Astroscot2

Hello Geof.

Fairly clear last night so took a number of SERs over the evening,  I tried the IR 685 filter and was pleased with the results, what a difference it made to the overall image, I could quite clearly see details in poles on screen.

I have 70GB to look through and this quickly processed image made me happier.

Mark 

Hello Geof

Keeping the capture duration to 90 seconds max.

Taking the stacked file into PIPP to align frames.

I'm using AS3 to analyse and stack, typically I aim for the top 10% quality frames which can be around 1000 frames total.

Registax 6 for wavelets, sharpening and De-noise

Winjupos to de-rotate and stack final images

Pixinsight for final adjustments.

During the Mars opposition last year, I was getting fairly good results with the above excluding Winjupos and Mars was only 18" ,  I sort of expected good detail on Jupiter also,  im Not seeing the wow effect of wavelets at alll on Jupiter.

Mark

Hello.

Thanks for the reply, yes the seeing has been poor. Im not sure what you mean by setting the time for the middle of the captures, my understanding is that Winjupos takes the UT time from the image info and de-rotates accordingly, unless ive missed this on the tutorials?

Mark

Hello.

Ive been trying to get a decent image of Jupiter for over 1 month now, seeing conditions have not been great here and so far ive been disappointed with my results.

Im using a 10" newtonian which is well collimated, QHY462C camera with good frame rates, TV barlow.

Last night 1 took 4 videos with the hope of stacking them and hopefully get an improvement with de-rotation in Winjupos,  Im not sure what im doing wrong but the final image looks smeared.

Watched a few tutorials and not getting good results, Ive shown below single stacked SER file and combination of 4 stacked SERs in Winjupos.

Any pointers appreciated.

Mark

36 minutes ago, JeremyS said:

What is it @Stu?
Classic looking scope and great case

Swift?

I had to search the archives for a photo of the one and only Vixen ive owned,  I was in the market for a 4" inch scope and got speaking with Markus Ludes on a forum, he had this scope for sale and i jumped at it.  The  Vixen 108DED F5. had a huge imaging circle which I attached a Mamiya 645 camera to.  Sold it eventually for an FSQ.

12 minutes ago, tomato said:

This is going to look like a OO UK (circa last century) bashing session but I also purchased an 8” Schmidt Newtonian F4 in the late 1980’s and it was a nightmare. The large, heavy secondary was adjusted by three unsprung 4 mm screws, I don’t think it was ever properly collimated, the corrector plate looked like it had been bitten off a larger piece by a great white shark, and the secondary was held on with bath sealant which eventually failed, sending it crashing onto the primary.😱

I still have it, if some one fancies a restoration project…

That's the one !

In my teens I saved hard for a year to buy an Orion Optics (UK) 8" Schmidt Newtonian F4 on a motorised EQ mount. From unboxing to first light I never stood a chance.  The mirror was covered in finger prints and on removing the optical window haha , It looked like a bit of glass that was gut by a blind guy and a saw. Just a few of the many issues. Never managed a single image through it. Broke by heart....

2 hours ago, knobby said:

Can anyone else see the Queen of hearts blowing a smoke ring at the top left of image 🙂

 

I always see her on wide M16 images, glad its not only just me 😉

I headed down to Galloway for a much needed overnight getaway on Friday after work, decided at the last minute to take the DSLR.

Skies were a bit misty at times but it was good enough for a bit of MK1 eyeball observing, viewed loads of meteors, the highlight was lying in my hammock without the usual tarp looking at the starry sky.

Wild camping , beer and a starry sky, just what i needed.

Oh very nice,   delicate processing .

Looking great Kostas, nice details showing, you must be pleased.  I dont have the energy for the early mornings yet and then a full days work .

Mark

1 hour ago, maw lod qan said:

Wow, your observatory looks so neat and cleaned compared to mine! 😒

It's just the camera angle . Plenty of debris,  spider webs galore. Needs a good sweep out.

I would spend lots to time focusing on getting the secondary  to appear circular at the beginning of the collimation process for the life of me I've never been able to get it exact. I've done all the checks that mirror, spider and focuser are central and square to the tube but something must be askew somewhere

 Anyway I read that the secondary being very slightly off circular won't affect the collimation if everything else is looking aligned, it will only show as a slight unevenness of the illumination on the fov which is not a huge concern for my imaging. I would love to know what the issue could be but for now I live with it.

48 minutes ago, Mr H in Yorkshire said:

Now you've done it. Three weeks of solid cloud.

To add to the 3 weeks I've just had 😀

I find making adjustments to the secondary a real chore, the changes required are minute to align the reflections,  must be a better solution mechanically than the push/pull of the secondary screws, I find myself going around and around with the adjustments.

Mark

In preparation for some Planetary imaging i swapped out the frac for the newt, decided to clean the primary as it was looking quite dirty plus a few frustrating hours collimation with the cats eye tools. Got there in the end.  Roll on clear skies.

Stunning image/s, well done. I really need to get the newt back on the mount.

Mark

That's very nice,  star colours are excellent. 

Mark

23 hours ago, Space Oddities said:

The postman delivered a few packages in the last couple weeks! A very nice looking Sky-Watcher Startravel 120, together with a GSO Focuser (I have to admit the stock focuser went straight back to the box) and an ES 82° 30mm eyepiece. This will make a nice grab and go scope!

I also got a handle and a matching dovetail bar, both from the brand Bresser, which makes the scope easier to carry. I also replaced some parts, like the tube rings' knobs, I find them really hard to fasten properly. The focuser is great, but the rotating functionality wasn't very smooth. Turns out, the 3 set screws are either too lose or too tight... I couldn't find the right balance and was afraid the whole thing would wobble, so I removed the set screws and used some thumb screws I had lying around. That's 4 screws to turn if I want to rotate the focuser, but at least it's secure and doesn't require any tool. Finally I salvaged a couple finder shoes and attached them on the handle and the focuser, to fit a finder, ASIAIR or phone holder.

I also need to figure out how go fit my Telrad in here... Maybe some 3D printer support? Time will tell!

Anyways... I had first light a few days ago, between clouds, and could observe Andromeda and a explore the Cygnus region, before clouds came back. The scope is very nice and I couldn't see any chromatic aberration so far. Once the Moon is back and the clouds are gone, I'm going to give this a try to see how bad CA is, and see if my filters can improve the view somehow.

Loving the pictures in the background ...

Ooofft.. outstanding shot !

Really bad seeing today by the time i got around to taking a few frames.   surprised by how easily Venus was to find and see in the eyepiece.

Esprit 120, 5x powermate ASI 174mm camera.

Well captured, I always see an image of a sleeping face with wide field M16 images.

Mark

First real chance to image sun with Altair Herschel wedge, fleeting glimpse but had to try.

Esprit 120, Altair Herschel wedge, TV 5x barlow, ZWO 174mm camera.

Not sure about the colour?

1 minute ago, Elp said:

Everyone enjoys a biscuit

I'm afraid I don't.  Always comes round to asking for money in the end. Same format. Problem.. need your money to solve.