Use this for the 8SE in standard configuration, with the f/3.3
And this for the straight through for Watec. This is also to be used at the 12" scope but the field square will be about 2/3 of this size if you mount the f/3.3 reducer.
This event goes centrally through Santa Cruz and Aptos. I plan to try from Cabrillo Observator north of the centerline, and Kirk may try from hone south of the centerline. It's faint, but the event lasts 1.9 seconds and is high in a moonless sky, so it may be do-able with suitable integration. But, 78 degrees altitude at Az=208 so it'll be perhaps as high as 79 degrees when trying to get on-target. That may require the diagonal and 0.5x reducer. Remember to put in the Watec with the video connector on the BOTTOM side and not the TOP side in this case, to agree with the eyepiece chart.
For use with the standard f/3.3 configuration diagonal eyepiece and straight through for Watec 910hx
Use this for the 8SE in standard configuration, with the f/3.3 |
And this for the straight through for Watec. This is also to be used at the 12" scope but the field square will be about 2/3 of this size if you mount the f/3.3 reducer. |
For use with the f/0.5x configuration and diagonal for both the eyepiece and for the Watec
If using the 0.5x configuration, you'll still use the diagonal version for eyepiece ID |
And this is the Watec view using the diagonal. Focus point should be similar to standard configuration w/ the f/3.3. For me, that's about 7 normal hand turns to the left from eyepiece focus, or about 3 full rotatons. |
This is the expanded Watec view, in case you have ID trouble. It's just the eyepiece view but unreversed left-right. |
My Plan A was to go to Cabrillo College and get it with the 12" after significant new work to finish up the ready'ing process. But I ran out of time for that ambition, so Plan B was to drive to the dark, back side of the UCSC Arboretum which would get me off Kirk's track and on the centereline. But I got lost in the maze of new building in that area, and there were too many lights. So Plan C was to continue up to the bikepath at the Upper Meadow of UCSC, where I ended up. If things had gone as usual, I'd have had the data. But after set up, and careful 2-star align using Hamal and Regulus, the GoTo the target did not give me a recognizable star field. I did a spiral search, nothing recognizable. Then did a GoTo NGC 1996, and the cluster is not that obvious or bright, so, I thought maybe it was there, in the middle of the eyepiece, so maybe it really was aiming right and I just was having trouble recognizing stars patterns, and anyway I was out of time. So I just did a last "GoTo" the coordinates, and started recording. On the wrong field. Afterwards, I did a GoTo M35, a much brighter star cluster. Not there. Then I tried M1. Not there, and after spiral searches for both. Then I tried M42; the Orion Nebula. Still not, but bright enough I could look at it through the naked eye red dot finder and I could see it was about a degree or more off. Sometimes the 8SE has trouble going properly to high altitude targets. Last night's Barryburke event, though, at 71 degrees altitude, the GoTo was perfect. Tonight, for a 78 degree altitude, it failed. If I'd had more time, next time...
Make sure one of your align stars is close to the target, especially at high altitude (although, that will be tougher since the 8SE excludes stars too high overhead from their align list)
