Sorry Northern California: My New Telescope Setup and the Smoke!

It's that time of year again. The air quality alerts are back, and the collective anxiety of every astrophotographer in Northern California is palpable. We're all holding our breath, waiting for that magical moment when the skies clear up for more than a day.

And wouldn't you know it, just as I finally got my hands on my new Sky Watcher HEQ-5 mount and Carbon Star 150 telescope, the smoke rolled in.

I've seen posts about new gear arriving and the subsequent disappointment of ruined viewing nights due to atmospheric conditions. So, I thought I'd share my own experience. To my Northern California friends who were hoping for clear skies, especially with the new moon and the comet coming up – my apologies! It seems my new equipment has arrived just in time to coincide with the seasonal smoke.

I'm planning a trip to Big Sur in mid-October, hoping to catch both comets with just my camera. I'm trying to stay optimistic that the skies will cooperate, and the smoke will stay away. We'll see.

It's funny how quickly you can get lost in the details of new equipment. When I first looked at my setup, my eyes traced from the telescope down to the mount, the counterweights, and then down one of the tripod legs. For a good minute, I was completely disoriented, trying to figure out what that substantial structure could be – perhaps a power supply or a cooling system for the mirrors? It's a solid setup, and I'm eager to try it out. I've paired it with a ZWO ASI2600MC Pro and an ASI585MC camera, and I also bought a ZWO MiniCam8 based on a recommendation. The anticipation is killing me, but alas, we wait for clearer skies.

Clear skies to all of you – whenever we get them!