Roy Foreman

I know these have probably been done to death,  but end of July / early August when the nights are not dark and I want some bright easy targets to ease myself back into the new season, I start with these three.

Hazy skies and moonlight didn't help, and I need to add more data when time and weather permit.

Scope- 16" F/4.5 Reflector

Camera - ZWO ASI 6200 MC Pro

Filters - UV-IR cut (M11, M57)  IDAS Triband (M27)

Exposure - 32 x 15s (M11),  35 x 60s (M57, M27)

Hope they are of interest and thanks for looking.

Love the colours !

I have a Samyang 135 but have yet to use it. Roll on autumn !

It happens. Stick with it !

Ouch ! Hope your observing eye recovers soon. 20 years ago I got poked in my left eye with a twig and, although it didnt affect my sight, it does get sore sometimes. 

Nice image !

Nice detail you've captured there.

That's very good considering the low altitude. Well done

Well done with the moon so low and in daylight. From my location it disappeared behind the trees a couple of days ago !

On 09/07/2022 at 14:15, Mandy D said:

Stunning detail on your photos! I'm still practising with my imaging.

Thank you. Glad you like my images. Even after a lifetime of imaging I'm still learning and these daytime shots are something of a new venture for me ! 

Keep practising with your imaging and remember, there is a wealth of knowledge here on SGL with plenty of people ready to help if you need it. All you have to do is ask ! Good luck.

Nice colours and contrast. I like it.

1 hour ago, Stargazer33 said:

Lovely sharp images there Roy, especially for the low elevation. We're cruising in the Med at the moment and the Moon is so high! I can even see the whole of the Scorpius constellation, just. You loose the lower stars in the horizon haze but it's all there.

Thank you for your comments, glad you like the images. Oh to have a more southerly location. Enjoy those stars while you can !

A few years ago I took a trip to the Sahara Dessert. So many stars, I had difficulty identifying Polaris. And the stars and milky way were all the way down to the horizon undiminished. Made me very sad that I had been missing out on so much.

Enjoy your cruise !

Thank you. They are not easy to produce but the responses from people like you who appreciate them make all the effort worthwhile. 

With the moon at declination -8, and the telescope tube grazing the base of the observatory shutter door, this will probably be the last lunar imaging session with the 16" Newt for a while !

At this low altitude seeing wasn't great but that didn't stop me from trying.

All images taken with the 183MM, PP642 filter and 19fps.  20% of 2000 frames.  6.30 - 7.00pm

Hope you enjoy and thanks for looking.

Great detail.

Thank you much appreciated.  Processing was a pain as the sky was not entirely dark and I kept getting strange artifacts. Come the darker skies and the Mak 180 will out perform the Newt, but until then .....

A selection of images from yesterday evening around 7.30pm

16" Reflector,  183MM camera, PP642 filter, 19 fps. 50% of 1500 frames.

Also some close ups using reduced sensor area and 70 fps, 25% of 1200 frames.

Thanks for looking.

Lovely to see in colour.  Very nice.

Glad you like it. Thank you for your comments

Nicely done. Great images. Keep up the good work. Yes, I'm getting used to this summertime daylight inaging. No late nights !

I am still experimenting with different camera settings and processing and hope to find the optimum soon. It's certainly great to image the moon in daylight. That PP642 filter is excellent. Hope your shots turn out well. Post them for us to see if they do.

I have never tried finding or imaging stars in daytime but I might have a go one day to see how it turns out.

Thanks for your comments and glad you like the images. Like you I have another batch from last night to process after work !

15 minutes ago, Altocumulus said:

DSOs in the daytime!?

By crikey, I'd just be happy with a filter that could see through clouds.....

Yeah I'd like one of those as well !
Maybe take up radio astronomy, eh ?

A day later and another daytime imaging session. Much the same as yesterday - 16" Reflector,  183MM camera, PP642 filter, 50% of 1200 frames, 4ms integration, 6.30pm.

The short summer nights are a pain for us all - more so when you have to be up at 5am for work !  Late nights are out of the question.  So with this PP642 filter enabling me to image the moon in full daylight,  I can still do my imaging after a fashion.

Now, if someone could just come up with a filter to enable me to image DSO's in the daytime .........

We've all been there I'm sure.  I certainly have.  You head off out for an imaging session knowing you have the wrong setup but you do it anyway.  Then wish you hadn't, or at least that you'd taken more care.  You are not alone !

Below is the PP642 image stacked at 15%.  As expected it is a bit sharper but on close inspection has more noise. Maybe 25% would be a good compromise.

Below that is the Ha image.  It required more aggressive adjustments to levels and contrast, and more aggressive sharpening.  The sky background was significantly brighter than the PP, and the lower light throughput (7nm vs 200nm) required a longer integration time (80ms vs 5ms)

I am now looking forward to bagging those ultra thin crescents when they are high in the sky as opposed to skimming the treetops.  Only time will tell if it works !

Agreed about this hobby being frustrating, and in so many ways , but when it all comes together it can be hugely satisfying. We just have to stick with it and take the bad with the good !

Following on from the recent topic on daytime lunar imaging started by laurieast, I have now had the chance to put my newly acquired Pro Planet 642 filter to use on the crescent moon.

This filter has a 200nm bandpass encompassing Ha and the shorter infrared wavelengths, and can apparently be used for deep sky imaging as well, which I intend to try.

The image below was taken just after 6pm, fully 3.5 hours before sunset.

Telescope was a 16" F/4.5 reflector and the camera a ZWO 183MM

50% of 1200 frames at 5ms integration.

Maybe not as sharp as the 180 Mak would produce, but I thought the greater light grasp of the reflector would help, and I'm reasonably pleased with how it has turned out.

I did do some shots using a Ha filter as well, but the sky didn't turn out as dark and so far I have been unable to process it out.

Excellent.  Love it.