kirkster501

Wow, lovely. Well done!

Me mate. Many of them you can't and get washed out. M31 is especially bright and photogenic. Several others too such as M81 and M101 if is is overhead. Narrowband is a different story of course.

FSQ85 reduced and G2-8300 with Astrodon Ha (3nm) and RGB filters. The investment in time in the Ha image shows a nice image in itself. However, the Astrodon red filter is so good that I am not so sure it is worth that time investment if the RGB is done 1x1. Eight hours of 48x600s reveals this image: ...which is nice. And when I combine it with the RGB (RGB is 360 minutes of 1x1) I get the below which is also very nice. However, is the HaRGB that much different considering the vanilla RGB below considering the huge time investment in gathering that Ha? I am not so sure. Yes the above is a bit better, but eight hours worth better?

Super image. Like you, I am learning this too. It is very different from DSO. Some of the planetary images on here are incredible, like being in orbit.

Very nice indeed.

Did a couple of quick Saturns too C925 and ASI224MC. Even lower than Jupiter and just clears the roof.

A brilliant start. Well done.

Had a go with my C925, at native. The seeing was dreadful and Jupiter was boiling and dancing around like a dice in a shaker at the C925's focal length. This is 10% of 90000 frames at native focal length (no powermate/barlow since the seeing would not tolerate it). With my FoV I was capturing about 350 frames per second. I think my collimation could use a slight tweak too. So I focused and captured the frames into a .ser. Then moved over to Registax, did a bit of sharpening and balanced the RGB and realigned RGB as vlaiv taught me. I have reigned back from over saturating the image as I think I did in the previous versions. This image is not going to win any prizes and is worse than my previous effort with the TEC140 but that doesn't matter to me at this stage, it's about learning the C925/SCT and planetary imaging. Sharing as part of my ongoing learning.

Wow, you've pulled more detail out Vlaiv. Did you just hit the align RGB channels button? That's all you did?

Lovely. Lot's of detail in there. I like the colour too. I think it's easy to get too carried away with colour saturation, like I have done on mine. I may tone back to how you have done this.

I think this is as good as it's going to get with a 140mm refractor and Jupiter as low as it is in the UK. I need to bring my ADC into play next time and try with the C925. This is 40000 frames with a bit of a sharpen in Registax and a saturation boost in Photoshop.

Starting to look a bit better, a very quick process on the imaging rig, will look at it more tomorrow. I grabbed many 4 minute sequences./ I did exactly what Vlaiv said. The key is focus, focus and focus. Did I say focus???? And that focus is not at all easy. This is with TEC140 and ASI224MC with a 2x Powermate. Want to start simple with my refractor. Next is the C925.

That's fabulous. I am imaging it now. Done ten x 4 minute captures so far.

Beautifully done. 20min exposures is some going in Nottingham, well done. Where abouts are you?

It was incredibly poor seeing Vlaiv. Beggars cannot be choosers in the UK of late, clear skies are 1% of the total skies. Less even.

I don't think one has arrived this year so far Jeremy....🤨

About 4ms. Needed to be longer Vlaiv.

TEC140 is a superb scope, I love mine for AP (both DSO and solar/lunar) and visual. It is wonderful. Now, hand on heart, how many nights per year can we actually use the increased capabilities of this glorious scope compared to a less premium one? Not many is the answer.

I managed to get 30000 frames with the x2 Powermate with the TEC140/ASI224Mc. Jupiter was dancing around like a dice in a glass being shaken, the seeing was so bad and clouds kept rolling in obstructing it. However, I think I have now got the idea of focus. I've got the main bands and, I think, the GRS in this, albeit slightly fuzzy and hazy. Good fun all the same I will keep working hard to get better whenever I can get the opportunity. I'm trying to expand my repertoire of AP subjects and themes - I'm also branching out into solar and lunar - because DSO imaging (especially LRGB) seems to be becoming more and more unsustainable in the UK with each passing year. Indeed, I have considered flogging all my DSO AP cameras and telescopes and focusing on quality widefield Sigma lenses and OSC imaging for DSO and a C11/C14 for planetary/lunar and maintaining my Dob for visual. That is how bad it is getting.

I have a 2" x2 Powermate so may try these suggestions tonight if it is clear

Fabulous image - a perennial favourite of mine. I have also bought a OSC (in my case a QHY268C so the same sensor as you) for the same reasons, namely, sick and tired of never being able to complete a project due to incessant cloudy weather. With this sensor you can get something decent in the can inside an hour, the sensor is so sensitive and good. I have mine paired to my Samyang 135mm now and so much light gets in that results are quick and satisfying. I'd love to upgrade my G2-8300 for a QHY268M too but there is no way I can justify it and the EFW and 36mm filters for the use it will get in the UK permacloud.

Super M27 with good colour and detail in the nebula and good focus. I agree with Goran's comments and suggestion about the brown-ish background. Your stars seem to lack colour as well and I know from imaging this myself that the stars in this area possess plenty of colour. You could use a mask and increase the colour saturation of the stars. That is nit-picking on a very nice M27 though. Well done.

Thanky you Vlaiv for those tips

I want to get into planetary now that Jupiter is starting to get a bit higher. This meagre effort is only at a very small imaging scale at the moment with my TEC140 and ASI224MC and no barlow so the planet shows very small on the sensor. I did some preliminary setting up in order to get Jupiter on the sensor with my Telrad and red dot finders so that my C925 is ready for Jupiter next time. The seeing was rubbish and there was loads of mist and it is obviously quite low in altitude from the UK currently. Despite that I thought I'd do a quick capture all the same. So this is best 30% of 2000 frames with a bit of sharpening. I don't think Damian Peach need worry about this new kid on the block stealing his thunder just yet 🤣