Log Book Entry No.21

Created: 23 Oct 2013 20:38:18

Last Revised: 25 Oct 2013 11:37:30

PaulHallam

Observation_RC_PH_CH

Log Book entry for Ryan Cheale, Chris Haynes and Paul Hallam for the 23/10/13 evening observation

Equations

Relation with right acensioin

LHA_Obj = LST - α_obj

(Local hour angle (angle appears to you)) = Local sidereal time - hour angle of the object)

Egham Location

Egham co-ords - 51.4289 deg N, 0.5479 deg W ----> 0m 33s 50as

Directory

/Desktop/Data/20131023_PH_CH_RC

Potential Objects

M39 : RA 21h32m12s DEC:48Deg 26m 0s

Cocoon Nebula: RA 21h53m24s DEC 47Deg 16m 0s

NGC 6910: RA 20h23m6s DEC 40Deg 47m 0s

Delta Cephei Ra 22h29m10.3s DEC 58Deg 24m 54.8s

Gamma Cassiopeia 0h 56m 42.6s DEC 60deg 43m 0.6s

Telescope Set up

• Open shutters (ropes, pull apart, tie off ropes, motor control
• Turn power on
• Press power switch on telescope
• Take off lens caps
• GPS fix, spin dome --> maximise GPS
• Point towards Vega
• Line up with barrel
• Line up with finer scope
• move vega into cross hairs
• Set star in menu options

Gamma Cassiopeia (Variable)(19:25, )

• Located Gamma Cassiopeia with Stellarium (Method below)
• Centre star into middle of data image
• POTH to see location
• Sterllarium control to line up
• alignment off
• Stellarium point 2
• reduced expose to 0.1s as saturated at higher exposure
• changed bins to 1x1 -> increased image size
• Ctrl-H to stretch, scroll wheel to resize
• shifted star off screen
• Increased exposure time to 5s

NGC 381 (cluster)

• Located using stellarium
• Exposure 0.1 did not work, exposure 1s showed results
• Exposure to 10s, screen stretch -> range
• Large amlount of stars but not very bright

Dragon Fly (Cluster) (19:45, )

• Located via stellarium
• brighter values
• exposure of 1s
• Centre cluster
• Lot of stars, bright stars inc
• Exposure to 0.1s
• chanhge focus on telescope to sharpen up fainter objects
• Exposure -> 0.5s
• Stop -> subframe -> draw over small cluster
• Captures the subframe -> make bigger -> allows finer focus
• Stop -> subframe off
• Exposure 2s
• Took off calibration
• Light frames(x3) + Dark frames(x5)

IC 10 (galaxy) M=10.3

• Simple auto-dark, exposure 10s
• exposure 20s, unable to see
• exposure 60s,

Bodes Nebulae (Galaxy) M=6.90

• Exposure 20s
• Light frame (x2) + Dark frame (x3 @ 60s)
• Galaxy has distinct structure

Gamma Cassiopeia (Variable) (20:50)

• Re-located Gamma Cassiopeia with Stellarium
• 5x Light Frames at 0.1s exposure
• 5x Dark Frames at 0.1s exposure

Alpha Cassiopeia (Variable) M=2.24

• Located nearby star Alpha Cassiopeia using Stellarium
• 5x Light Frames at 0.1s exposure
• Negligable magnitude variation of 0.03
• This will be used as a reference to determine the magnitude of Gamma Cassiopeia

Telescope Pack up

• Turn off coolers
• Disconnect Camera
• Put lens cap on telescope
• Turn off camera
• Put cover back on camera
• Close dome shutters
• Turn off lights and leave dome

Telescope control

• Stellarium
  • Config - plugins - Telescope control - configure - telescopes - start - close - click target - space key - alt 1
  • Telescope view (changes screen to show view through camera)
• MAxim DL
  • Observatory control - POTH hub Connect - open up app
    • gives co-ords of frame in log