Astro Nut

Make sure you stop by Astro Links, its my new project “Astronomy Link List”

I can use your help in adding links to it!
If you have any ASTRO related links please add them to the list!

I would love to hear from you!!
Please leave your comments!

I did not like having to drag my laptop back and forth from the Astro Hut.

So we went looking on E-Bay for a computer and found a
Gateway Model E4600, Pentium4 1.3GHz processor, 512MB RAM, 37GB HD, 250MB Zip, DVD-ROM. 10/100 Ethernet card included!! for 40$.
While its not a top of the line, it is more then what I need!

I dropped in a:

spare 60 GB hard drive
a wireless card
USB card

and am a happy camper!

Now comes the battle of installing all of the astro software from all of the computers…
I have to say that this is going to be one of the better upgrades to the Astro Hut I have done.

Where have I been?
For the last 3 month we have had nothing but CLOUDS and snow!
Its enough to drive me NUTS!
And with all of the snow we have had its hard to believe that WINTER is still a couple of days away.

And to make matters worse I was working on this site and I dropped the Data Base
( ALL OF THE CONTENT )
And of course I did not have a back up.
I had to use a Google Cached copy to get all of the info back.
What a pain that was….

My CG5GT was getting to be a MESS with all of the cables coming and going.

I have come close to tripping and ripping some of the cables out. THAT would have been BAD VERY VERY BAD!

I have 4 cables
2 are for the cameras,
the Orion LPI and the Meade DSI C
2 are for guiding
GPUSB guide port interface and
the Hand Controler.

So I got a couple of 4 port USB hubs
Now I have to spend some time routing all of them out of the way!

The best bit of advice I can give you about purchasing new equipment is to
try before you buy!
My Astro Hut is full of stuff I wish had never bought.
Eyepieces, worthless filters and bits and pieces of hardware.
Most of the equipment in this hobby such a personal choice.
Your choice of equipment all depends on how and what you’re going to do with it.

So before you go and shell out your hard-earned money, visit your local astronomy club.
Go to one of the local star parties.
Or visit one of the plethora of online forums.
GET INFORMED!

Stellarium is one of the finest pieces of software of its kind!
And now it has been updated to 0.9.1!
I used this to learn the night sky.

What is Stellarium?
Stellarium is a free open source planetarium for your computer. It shows a realistic sky in 3D, just like what you see with the naked eye, binoculars or a telescope.
It is being used in planetarium projectors. Just set your coordinates and go.
You can down load Stellarium HERE

I have a 9×50 and can’t stand it as a matter of fact it was the very first upgrade I did to my Dob.
The Telrad is one of those things that when you get one and use it ……
HOW DID I GET ALONG WITHOUT IT

For star hopping it just can’t be beat.
There is a TON of charts, maps and software that use the Telrad circles.
The batteries last forever….or it seems like it. I have left my Telrad on for a couple of days and they went on for MONTHS.
My red dot finder does not come close. Leave it on overnight and the batteries ARE DEAD.
Some people think the Telrad as heavy and bulky….

You can see my Telrad, it is not as long nor as tall as the stock 9×50.
As for being heavy hummm it is heavier the the 9×50 but we are talking OUNCES here not pounds.
Bulky? I think it fits right in next to the 2? focuser

There will be a Telrad on all of my scopes!!!