August 2026 – IMT3b Observatory

Fixing the dome

So today I decided to take a look at the Pulsar dome and its rotation problem. It transpired that the spring had stretched and was unusable that pulls the encoder wheel against the dome. I had to buy a 7mm spanner and I found a replacement spring in my workshop and fitted to fix the issue.

I then set about setting up the dome within TheSkyX (TSX)that I am now going to use only to run the dome. The way I have arranged this, as TSX does not have any connection to the ASIAIR, is that TSX connect to a simulator telescope and then to the dome. I then point the simulated telescope to the same object I am imaging with the ASIAIR and then the dome slews to the correct Azimuth. My home parked position is an Azimuth of 124º.

I set the dome geometry removing the settings I use to have for the 12″ scope Paramount MEII that use to be in the dome, replacing with the single figure that was needed for the AM7 with the Esprit 150, which was much simpler. A figure of 100, mm in my case. for the Xt value showing the offset from the centre of the AM7 axis to the optical centre. This seems to give me a good rotation so far. Over the coming nights I will test the accuracy and tweak if needed.

Partial Solar Eclipse 12th Aug 2026

I supported the local Basingstoke Astronomical Society today in showcasing the partial eclipse with the public from across Basingstoke. We were running a last minute event from Cliddesden Primary School in the playing field which is surrounded by beautiful countryside. We expected as with similar viewing events for a few 10s of people to turn up, however due to social media and the the story running on the local paper website we were about to swamped by many hundreds of visitors all eager to see the eclipse safely.

Car mayhem in Cliddesden ahead of the event

I arrived and started setting up at 4:30pm. There was already a queue waiting to be told to come on the field. As soon as my Sky-Watcher HelioStar 76Ha was setup I called the public onto the field and they started to queue and view through my scope whilst the others from our society setup. My queue never let up for 4 hours!

Absolutely amazing and the plaudits given from the very young to the very old were so rich and welcoming. It is an absolute pleasure to inspire the public and share the wonders of the universe around us, I hope that many will look us up online and become interested in our little society.

I recorded the event with the Seestar S50 with my family member Luke running not only my Seestar but also his S30 at the same time. The end of the eclipse was missed due to the Sun setting behind the trees in the distance.

Seestar S50 Partial Eclipse

A selection of frames from this image can be seen below.

Viewing Report 11th Aug 2026

22:46 – 04:06

I let the dome running tonight on another run for NGC 5985, the galaxy line in Draco. Whilst I captured 60 images at 300s, quite a few of them were obscured by the dome which was caused by the dome being misaligned. I need to relook at why this is. Is the dome slipping? Is the dome at 1x sidereal rate, operated from the controller within the dome without a computer input somehow not tracking at the correct rate? I will investigate.

Viewing Report 7th Aug 2026

17:00 – 03:00

I received my new solar scope today, the Sky-Watcher 76Ha. It is superb! I setup and tested out with the 20mm eyepiece that ships with it. This is ok but the eye relief is very shallow and not great. I replaced this with my TeleVue 24mm Panoptic. The scope only takes 1.25″ and not 2″ which is a shame.

With the 24mm Panoptic the view is lovely and the eye relief is much better. I did try putting in the TeleVue barlow, however the eye relief once again becomes poor, despite the view and detail seen being much improved.

I can see filaments on the surface of the Sun. I can see granulation. I can also see many prominences today.

I then put my ZWO ASI290MC planetary cam in replacement for the eyepiece and refocused. This sensor is small and I could not get a fan disc, however what I saw with no processing was great, I now need to improve on it.

I have the scope mounted on the Sky-Watcher AZ GTi little mount that I bought off my friend Nigel. This is great for solar. I need to remember to setup the scope pointing towards Polaris roughly in the daytime sky before I turn on the mount, else it goes the wrong way, mainly pointing down.

Once I got the mount working with the the SyncScan Pro app, adjusting it was easy. However as I was slightly off Polaris, the scope does tend to drift. No matter, a few taps on the hand controller and it reenters well. All of this in preparation for the 12th August the partial eclipse of circa 93%.

Now the Sun has gone down I have opened the dome and have slewed to NGC 5985, a galaxy with other associated galaxies in Draco. This has been on my list here https://sites.google.com/site/shavewall/objects-to-image under Galaxies for a long while.

I started imaging at 22:57 and captured 46 images at 300s throughout the night. finishing at 3am.

Viewing Report 4th Aug 2026

02:30 – 04:28

Tonight is prep for planetary imaging and in particular Mars. From the Star patio I can see East 100° so at least to Halle in Ares from the far South of the patio. Unfortunately this means Mars will not be visible from this location until at least 5:45am when the sky will be bright from Sunrise 12mins earlier at 5:33.

The Moon this month is very high compared to previous months at around 39° along with Saturn just below.

From the poppy by the logging area I can see further East to around 68° which is currently Mirfak in Perseus but only down to M45 in Taurus at 26° altitude just below Perseus.

If I move to the base of the slide in Kylo’s area then I can see a small triangular window of the sky down to Aldebaran in Taurus at 13°. This is useful to potentially see Mars at around 4:20am or just before which will be slightly higher at 22°. From this location I can also still see the Moon and Saturn which currently sit at 135° East, 40° altitude and 138° East and 35° altitude at 3am, the time of writing.

From the back of the observatory I can see Mars at 3:14am at an altitude of 12° and 68° East! But only for a short window. Whereas directly outside the Warmroom on the grass I can see Mars and for about 2 hours I hope. I can also see the Moon and Saturn. So let’s see what I can grab from here.

Mars just about to disappear behind the Oak tree

Ok, so I got the Moon, Saturn and Mars.

Mars was disappearing behind the oak tree. The Moon and Mars behind the shrubs North of the observatory so they need cutting.

Lost Mars at 4:15am at 79° East and 21° altitude. In my haste I managed to take a RAW png of Mars which was a shame. I’ll try again tomorrow now I am setup.

I also need a power extender for this PSU used on the camera.