Episode 107 - Let's talk Astro

WELCOME BAAAACK to The Astrocast! This week, Roo catches up on remote imaging adventures, new gear, and getting back under the backyard skies. A late-night rotator alert at AstroPeak turns into a reminder of why reliable on-site support matters when your telescope is hundreds of miles away. With the rig back in action, Roo sets his sights on the challenging Garlic Bulb Nebula and plans an experiment comparing unfiltered imaging with dual-band filters and ten-minute exposures to capture its faint OIII signal. Back home, the Celestron C8 gets some attention with a Player One Xena 585M guide camera and FHD-OAG MAX. Roo shares his first impressions, considers Sky-Watcher’s SynLink controller as an alternative to ASIAIR or a mini PC, and talks about the MLAstro SAL-33 mount, learning SCT collimation, and the simple joy of neighbors turning their lights off. CHAPTERS 00:00 Opening & Astrocast intro 00:49 Welcome back & a Savannah getaway 02:17 A late-night telescope scare at AstroPeak 03:11 Why on-site support matters for remote imaging 03:59 The rotator collision & getting the rig running again 06:26 Chasing the Garlic Bulb Nebula 07:34 Ten-minute exposures & the faint OIII experiment 08:49 Dark Shark results & throwing out cloudy-night data 10:05 EUROCAST thanks & community updates 10:51 The Astrocast Society, Discord & AstroPeak member discount 11:59 Building out the Celestron C8 beyond the ZWO ecosystem 13:51 Player One Xena 585M & FHD-OAG MAX first impressions 16:14 Bigger prisms, guide stars & a smooth helical focuser 18:50 Sky-Watcher SynLink: a new imaging controller option 21:26 SynLink vs. a mini PC running N.I.N.A. 23:43 Remote imaging features & controller considerations 24:25 C8 progress & the MLAstro SAL-33 mount 25:14 Learning SCT collimation 26:18 A future backyard setup & TeleGizmos 365 cover 26:44 Good neighbors, fewer lights & backyard astronomy 28:20 Upcoming projects, listener thanks & closing thoughts 30:03 Astrocast outro song JOIN THE ASTROCAST SOCIETY Want to talk astronomy, share your images, ask gear questions, and hang out with fellow astrophotographers? Join The Astrocast on Patreon for access to our private Discord community, and an exclusive discount at Astropeak Observatory, under Bortle 1 skies: https://patreon.com/theastrocast As discussed in this episode, Patreon members can also receive $5 per month off AstroPeak hosting, contact Roo for details. AstroPeak remote observatory hosting - remember, JOIN THE PATREON and save 5 bucks a month! https://astropeak.space/how-it-works SOFTWARE & RESOURCES N.I.N.A. — Nighttime Imaging ’N’ Astronomy: https://nighttime-imaging.eu/ Target Scheduler plugin for N.I.N.A.: https://tcpalmer.github.io/nina-scheduler/ Pushover notifications: https://pushover.net/ GEAR & EQUIPMENT LINKS Some links below are affiliate links. If you purchase through them, I may earn a commission at no additional cost to you. Thanks for supporting The Astrocast! Askar SQA55 Astrograph: https://bit.ly/4s4pAWg Celestron C8 — current optical tube listing: https://bit.ly/4dCBTTO ASIAIR: https://bit.ly/4ew1pdE MLAstro SAL-33 Mount: https://mlastro.com/product/mlastro-sal-33/ ZWO ASI585MC Pro: https://bit.ly/4B3rWIT Sky-Watcher Star Adventurer GTi: https://bit.ly/4sazmq0 Celestron EdgeHD 8 Telescope: https://bit.ly/4jkzGzX TeleGizmos 365 Telescope Covers: https://bit.ly/4eux0MN Askar Color Magic Duo Filter Set: https://bit.ly/47hvSbC Sky-Watcher SynLink: https://bit.ly/4yWse2X GL.iNet Comet Remote KVM: https://amzn.to/4fF9GNp ZWO ASI2600MC Pro Cooled Astronomy Camera: https://bit.ly/4ymcjLD ZWO ASI120MM Mini Guide Camera: https://bit.ly/4vwbs8b ZWO AM3N Harmonic Drive Mount with Tripod: https://bit.ly/4ysuIX1 Mini PC: https://amzn.to/4gHGLcH ZWO EAF Electronic Automatic Focuser: https://bit.ly/4yIEf1X ZWO CAA Camera Angle Adjuster: https://bit.ly/4pnFoC6 ZWO 5 × 2-inch EFW Filter Wheel: https://bit.ly/4w9Kkxa SVBONY SV241 Pro Power Hub: https://amzn.to/4h1lsD9 APC BE600M1 UPS Battery Backup: https://amzn.to/4f8snci NETGEAR GS305E Network Switch: https://amzn.to/44v2uNE TP-Link Tapo P316M Smart Power Strip: https://amzn.to/4ymeJdb Support the show Email me at "[email protected]" with any questions/comments. Thanks for listening!