| moonbeam | |
![]() Joined 6/24/2024 Loc: Mo, USA | Posted 3/22/2026 7:53:39 AM CST I’m not entirely sure how to explain this, but I’m starting to suspect my observatory is haunted. After months of troubleshooting SM dome syncing, I’ve reached a very scientific conclusion: everything works perfectly… until I go to bed. Then it completely loses its mind. For sanity check, the gear is: AM7 mount, Takahashi Epsilon 160ED, ATIK 1600 with Chroma filters, 50mm guide scope with a ZWO 290, running SM 2.8.20 Bundle v15. Case in point - last night. I spent over three hours running a test with the dome and Tak setup: So naturally, feeling confident, I slewed over to M81 to finish out the night. First five frames looked great. I called it a win and went to bed around 11PM. I woke up to 4.5 hours of beautiful… star trails....again And this isn’t a one-off, it’s been the pattern for months. The moment I fall asleep, something - guiding, tracking, something - just quietly gives up on life. At this point, I hate to say it, but I’m pretty sure there’s a ghost in the machine. And it only comes out after bedtime. Can anyone offer an Oda Mae Brown advice here?
Explorer of the cosmos, one photon at a time. I capture the universe with a collection of about 12 telescopes, including the SCA310, Astro-Physics 155 EDF Starfire, TEC 180FL, and Takahashi Epsilon 160ED, and my beloved FSQ-106EDX4. Paired with advanced imaging systems - including the medium-format ZWO ASI461MM and ASI6200MM Pro with Chroma filters - these precision instruments help me reveal the faint structures, rich colors, and extraordinary detail hidden in the night sky. |
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