Imaging advice-moon

[prasadka]

Hi

I am about to do some imaging of the moon tonight on my C8N + DSLR. I dont plan to use any filters(coz I dont have any . Can anyone suggest me how do I go about not hurting my eye. I thought of bringing the aperture down by using the cap provided by celestron which has a small opening that i can use.

Would handholding a polariser in front of the smaller aperture work?

Any other suggestions?

Cheers,

Prasad

[Kai]

I would suggest a very short exposure when capturing the moon and focus on the terminator to save your eye when focussing.

[moondog]

Light is good for imaging the moon, don't use a filter. Focussing through the DSLR focusser will reduce the brightness anyway.

The extra light will enable you to choose a lower ISO and a faster shutter speed. The lower ISO to get a smoother image and the faster speed to counteract the 'wobbling' of the moon due to the atmosphere.

Collect 10 or 15 images of the same object on the moon and stack them with the free program 'Registax'

You should get reasonable images provided you take care in focussing properly. It may only take you a few seconds to capture the image but it could take you 10 or 15 mins to get good focus first. Don't rush this part.

Good luck - hope it's clear.

MD

[cloudyskies]

:moon:

[cloudyskies]

hi prasad.

if your camera has a video output try connecting this up to a portable tv by the scope.

its alot easier to focus while looking at the tv screen than the view finder.

regards andy.

ps dont know what happend with that last post.

[prasadka]

Thanks for the tips.One problem seems to be that I cannot see very well through the DSLR view finder because teh eye piece was way out of reach for me. My DSLR does not have a video port, but i think it is possible to shoot through my laptop. I will have to give it a try later on.

Regards,

Prasad

[daz]

Prasad

You can rotate the tube in its rings.

Level the tube, loosen the two bolts on the ring, and then carefully rotate the tube so the EP is a comfortable position.

[Kenny_10_Bellys]

The viewfinder issue is a common one, that's why people tend to use Canons for this as they can be output to a laptop with the right software, meaning you dont have to be a contortionist to see in the viewfinder. You can also buy a right-angle viewer add-on for the eyepiece of your camera so that you can view it from above, much like scopes use normally. It makes life that bit easier for you.