Thanks for the post. I have been looking for a way to add a rotator without disturbing the optical train. I have just completed my version of your idea and it works wonderfully. Can't wait until night fall. Once again a big thanks for posting your idea. 😊😊
Great idea. A suggestion for additional accuracy would be to add a $20-30 digital protractor to your rig. It can easily be mounted on a focus motor with a couple pieces of double sided tape or velcro tape.
Thanks! For a 4" refractor, I'd measure the OD of the OTA and go to the hardware store and shop around. Keep in mind, you're going to split the ring to open it up a bit and that's going to give you some more to slip over the OTA.
Fantastic work. Exactly the solution I was looking for. Excellent video all around. Definitely better than the tape strip I was using on the OTA. Should last much longer.
Ain't it enough to just rotate the whole shebang at the draw tube? Any particle on the actual objective lens, unless freaking huge, is way too far away from the image plane to be visible in the sub, even at extreme levels of stretching way past reasonable - whatever minuscule shadow it casts is simply bigger than your image plane at that distance from it. What we need to worry about, are dust bunnies on the sensor(d'uh), sensor cover glass, filters, and the corrector/flattener, with the further we go from the sensor, the lesser severity of artifacts. As long as you rotate all that at once, your flats won't change.
Thanks for sharing. I got the chance to see a rocket launch in 2018. Memorable experience. I uploaded a pretty fun montage of the journey to my channel.
Why I didn't think of rotating the telescope... facepalm! I even bought a $35 rotator for my 72 Skywatcher that didn't fit... another facepalm. Plus what's worse is... this is exactly what I did with my large Newtonian (as Dakota mentions, minus some elegance, but the same principle).
Thanks for the post. I have been looking for a way to add a rotator without disturbing the optical train. I have just completed my version of your idea and it works wonderfully. Can't wait until night fall. Once again a big thanks for posting your idea. 😊😊
You're welcome.:)
Great idea to get the rotation of an image spot on, finding this channel very useful with great presentation and ideas to enhance this fantastic hobby
Thanks for your support!
Great idea. A suggestion for additional accuracy would be to add a $20-30 digital protractor to your rig. It can easily be mounted on a focus motor with a couple pieces of double sided tape or velcro tape.
That would take it up a notch. Cool.
Super idea! I'm curious, what is the support and ring you used for the guidescope?
Here you go. Setllarvue clamshell for 50mm finder: www.stellarvue.com/clamshell-for-50-mm-finder-r050c/
Excellent project.
Thank you.
Fantastic job! Has anyone done this to a 4" refractor? What size PVC would work?
Thanks! For a 4" refractor, I'd measure the OD of the OTA and go to the hardware store and shop around. Keep in mind, you're going to split the ring to open it up a bit and that's going to give you some more to slip over the OTA.
Great idea. I came to the same conclusion as you about rotating the scope. I didn't add the graduated ring though.
Thanks. Yeah, it's even better with NINA. No need for the graduated ring in that case.
Fantastic work. Exactly the solution I was looking for. Excellent video all around. Definitely better than the tape strip I was using on the OTA. Should last much longer.
Thanks!
Oh dang, the focus knobs will hit the mount when rotating. Ok, just another hurtle to solve! I still think turning the scope is the best idea.
Agreed. I think the big advantage is your flats don't change. A time saver and one less thing to think about.
Great idea sir, thank you !
:)
Howdy
What a fantastic & inexpensive rotating device
I will see if I can build unit to fit on my scope
Cheers
Thank you! Glad you found it useful. :)
Ain't it enough to just rotate the whole shebang at the draw tube?
Any particle on the actual objective lens, unless freaking huge, is way too far away from the image plane to be visible in the sub, even at extreme levels of stretching way past reasonable - whatever minuscule shadow it casts is simply bigger than your image plane at that distance from it.
What we need to worry about, are dust bunnies on the sensor(d'uh), sensor cover glass, filters, and the corrector/flattener, with the further we go from the sensor, the lesser severity of artifacts. As long as you rotate all that at once, your flats won't change.
Thanks for sharing. I got the chance to see a rocket launch in 2018. Memorable experience. I uploaded a pretty fun montage of the journey to my channel.
Cool!
Why I didn't think of rotating the telescope... facepalm! I even bought a $35 rotator for my 72 Skywatcher that didn't fit... another facepalm. Plus what's worse is... this is exactly what I did with my large Newtonian (as Dakota mentions, minus some elegance, but the same principle).