Aussie Dave

2 minutes ago, MarkAR said:

That is an excellent image. Seeing must be particularly good.

It's about as good as the seeing gets here near the coast, it could be better. This was just before a cold front blew in from the ocean and one of our many storms that we've had this year.

Captured on the 26th of August 2020, Saturn with 5  moons (Tethys, Mimus, Enceladus, Rhea, Dione), 1 unconfirmed moon and a star up the top of the image. The blue dot towards the bottom right of the rings I'm not sure about, possibly Janus moon but Stellarium showed it nearer the ring.
Seeing condition were average to good from Mandurah Western Australia.
Captured in SharpCap 3.2, Stacked in AutoStakkert 3, wavelets in RegiStax 6 and edited in PaintDotNet.
Saxon 8" Maksutov Cassegrain, ZWO ASI224MC, SkyWatcher EQ6 Pro.

On the 28th of April 2020 I had good seeing conditions from Mandurah Western Australia for Jupiter and the Great Red Spot with Oval BA, Io moon transit and the first Jupiter outbreak. The larger version was resized larger in RegiStax6 with the smaller version being normal sized.

Captured in SharpCap 3.2, aligned and stacked in AutoStakkert 3, wavelets and resized larger in RegiStax 6, edited in PaintDotNet.
Saxon 8" Maksutov Cassegrain, ZWO ASI224MC, SkyWatcher EQ6 Pro.




From the 8 videos that I captured over about a 45 minute time period I created an animated gif of the 8 resized larger stacked images which shows where Io was.

This is a good'n James, a bit more detail in this one.

Nice lunar image James but I think you know what needs to be done 🙂

Get that 174mm out and have a crack at it. Not sure what scope/s you have but I had a 6" SkyWatcher reflector at a focal length of 1000mm and did 2 videos, one for the top half and one for the bottom half of the moon stitched together and it came out very well in good seeing. It was at a larger resolution to what I usually do and it was one of the best lunar images I've done over the years.

16 hours ago, maw lod qan said:

Excellent image.

I see you are down under. What is Jupiter's elevation like down there?

Thanks everyone.

@maw lod qan Jupiter and Saturn are just over 79 degrees. Jupiter at it's highest just after 7pm and Saturn just after 9pm. In a couple of weeks time light from the setting sun will start to creep in for Jupiter when it's at its highest.

Last of the Jupiter videos from yesterday evening, I think this was the best of the lot. Conditions average to good, Mandurah Western Australia.

Captured in SharpCap, stacked in AutoStakkert 3, wavelets in RegiStax 6, edited in PaintDotNet.

ZWO ASI224MC
Saxon 8" Maksutov
SkyWatcher EQ6 Pro

Good results there fellow countryman, I do like that Saturn.

Jupiter and Saturn this evening. Conditions average to good, Mandurah Western Australia. Another reasonably good night.

Captured in SharpCap, stacked in AutoStakkert 3, wavelets in RegiStax 6, edited in PaintDotNet.

ZWO ASI224MC for Jupiter, Celestron Neximage 5 for Saturn.
Saxon 8" Maksutov, focal length 2500mm, f/12.5
SkyWatcher EQ6 Pro

Yes of course, opposition 😆 you're right again Stu, what was I thinking! I went to the same opposition month as this year, therein lies the problem 😊

Nice one Stu. I would've expected Saturn's curve to be closer to Mars and Jupiter but you're right. I checked Stellarium, as accurate as that is years into the future and at mid Winter 2026 it's roughly 55 degrees at 8:20am here and for 2032 it's 35 degrees around midday near the sun 😮

here - south west corner of Western Australia.
 

They are respectable images Nigella. When they are much higher for you in the UK you should do very well.

I don't know about anyone else when the planets were higher in the Northern hemisphere but I rarely see much detail on live view and only a couple of times visually. I guess filters would help with eyepieces. When I do see it on live view it's fleeting, very faint and always washed out by the brightness.

This was from the ZWO ASI224MC about 6:37pm that same night. Ganymede down the bottom. The Neximage 5 couldn't pick up the moon, only some of the shadow but I would put that down to the seeing and slower frame rate of the Neximage 5.
I much prefer the colour that the Neximage 5 gives compared to the 224mc, I can spend hours trying to get the colour better with the 224 and still not get it right. I gave up on this image in the end as I've spent way too much time of it.



 

18 minutes ago, Knighty2112 said:

Love it! Well done!  Jupiter up here in Blighty is pretty much pants at the moment with the low altitude of Jupiter, and the flipping jet stream blowing above us! Sheesh!  

Yes we're getting a bit of the jetstream too and need to dodge the clouds here. We seem to have sky mist which fuzzifies detail. I haven't had many good or better seeing nights where I am. The only thing going for me is the elevation.

Crater Walther, approximately 132km × 140km in diameter and 4km in depth with complex crater rim. Seeing conditions average to good, Mandurah Western Australia. Captured on the 9th of August.

I'm quite pleased with this result as I've beaten my PB to resolve down to about 2km wide craterlets which can be seen around the central region of the crater floor even when conditions were not the best on live view.

Captured in SharpCap, stacked in AutoStakkert 3, wavelets in RegiStax 6, edited in PaintDotNet.

Jupiter at 7:12pm yesterday evening. Conditions average to good Mandurah, Western Australia.

Captured in SharpCap, stacked in AutoStakkert 3, wavelets in RegiStax 6, edited in PaintDotNet.

Celestron Neximage 5
Saxon 8" Maksutov
SkyWatcher EQ6 Pro

Lunar early last night. Conditions started out as average to good but slipped away to poor just before clouds rolled in. Visual observations of the lunar surface were quite nice, heaps of craters to explore with good detail. This image is a 2 stacked image stitch. Location Mandurah Western Australia.

Captured in SharpCap, stacked in AutoStakkert 3, wavelets in RegiStax 6, stitched in MS Image Composite Editor, edited in PaintDotNet.

Click on image for full resolution.

The Gem Cluster NGC 3293 aka Spider Spit Cluster, Little Jewel Box from the 30th of January. I was so pleased to bring out so much on this open star cluster and surrounding area, perhaps I over did it? Not perfect star but very happy with the result.

Stacked in Sequator, edited in PaintDotNet.

30 x 20 seconds, ISO 1600, 3200.

Sony a5000
Saxon 10" reflector
Skywatcher EQ6 Pro

5 hours ago, Ags said:

Very very good. I am curious - you say focal length is 1000, but how do you get there with a 2x barlow?

Sorry for the confusion, the native focal length of the scope is 1000mm, with the 2x Barlow 2000mm. The resized image was at 200% using the Mitchell filter in RS6 😉

This is the first 6" short tube I've had and often wondered how they get a long focal length from a short tube. There is a metal barrel at the end of the secondary mirror pointing towards the primary which houses a lens. I'm wondering if I took that lens out if it would make it a 500mm scope. The only other thing would be the focus plane and if I could reach focus if I took the lens out. If it could focus it would be a nasty f/3.3 scope and with heaps of CA I'm sure 😁 just not sure if it's a 2x magnifying lens.

Jupiter and Io and Saturn from the 2nd of August before clouds rolled in. The second Jupiter image was resized in RegiStax. Conditions average, Mandurah Western Australia.

Captured in SharpCap, stacked in AutoStakkert 3, wavelets in RegiStax 6, edited in PaintDotNet.

ZWO ASI224MC with 2x Barlow
SkyWatcher 6" reflector short tube, fl 1000mm
SkyWatcher EQ6 Pro

The Southern Pinwheel Galaxy M83 from the 6th of April, Mandurah Western Australia, conditions poor. This was my 3rd attempt with the first two attempts being much worse than this.

198 x 30 seconds, ISO 1600, 24 darks.
Stacked in Sequator, edited in PaintDotNet and Fitswork.

Sony a5000
Antares 6" achro refractor
SkyWatcher EQ6 Pro

Omega Centauri NGC 5139, Centaurus globular cluster taken back in April with a Sony a5000 and Saxon 10" reflector on Skywatcher EQ6 Pro. Only 13 exposures, average seeing night.

Very nice Alan. Looks like the 40D still performs well, I often see these for sale full spectrum. Is yours the full spectrum or IR mod?

22 hours ago, alan potts said:

Dave I tried M55 last night which only gets to 17 degrees at best and though it was not the best of nights I did get something to work with and get a result, the difference is, south I have nothing until Greece.

Alan

Nice Alan, as long as you get something for your efforts. I do like the star clusters especially the globs. Have only done a couple I think that turned out ok. I might post one just for giggles. I don't think my 10" primary mirror is a good one as my stars are always weird shapes.
 

18 hours ago, Davey-T said:

Tricky here, have to put a scope at the right spot in the garden and catch it between some trees.

M31 ? no bother Dave 

Dave

I thought you'd be in a prime location for M31 Dave. You're in the UK or around that neck of the woods?
I'm being more selective now and only go for the higher targets.

9 hours ago, Davey-T said:

Very pretty Dave, what elevation is it at in your neck of the woods ?

Dave

Cheers Dave, about 81 degrees for some months It's a nice easy one, I like easy one's.
 

9 hours ago, alan potts said:

Alot higher than in the UK I am sure, nice image David.

Alan

Thanks Alan, ain't all the good one this side of the rock?? 😀
Honestly though there's some good targets in the northern hemisphere where you are that we can't get and are too low. I would really like to get a chance at imaging Andromeda M31. That's at about 16 degrees north and in light pollution from along the coastline here. I can't even see it.

8 hours ago, Philip R said:

Nice image! ...and lens! 

Cheers Philip The lens looked nice, felt nice, build quality was great and looked good on my Sony a5000 mirrorless but it wasn't a star performer so I sold it. I'm slowly collecting a few nice prime lenses from the old 35mm film cameras. I love the old glass, there's just something about them that are so appealing.