Hi All,
I have now got an ASI174mm but am not quite ready to open the box ! The weather is so so and there is a lot to do and catch up.
One of the things I was working on was a rapid setup within a few minutes, anywhere in the garden or even outside. At present, it takes about 4 hours for the sun to pass over the roof so I can image !
With the mobile setup, in theory, I could do at sunrise if I find the right place.
I also discovered that you have to remove the silver 2 inch adapter on the nose of the Quark to get focus on a 60mm guidescope (Altair Astro D=60mm, F=225mm). If you stop the aperture to 32mm, then you can get a F7 equivalent scope at 225mm focal length, to match the Quark.
Well I did this and got focus. Then I found that focusing seemed not quite sharp. I was wearing glasses and use my glasses to look through the eyepiece.
Once I took my glasses off (I have some astigmatism of my cornea), the image looked pin sharp and much more detail than I can remember as the sun was slightly smaller than on my ED70, F=420mm scope.
I am not sure if that was due to the 2 inch silver adapter had been on the Quark all this time. I did ask Jen at Daystar but no mention to remove this was made. Anyhow, maybe that will lead to better images. I seem to have got the knack of focusing on the helical focuser, although it is a bit stiff to rotate.
I hope this helps Quark users if you did not know already. The difference between wearing glasses and not wearing glasses - the image was so much better without glasses, and I have astigmatism. I have arrowed the 2 inch adaptor that I removed for the first time !
Today, I saw all the proms, Active regions, and even flares, no vignetting or blurring across the field !! I was amazed !!
Magnus
Quark for a mobile solar visual and imaging setup
- Radon86
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Quark for a mobile solar visual and imaging setup
Solar: H-alpha": Quark Chromosphere filter; Baader white light filters
Scopes: Altair Astro Travel ED70mm (F 420mm, D=70mm);; Skywatcher 90mm (F 910mm D=90mm); GSO focuser;;Altair Astro 60mm guidescope (D=60mm,F=225mm)
Cameras: ASI120mm-S,ASI174mm
Mount: SW HEQ5 Pro, SW EQ3 Pro Synscan (SW = Skywatcher),Vixen Polarie tracker (portable setup)
Accessory: SW Auto-focuser
Scopes: Altair Astro Travel ED70mm (F 420mm, D=70mm);; Skywatcher 90mm (F 910mm D=90mm); GSO focuser;;Altair Astro 60mm guidescope (D=60mm,F=225mm)
Cameras: ASI120mm-S,ASI174mm
Mount: SW HEQ5 Pro, SW EQ3 Pro Synscan (SW = Skywatcher),Vixen Polarie tracker (portable setup)
Accessory: SW Auto-focuser
- Radon86
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Re: Quark for a mobile solar visual and imaging setup
I also have a DIY solarfinder which I can tape to the guidescope, I use masking tape. It is ok but I could find a better and more secure mounting for it sometime.
Solar: H-alpha": Quark Chromosphere filter; Baader white light filters
Scopes: Altair Astro Travel ED70mm (F 420mm, D=70mm);; Skywatcher 90mm (F 910mm D=90mm); GSO focuser;;Altair Astro 60mm guidescope (D=60mm,F=225mm)
Cameras: ASI120mm-S,ASI174mm
Mount: SW HEQ5 Pro, SW EQ3 Pro Synscan (SW = Skywatcher),Vixen Polarie tracker (portable setup)
Accessory: SW Auto-focuser
Scopes: Altair Astro Travel ED70mm (F 420mm, D=70mm);; Skywatcher 90mm (F 910mm D=90mm); GSO focuser;;Altair Astro 60mm guidescope (D=60mm,F=225mm)
Cameras: ASI120mm-S,ASI174mm
Mount: SW HEQ5 Pro, SW EQ3 Pro Synscan (SW = Skywatcher),Vixen Polarie tracker (portable setup)
Accessory: SW Auto-focuser
- marktownley
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Re: Quark for a mobile solar visual and imaging setup
Looks a great mobile setup Magnus!
http://brierleyhillsolar.blogspot.co.uk/
Solar images, a collection of all the most up to date live solar data on the web, imaging & processing tutorials - please take a look!
- DeepSolar64
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Re: Quark for a mobile solar visual and imaging setup
Your astigmatism must not be as bad as mine. Only with really high powered short focal length eyepieces can I get a sharp image without my glasses. I must have long eye relief eyepieces and glasses to observe well visually.
That's a nice looking setup!
That's a nice looking setup!
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
Visual Observer
" Way more fun to see it! "
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
Visual Observer
" Way more fun to see it! "
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Re: Quark for a mobile solar visual and imaging setup
great mobile setup Magnus
Pedro Re'
https://pedroreastrophotography.com/
https://pedroreastrophotography.com/