Jupiter from 200p and DSLR

[LeeWilky]

Hi all just thought id share my progress at trying to capture Jupiter using the stock x2 Barlow that came with my scope and my stock Nikon D3200 DSLR.

As we are all very aware conditions havnt been great for a long time now and even clear nights have had high humidity where i live but ive managed these so far.

Any thoughts comments and advice will be appreciated as always

[stargazerslivingroom]

Well you're doing better than I am...Definitely going in the right direction. I particularly like seeing the moon there too.

Well done.

Steve

[tingting44]

great images mate!!! looks like your focus may be slightly out tho

the smaller image with 3 moons is my fave!

all the best

martin

[LeeWilky]

Thaks guys yeh i wasnt sure about the focus as i havnt got a Bat mask yet but they are all from different days and conditions but always seem out of focus.

I was wondering if i was that unlucky or if maybe a 3 minute video is too much with my 8 inch scope and maybe im getting some blur from planet spin?

[Charic]

LeeWilkey.........Hi, Better than my first efforts from my Dob?

[Johnny4365]

Good images Lee, well done.

Interesting to see what can be achieved with stock equipment in average conditions.

[Kropster]

Nice images.

I would recommend a Bat mask, as it takes out all the guesswork.

Well worth the investment.

[NoSiriusly]

Great pics mate. I've just been given an old DSLR so I'd like to have a go myself. What camera settings did you use? ISO, exposure time etc?

[LeeWilky]

Great pics mate. I've just been given an old DSLR so I'd like to have a go myself. What camera settings did you use? ISO, exposure time etc?

A bat mask is on my to buy list

On my DSLR is took a 3 minute full HD video manually tracking using the scopes fine adjustment dials at ISO 200.  I then used this process http://stargazerslounge.com/topic/184821-beginners-guide-to-stacking-planetary-images-with-autostakkert2/

Hope that helps

[Johnny4365]

Had to look up 'Bat Mask' to see what it was. Seems cheap and effective.

That's at least one new thing that I've learnt today

[NoSiriusly]

Thanks for that Lee.

[LeeWilky]

Had to look up 'Bat Mask' to see what it was. Seems cheap and effective.

That's at least one new thing that I've learnt today

Thanks all

Yeh the Bhatinov focussing mask is pretty much a neccesity for AP and i will be buying one as soon as i get paid.  Xmas + New Years Eve + my Girlfriends birthday today has crippled me financially lol! 

At the moment i just find a bright star and ue my camera live view to zoom in as far as possible then adjust focus until the star seems spot on the lock focus and swing over to Jupiter.

I was more interested in DSO pictures but i havnt motorised moy scope yet so i decided to shoot the Moon and Jupiter and im hooked on those now!  Just havnt seen the Moon for 3 weeks thanks to this great weather.

[stev74]

Those images are great Lee considering you're manually tracking and using a DSLR... well done. 

As for the batinov mask I wouldn't generally recommend in for planetary imaging, which is advice I got from some of the top planetary guys on here as the 'seeing' can change fairly rapidly (especially over UK skies), I tend to refocus every time before each individual capture. However in your situation with the fact that your are manually tracking unless you buy a motor upgrade for your mount you probably don't have the luxury of time to do that so the batinov mask would help a bit I'd say. 

There are another couple things that you should get into the habit of doing before each planetary imaging run (if you're not already) - make sure your scope has had plenty of time to cool down (if you keep it in the house) and collimate before each session as well. 

HTH

Steve

[LeeWilky]

Those images are great Lee considering you're manually tracking and using a DSLR... well done.

As for the batinov mask I wouldn't generally recommend in for planetary imaging, which is advice I got from some of the top planetary guys on here as the 'seeing' can change fairly rapidly (especially over UK skies), I tend to refocus every time before each individual capture. However in your situation with the fact that your are manually tracking unless you buy a motor upgrade for your mount you probably don't have the luxury of time to do that so the batinov mask would help a bit I'd say.

There are another couple things that you should get into the habit of doing before each planetary imaging run (if you're not already) - make sure your scope has had plenty of time to cool down (if you keep it in the house) and collimate before each session as well.

HTH

Steve

Thanks for that advice

I always leave the scope for 40 mins at least to cool but I don't collimate every time so I'll give that a go.

I can't polar align in our back garden as the house blocks North so that's a pain and ambient light is a bit bad where I live so I'm fighting against it here.

We have a few fields that are much better but because the weather is so unpredictable I've been doing it all from back garden after 3 times driving to our field and setting up only to pack up and leave after half an hour due to rain or clouds. Such a pain!

Hoping we get some decent clear skies soon with no wind so I can have a proper go at this.

[stev74]

No problem glad I've been able to help a little bit.  For polar aligning do you have a small compass or phone app? Even if you can't see Polaris as long as you have the latitude scale on the mount set right for your location and you use a compass to get the tripod leg pointing roughly North you should be able to track for short periods of time. So for each 3 minute imaging run you should be able to track well enough to only move the right ascension slow motion control rather than both (one less thing to worry about) then adjust the declination if need be before the next run.

Now if you can get polar aligned at your darker sky site with Polaris in the polar scope first (more accurate way to have the latitude set on your mount) then you just need the compass when you're imaging from home (as long as the sites aren't too far apart).

There is a great article with all the methods for polar aligning here which is worth a look. 

Steve

[theo]

I like the widefield shot with the three moons Lee. Well done.  You could try a 3 x barlow (borrow if you can to start with) as your aperture should gather enough light to still produce a decent histogram although having said that it might be too difficult to keep the planet on the chip if you are manually tracking.

I have never used a Bahtinov mask for focussing even for deep sky imaging. I'm sure there are plenty of people using them very sucessfully and it may well suit your set up initially but for planetary work its always best to focus on the planet itself if you can by going back and forth passing through the point of focus several times in order to get your eyes trained to spot the best focus. Working at a higher focal length would probably help here.

A mount that tracks though would probably be at the top of my shopping list if I were you.

Keep up the good work.

Pete.

[LeeWilky]

I like the widefield shot with the three moons Lee. Well done. You could try a 3 x barlow (borrow if you can to start with) as your aperture should gather enough light to still produce a decent histogram although having said that it might be too difficult to keep the planet on the chip if you are manually tracking.

I have never used a Bahtinov mask for focussing even for deep sky imaging. I'm sure there are plenty of people using them very sucessfully and it may well suit your set up initially but for planetary work its always best to focus on the planet itself if you can by going back and forth passing through the point of focus several times in order to get your eyes trained to spot the best focus. Working at a higher focal length would probably help here.

A mount that tracks though would probably be at the top of my shopping list if I were you.

Keep up the good work.

Pete.

I'll certainly pick up a x3 Barlow and give it a go then I just thought it would be too much as a few people said even using a x2 loses a lot of detail but I intend to get a bigger scope one day anyway so I'll eventually want one.

I definitely take my time focussing using the bracketing technique. It's something we used firing a long range with tanks lol. Go too far one way then too far the other and keep tuning until you hit the centre.

Do you think a 3 min video is too long for an 8 inch reflector?

[theo]

That length of avi will be fine. You wont notice any rotational blur at this focal length. Stacking software such as AutoStakkert (AS2) can compensate for rotation up to a point even on my 12" scope working at nearly 7m fl with a 3min avi.

Having said what I said about the 3 x barlow, I was thinking with a dedicated planetary cam here such as a DFK, DMK or one of the CMOS cams. Not sure about your DSLR's sensitivity and keeping the noise supressed, so just try first would be my advice before shelling out any hard earned cash.

Pete

[Mr Spock]

Good results for a DSLR. Very encouraging.

[Kropster]

I would think focusing on a planet is a bit hit and miss. As has been pointed out, the seeing varies so much.

Surely it would be better to focus on a true point source like a star - using a Bhatinov mask for accuracy and not rely on catching a good bit of seeing - then move to the planet?

Once set, it can be left for the session.

[theo]

As I

I would think focusing on a planet is a bit hit and miss. As has been pointed out, the seeing varies so much.

Surely it would be better to focus on a true point source like a star - using a Bhatinov mask for accuracy and not rely on catching a good bit of seeing - then move to the planet?

Once set, it can be left for the session.

As I mentioned earlier, I'm not saying don't use a mask but you will find that most serious planetary imagers will use the planet itself to achieve fine focus. Using your eyes to look for fleeting glimses of fine detail on the planet takes some practice and seeing conditions certainly dictate the ease of doing this, but in my opinion this method will always give the best outcomes.

Also, one should never leave focus set for a session over multiple captures as conditions can change quickly and the focus point will move slightly, hence regular focusing is a must to keep things in check.

[sologuitarist61]

Very nice images, especially with a DSLR!

[Kropster]

As I

As I mentioned earlier, I'm not saying don't use a mask but you will find that most serious planetary imagers will use the planet itself to achieve fine focus. Using your eyes to look for fleeting glimses of fine detail on the planet takes some practice and seeing conditions certainly dictate the ease of doing this, but in my opinion this method will always give the best outcomes.

Also, one should never leave focus set for a session over multiple captures as conditions can change quickly and the focus point will move slightly, hence regular focusing is a must to keep things in check.

No doubt you are correct, but why would the seeing affect focus?

I can understand the image would become blurred by turbulence, but the distance of the planet doesn't change, so surely the optimum focus point will be the same?

I am confused.

[theo]

No doubt you are correct, but why would the seeing affect focus?

I can understand the image would become blurred by turbulence, but the distance of the planet doesn't change, so surely the optimum focus point will be the same?

I am confused.

When we are actually in the process of focussing by using the features on the planet then it is the seeing conditions that dictate how easy this will be. The better the seeing the more detail will be visible and held for longer periods enabling the point of focus to be obtained more easily..

This point of focus can change quite often though over the course of an imaging session, the main reason for this will be temperature changes affecting the optics. If you are using an SCT then it could also include some small movement of the primary mirror as the scope tracks across the sky. Therfore to maintain focus over multiple captures it is essential to keep checking the focus point.

[Kropster]

Good point. I hadn't considered the optics changing temp..

Thanks for the insight.