Nigella Bryant

Yeah, alway's remember when I was around 14 and had my first real telescope a 150mm newtononian and looked at Saturn, beautiful and still is stunning. Took my best image of Saturn back in 2003 with a 10inch meade SCT.

I bought a13 year old 12inch f4 Newtonian orion UK telescope for £350 brilliant telescope and I love it. I've had 10 and 12inch SCT, 8inch Mak, 6inch frac, and this current scope out ways those that I've used in the past. So yes, go for it.

Hiya, more than happy to help where I can.

Thanks Carole, yes it's nice to see more females getting into the hobby (not being sexist BTW , lol).

Thanks, all a learning curve.

Used 25% stack, not sure it's any better.

50% stack so probably redo, thanks for the advice.

Hi all, Jupiter is very challenging with how low it is from the UK. However here's my attempt. Frustrating as I'd not realised how low it is and my telescope couldn't completely clear the bottom of my dome shutter and hence covered a third of the mirror. I've had to raise it this week. Anyway the image is a stack of 1000 using a zwo ASI224mc with my 12inch f4 Newtonian working at f20 with a 5x powermate.

Thanks, taken a loooong time ago, hopefully I'll be able to start again using a zwo ASI224mc. I've also got a zwo asi120mm plus filter wheel but with the planet's so low I don't think it's feasible this time. Mars will be better placed for LRGB imaging next year, also something I've not done b4.

Hi everyone, I joined nearly a year ago but never said hi, shy, lol. My background in astronomy started when I was 11, now 60. I've been out of the hobby for sometime, probably near 15 years. I've owned several scopes in the past, mostly meade SCT 10 inch and 12inch. Have built over the years 3 run off roof observatories. Used to use film using slide version pushed to asa 800. I've loads of slides from the 90's when I used to manual guide my scope up to 45 mins just using my eye and a cross hair 12 mm eyepiece with an off axis guider. I've done a little planetary imaging in the early 2000 using a tucam webcam too, image of Saturn taken back then with the tucam and 10 inch meade. It's a different era now with tech on scopes and imaging camera's but I'm hopefully getting to grips with technology and software. I bought myself a second hand Neq6 last year and anow orion UK 12inch f4 Newtonian which I have modded so that it can be used as both a deep sky Imager at f4 and a planetary Imager at f20. So far things are looking good scope wise and performing well. I just need to get to grips with using phd to eventually guide scope and software to develop the images obtained by the scope. Now instead of a run off roof observatory I've bought myself a second hand 2.7m pulsar observatory. A few tweaks this week with pier hight and polar alignment. Well that's me from the year 1969 to 2019 plus hopefully several more years, lol. BTW, I've found this site the best for advice, willing people to share their wisdom and genuinely nice people, so thank you in advance also of probably some stupid questions from me, Ella

Image scale needs to be higher, using Barlow lens. It will also help with the overexposure issue. There is a website that tackles planetary imaging using Dslr camera. Just input dslr planetary imaging in the search engine. I think you can buy nd negative filters in various darkness.

Similar to what I saw, have yet to process my image's. Could see the blue colouration of one of the belts. Tweaked your image a little and rotated to the view I had through my scope. Hope you don't mind. Good image, I hope mine turns out that good with jupiter so low from the UK.

I have the same camera, use manual exposure and use the dial to change exposure until jupiter is illuminated properly. Also record as in film, not single shots. You may use a Barlow X2 between telescope and camera for larger image. Stack recorded film in a stacking programme. Not sure what Canons native record is or if this can be changed, avi files are convenient for stacking software like registax, etc. Focus is critical also.

Nice

Might seem a funny answer but have you refocused?

Yeah, playback is gray scale but there is colour in autostakker so that's good. Will probably try and process the avi file's tomorrow. Thanks James.

At least I got around to put a little hight to get full illumination of the mirror.

Thanks James.

Hi all, quite a frustrating night. Wanted to image Jupiter last night for the first time properly with my modded 12 f4 Newtonian using the zwo ASI224mc. First telescope couldn't get low enough cus the dome shutter didn't open low enough so will have to heighten the piller stand so had a third of the mirror hidden below the opening. Guess what I'm doing today. Second when I took the avi it looked to have colour on the screen (screen shot attached). When I came to view avi files they were all black and white. I used Sharp cap for capture. Tips would be great peps. Not proceeded avi yet in autostakker. At least all the mods worked on my telescope and comes to focus whether I'm imaging DSO's or planet's so I guess some comfort knowing this. I'd given the scope first light with DSO's a few month's ago but this was my first light with planetary imaging. DSO's I can image at f4 and planetary I'm able to image at f20 so that's great news. Anyway any help with the process of imaging with the zwo ASI224mc would be welcome. Thanks for reading.

Great image's, well done. I've yet to get to image Jupiter this year, life has got in the way. Tonight hopefully.

Yeah, hopefully image Jupiter and Saturn tonight.

That's great, try Iso settings of 800. I alway's shoot at ISO 800.

Subs were stacked in Deepsky Stacker, free dso software. It does all the work for you. Then tweeked in Photoshop CS2. I only use a clockwork drive, it's a Omegon mini tracker on a Tripod with my DSLR. Works great. I paid £130 I think. Great travel set up no batteries.

The longer the subs the better for stacking. You can get away with 20secs without tracking b4 stars begin to trail. Image below was tracked but stacked 5x 30sec subs with a 300mm telephoto lens so you can see what you can do. Native 55mm lens would be easy to do 20sec subs.

Pic of the telescope might help, including lens and focuser