astroavani

Langrenus - March, 08-2023; 03:12 TU C14 f/11 + ASI 290MM + IR pass 685 Stacked 233 frames

The mountains of Mare Crisum March, 08-2023; 04:25 you C14 + ASI 290MM + IR Pass 685 Stacked 233 frames

PS: Interesting that the image that won first place in the contest was extremely similar to mine, it just didn't use the Nike logo 😢

Now that I saw this post! I really liked the way you composed the images, I think that way they are more valued than simply in a straight line. This reminds me of the last contest I entered for the Royal Observatory in Greenwich where I believe a composite image of Mars was discarded simply because it resembled the Nike logo. As Nike is American, I think it was not well seen by the British 😄

For the reported conditions I found the image good, here I haven't tried Mars in a while, it is too low for my latitude, it doesn't rise more than 30º currently and precisely my north is the worst place to photograph.

Clavius and Moretus - March, 01-2023; 00:17 TU C14 + ASI 290MM + IR pass 685 170 frames staked - altitude 35º

Pallus Putredinis, march - 01-2023: 00:23 TU C14 + ASI 290MM + IR pass 685 170 frame stacked - Moon is 35º of altitude

Rupes Recta, C14 + ASI 290 MM + IR pass 685 170 frames stacked - Monn is 35º of altitude

Clavius, C14 + ASI 290 MM + IR pass 685 170 frames stacked - Moon is 35º of altitude

Tycho, C14 + ASI 290MM + IR pass 685 170 frames stacked - Moon is 35º altitude

Lunar North Pole C14 + ASI 290MM + IR pass 685 170 frames stacked - altitude 35º

This photo for me has a nostalgic flavor. It always reminds me of my beginnings in astrophotography. About 13 years ago, as soon as I bought my first large telescope (Newton GSO 12" f/5 from the late Armazém do Telescopio) I became good friends with master Darío Pires, and it was based on his practical and theoretical teachings from my great friend Ilídio Afonso who started me in this art. When I started taking pictures, I used the Newton on a Dobsonian basis, with a generic Fuji camera and I did afocal photography guided by my arm, I remember well that I coveted the fantastic images of the group that had specialized equipment. Among these old photos, one caught my attention a lot, it was a photo by Mestre Darío Pires of this set of Rimae parallel in curve. I remember Darío took this photo with a DBK 21AU, using if I'm not mistaken that famous 400mm that Fabio Plocos has today. I thought to myself.... "One day I'll take a picture like this." It's not the first time I've photographed Rimae Hippalus, but whenever I do, I can't help but be reminded of this fact. Concentric channels are one of the most impressive features on the moon, and one of the best examples is Rimae Hippalus, an arc around the east side of Mare Humorum. To the northeast and next to Hippalus a strange thing happens, there are some Rimae in a concave arch. The most notable one is called Rima Agatharchides, but is it actually part of Rimae Hippalus and family? Rima, Rimae in the plural (Channel) or for some Selenogists Rille (narrow valley), is a fissure or lava channel that has totally or partially collapsed. Rima and Hippalus are curved channels, faults caused by stress in the crust. Some sinuous channels are believed to have formed by the rapid movement of lava flow, but there are some that originate from the collapse of lava tubes under the collapsed surface. However, I firmly believe that in the case of Hippalus, the origin was the tension in the crust due to the impact of a colossal body that formed the Mare Humorum, and that would be the true responsible for this set of rilles. In fact, in this photo you can see at least one more set of channels called Rimae Ramsden, a set of very branched rilles around the crater of the same name. A bonus that I really liked in this photo was how easy it was to notice that the Marth crater is actually a concentric crater, watch it carefully in the lower left corner. I hope that colleagues, like myself, have fond memories of their beginnings in astrophotography, humbly remember how they started, and put what they have now to good use.

I believe that the ridges shown in this image seen from above the LROC are traces of the buried wall, as the lava must have slid over it and taken on this wavy shape. The backs can also be seen in my photo.

Sinus Iridum, its craters and the Jura Mountains are a favorite target for all lunar observers. Its mountains always seem to catch the light in a different way, and in good lighting conditions, the contrast mixing brightness and darkness on both sides makes this place something magical. The low sun in this region is something to be treasured, so each small crater stands out like a ring of light. This low lighting also emphasizes the ridges present in the sea (peculiar low sinuous ridges) making them very prominent and easily visible on the flat floor of the bay. Sinus Iridium is called a bay, but it is actually a crater whose southeastern wall has been practically destroyed, only a few very low disconnected fragments can be traced. On the other hand, the hills to the northwest are continuous and quite high, thus superbly highlighting the Montes Jura, whose outer rim is disturbed by the prominent Bianchini crater. The continuous section of these mounds is bounded at both ends by the Promontorium Heraclides and Laplace. One thing that should be very clear is that the Iridium floor slopes downwards towards the southeast, thus penetrating Mare Imbrium, so that the opposite side is about 61 meters below sea level, that is, completely buried. There is nothing like it anywhere else on the moon. The sequence of events that took place appears to be quite simple. The sea itself was formed about 3 billion years ago, probably after the Great Bombardment. Since the impact that formed Sinus Iridum must have occurred earlier, this leads us to believe that at least 4 large floods of lava that formed the sea were responsible for burying the entire southeast edge of this magnificent crater. Sinus Iridum is one of the moon's most enchanting features, but to do so, you must observe it at the right time. As the sun rises over it, the mountain tops are illuminated by sunlight, while the floor is still in darkness. The result is that the wall appears to be floating above the moon, beyond the terminator. Lunar observers refer to this as Rainbow Bay. This occurs once every lunation (lunar cycle), but it doesn't last long, and as the sun creeps into the lower floor, the floating arc effect soon wears off. It is fascinating to follow the changes that occur with the increase of the sun's altitude, even a small telescope will show it very well. Take a closer look at the exact location of Laplace Promontory and its intriguing geology. Imagine yourself at the top at 2,600 meters high, observing all this immense plain around you! Did you feel a chill? Text: Avani Soares https://forum.firegoto.com.br/viewtopic.php?f=29&t=7760

I use iMerge to assemble the mosaics, it's a very light and intuitive application. I agree that the color can be better adjusted, I have no experience with ASICAP, I always use Fire Capture and just like you all my lunar images are just using the sharpening of AS!3 and then I use IRFAN to just tweak it in the gamma and contrast if necessary, and if I realize that I can sharpen more I use the Sharpen filter from the same program. iMerge.exe

Excellent mosaic, I did not notice flaws. Very good overall tone without exaggeration, as expected the resolution leaves a little to be desired due to the smaller aperture, in this the C11 would be killer but as you said, we have to respect the seeing. As I only have C14 most of the time I do everything I can to dodge the seeing. One question: Have you tried using a 685 IR pass filter with the C11? This will help you a lot to dodge the seeing and although you lose a little resolution in relation to RGB, the difference in aperture from the C11 to the 140mm can compensate. Just making a mosaic with C11 will be a lot more work, although the result will be excellent.

I liked it, I found it to be very natural processing, uniform overall tone as it should be. I don't like those forced processing mainly with excess contrast that the Moon takes on a silver appearance. The definition is fine for the aperture used. In short: A beautiful photo!

Dear colleagues! I appreciate all the comments, I know that I don't participate much without posting some photos in which I try to perfect the information that may be interesting to everyone. However, I am available to answer any questions you may have. If you want more detailed information about how the photo was taken, or even if you want details about processing, techniques or guidelines, feel free to ask me. A clear sky to all!

Gassendi, an amazing crater. Normally, when we start astrophotography, our first target is the Moon. Our old Lua is generous because it works well even on the most modest instruments. A simple 60mm scope and a cell phone already allow for interesting photos. But shooting the moon in high resolution requires good apertures, proper collimation and a dedicated camera, and it can be difficult work if the photo is close to the terminator. But, in fact, it is the photos close to the terminator that reveal the good lunar photographers, as they require adequate control of light, both at the time of capture and in subsequent processing. In this photo we have Gassendi very close to the terminator, and with the sun at an extremely low angle, the relief of the floor stands out in a dazzling way. Its rhymes are usually very evident but with the sun low we can clearly see how irregular the floor of this remarkable crater is. Gassendi is one of the main lunar craters, with its 114 km in diameter, it is very old formed in the Nectariam period about 3.92 billion years ago. It is an impact crater with Fractured Interior (FFC), which was modified by volcanic action after its formation, probably huge lava flows gushed through the cracks in the floor, causing numerous stress fractures to form in its interior from the reservoirs. of lava, this made it quite shallow in relation to its diameter - just 2.8 km deep. When observed through spectroscopic analysis, the Gassendi crater has a "behavior" very different from any other lunar crater (Mikhail 1979). High-resolution studies performed in near-infrared light (Chevrel and Pinet 1990, 1992) indicated the presence of extrusive volcanic material (that is volcanic material that flows to the surface and then crystallizes) limited to the adjacent southern part of the Gassendi floor. to the floor of the Mare Humorum. Interpretation of the data also suggested that major extrusive volcanism may have occurred in the eastern portion of the floor, as indicated by the significant presence of pyroxene, which corresponds to visible volcanic features. The western part of the crater floor, away from the geometric continuation of the western rim of Mare Humorum, is composed of rich upland material. The difference between the west and east sides of Gassendi with intensely fractured soil could be strongly linked to the early thermal history of Mare Humorum. I've already taken countless photos of Gassendi, but the result of this one with the sun very low really surprised me. A pleasant surprise, which shows that each photo is unique in itself and each moment is unrecoverable if we don't know how to take advantage of it. Text and photo: Avani Soares

playing tycho A not very happy attempt to work at f/22 with 7910mm. With the poor seeing that night the result was not very good. 5000 total frames stacked only 150. Date: 2023-01-30; 23:38 TU C14 Edge + ASI 290MM + IR pass 585 Seeing: 2/5 Altitude: 38º Parsec Observatory, Brazil (-29.97S, -51.17W) by Avani Soares

The 3 photos above were taken with extremely poor seeing, forcing you to use high frame rates and around 7000 frames to stack just 207. So it was practically impossible to get fine details Details included in the photo!

Details included in the photo!

Details included in the photo!

Thank you colleague!

There is an image to be analyzed with affection! In a small area, we have a diversity of interesting formations, let's take advantage and bring you the reader curiosities about some. The absolute best example of a lunar fault is found along the east coast of Mare Nubium - it's the straight wall or Rupes Recta. This lunar feature is known for a long hairline that never fails to impress; even casual lunar observers can enjoy a magnificent view. The view is best when the sun rises and the terminator is a little west (as in the attached photo), in the center of Mare Nubium. Thus, the wall casts a shadow that extends along its entire length of about 120 km. This dramatically demonstrates that the lunar surface must be lower on the western side of the fault than on the eastern side. Several authors have reported that the wall is around 250-300 meters high, but the latest measurements through the projected shadow suggest that there may be parts as much as 450m above the bottom of the western basin. Despite appearances, the straight wall is not a cliff, although it is relatively steep, it rises above the plain at an angle of slightly more than 20°. The narrow part of the wall, (traditionally called the Railway by British observers) is now officially known as the Rupes Recta and ends in the south against a bunch of short ridge segments which in the 17th century, the selenographer Christian Huygens likened to the hilt of a sword ( 1), with the straight wall corresponding to the blade of the sword (2). If you expand your view, you will notice the ruined circular walls of an ancient unnamed crater, which had its floor flooded with lava and which my friend Charles Wood calls "Ancient Thebit", and Thebit itself (5) with 57 km wide is located almost in the center of the photo. The 200 km wide eastern edge of this ancient Thebit (indicated by the yellow circle, 3) is well defined, but its western edge is marked only by wrinkled arc-shaped grooves. Although some researchers have noted that Rupes Recta is roughly radial to the Imbrium basin and therefore perhaps related to it, it is very clear that it is much more closely related to ancient Thebit. Wood believes that ancient Thebit was formed on the rim of Mare Nubium by a massive impact, and the western wall of the crater was eventually buried by lava flows that flooded the basin. This is essentially the same sequence that occurred in the Sinus Iridum basin in Mare Imbrium. A good part of the floor of the great Thebit gave way to accommodate the sinking of the basin, this is what probably gave rise to what we currently know as Rupes Recta. Finally, if you look carefully in good viewing conditions, you will see a small parallel channel to the west of Rupes Recta, and to the north of the bright crater Birt (7). Each end of this channel, known as Rima Birt (4), ends in a small cave called Birt "E"( and "F" (9). Rima Birt is a challenge for amateur observers and scientists trying to explain why it is there. Because the small cave at the north end of the channel is close to the rim of Greater Thebit, we can speculate that the fractures associated with the rim formed an easy path for lava to erupt onto the lunar surface, producing a dome collapse, a lava channel, and perhaps a small deposit of gas-driven ash and debris. The difference in terrain altitude of about 50m in height between Birt E and Birt F helps to confirm this hypothesis, and makes it more evident that the lava flowing from Birt E found an easy path to penetrate Birt F. In order not to make the text tiresome, let's talk about the beautiful Arzachel crater (6) at a later opportunity. Source: Charles Wood - Sky & Telescope Dobins, Parker, Capen - Observing and Photographing the Solar System Adaptation and text: Avani Soares