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Saturn - Through Celestron 6SE


Michael_E

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Hi Everyone

This is only my 2nd attempt at imaging planets, so on 30th April I focused on Saturn. Also was my first time viewing Saturn through the eyepiece and "WOW" what a fabulous sight it was too.

Im not exactly sure how to image the planet properly, so decided to run 1500 frames as my SPC900NC only does 10fps using my new Celestron Nexstar 6SE. Stacked and wavelets done through Regestax 6.

I'm not entirely sure how bright or dim the image should be so I have added 2 of each. Could someone please tell me if the colour is right and which is the correct brightness.

I hope you like them. Thanks for looking. :lol:

Saturn using SPC900 & 2x Barlow:

SaturnBig430_04_201323_41_03.jpgSaturnBig30_04_201323_26_37.jpg

Saturn with SPC900 with no Barlow :

SaturnSmall30_04_201323_00_44.jpgSaturnSmall330_04_201323_09_52.jpg

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Luvly :)

I've only managed to see that amount of Saturn detail through my 6SE using the eye piece - so far, although I get very few chances to actually use my scope these days.

The Celestron barlow is working well too!

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A big "Thank You" to Michael, Steve, Bryan, James, Ben and Cath for the positive comments. Always makes all the effort worth it.

I am just starting out, so to know I am heading in the right direction is good to know, plus it gives me confidence to push on as much as I can to improve future images.

One Question:

When collecting frames for avi's, how many is a good number for imaging Saturn? I collected 1500 over 2mins30secs. Do you recommend more or less? Im also on Alt-Az mount so rotation maybe an issue?

Bryan - You are right, it certainly is a bright object in the eyepiece so should reflect that in the image. I was worried not to over push the processing as I am not sure yet if i am over exagerating the colour/contrast/brightness etc. Hopefully, once I get used to what my scope can produce (rather than compare with other images from bigger scopes) I will learn the limits when processing. Hope you will tell me off if you notice my future images going too far. ;)

Cath - Good to know someone else uses the same scope as me. I still have trouble with accurate slewing after alignment, but hope to iron out these problems soon. I hope you are able to use the scope more soon. :)

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The short answer to how many frames you should collect is probably "as many as you can" :)

There are some limiting (and mitigating) factors however. Obviously Saturn is spinning, and at a fair rate, too. Ideally therefore you want to collect as many frames as possible before the effects of Saturn's rotation cause blurring in your image. Exactly how long that is depends on quite a few things such as the camera pixel size, the focal length of the scope etc. With the 6SE and SPC900 I'd say that up to five minutes worth of capture would be fine.

If you do capture more data there is a piece of software called WinJupos that may help "unwind" the rotation. This allows you to capture more data and hopefully get a better image as a result. It's probably best forgotten about when you're starting out :)

Should you care for the maths behind it all, I wrote some bits up about it here:

http://www.tanstaafl.co.uk/2012/03/focal-ratio-capture-length-planetary-imaging/

James

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Thanks a lot James for such a concise answer.

So I should be able to collect double the frames than before. Hopefully should get some more detail and clarity in my next image. I know with Jupiter that 2 mins is about the maximum (I think) before blurring happens. So 5 mins is very good to know.

Not heard of WinJupos before. Will certain search for that. The option of de-rotation in registax, is that the same thing rotating the images? The rotation is certainly a problem with my mount, but good to know there is something that can correct it. Shame there isn't one for long exposures hehe.

I will also study the maths post you have done. Not sure i will understand it all but I do like maths.

Thanks again.

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I've not looked at the derotation in Registax. With v6 I've found Registax to be very intolerant of anything but the best quality data. AutoStakkert!2 appears far more reliable for stacking so that's what I now use. Once the image is stacked then I just switch to Registax for wavelets and other post-processing.

James

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I've not looked at the derotation in Registax. With v6 I've found Registax to be very intolerant of anything but the best quality data. AutoStakkert!2 appears far more reliable for stacking so that's what I now use. Once the image is stacked then I just switch to Registax for wavelets and other post-processing.

James

Thats interesting to know James thanks. My images were very poor on the avi's so I might try them again through AutoStakkert to see the difference.

Good effort Michael. I wouldn't worry about rotational blur at this scale. You would be fine with 10 min avis. The only blurring going on is caused by the low elevation of Saturn in the UK. :embarrassed:

Thanks for that Stuart. Trust me to star my new hobby when my favourite planet is so low. I'm guessing it will be some time before its high in the sky again. Look forward to more images from you.

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I have a similar set up and can't wait to have a go. Great pics!

Thanks Meteoriot. Best of luck for when you get chance to use your setup. I think you will be very pleased with the results. If you need any help, just ask. I'm still in the very early learning stage myself, but I will try and help where I can. :)

Michael

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I'm impressed. I have a similar setup to you but can't see as much banding in the rings or on the planet. You must have had much better skies or I've got to do a lot more practice at focussing!

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Just wondering what software did you use for taking the Video and did you focus by eye?

I used SharpCap to record the video. The focus I just did by eye which to be honest was very difficult due to Saturn being very dim. I must have spent 5-10 mins adjusting focus until I was kind of happy. I think my focus could have been better.

I'm impressed. I have a similar setup to you but can't see as much banding in the rings or on the planet. You must have had much better skies or I've got to do a lot more practice at focussing!

Thanks Joe. So far I have only seen Saturn on this one night so I cannot tell you how good the skies were as I need more experience, but it must have been good skies for me to get these results. Maybe beginners luck. :)

My actual avi video showed little if any detail. It was only when I used Registax and stacked the frames and adjusted wavelets that the details showed through. Many people here also use Photoshop afterwards to further improve their image. I hope to learn their techniques over time.

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It was only when I used Registax and stacked the frames and adjusted wavelets that the details showed through.

Maybe I'll try again, I only used Registrax default settings and haven't learnt the fiddly bits yet.

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Maybe I'll try again, I only used Registrax default settings and haven't learnt the fiddly bits yet.

What I would suggest Joe is to take a look on YouTube and search for registax tutorial. That's what i did. It will give you a much better idea about using wavelets and other options within registax.

Good luck Joe with your next imaging session and I look forward to seeing your results.

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  • 1 year later...

Great image from a 6se. You have pushed it to the limit there. With sharp cap I have found recording frames in mono (taking the saturation right down ) really helps remove the chromatic noise. Using this as a luminance channel then recording the colour frames. Will try to post some results on this soon.

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

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