spaceman_spiff

Lunar terminator taken on 1st February 2018. The Moon was waning from eclipse at about 97% full. The seeing was average and the telescope struggled to capture details that on other night would have been easily in reach. Highlights include: The far eastern limb features including Mare Fecunditatis and crater Langrenus. I also took an extra excursion to capture the Messier craters and their twin rays. Equipment: Skywatcher Skymax 150 on an EQ5 pro mount. Canon 550D in movie crop mode with a Baader fringe killer filter. I refocused the scope twice but it probably still didn't reach thermal equilibrium. Processing details of individual frames can be found on earlier lunar images in the album. The mosaic was done in Gimp using the layer difference tool. Mosaic_1.tiff

Lunar terminator taken on 27th December 2017. My last imaging session of the year. The Moon was about 65% full and the terminator was moving west (waxing). Highlights include: Northern cratered region and Mare Frigoris, Copernicus (near the middle of the mosaic) just east of the terminator and showing great contrast. The string of small craters between Copernicus and Eratosthenes, I took an extra image to show this. And Clavius, near the terminator in the southern region. Equipment: Skywatcher Skymax 150 on an EQ5 pro mount. Canon 550D in movie crop mode with a Baader fringe killer filter. I refocused the scope every 30 mins until about 11pm when it reached thermal equilibrium. Processing details of individual frames can be found on earlier lunar images in the album. The mosaic was done in Gimp using the layer difference tool. Mosaic_27_12_2017.tiff

Date 12/11/2017. NGC 891. All details same as the drizzled version.

Date 12/11/2017. NGC 891. 2x drizzled. Weather: Good clear skies, some wind, reasonable seeing. Optics and camera: Skywatcher Evostar 120 F/D=8.33 (Achromat) with a Baader UHCs filter. The camera was a IR-filter removed Canon 600D. Settings: 50 x 3 minute lights, 50 darks from library, 50 flats taken recently and 50 bias frames. ISO 800. Mount: Skywatcher AZ-EQ6 with extension pillar. Processing: Calibration, registration, integration and basic image stretching all done in DSS. Some tweaking done in GIMP. Some issues with the flat (not fully correcting). The frames were is 2x drizzled. I am pleased with NGC 891, beautiful object with lots of small details. Unfortunately the scope was still cooling down during the imaging and the last 20 frames or so were out of focus. This has given some bloated stars. I think I will stack the first 20 frames and see what I get.

Date 12/11/2017. NGC 1893 near the Flaming Star nebula Weather: Good clear skies, some wind, reasonable seeing. Optics and camera: Skywatcher Evostar 120 F/D=8.33 (Achromat) with a Baader UHCs filter. The camera was a IR-filter removed Canon 600D. Settings: 50 x 3 minute lights, 50 darks from library, 50 flats taken recently and 50 bias frames. ISO 800. Mount: Skywatcher AZ-EQ6 with extension pillar. Processing: Calibration, registration, integration and basic image stretching all done in DSS. Some tweaking done in GIMP. Some issues with the flat (not fully correcting).

A quick snap of Neptune and Triton (above right of Neptune). Taken from Affetside, Lancashire. Equipment: Skymax 150, Eq5 pro with extension pillar. Canon 550D with Baader fringe killer filter. Shot: A single 10 second exposure at ISO 400 (unguided). Processing: A simple stretch in GIMP.

Date: 05/11/2017 Video recording taken from my front drive (Bury, Lancs). Despite lots of nearby houses I had very still air to image through. No clouds. Telescope: SW 150mm F12 Mak-Cass. With a Baader fringe killer filter. Mount: SW EQ5 pro with extension pillar. Camera: Canon EOS 550D in 60 frames/s movie crop mode, ISO 200, exposure 1/60s. I took 3 minute recordings (10800 frames). Processing: Movies were initially processed in Pipp, keeping the best 2000 frames and decompressing them. The decompressed frames were then passed to Registax aligned using 100 points. The best 90% of the frames (using the Registergraph) were kept and stacked. The final image was enhanced by amplifying the first three wavelets by 80, 20, and 5 respectively. Drizzle 2x was also used. Comments: The terminator is moving west, the first image/movie was taken at about 21:00 and the next was taken at about 23:00 so the animation represents about 2 hours of terminator movement. The slight tilt between the frames is because of lunar liberation, I decided to keep it in the animation. The deepening shadows are clear on all major features here. I like the shadow of Petavius's central peak - it extends out towards the crater walls.

Lunar terminator region (Eastern side). Equipment: Skywatcher Skymax 150 on an EQ5 pro mount. Canon 550D in movie crop mode with a Baader fringe killer filter. I refocused the scope every 30 mins until about 11pm when it reached thermal equilibrium. Processing details of individual frames can be found on earlier lunar images in the album. The mosaic was done in Gimp using the layer difference tool. My second mosaic attempt taken using images captured slightly later in the night (10pm - 12am). The telescope had cooled and giving great results. The atmosphere was still - little turbulence and no wind blowing the scope around.

This is an 18 panel mosaic of the lunar terminator taken at around 9-10pm 05/11/2017. Equipment: Skymax 150, EQ5 pro mount, Canon 550D DSLR. For further details see previous images. Comments: Excellent seeing, very little shimmering and distortions while imaging. The scope needed an extra 40 mins to cool down despite being left in the garden for 2-3 hours beforehand. I finally got Petavius near the terminator - a goal of mine for a while now, very happy.

Camera and telescope information is the same as in earlier lunar images. Mosaic created in GIMP from panels shot on 29/10/2017. The panels were manually corrected for brightness since the camera was set to auto ISO. I also rescaled some panels slightly to get the best fit.

Date: 27/10/2017 Video recording taken from Affetside (just north of Bury), I get a good southern horizon and no houses causing unwanted air turbulence. Wind was still, no clouds and the seeing was OK. Telescope: SW 150mm F12 Mak-Cass. With a Baader fringe killer filter. Mount: SW EQ5 pro with extension pillar. Camera: Canon EOS 550D in 60 frames/s movie crop mode, ISO 400, exposure 1/60s. I took 3 minute recordings (10800 frames). Processing: Movies were initially processed in Pipp, keeping the best 2000 frames and decompressing them. The decompressed frames were then passed to Registax aligned using 100 points. The best 90% of the frames (using the Registergraph) were kept and stacked. The final image was enhanced by amplifying the first three wavelets by 50, 10, and 2 respectively. Drizzle 2x was also used. Comments: A nice contrast of terrain here. The relatively flat floor of Mare Vaporum set against the towering Apennines mountains (the highest lunar mountain range).

Date: 27/10/2017 Video recording taken from Affetside (just north of Bury), I get a good southern horizon and no houses causing unwanted air turbulence. Wind was still, no clouds and the seeing was OK. Telescope: SW 150mm F12 Mak-Cass. With a Baader fringe killer filter. Mount: SW EQ5 pro with extension pillar. Camera: Canon EOS 550D in 60 frames/s movie crop mode, ISO 400, exposure 1/60s. I took 3 minute recordings (10800 frames). Processing: Movies were initially processed in Pipp, keeping the best 2000 frames and decompressing them. The decompressed frames were then passed to Registax aligned using 100 points. The best 90% of the frames (using the Registergraph) were kept and stacked. The final image was enhanced by amplifying the first three wavelets by 50, 10, and 2 respectively. Drizzle 2x was also used.

Date: 27/10/2017 Video recording taken from Affetside (just north of Bury), I get a good southern horizon and no houses causing unwanted air turbulence. Wind was still, no clouds and the seeing was OK. Telescope: SW 150mm F12 Mak-Cass. With a Baader fringe killer filter. Mount: SW EQ5 pro with extension pillar. Camera: Canon EOS 550D in 60 frames/s movie crop mode, ISO 400, exposure 1/60s. I took 3 minute recordings (10800 frames). Processing: Movies were initially processed in Pipp, keeping the best 2000 frames and decompressing them. The decompressed frames were then passed to Registax aligned using 100 points. The best 90% of the frames (using the Registergraph) were kept and stacked. The final image was enhanced by amplifying the first three wavelets by 50, 10, and 2 respectively. Drizzle 2x was also used. Comments: My favourite capture of the night, the rime shadows on Ptolemaeus really came out well. Also the crater floor must be following the curvature of the moon and shadow gradually deepens the further west (up) you look. I have included a sharper (but noisier) image as well.

Date: 27/10/2017 Video recording taken from Affetside (just north of Bury), I get a good southern horizon and no houses causing unwanted air turbulence. Wind was still, no clouds and the seeing was OK. Telescope: SW 150mm F12 Mak-Cass. With a Baader fringe killer filter. Mount: SW EQ5 pro with extension pillar. Camera: Canon EOS 550D in 60 frames/s movie crop mode, ISO 400, exposure 1/60s. I took 3 minute recordings (10800 frames). Processing: Movies were initially processed in Pipp, keeping the best 2000 frames and decompressing them. The decompressed frames were then passed to Registax aligned using 100 points. The best 90% of the frames (using the Registergraph) were kept and stacked. The final image was enhanced by amplifying the first three wavelets by 50, 10, and 2 respectively. Drizzle 2x was also used. Comments: After processing the image I have come to like the dark arks across the image (caused by Purbach, Arzachel and Alphonsus), makes for quite a dramatic scene. Location and labelled images are given below.

Date: 27/10/2017 Video recording taken from Affetside (just north of Bury), I get a good southern horizon and no houses causing unwanted air turbulence. Telescope: SW 150mm F12 Mak-Cass. With a Baader fringe killer filter. Mount: SW EQ5 pro with extension pillar. Camera: Canon EOS 550D in 60 frames/s movie crop mode, ISO 800, exposure 1/60s. I took 3 minute recordings (10800 frames). Processing: Movies were initially processed in Pipp, keeping the best 2000 frames and decompressing them. The decompressed frames were then passed to Registax aligned using 100 points. The best 90% of the frames (using the Registergraph) were kept and stacked. The final image was enhanced by amplifying the first three wavelets by 50, 10, and 2 respectively. Drizzle 2x was also used. Location and labelled images are given below. Comments: I am happy to see the long shadows cast from the centre peaks of Walter, gives a rare view of this interesting crater.

Date: 27/10/2017 Video recording taken from Affetside (just north of Bury), I get a good southern horizon and no houses causing unwanted air turbulence. Telescope: SW 150mm F12 Mak-Cass. With a Baader fringe killer filter. Mount: SW EQ5 pro with extension pillar. Camera: Canon EOS 550D in 60 frames/s movie crop mode, ISO 400, exposure 1/60s. I took 3 minute recordings (10800 frames). Processing: Movies were initially processed in Pipp, keeping the best 2000 frames and decompressing them. The decompressed frames were then passed to Registax aligned using 100 points. The best 90% of the frames (using the Registergraph) were kept and stacked. The final image was enhanced by amplifying the first three wavelets by 80, 20, and 5 respectively. Drizzle 2x was also used. Location and labelled images are given below.