My first attempt at Mars

[Starflyer]

I decided to have a crack at Mars last week - what I didn't realise was how tiny it would be

(click to enlarge)

I had another go the following morning, I tried to stack my 3x TAL Barlow with the 2x that came with the 'scope. Very poor results second time around. I'm guessing I tried for too much magnification combined with the low quality 2x Barlow.

I grabbed a couple of shots of Venus and I'll get one posted when I get around to processing it.

Comments and critique most welcome.

Cheers,

Ian

[mark RD]

Good first attempt

RD

[GazOC]

Great first bash. Plenty of surface detail and the polar cap is easy to see.

[beamish]

EH nice one Ian !!

Karlo

[mik]

Good image Ian well done

Mick.

[Roy Batty]

Great result.

I've got a mate who's got a SW130PM, bet he'll be green with envy when he sees what can be achieved with this scope. BTW what mount do you use for the scope?

RB

[Rob]

Nice going... I'd be very pleased with that!

Rob

[dogfish]

Hi bro,

Well done again. I can't wait for my new gear to arrive (and the clouds to clear) so I can have a crack at this.

Cheers, Martin

[gary1968]

Very nice Ian, I'm looing forward to having a go at imaging Mars myself, if the darn sky would ever clear.........

Gary A

[Starflyer]

Thanks for the comments everyone

Great result.

I've got a mate who's got a SW130PM, bet he'll be green with envy when he sees what can be achieved with this scope. BTW what mount do you use for the scope?

Hi Roy, it's the standard Skywatcher EQ2 mount / tripod that's supplied with the scope, the one with the RA drive. It's a bit lightweight and takes a while to settle after each focus attempt, but it's okay.

Hi Martin: Looking forward to seeing your images of Mars and the others that'll surely follow - imaging is far too addictive, I keep hoping my numbers will come up. Speaking of which it's a roll-over tonight, fingers crossed

Hi Gary: Hoping for clear skies for you in the very near future and looking forward to seeing more of your images. I tried for some more images of the moon the other night. It was crystal clear but I had to wait for it to clear next door's roof - five minutes after it was high enough the clouds rolled in typical.

Cheers,

Ian

[barkis]

Pretty fine result Ian. Mars is still a long way from being Ideal for imaging, although you pulled off a decent shot there.

It's getting closer by the minute though

Ron.

[legion48]

Great capture Ian. I've just seen your Venus too. Brilliant.