First attempt at astrophotography.

[MarkMayf]

The clouds parted for a few minutes last night, which was just enough time to see if my modfied webcam works.

This is my first lunar image, in fact my first astro image at all. It isn't very good!

Taken using a Microsoft Lifecam, through my Heritage 130p Flex-tube.

Many problems, first I had to collapse the tube a few millimetres to reach focus. I'm hoping to address this today with some more camera bodgery.

Secondly, the magnification is huge! It's similar to looking through a barlowed 10mm eyepiece. I don't know if this can be changed, I was hoping for full moon shots?

Third, the magnification meant the moon soon drifted out of shot. Not too much of a problem for this, I only used 20 frames for this image. But I can see it been an issue for planets.

Fourth, I have no idea what I'm doing with the imaging software! I twiddled and poked until it looked half decent.

Comments please!

Thanks

Mark

[Ganymede12]

That is good for a first go. Still beats my current images!

What software did you edit it with?

[JamesF]

That's not bad at all for a first attempt, particularly with a manual dob. Is it a single frame, or from a set of stacked images?

Getting the entire moon in shot really requires a larger imaging sensor. Typically that means a DSLR, but I think the 130 might struggle with a DSLR on the end. The alternative would be a focal reducer (the opposite of a barlow), but that would cost more than the entire scope even if you could find one that would fit.

James

[MarkMayf]

Thank You Ganymede and James!

Most of the tweaking was done using Registax. I did have a go with GIMP as well but it hasn't done much. Again, random prodding of buttons!

James, there are around 20 frames there, so only a couple of seconds of footage. I started with around 35 seconds worth, but I couldn't get it to align.

Close up shots it is then, for now!

[michael.h.f.wilkinson]

Pretty decent for a first shot. Focus might be slightly off, but that should get better with practice. I do not know which software you are using, but you might get a bit more detail by playing around with wavelet settings in Registax.

[JamesF]

I was thinking that focus might be a smidge out, too. As Michael says, that's really practice, but I imagine it's not easy to get the hang of if you're looking at a laptop screen to see what the image is like whilst trying to turn the focuser and push the scope track the moon at the same time.

James.

[MarkMayf]

This was what the pic looked like before any fudging:

Not too different, just redder, and the wrong way round!

[Lenny147]

Your first steps into the dark side

[Bizibilder]

Well done for a first attempt. With webcam imaging to get a full disc you will need to take a whole series of shots of different parts of the Moon and put them together as a mosaic. This can be done with free software when you are ready to have a go at it. I guarantee that you will, like all of us, join the "missed a bit" club on your first few attempts!!

Luckily planets are smaller and can be done as single shots.

What did you use to stack your image? If it was Registax for the stacking did you use version 5 or 6? 5 is much easier to use as 6 hates any drift at all in the video - which you are bound to get with a manual Dob.

[MarkMayf]

The focus was definitley off. As you say James, twiddling the focus screw, tracking and watching a screen all at once isn't easy!

Also the seeing was terrible. The image was shimmering like a warm road!

[MarkMayf]

Well done for a first attempt. With webcam imaging to get a full disc you will need to take a whole series of shots of different parts of the Moon and put them together as a mosaic. This can be done with free software when you are ready to have a go at it. I guarantee that you will, like all of us, join the "missed a bit" club on your first few attempts!!

Luckily planets are smaller and can be done as single shots.

What did you use to stack your image? If it was Registax for the stacking did you use version 5 or 6? 5 is much easier to use as 6 hates any drift at all in the video - which you are bound to get with a manual Dob.

Now you've complicated it further!

I used version 6. Time for a 'downgrade?'

[JamesF]

In my experience both Registax 5 and 6 seem to be a bit unreliable at times. I've not noticed any particular problems with Registax 6 and movement of the target though, and most of my captures suffer from that.

I'd install both and if one doesn't work, give things a try in the other.

James

[Bizibilder]

Version 5 is much more tolerant of drift. If you want a walkthrough ask and I will try and set up a quick version for you.

[MarkMayf]

Yes please Bizibilder. A walkthrough would be great!

[Bizibilder]

OK This is for Registax 5 (6 is pretty much the same).

Run registax and leave all the default settings alone!

Click Select and choose your .avi and open it. You will see the first frame of the .avi on the screen. There is a slider (Yellow - next to the green box at the bottom of the screen) - slide this to the right to run through your .avi. As you move back and forth find a "good" frame ie one that seems to be sharp and have some detail. Stop on that frame.

Pick an alignbox size (256 will do for starters)and place it over an area with good contrast - some craters will do) and click once. A box will be "fixed" on your frame. (Don't put it close to the edge).

Find the Quality Settings on the left and using the arrows (or typing in the box) set lowest quality to 90.

Click on Align (It is at the top left and is underlined in green to signify that this is what you should be doing).

You will see a progress bar at the bottom left and a counter xxx/yyyy at the bottom centre along with a countdown clock.

When Align has finished the counter (bottom centre) will say something like 20/1200 where 20 is the number of frames that are in the top 90% (which you set earlier) that Registax wants to stack. The other number is the total number of frames in your .avi.

Play with the "lowest quality" setting and see what happens to the frame count (first number) BUT keep the quality at 80% or greater if you can.

When you are happy click on Limit (underlined in green at the top left) - not much happens!!!

Look at the top left and you will see two buttons "Optimise" and "Optimise and stack" - Click on "Optimise and stack".

Watch along the bottom of the screen for the progress bar and frame counter and timer.

When all done you will see "Wavelets" highlighted in blue at the top and a "Do All" button available - Don't click it (Yet!).

There are six wavelet sliders and all I can advise is play with them! Logically start with the top one and move it to the right until the image is sharpened without any strange artifacts (you'll know if you have gone too far). To reset the wave slider just right click onit.

Then do slider two and so on - You may only need to move the top two, or all of them - as I said you cannot define what to do with the sliders as every image is different.

When you are finally happy click on "Do All" at the top. That will make your slider changes "permanent". When Do All is done you can click on "Save Image" at the top and save your image - I usually save as a TIFF.

That's it - All done. There are quite a few more tricks with Registax but the above should at least get you going for the first few run-throughs.

Hope it helps.

[MarkMayf]

That's excellent, thank you!

Here is another image from the same .avi following your guide:

A whole lot more shadow detail is in this one.

[Bizibilder]

That's better! Just to be picky - next time you set up get the exposure right for the brightest part of the shot and let the shadows take care of themselves. If only the clouds would clear!!!

[MarkMayf]

Picky is good, I want to improve!

[JamesF]

Yes, looks good. What you want to avoid is reaching the point where either your exposure or subsequent processing "blows out" the brightest parts of the image. If that happens then you know you've overcooked it. If it's in the exposure then there's not much you can do about it, but if it happens in the processing it's just a sign that you've pushed things too far, so you go back and try again.

James

[Ganymede12]

That image is definitely an improvement (and already better than me!)

Keep it up and I expect one of you pictures to appear in Sky at Night!

[MarkMayf]

I tried again last night, albeit on a different area of the moon. I specifically wanted a shot of Mare Tranquillitatis after this weeks events.

I turned the exposure down as low as it would go. I now realise it was in auto for the last photo! I still had trouble with focus. Around the limb I could focus well, but deeper in I struggled.

This is my best effort from three .avis

[michael.h.f.wilkinson]

Focus is OK, but perhaps the exposure is a tad low. I use the "live histogram" feature available in many capture programs (under varying names) to ensure the range of values in each channel is near saturation, but not saturated (at bot dark and light sides of the histogram), so I use almost the full range of the analog to digital converter (say a range of 3 to 245 used). I do this per channel. Colour balance can be adjusted afterwards.

[DazC]

Hi Mark,

your images are really good, especially as a beginner. I am just starting to dabble with AP. Last night i took my first few clips with a web cam, so i am so glad i read this post.

Bizibilder, your walkthrough is a god send, all i can think about at work today is getting home from work to start prosessing with Registax. To be honest i was quite worried i wouldn't be able to get my head around it, but with your walk through i'm sure it will be much easier now.

Thanks.

D.C