f7 OTA for Day & Night Use
Ha Setup: Lunt LS80PT/LS75FHa/B1200Ha + Home Brew Lunt Double Stack/B1800Ha on the Orion OTA + Daystar Quantum
WL, G-Band & CaK Setup: Lunt Wedge & Lunt B1800CaK, Baader K-Line and Altair 2nm G-Band filter
ASI1600MM, ASI432MM, ASI294MM Pro, ASI174MM, ASI462MM
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Re: August 13th - First Light

Post by nicspenceryork »

Looks fantastic Brian, great to see your set up.
Nic


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Re: August 13th - First Light

Post by torsinadoc »

Looks great and I love the MI 250!


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Re: August 13th - First Light

Post by DeepSolar64 »

Hey Brian,
Get a Losmandy and you can take a scope outside the observatory if trees get in the way! ;-)

James


Lunt 8x32 SUNoculars
Orion 70mm Solar Telescope
Celestron AstroMaster Alt/Az Mount
Meade Coronado SolarMax II 60 DS
Meade Coronado SolarMax II 90 DS
Meade Coronado AZS Alt/Az Mount
Astro-Tech AT72EDII with Altair solar wedge
Celestron NexStar 102GT with Altair solar wedge
Losmandy AZ8 Alt/Az Mount
Sky-Watcher AZGTI Alt-Az GoTo mount
Cameras: ZWO ASI178MM, PGR Grasshopper, PGR Flea
Lunt, Coronado, TeleVue, Orion and Meade eyepieces

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Re: August 13th - First Light

Post by ffellah »

What an incredible set up, Brian, and very nice images to show. You are lucky to have the space at your farm to do this and enjoy your passion to the max. I wish you the most fun and enjoyment for years to come !

Franco


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Re: August 13th - First Light

Post by MapleRidge »

Nic, Alan, and Franco...

Thanks for your feedback on the new setup :bow

James, I will be considering an alt-az mount in the future, but my needs for one are low so it hasn't been high on my priority list.

Brian


Brian Colville

Maple Ridge Observatory
Cambray, ON Canada

Photos: https://www.flickr.com/photos/185395281@N08/albums

10'x15 Roll-off Roof Observatory
Takahashi EM400 Mount carrying:
C14 + Lunt 80ED
Deep Sky Work - ASI294MM Pro+EFW 7x36/Canon 60D (Ha mod), ONAG
Planetary Work - SBIG CFW10, ASI462MM

2.2m Diameter Dome
iOptron CEM70G Mount carrying:
Orion EON 130ED, f7 OTA for Day & Night Use
Ha Setup: Lunt LS80PT/LS75FHa/B1200Ha + Home Brew Lunt Double Stack/B1800Ha on the Orion OTA + Daystar Quantum
WL, G-Band & CaK Setup: Lunt Wedge & Lunt B1800CaK, Baader K-Line and Altair 2nm G-Band filter
ASI1600MM, ASI432MM, ASI294MM Pro, ASI174MM, ASI462MM
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Re: August 13th - First Light

Post by gabrieli »

Hi, Brian

Thanks for sharing images of your new observatory. Obviously it was a lot of work but now it's time to reap the rewards.


Lou


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Re: August 13th - First Light

Post by MapleRidge »

Thanks Lou :bow

I'm looking forward to having lots of time under the sun and stars ;)

Brian


Brian Colville

Maple Ridge Observatory
Cambray, ON Canada

Photos: https://www.flickr.com/photos/185395281@N08/albums

10'x15 Roll-off Roof Observatory
Takahashi EM400 Mount carrying:
C14 + Lunt 80ED
Deep Sky Work - ASI294MM Pro+EFW 7x36/Canon 60D (Ha mod), ONAG
Planetary Work - SBIG CFW10, ASI462MM

2.2m Diameter Dome
iOptron CEM70G Mount carrying:
Orion EON 130ED, f7 OTA for Day & Night Use
Ha Setup: Lunt LS80PT/LS75FHa/B1200Ha + Home Brew Lunt Double Stack/B1800Ha on the Orion OTA + Daystar Quantum
WL, G-Band & CaK Setup: Lunt Wedge & Lunt B1800CaK, Baader K-Line and Altair 2nm G-Band filter
ASI1600MM, ASI432MM, ASI294MM Pro, ASI174MM, ASI462MM
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Re: August 13th - First Light

Post by rigel123 »

Just amazing!


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Re: August 13th - First Light

Post by MapleRidge »

Thanks Warren :bow

Brian


Brian Colville

Maple Ridge Observatory
Cambray, ON Canada

Photos: https://www.flickr.com/photos/185395281@N08/albums

10'x15 Roll-off Roof Observatory
Takahashi EM400 Mount carrying:
C14 + Lunt 80ED
Deep Sky Work - ASI294MM Pro+EFW 7x36/Canon 60D (Ha mod), ONAG
Planetary Work - SBIG CFW10, ASI462MM

2.2m Diameter Dome
iOptron CEM70G Mount carrying:
Orion EON 130ED, f7 OTA for Day & Night Use
Ha Setup: Lunt LS80PT/LS75FHa/B1200Ha + Home Brew Lunt Double Stack/B1800Ha on the Orion OTA + Daystar Quantum
WL, G-Band & CaK Setup: Lunt Wedge & Lunt B1800CaK, Baader K-Line and Altair 2nm G-Band filter
ASI1600MM, ASI432MM, ASI294MM Pro, ASI174MM, ASI462MM
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Re: August 13th - First Light

Post by AndiesHandyHandies »

Lovely disk and proms.

Many happy hours in store.


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Re: August 13th - First Light

Post by MapleRidge »

Thanks fro your comments Andrew :bow

Brian


Brian Colville

Maple Ridge Observatory
Cambray, ON Canada

Photos: https://www.flickr.com/photos/185395281@N08/albums

10'x15 Roll-off Roof Observatory
Takahashi EM400 Mount carrying:
C14 + Lunt 80ED
Deep Sky Work - ASI294MM Pro+EFW 7x36/Canon 60D (Ha mod), ONAG
Planetary Work - SBIG CFW10, ASI462MM

2.2m Diameter Dome
iOptron CEM70G Mount carrying:
Orion EON 130ED, f7 OTA for Day & Night Use
Ha Setup: Lunt LS80PT/LS75FHa/B1200Ha + Home Brew Lunt Double Stack/B1800Ha on the Orion OTA + Daystar Quantum
WL, G-Band & CaK Setup: Lunt Wedge & Lunt B1800CaK, Baader K-Line and Altair 2nm G-Band filter
ASI1600MM, ASI432MM, ASI294MM Pro, ASI174MM, ASI462MM
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