At what point is the moon too bright for DSO AP?

[PhotoGav]

So... We finally have a proper clear night that is forecast to be clear all night... However, the moon is in the sky. It's at 55% and sets at 02:48.

The question is: Is there any point in setting up and attempting to photograph say, The Rosette Nebula? The temptation is there, but should I resist and just enjoy Stargazing Live and perhaps do a little processing?! Then, if I am awake enough, set up at around 2am when it starts to get properly dark...? Would probably have to choose another target by then, but you get the idea!

Opinions please...

[swag72]

I will image up to quite a full moon ............. in Ha and with the target as far away from the damn thing as I can get. I have given up on all other types of imaging certainly as it gets past 50%. If the moon is too close to where I want to go, I sit on the sofa and moan. Also, I will pick bright targets, faint ones are useless.

[PhotoGav]

Thank you Sara. That is the answer I was expecting, but sort of hoped that perhaps it might be possible, by some miracle...

Looks like I will just have to sit on the sofa and moan!

[Leveye]

A full moon is always an issue with me even close to it's setting on the horizon. A less than 50 percent crescent however poses little problems for me just over half set. I also use a CLS light pollution filter which really helps. Here is one i took the other night with the crescent moon out.

Flame and Horsehead with the Z and PHD2 (1 of 1)-3 by Leveye, on Flickr

[PhotoGav]

Thanks Chris. Nice pic by the way! I think I'm going to have to be very grown up and resist the temptation and subsequent frustration!

[frugal]

I curently have an A3 sheet of craft foam wrapped around the end of the camera lens to act as a giant lens hood to keep any direct light from the moon or the street lights off of the end of the camera lens.

I would put up an image, but Tapatalk dies in sshame everytime I try to attach the photo

Sent from my GT-N7000 using Tapatalk

[all-on-black]

I've just been out this evening, though I forgot to charge my battery so midway through my imaging plan the scope came to a stand still! However, the few photo's I got as testers came out very light compared to normal. Just gotta stay away from it! Or, as I did, go straight at it!

[PhotoGav]

Well, it seems fairly conclusive that bright moon = night off from imaging with my current set-up... Apart from the moon.

Great pic there @all-on-black. Is that with the modded camera, hence the reddish tinge?

As it happens, there has been quite a bit of broken low-ish cloud around here in Wiltshire anyway!

[all-on-black]

Yup modded DSLR. Its great though i havent had a propper play with it yet. Shame my battery died because its the clearest (not the darkest though!) Ive seen it in a long time!

[lensman57]

So... We finally have a proper clear night that is forecast to be clear all night... However, the moon is in the sky. It's at 55% and sets at 02:48.

The question is: Is there any point in setting up and attempting to photograph say, The Rosette Nebula? The temptation is there, but should I resist and just enjoy Stargazing Live and perhaps do a little processing?! Then, if I am awake enough, set up at around 2am when it starts to get properly dark...? Would probably have to choose another target by then, but you get the idea!

Opinions please...

I have either been brave or stupid tonight, my first two targets were right next to the bright Moon and that is with an OSC camera, mind you between the clouds and the Moon I am not keeping my hops high. Right now I am praying for just one hour of clear sky I can do something with M97. Will let you know of the outcome.

Regards,

A.G

[PhotoGav]

Good luck! I look forward to seeing some results and your opinion on whether it's possible to get decent results or not.

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[steppenwolf]

I wouldn't really recommend imaging the Rosette Nebula with an OSC camera with the Moon as it was tonight but that didn't stop me - in desperation to just get out there at last! No prize winner for sure but it was a fun if brash challenge.....

[ollypenrice]

Good Rosette from Steve, there. More moonless data should nail it.

I can't see how an LP filter can help on the moon. The moon reflects close to a normal solar spectrum so it kills the contrasts. The exception is Ha. This is the only kind of DS imaging I'll ever do in any significant moonlight. When push comes to shove I'll catch some colour on the other side of the sky to a sub first/last quarter moon and then photoshop it, but I doubt I do that more than once a year. There is no way round it, the moon is a noise monster. I think even a quarter moon impacts nastily on Ha, though the 3 nanometer Astrodon is a powerful (and expensive!) defense.

So no moonlit imaging for me. Bed time!!

Olly

[PhotoGav]

Thank you for putting more nails in the moonlight/imaging coffin. Though Steve, that's a great pic! Roll on the end of the month!

[StuartJPP]

Clear nights should not be wasted however. I still go out there, not necessarily to image but to test and tweak kit. That way I will hopefully be ready if we ever get a suitable moonless night.

If you have your kit perfectly set up and you are 100% satisfied with its performance then it probably isn't necessary ...however perhaps on these nights you might want to test MetaGuide instead of PHD for instance...or a different Bahtinov mask etc.

[steppenwolf]

Thank you for putting more nails in the moonlight/imaging coffin. Though Steve, that's a great pic!

Posted more in jest than anything else, this was NOT the night for OSC imaging as, let's be honest, my image shows - BUT it was just such a coincidence that my fun session so closely matched the original question's parameters!!

Narrowband imaging certainly helps to combat the Moon but it is no silver bullet, I'm with Olly, 'the Moon is a noise monster'!! You should have seen the gradients I had to remove :grin: