This is a collection of information I find valuable and convenient to document, generally with a southern skies slant. Your mileage may vary!
This site is not intended to be yet another diary of events as there are already far too many of those out there. You will find information related to my software, observations and equipment, as well as some links to other interesting sites.
At present my hobby is mostly on the back burner, although I am still supporting the Vixen Star Book ASCOM driver I’ve developed.
Posted in: Astronomy.
Aug 4th, 2008
by Peter Enzerink.
The new driver is based on the .NET platform which is now the preferred underlying technology used by the ASCOM platform. You don’t need to understand anything about that other than to be comfortable knowing that it ensures my driver will be more future resistent regarding new versions of Windows (touch wood!). There are a [...]
Posted in: Astronomy.
Jun 28th, 2008
by Peter Enzerink.
People seem more than willing to pay a small fortune for their telescope and accessories but very little on associated software. As an incentive I am now prioritising my support and bugfixes to those who have made a contribution. A donation is not required for you to use my software but it will make me [...]
Posted in: Astronomy.
Jun 28th, 2008
by Peter Enzerink.
Background The Sphinx GOTO mount from Vixen Japan has a number of highly innovative features that make it a one of a kind at present. One particularly tantalising feature is the ability to communicate with the Sphinx via a network interface. Unfortunately Vixen Japan have shown no interest in providing English software to utilise this [...]
Posted in: Astronomy.
Jun 24th, 2008
by Peter Enzerink.
This website is the main online repository for unofficial information on Vixen’s Sphinx mount with Star Book. Although by no means exhaustive, I have attempted to draw together many of the frequently asked questions and the generally agreed solutions. 1. ASCOM Sphinx Driver (computer control) Vixen only provide computer control of the Sphinx via the [...]
Posted in: Astronomy.
Jun 13th, 2004
by Peter Enzerink.
My web based telescope and eyepiece calculator to assist in measuring the performance of your equipment. I am only actively maintaining the English version of Scopulator at present. It has been tested and confirmed to work properly with: Internet Explorer 5.5+ Netscape Navigator 6+ Mozilla 1.6+ Choose language and browser English Scopulator 2004-06-10 Portuguese Old [...]
Posted in: Astronomy.
Jun 8th, 2004
by Peter Enzerink.
;D Three boxes arrived yesterday containing tripod, mount and OTA. Had enough time to unpack them and set it up but without power there wasn’t much else to do. I bought a 12V DC 2 Amp regulated power supply from Jaycar which does the job nicely. Spent half an hour in the evening practicing a [...]
Posted in: Astronomy.
Jun 4th, 2004
by Peter Enzerink.
My new telescope was supposed to arrive today, but it didn’t! My expectations were dashed by the reality of shipping vagaries. Ah! The joys of waiting by the mail box.
Posted in: Astronomy.
May 7th, 2004
by Peter Enzerink.
After much deliberating, I ordered a Vixen Sphinx mount with VC200L OTA today. Final shopping list was: VC200LDG SXW with SX-HAL110 (inc. brightness reducer) 2661 SX Tube Attachment Plate 1.9kg Weight
Posted in: Astronomy.
Jan 13th, 2004
by Peter Enzerink.
My current 4″ shorttube achromat has a crappy EQ2 mount which shakes and shudders almost continuously. I can’t understate how frustrating this can be for simple things like focussing. The lack of a motor drive and setting circles are also major impediments to getting more out of this.
Posted in: Astronomy.
Dec 29th, 2002
by Peter Enzerink.
2000-12-28 11:00pm-12:30am AEDT Conditions: clear sky, no wind Equipment: 4″ short tube achromat Omcon Plossl 40mm, Antares SW 10mm, GTO Plossl 6.3mm Antares Barlow 2x Very nice night, typical of the last few days. Due to various social commitments of the season I haven’t had a chance to do much more than point out Jupiter and Saturn [...]
