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I think people are too quick to blame the weather for bad astro photos
My new tracking mount failed during a clear night in Boise two days ago. It kept losing alignment every 45 minutes, even though the sky was perfect. I spent hours checking my polar alignment and balance, but the issue was a tiny piece of grit inside the mount's gearbox from the factory. Has anyone else had a brand new piece of gear just give up on a good night?
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the_sage4d ago
That little bit of grit in the gearbox sounds frustrating. I had a similar thing happen with my iOptron SkyGuider Pro last year. The first night out with it, it just started making this grinding noise after about 30 minutes of tracking. I took the whole thing apart and found a tiny metal shaving stuck in the worm gear. Cleaned it out with some alcohol and a q-tip and it's been fine ever since, but man, that first night was a total waste. It's wild how a little speck from the factory can ruin a perfectly clear sky.
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