Video Archives

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41 9

In this Emerald Hills Sky "Sky Portrait," we take a look at an interesting galaxy cluster known as Copeland's Septet. It consists of:

NGC 3745
NGC 3746
NGC 3748
NGC 3750
NGC 3751
NGC 3753
NGC 3754

Even though these objects are very faint (~14th- and 15th-magnitude) objects, believe it or not, using EAA, we started seeing them after just 40 seconds. But it took us a while to set up the video - which allowed us a very *long* EAA capture of this galaxy cluster. We *should* have demonstrated what we saw after just 40 seconds (and we *started* to do that - and then we got side-tracked).

We use, in this video (and all our other videos too), Stellarium Sharpcap, and AstroPlanner. The control panel that you see us using (EAA Control Panel or EAACP), is a script within AstroPlanner, hand-coded by our great friend, Pete, from the Isle of Wight, just off the coast of England in the English Channel. (Thank you Pete!) It helps us create instant observations (even instantly - of multiple associated objects). It's *so* much faster than changing "tabs" in Astropanner - and there's no latency when typing quickly. You can find this script in the AstroPlanner collection of user-created scripts. We love it.

Electronically-assisted Astronomy (EAA) opens up new vistas for those who would never be able to make time to travel to view the heavenlies through a scope like our RASA 11-inch with a ZWO ASI2600MC Pro astro-camera and an Octopi-Astro camera interface. We operate with an iOptron CEM70G mount from a Pier-Tech Tele-Station 2 observatory on a Pier-Tech Adjustable-Height pier for precision "Go-To" targeting.

Thanks for joining us! Astronomy is now a team sport!

Some might be interested in the equipment and software that we use. For whatever it's worth, we're relying on the following:

Optical Tube Assembly: 11-inch Celestron Rowe-Ackermann Schmidt Astrograph telescope
Mount: iOptron CEM70G
Primary Imaging Camera: ZWO ASI2600MC Pro
Observatory: Pier-Tech Tele-station 2
Pier: Pier-Tech Adjustable-Height Pier
Dew Shield: Celestron 11 RASA Aluminum Dew Shield
All-Sky Camera - ZWO ASI178MM
ScopeCam - TP-Link TAPO C325WB
The USB hub on the equipment plate (riding up on the scope) is a Pegasus Astro USB Control Hub.
That equipment plate also carries a Pegasus Astro Pocket Powerbox Micro to power the USB Hub and cameras, as well as control the dew heater bands to prevent dew build-up on the two cameras.
Filter: Celestron Light-Pollution Imaging Filter
Focus Motor: Celestron Focus Motor
Focusing Software: NINA with Hocus Focus plug-in by George Hilios (jokogeo)
Streaming software: OSB with Stream Deck
Planetarium, targeting, and logging software: SkyTools 4 Visual Pro
Imaging (EAA) software: Sharpcap
Portable operating solution: iron USB Raven 3124 USB 3-2-1 Extender operating indoors, approximately 200 feet from the observatory, with data being transported via fiber-optic cable
12V Power distributed by a power distribution by RIGrunner 4005i by West Mountain Radio
110V Power distributed by a Tripp Lite 14 Outlet Network-Grade Rackmount PDU, 15A Power Strip
Rack at base of scope: Gator Cases Pro Series Rotationally Molded 4U Rack Case (G-PRO-4U-13)

Please visit our website at:
https://emeraldhillsskies.com/
and the resource site for electronically-assisted astronomy at...
http://eaa101.com
and our online store at:
https://emerald-hills-skies.myspreadshop.com/

Thanks for joining us!

Doug

22 2

This video is private.

This video is private.

In this live stream, we intentionally observe objects close to the 99% full moon in hopes of getting an idea of whether or not electronically-assisted astronomy (EAA) can help with mitigating the effects of harsh moonlight.

Some might be interested in the equipment and software that we use. For whatever it's worth, we're relying on the following:

Optical Tube Assembly: 11-inch Celestron Rowe-Ackermann Schmidt Astrograph telescope
Mount: iOptron CEM70G
Primary Imaging Camera: ZWO ASI2600MC Pro
Observatory: Pier-Tech Tele-station 2
Pier: Pier-Tech Adjustable-Height Pier
Dew Shield: Celestron 11 RASA Aluminum Dew Shield
All-Sky Camera - ZWO ASI178MM
The USB hub on the equipment plate (riding up on the scope) is a Pegasus Astro USB Control Hub.
That equipment plate also carries a Pegasus Astro Pocket Powerbox Micro to power the USB Hub and cameras, as well as control the dew heater bands to prevent dew build-up on the two cameras.
Filter: Celestron Light-Pollution Imaging Filter
Focus Motor: Celestron Focus Motor
Focusing Software: NINA with Hocus Focus plug-in by George Hilios (jokogeo)
Streaming software: OSB with Stream Deck
Planetarium software: Stellarium
Imaging (EAA) software: Sharpcap with "EAACP" (EAA Control Panel) available in the AstroPlanner scripts section.
Portable operating solution: icron USB Raven 3124 USB 3-2-1 Extender operating indoors, approximately 200 feet from the observatory, with data being transported via fiber-optic cable
12V Power distributed by a power distribution by RIGrunner 4005i by West Mountain Radio
12V Power supply homemade using a MEAN WELL LRS-350-12 348W 12V 29 Amp transformer
110V Power distributed by a Tripp Lite 14 Outlet Network-Grade Rackmount PDU, 15A Power Strip
Rack at base of scope: Gator Cases Pro Series Rotationally Molded 4U Rack Case (G-PRO-4U-13)

Please visit our website at:
https://emeraldhillsskies.com/
and the resource site for electronically-assisted astronomy at...
http://eaa101.com
and, at the request of our online friends, our Patreon site at...
https://www.patreon.com/EmeraldHillsSkies
and as of this broadcast, a new online store at:
https://emerald-hills-skies.myspreadshop.com/

Please stop back on this channel for more live streams and Emerald Hills Skies "Skylets" in the future!

Thanks for joining us!

Doug

16 2

This video is unavailable.

This was our second attempt at a Messier Marathon in 2024. The first time, we hit fog that was as thick as pea soup around 2:30am. By that time, we had already logged 62 Messier objects. Let's see how many of the 110 objects we can observe this time. (Note: We already know that M30 will be impossible from our location - so we're already down to 109.) In this, our second attempt, instead of encountering fog on the *back* end, we were socked in with clouds on the front end. Though "Clear Outside" (an astronomy weather app that attempts to predict cloud cover) had forecasted clarity by 9 or 9:15, the clear-sky prediction kept slipping later and later. We finally decided to call it around 10:30pm and try again later. Still - those who checked in all seemed to agree that the community interaction was the best part of the evening!

And when the sky is clear, electronically-assisted Astronomy (EAA) opens up new vistas for those who would never be able to make time to travel to view the heavenlies through a scope like our RASA 11-inch with a ZWO ASI2600MC Pro astro-camera and an Octopi-Astro camera interface.

Thanks for joining us! Astronomy is now a team sport!

Some might be interested in the equipment and software that we use. For whatever it's worth, we're relying on the following:

Optical Tube Assembly: 11-inch Celestron Rowe-Ackermann Schmidt Astrograph telescope
Mount: iOptron CEM70G
Primary Imaging Camera: ZWO ASI2600MC Pro
Observatory: Pier-Tech Tele-station 2
Pier: Pier-Tech Adjustable-Height Pier
Dew Shield: Celestron 11 RASA Aluminum Dew Shield
All-Sky Camera - ZWO ASI178MM
ScopeCam - TP-Link TAPO C325WB
The USB hub on the equipment plate (riding up on the scope) is a Pegasus Astro USB Control Hub.
That equipment plate also carries a Pegasus Astro Pocket Powerbox Micro to power the USB Hub and cameras, as well as control the dew heater bands to prevent dew build-up on the two cameras.
Filter: Celestron Light-Pollution Imaging Filter
Focus Motor: Celestron Focus Motor
Focusing Software: NINA with Hocus Focus plug-in by George Hilios (jokogeo)
Streaming software: OSB with Stream Deck
Planetarium, targeting, and logging software: AstroPlanner and Stellarium, using a new control panel custom-invented by our friend Pete, who observes in UK from the Isle of Wight. (Thanks Pete!)
Imaging (EAA) software: Sharpcap
Portable operating solution: iron USB Raven 3124 USB 3-2-1 Extender operating indoors, approximately 200 feet from the observatory, with data being transported via fiber-optic cable
12V Power distributed by a power distribution by RIGrunner 4005i by West Mountain Radio
110V Power distributed by a Tripp Lite 14 Outlet Network-Grade Rackmount PDU, 15A Power Strip
Rack at base of scope: Gator Cases Pro Series Rotationally Molded 4U Rack Case (G-PRO-4U-13)

Please visit our website at:
https://emeraldhillsskies.com/
and the resource site for electronically-assisted astronomy at...
http://eaa101.com
and our online store at:
https://emerald-hills-skies.myspreadshop.com/

Again, thanks for joining us!

Doug

21 2

It's early... and the 57% moon will rise at 2am... but the sky is supposed to be clear. Let's just go for it. We would begin at 7pm (ET) this Saturday night, March 2nd, and wrap up around 12 hours later. (In a Messier Marathon, we attempt to view the entire Messier catalog of deep-sky objects in one single night - or as close as we can get to that.) You could visit for two minutes, two hours, or he entire 12-hour span. Because we're also a little early to the party (for the 2024 Messier Marathon season), we're estimating that we might be unable to capture up to 7 of the morning objects. Still 103 out of 110 wouldn't be bad, right? We *should* be able to do a 4-hour nap at one point in the night. Lord willing, I'll be flopping down on a sleeping bag on the floor, close to the telescope. It's like camping out. Join us! Stay tuned for more details.

Doug

Electronically-assisted Astronomy (EAA) opens up new vistas for those who would never be able to make time to travel to view the heavenlies through a scope like our RASA 11-inch with a ZWO ASI2600MC Pro astro-camera and an Octopi-Astro camera interface.

Thanks for joining us! Astronomy is now a team sport!

Some might be interested in the equipment and software that we use. For whatever it's worth, we're relying on the following:

Optical Tube Assembly: 11-inch Celestron Rowe-Ackermann Schmidt Astrograph telescope
Mount: iOptron CEM70G
Primary Imaging Camera: ZWO ASI2600MC Pro
Observatory: Pier-Tech Tele-station 2
Pier: Pier-Tech Adjustable-Height Pier
Dew Shield: Celestron 11 RASA Aluminum Dew Shield
All-Sky Camera - ZWO ASI178MM
ScopeCam - TP-Link TAPO C325WB
The USB hub on the equipment plate (riding up on the scope) is a Pegasus Astro USB Control Hub.
That equipment plate also carries a Pegasus Astro Pocket Powerbox Micro to power the USB Hub and cameras, as well as control the dew heater bands to prevent dew build-up on the two cameras.
Filter: Celestron Light-Pollution Imaging Filter
Focus Motor: Celestron Focus Motor
Focusing Software: NINA with Hocus Focus plug-in by George Hilios (jokogeo)
Streaming software: OSB with Stream Deck
Planetarium, targeting, and logging software: AstroPlanner and Stellarium
Imaging (EAA) software: Sharpcap
Portable operating solution: iron USB Raven 3124 USB 3-2-1 Extender operating indoors, approximately 200 feet from the observatory, with data being transported via fiber-optic cable
12V Power distributed by a power distribution by RIGrunner 4005i by West Mountain Radio
110V Power distributed by a Tripp Lite 14 Outlet Network-Grade Rackmount PDU, 15A Power Strip
Rack at base of scope: Gator Cases Pro Series Rotationally Molded 4U Rack Case (G-PRO-4U-13)

Please visit our website at:
https://emeraldhillsskies.com/
and the resource site for electronically-assisted astronomy at...
http://eaa101.com
and our online store at:
https://emerald-hills-skies.myspreadshop.com/

Again, thanks for joining us!

Doug

38 6

Tonight, we're experimenting with two different options for planning and pointing during our upcoming (hopeful) Messier Marathon, this Saturday night, March 2, beginning at 7pm ET. We tried AstroPlanner with a new script - a gift from our great friend, Pete. (Thank you Pete!) It worked like a charm and cut WAY down on the latency we were experiencing last session in AstroPlanner (having to change tabs and waiting on AstroPlanner to redraw the screen - then drop in the letters of each word, one letter per second!) Using Pete's script, the observation dialogue box isn't tied to a screen re-draw - and AstroPlanner just *zipped* along.

We also tried SkyTools 4 Pro Visual. But for a challenge like the Messier Marathon, we felt it was hamped by the fact that there's no "at-a-glance" report of the object's altitude (in the chart). Also, we can't really control as easily the order. The application wants to decide the order of objects for us. For the Messier Marathon, we decided *not* to use Skytools.

With that - we think we're ready to tackle it -- Saturday night, 7pm ET until 7:30am. Hope you can stop by!

Electronically-assisted Astronomy (EAA) opens up new vistas for those who would never be able to make time to travel to view the heavenlies through a scope like our RASA 11-inch with a ZWO ASI2600MC Pro astro-camera and an Octopi-Astro camera interface.

Thanks for joining us! Astronomy is now a team sport!

Some might be interested in the equipment and software that we use. For whatever it's worth, we're relying on the following:

Optical Tube Assembly: 11-inch Celestron Rowe-Ackermann Schmidt Astrograph telescope
Mount: iOptron CEM70G
Primary Imaging Camera: ZWO ASI2600MC Pro
Observatory: Pier-Tech Tele-station 2
Pier: Pier-Tech Adjustable-Height Pier
Dew Shield: Celestron 11 RASA Aluminum Dew Shield
All-Sky Camera - ZWO ASI178MM
ScopeCam - TP-Link TAPO C325WB
The USB hub on the equipment plate (riding up on the scope) is a Pegasus Astro USB Control Hub.
That equipment plate also carries a Pegasus Astro Pocket Powerbox Micro to power the USB Hub and cameras, as well as control the dew heater bands to prevent dew build-up on the two cameras.
Filter: Celestron Light-Pollution Imaging Filter
Focus Motor: Celestron Focus Motor
Focusing Software: NINA with Hocus Focus plug-in by George Hilios (jokogeo)
Streaming software: OSB with Stream Deck
Planetarium, targeting, and logging software: AstroPlanner and Stellarium
Imaging (EAA) software: Sharpcap
Portable operating solution: iron USB Raven 3124 USB 3-2-1 Extender operating indoors, approximately 200 feet from the observatory, with data being transported via fiber-optic cable
12V Power distributed by a power distribution by RIGrunner 4005i by West Mountain Radio
110V Power distributed by a Tripp Lite 14 Outlet Network-Grade Rackmount PDU, 15A Power Strip
Rack at base of scope: Gator Cases Pro Series Rotationally Molded 4U Rack Case (G-PRO-4U-13)

Please visit our website at:
https://emeraldhillsskies.com/
and the resource site for electronically-assisted astronomy at...
http://eaa101.com
and our online store at:
https://emerald-hills-skies.myspreadshop.com/

Again, thanks for joining us!

Doug

16 17

This video is private.

Electronically-assisted Astronomy (EAA) opens up new vistas for those who would never be able to make time to travel to view the heavenlies through a scope like our RASA 11-inch with a ZWO ASI2600MC Pro astro-camera and an Octopi-Astro camera interface. Operating on an iOptron CEM70G mount from a Pier-Tech Tele-Station 2 observatory on a Pier-Tech Adjustable-Height pier for precision "Go-To" targeting, in this video, we feature another episode in a series based on Phil Harrington's book, Cosmic Challenge, a list of Deep-Space Objects that are literally "out of this world!" Thanks for joining us! Astronomy is now a team sport! This episode was quite a bit different because we operated from the observatory itself - for the first time in our EAA observing career! (Until now, we've only been able to operate from indoors - because we didn't have internet in the observatory... until now!) We located and observed the supernova - then hit additional targets in the Secret Deep list. We dedicated this live stream to Angela, who was the daughter of one of our faithful channel members, Az Ray. Az Ray told us tonight during the live stream that Angela "went to be with the Lord" last night. We paused to pray - and our hearts ache with Ray for this loss.

We'll hope to play some background music for the first time in this session. We plan to use music from Stellardrone:
https://stellardrone.bandcamp.com
https://www.facebook.com/stellardrone
https://soundcloud.com/stellardrone

We're grateful for their great sound. All of their music is used here under a Creative Commons 3.0 Attribution Unported License and is being used without having changed the tracks. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/ The track list we hope to use:

Some might be interested in the equipment and software that we use. For whatever it's worth, we're relying on the following:

Optical Tube Assembly: 11-inch Celestron Rowe-Ackermann Schmidt Astrograph telescope
Mount: iOptron CEM70G
Primary Imaging Camera: ZWO ASI2600MC Pro
Observatory: Pier-Tech Tele-station 2
Pier: Pier-Tech Adjustable-Height Pier
Dew Shield: Celestron 11 RASA Aluminum Dew Shield
All-Sky Camera - ZWO ASI178MM
The USB hub on the equipment plate (riding up on the scope) is a Pegasus Astro USB Control Hub.
That equipment plate also carries a Pegasus Astro Pocket Powerbox Micro to power the USB Hub and cameras, as well as control the dew heater bands to prevent dew build-up on the two cameras.
Filter: Celestron Light-Pollution Imaging Filter
Focus Motor: Celestron Focus Motor
Focusing Software: NINA with Hocus Focus plug-in by George Hilios (jokogeo)
Streaming software: OSB with Stream Deck
Planetarium software: Stellarium
Imaging (EAA) software: Sharpcap
Portable operating solution: icron USB Raven 3124 USB 3-2-1 Extender operating indoors, approximately 200 feet from the observatory, with data being transported via fiber-optic cable
12V Power distributed by a power distribution by RIGrunner 4005i by West Mountain Radio
12V Power supply homemade using a MEAN WELL LRS-350-12 348W 12V 29 Amp transformer
110V Power distributed by a Tripp Lite 14 Outlet Network-Grade Rackmount PDU, 15A Power Strip
Rack at base of scope: Gator Cases Pro Series Rotationally Molded 4U Rack Case (G-PRO-4U-13)

Please visit our website at:
https://emeraldhillsskies.com/
and the resource site for electronically-assisted astronomy at...
http://eaa101.com
and, at the request of our online friends, our Patreon site at...
https://www.patreon.com/EmeraldHillsS...
and as of this broadcast, a new online store at:
https://emerald-hills-skies.myspreadshop.com/

Thanks for joining us!

Doug

21 5

Electronically-assisted Astronomy (EAA) opens up new vistas for those who would never be able to make time to travel to view the heavenlies through a scope like our RASA 11-inch with a ZWO ASI2600MC Pro astro-camera and an Octopi-Astro camera interface. Operating on an iOptron CEM70G mount from a Pier-Tech Tele-Station 2 observatory on a Pier-Tech Adjustable-Height pier for precision "Go-To" targeting, in this video, we hoped to feature our continuing chase through the Herschel 400 List of deep-space objects - but instead, we laughed as we chased cool clouds and talked about storm-chasing.

We'll hope to play some background music for the first time in this session. We plan to use music from Stellardrone:
https://stellardrone.bandcamp.com
https://www.facebook.com/stellardrone
https://soundcloud.com/stellardrone

We're grateful for their great sound. All of their music is used here under a Creative Commons 3.0 Attribution Unported License and is being used without having changed the tracks. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/ The track list we hope to use:

Some might be interested in the equipment and software that we use. For whatever it's worth, we're relying on the following:

Optical Tube Assembly: 11-inch Celestron Rowe-Ackermann Schmidt Astrograph telescope
Mount: iOptron CEM70G
Primary Imaging Camera: ZWO ASI2600MC Pro
Observatory: Pier-Tech Tele-station 2
Pier: Pier-Tech Adjustable-Height Pier
Dew Shield: Celestron 11 RASA Aluminum Dew Shield
All-Sky Camera - ZWO ASI178MM
The USB hub on the equipment plate (riding up on the scope) is a Pegasus Astro USB Control Hub.
That equipment plate also carries a Pegasus Astro Pocket Powerbox Micro to power the USB Hub and cameras, as well as control the dew heater bands to prevent dew build-up on the two cameras.
Filter: Celestron Light-Pollution Imaging Filter
Focus Motor: Celestron Focus Motor
Focusing Software: NINA with Hocus Focus plug-in by George Hilios (jokogeo)
Streaming software: OSB with Stream Deck
Planetarium software: Stellarium
Imaging (EAA) software: Sharpcap
Portable operating solution: icron USB Raven 3124 USB 3-2-1 Extender operating indoors, approximately 200 feet from the observatory, with data being transported via fiber-optic cable
12V Power distributed by a power distribution by RIGrunner 4005i by West Mountain Radio
12V Power supply homemade using a MEAN WELL LRS-350-12 348W 12V 29 Amp transformer
110V Power distributed by a Tripp Lite 14 Outlet Network-Grade Rackmount PDU, 15A Power Strip
Rack at base of scope: Gator Cases Pro Series Rotationally Molded 4U Rack Case (G-PRO-4U-13)

Please visit our website at:
https://emeraldhillsskies.com/
and the resource site for electronically-assisted astronomy at...
http://eaa101.com
and, at the request of our online friends, our Patreon site at...
https://www.patreon.com/EmeraldHillsS...
and as of this broadcast, a new online store at:
https://emerald-hills-skies.myspreadshop.com/

Thanks for joining us!

Doug

8 6

Electronically-assisted Astronomy (EAA) opens up new vistas for those who would never be able to make time to travel to view the heavenlies through a scope like our RASA 11-inch with a ZWO ASI2600MC Pro astro-camera and an Octopi-Astro camera interface. Operating on an iOptron CEM70G mount from a Pier-Tech Tele-Station 2 observatory on a Pier-Tech Adjustable-Height pier for precision "Go-To" targeting, in this video, we feature, among other things ,the Tau Herculids!

3.5K 103

Electronically-assisted Astronomy (EAA) opens up new vistas for those who would never be able to make time to travel to view the heavenlies through a scope like our RASA 11-inch with a ZWO ASI2600MC Pro astro-camera and an Octopi-Astro camera interface. Operating on an iOptron CEM70G mount from a Pier-Tech Tele-Station 2 observatory on a Pier-Tech Adjustable-Height pier for precision "Go-To" targeting, in this video, we feature M106.

15 4

Electronically-assisted Astronomy (EAA) opens up new vistas for those who would never be able to make time to travel to view the heavenlies through a scope like our RASA 11-inch with a ZWO ASI2600MC Pro astro-camera and an Octopi-Astro camera interface. Operating on an iOptron CEM70G mount from a Pier-Tech Tele-Station 2 observatory on a Pier-Tech Adjustable-Height pier for precision "Go-To" targeting, in this video, we're featuring M 13 in another Sky Portrait. Sky Portraits are close-ups of unique deep-space objects in the heavenlies.

Note: at the 48-second mark, we say "100 stars," when we meant to say, "100,000 stars." A short time later, we mention the number of stars again and, this time, we get it right -- 100,000 stars.

26 4

Electronically-assisted Astronomy (EAA) opens up new vistas for those who would never be able to make time to travel to view the heavenlies through a scope like our RASA 11-inch with a ZWO ASI2600MC Pro astro-camera and an Octopi-Astro camera interface. Operating on an iOptron CEM70G mount from a Pier-Tech Tele-Station 2 observatory on a Pier-Tech Adjustable-Height pier for precision "Go-To" targeting, on this live stream, we're checking out M94! Thanks for taking part!

12 3

Electronically-assisted Astronomy (EAA) opens up new vistas for those who would never be able to make time to travel to view the heavenlies through a scope like our RASA 11-inch with a ZWO ASI2600MC Pro astro-camera and an Octopi-Astro camera interface. Operating on an iOptron CEM70G mount from a Pier-Tech Tele-Station 2 observatory on a Pier-Tech Adjustable-Height pier for precision "Go-To" targeting, on this live stream, we're checking out The Whirlpool Galaxy! Thanks for taking part!

19 10

Electronically-assisted Astronomy (EAA) opens up new vistas for those who would never be able to make time to travel to view the heavenlies through a scope like our RASA 11-inch with a ZWO ASI2600MC Pro astro-camera and an Octopi-Astro camera interface. Operating on an iOptron CEM70G mount from a Pier-Tech Tele-Station 2 observatory on a Pier-Tech Adjustable-Height pier for precision "Go-To" targeting, on this live stream, we're checking out The Sunflower Galaxy! Thanks for taking part!

9 0

This video is private.

In this live stream, we intentionally observe objects close to the 99% full moon in hopes of getting an idea of whether or not electronically-assisted astronomy (EAA) can help with mitigating the effects of harsh moonlight.

Some might be interested in the equipment and software that we use. For whatever it's worth, we're relying on the following:

Optical Tube Assembly: 11-inch Celestron Rowe-Ackermann Schmidt Astrograph telescope
Mount: iOptron CEM70G
Primary Imaging Camera: ZWO ASI2600MC Pro
Observatory: Pier-Tech Tele-station 2
Pier: Pier-Tech Adjustable-Height Pier
Dew Shield: Celestron 11 RASA Aluminum Dew Shield
All-Sky Camera - ZWO ASI178MM
The USB hub on the equipment plate (riding up on the scope) is a Pegasus Astro USB Control Hub.
That equipment plate also carries a Pegasus Astro Pocket Powerbox Micro to power the USB Hub and cameras, as well as control the dew heater bands to prevent dew build-up on the two cameras.
Filter: Celestron Light-Pollution Imaging Filter
Focus Motor: Celestron Focus Motor
Focusing Software: NINA with Hocus Focus plug-in by George Hilios (jokogeo)
Streaming software: OSB with Stream Deck
Planetarium software: Stellarium
Imaging (EAA) software: Sharpcap with "EAACP" (EAA Control Panel) available in the AstroPlanner scripts section.
Portable operating solution: icron USB Raven 3124 USB 3-2-1 Extender operating indoors, approximately 200 feet from the observatory, with data being transported via fiber-optic cable
12V Power distributed by a power distribution by RIGrunner 4005i by West Mountain Radio
12V Power supply homemade using a MEAN WELL LRS-350-12 348W 12V 29 Amp transformer
110V Power distributed by a Tripp Lite 14 Outlet Network-Grade Rackmount PDU, 15A Power Strip
Rack at base of scope: Gator Cases Pro Series Rotationally Molded 4U Rack Case (G-PRO-4U-13)

Please visit our website at:
https://emeraldhillsskies.com/
and the resource site for electronically-assisted astronomy at...
http://eaa101.com
and, at the request of our online friends, our Patreon site at...
https://www.patreon.com/EmeraldHillsSkies
and as of this broadcast, a new online store at:
https://emerald-hills-skies.myspreadshop.com/

Please stop back on this channel for more live streams and Emerald Hills Skies "Skylets" in the future!

Thanks for joining us!

Doug

16 2

This video is unavailable.

In this live stream, we compare the feature sets of two popular observation/planning applications: AstroPlanner and SkyTools 4 Pro. We're hoping you can help us think through which is better.

At the same time, we check off another target in Phil Harrington's Cosmic Challenge - and demo a little Electronically-assisted astronomy while we're at it. Join us!

Learn more about AstroPlanner at: https://www.astroplanner.net/
It's $45.

Learn more about SkyTools 4 Pro at: https://www.skyhound.com/st4v_pro.html

If you choose Astroplanner, for your planetarium software, you could use a free app called Stellarium: https://stellarium.org/

If you choose SkyTools 4 Pro, your planetarium software is built in.

If you choose Stellarium, we highly recommend you make this change:
At installation stellarium is a CPU hog because it is configured for being used like a video game display. This is probably the reason why Astroplanner takes time to catch up. You Can fix this! You don't need to run it this way for astronomy use. For Astronomy purposes the first thing is find and edit the config.ini file located at
windows: C:UsersYOURUSERNAMEAppDataRoamingStellarium
mac $HOME/Library/Application Support/Stellarium

Open up the configuration file and scroll down to the Video section and change the maximum_fps and minimum_fps to much lower numbers and save the changes.

[video]
maximum_fps = 10
minimum_fps = 1

For computer connected to telescope I use 1 & 6 or 1 & 10

back in the main program configuration consider turning off things like meteor showers, star twinkle, satellites and now your CPU load will be much lower. (Thanks to "Todd" on the Astroplanner forum for sharing this info.)

The background music on this live stream was produced by Stellardrone and we're so grateful for the fact that he graciously makes it available without charge. Learn more at:
https://stellardrone.bandcamp.com
https://www.facebook.com/stellardrone
https://soundcloud.com/stellardrone

Some might be interested in the equipment and software that we use. For whatever it's worth, we're relying on the following:

Optical Tube Assembly: 11-inch Celestron Rowe-Ackermann Schmidt Astrograph telescope
Mount: iOptron CEM70G
Primary Imaging Camera: ZWO ASI2600MC Pro
Observatory: Pier-Tech Tele-station 2
Pier: Pier-Tech Adjustable-Height Pier
Dew Shield: Celestron 11 RASA Aluminum Dew Shield
All-Sky Camera - ZWO ASI178MM
The USB hub on the equipment plate (riding up on the scope) is a Pegasus Astro USB Control Hub.
That equipment plate also carries a Pegasus Astro Pocket Powerbox Micro to power the USB Hub and cameras, as well as control the dew heater bands to prevent dew build-up on the two cameras.
Filter: Celestron Light-Pollution Imaging Filter
Focus Motor: Celestron Focus Motor
Focusing Software: NINA with Hocus Focus plug-in by George Hilios (jokogeo)
Streaming software: OSB with Stream Deck
Planetarium software: Stellarium
Imaging (EAA) software: Sharpcap
Portable operating solution: icron USB Raven 3124 USB 3-2-1 Extender operating indoors, approximately 200 feet from the observatory, with data being transported via fiber-optic cable
12V Power distributed by a power distribution by RIGrunner 4005i by West Mountain Radio
12V Power supply homemade using a MEAN WELL LRS-350-12 348W 12V 29 Amp transformer
110V Power distributed by a Tripp Lite 14 Outlet Network-Grade Rackmount PDU, 15A Power Strip
Rack at base of scope: Gator Cases Pro Series Rotationally Molded 4U Rack Case (G-PRO-4U-13)

Please visit our website at:
https://emeraldhillsskies.com/
and the resource site for electronically-assisted astronomy at...
http://eaa101.com
and, at the request of our online friends, our Patreon site at...
https://www.patreon.com/EmeraldHillsSkies
and as of this broadcast, a new online store at:
https://emerald-hills-skies.myspreadshop.com/

Please stop back on this channel for more live streams and Emerald Hills Skies "Skylets" in the future!

Thanks for joining us!

Doug

21 2

This Emerald Hills Skylet covers some cool Plate-solving Hacks -- including ways you can locate Astro Targets by finding them first in Stellarium, then, using custom code we'll supply for free, instantly apply cross-hairs on those targets in you live EAA views in Sharpcap (using electronically-assisted astronomy -- EAA). Thanks for taking part!

Note that there is some lag in this video - but I think the message still gets across. My laptop had a lot going on. (I tried using OBS as a screen recorder. Maybe next time, I'll just live-stream it and be done with it.)

We owe special thanks to Pete, an EAA-er from the Isle of Wight, an island in the English Channel (UK). Pete developed the code featured in this video. To copy the code and use it in your own EAA sessions, just go to:

https://emeraldhillsskies.com/resources/

To see other videos, including Pete's very own EAA sessions, just click to:
https://www.youtube.com/@Xio2011/videos

Electronically-assisted Astronomy (EAA) opens up new vistas for those who would never be able to make time to travel to view the heavenlies through a scope like our RASA 11-inch with a ZWO ASI2600MC Pro astro-camera and an Octopi-Astro camera interface. Operating on an iOptron CEM70G mount from a Pier-Tech Tele-Station 2 observatory on a Pier-Tech Adjustable-Height pier for precision "Go-To" targeting, in this video, we feature another episode of "Cosmic Challenge."

Thanks for joining us! Astronomy is now a team sport!

We'll hope to play some background music for the first time in this session. We plan to use music from Stellardrone:
https://stellardrone.bandcamp.com
https://www.facebook.com/stellardrone
https://soundcloud.com/stellardrone

We're grateful for their great sound. All of their music is used here under a Creative Commons 3.0 Attribution Unported License and is being used without having changed the tracks. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/ The track list we hope to use:

Some might be interested in the equipment and software that we use. For whatever it's worth, we're relying on the following:

Optical Tube Assembly: 11-inch Celestron Rowe-Ackermann Schmidt Astrograph telescope
Mount: iOptron CEM70G
Primary Imaging Camera: ZWO ASI2600MC Pro
Observatory: Pier-Tech Tele-station 2
Pier: Pier-Tech Adjustable-Height Pier
Dew Shield: Celestron 11 RASA Aluminum Dew Shield
All-Sky Camera - ZWO ASI178MM
ScopeCam - TP-Link TAPO C325WB
The USB hub on the equipment plate (riding up on the scope) is a Pegasus Astro USB Control Hub.
That equipment plate also carries a Pegasus Astro Pocket Powerbox Micro to power the USB Hub and cameras, as well as control the dew heater bands to prevent dew build-up on the two cameras.
Filter: Celestron Light-Pollution Imaging Filter
Focus Motor: Celestron Focus Motor
Focusing Software: NINA with Hocus Focus plug-in by George Hilios (jokogeo)
Streaming software: OSB with Stream Deck
Planetarium software: Stellarium
Imaging (EAA) software: Sharpcap
Portable operating solution: icron USB Raven 3124 USB 3-2-1 Extender operating indoors, approximately 200 feet from the observatory, with data being transported via fiber-optic cable
12V Power distributed by a power distribution by RIGrunner 4005i by West Mountain Radio
110V Power distributed by a Tripp Lite 14 Outlet Network-Grade Rackmount PDU, 15A Power Strip
Rack at base of scope: Gator Cases Pro Series Rotationally Molded 4U Rack Case (G-PRO-4U-13)

Please visit our website at:
https://emeraldhillsskies.com/
and the resource site for electronically-assisted astronomy at...
http://eaa101.com
and our online store at:
https://emerald-hills-skies.myspreadshop.com/

Thanks for joining us!

Doug

15 7

This video is private.

On March 12, 2022, at Emerald Hills campus on the outskirts of Louisville, Kentucky, 5 volunteers pitched in to build a Pier-Tech Telestation 2 Observatory. Designers at Pier-Tech have said that this might just have set a record for the fastest Telestation 2 build ever. Here's how they did it in 60 seconds. : )

www.EmeraldHillsSkies.com

14 4

This "Skylet" is a quick-take on the Unity Platform Software that Pegasus Astro provides for products like our Powerbox Micro and USB distribution hub. It's a cool, colorful dashboard that allows for granular control of each and every port. It also gives great feedback for temperature, humidity, and much more.

The background music on this live stream was produced by Stellardrone and we're so grateful for the fact that he graciously makes it available without charge. Learn more at:
https://stellardrone.bandcamp.com
https://www.facebook.com/stellardrone
https://soundcloud.com/stellardrone

Some might be interested in the equipment and software that we use. For whatever it's worth, we're relying on the following:

Optical Tube Assembly: 11-inch Celestron Rowe-Ackermann Schmidt Astrograph telescope
Mount: iOptron CEM70G
Primary Imaging Camera: ZWO ASI2600MC Pro
Observatory: Pier-Tech Tele-station 2
Pier: Pier-Tech Adjustable-Height Pier
Dew Shield: Celestron 11 RASA Aluminum Dew Shield
All-Sky Camera - ZWO ASI178MM
The USB hub on the equipment plate (riding up on the scope) is a Pegasus Astro USB Control Hub.
That equipment plate also carries a Pegasus Astro Pocket Powerbox Micro to power the USB Hub and cameras, as well as control the dew heater bands to prevent dew build-up on the two cameras.
Filter: Celestron Light-Pollution Imaging Filter
Focus Motor: Celestron Focus Motor
Focusing Software: NINA with Hocus Focus plug-in by George Hilios (jokogeo)
Streaming software: OSB with Stream Deck
Planetarium software: Stellarium
Imaging (EAA) software: Sharpcap
Portable operating solution: icron USB Raven 3124 USB 3-2-1 Extender operating indoors, approximately 200 feet from the observatory, with data being transported via fiber-optic cable
12V Power distributed by a power distribution by RIGrunner 4005i by West Mountain Radio
12V Power supply homemade using a MEAN WELL LRS-350-12 348W 12V 29 Amp transformer
110V Power distributed by a Tripp Lite 14 Outlet Network-Grade Rackmount PDU, 15A Power Strip
Rack at base of scope: Gator Cases Pro Series Rotationally Molded 4U Rack Case (G-PRO-4U-13)

Please visit our website at:
https://emeraldhillsskies.com/
and the resource site for electronically-assisted astronomy at...
http://eaa101.com
and, at the request of our online friends, our Patreon site at...
https://www.patreon.com/EmeraldHillsSkies
and as of this broadcast, a new online store at:
https://emerald-hills-skies.myspreadshop.com/

Please stop back on this channel for more live streams and Emerald Hills Skies "Skylets" in the future!

Thanks for joining us!

Doug

12 2

In this Emerald Hills Skylet, we profile two targeting software packages: Astroplanner and Deep-Sky Planner. We suggest that, at the end of the day, it's a choice based on personal preference more than anything else. Which do you prefer?

We'll hope to play some background music for the first time in this session. We plan to use music from Stellardrone:
https://stellardrone.bandcamp.com
https://www.facebook.com/stellardrone
https://soundcloud.com/stellardrone

We're grateful for their great sound. All of their music is used here under a Creative Commons 3.0 Attribution Unported License and is being used without having changed the tracks. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/ The track list we hope to use:

Some might be interested in the equipment and software that we use. For whatever it's worth, we're relying on the following:

Optical Tube Assembly: 11-inch Celestron Rowe-Ackermann Schmidt Astrograph telescope
Mount: iOptron CEM70G
Primary Imaging Camera: ZWO ASI2600MC Pro
Observatory: Pier-Tech Tele-station 2
Pier: Pier-Tech Adjustable-Height Pier
Dew Shield: Celestron 11 RASA Aluminum Dew Shield
All-Sky Camera - ZWO ASI178MM
The USB hub on the equipment plate (riding up on the scope) is a Pegasus Astro USB Control Hub.
That equipment plate also carries a Pegasus Astro Pocket Powerbox Micro to power the USB Hub and cameras, as well as control the dew heater bands to prevent dew build-up on the two cameras.
Filter: Celestron Light-Pollution Imaging Filter
Focus Motor: Celestron Focus Motor
Focusing Software: NINA with Hocus Focus plug-in by George Hilios (jokogeo)
Streaming software: OSB with Stream Deck
Planetarium software: Stellarium
Imaging (EAA) software: Sharpcap
Portable operating solution: icron USB Raven 3124 USB 3-2-1 Extender operating indoors, approximately 200 feet from the observatory, with data being transported via fiber-optic cable
12V Power distributed by a power distribution by RIGrunner 4005i by West Mountain Radio
12V Power supply homemade using a MEAN WELL LRS-350-12 348W 12V 29 Amp transformer
110V Power distributed by a Tripp Lite 14 Outlet Network-Grade Rackmount PDU, 15A Power Strip
Rack at base of scope: Gator Cases Pro Series Rotationally Molded 4U Rack Case (G-PRO-4U-13)

Please visit our website at:
https://emeraldhillsskies.com/
and the resource site for electronically-assisted astronomy at...
http://eaa101.com
and, at the request of our online friends, our Patreon site at...
https://www.patreon.com/EmeraldHillsS...
and as of this broadcast, a new online store at:
https://emerald-hills-skies.myspreadshop.com/

Thanks for joining us!

Doug

12 8