Trial Lake, Utah
From July 13th to July 20th, 2018 we camped at Trail Lake Campground in the Uinta mountains of Utah. After a winter seeing little snowfall, the lake was quite low. I’d guess the water was 20′… Trial Lake, Utah
Sulphur Campground, Utah
From July 6th to July 13th, 2018 we camped at Sulphur Campground on the banks of the Hayden’s Fork of the Bear River. The campground is at 9100 feet of elevation and has forested and… Sulphur Campground, Utah
Cherry Campground, Utah
We made a quick getaway this past weekend to celebrate a dear friends 60th birthday and the couple’s first time camping in a trailer. We arrived in Cherry Campground near Springville, Utah on Saturday June… Cherry Campground, Utah
Riverside Campground, Idaho
On June 13, 2018 we returned to the Riverside Campground in Island Park, Idaho. This is the campground we first visited after acquiring our trailer in 2016. For this visit my wife, son, and I… Riverside Campground, Idaho
Boondocking Near Goblin Valley, Utah
On Thursday May 24, 2018 we retrieved our trailer from its winter storage for the first time in 2018 and headed to an area near Goblin Valley State Park in Utah. We were joined by… Boondocking Near Goblin Valley, Utah
Astrophotography: First Attempts
Introduction This post documents my first attempts at astrophotography with the Celestron CPC 1100 GPS telescope and the Hyperstar imaging system. My first targets were Markarian’s Chain and the Pinwheel galaxy (M101). Unfortunately, the targets… Astrophotography: First Attempts
Electrical Power for Astrophotography
Introduction Telescopes that slew to, and track celestial objects do so through the use of electric motors that drive their axes of rotation. Portable telescopes, like the Celestron CPC 1100 GPS, depend on either alternating… Electrical Power for Astrophotography
Get Focussed: Feather Touch 10:1 Focuser
Introduction In a previous post we discussed depth of focus and the difficulties obtaining good focus with fast optical systems. In this post we’ll discuss a solution to the problem, the Feather Touch 10:1 focuser… Get Focussed: Feather Touch 10:1 Focuser
Depth of Focus
Introduction Without diffraction and atmospheric turbulence, ideal telescopes would focus stars to points. However, there would also be a single focal point, plane or surface and everywhere else would be out of focus. Back in… Depth of Focus
Field Rotation and Alt-Azimuth Mounted Telescopes
Introduction Telescopes can be mounted in a variety of ways. Two common telescope mounts are the altitude-azimuth, or alt-azimuth, and the equatorial mount. The alt-azimuth mount is easier to construct than an equatorial mount, but requires motion… Field Rotation and Alt-Azimuth Mounted Telescopes