Zwo-nderful...!

[Mak One]

Apologies for being late to the ZWO party.  9 April was the first go at the moon with a new ASI120MM - a step up from the old Neximage.  Seeing was very good, but the camera amazed me.  Such detail, even in the video stream, let alone after running through Registax.  Here's a few from an excellent night.  All from 500 frames with the 150 Mak.  No filters.  Captured in Sharpcap.

Archimedes region:

Copernicus and Montes Apenninus:

Mare Frigoris:

Mare Nubium & Tycho:

Mare Vaporum & Sinus Medii:

Montes Alpes:

Tycho & Clavius:

There's more, but that'll do for now.  Come to think of it, give me a moment and I'll conjure up some mosaics...

Thanks for looking.

[Virgoman]

A fine set of images indeed Ash and a great lunar tour! Welcome to the party!!

                                                  Best regards,

                                                                         Ralph

[knobby]

They really are very good !

Well done

[Mak One]

Thanks both.  The mosaics:

Montes Apenninus and Caucasus:

Mountains around Imbrium:

Sinus Medii and Mare Vaporum:

South Pole:

[JamesF]

Very nice images

James

[Mak One]

Thanks James

This might be a question better suited for the cameras section but I found an interesting variation in the frame rates available at the various resolutions/regions of interest offered for the ZWO by the Sharpcap2 software.  For a few smaller frames (or the 640x480 binned option) the maximum rate got to around 90fps, but the usual for the largest frames was around 25-30fps, which is OK.  Yet on the following nights for frames of the same large resolution, it struggled around 10-15fps or worse.  Any reason for this other than my ancient Vista-ridden laptop having a random go-slow?  Would the exposure values or level of detail in the image make a difference?

[oldpink]

exposure will effect the frame rate the shorter the exposure the faster the frame rate

[michael.h.f.wilkinson]

Very nice collection of images. They are nice, hassle-free cameras, I find.

[JamesF]

I think there's some strange stuff going on in the camera firmware or in the sensor hardware somewhere that affects exposure times, too.  I suspect the latter in fact as the QHY5L-II seems to behave the same way.  I've not quite put my finger on what the actual issue is yet though.

James

[sologuitarist61]

Nice detail in those shots Ash!

[Mak One]

Thanks Richard.  There's a couple of shots with a 2.5x Barlow somewhere to work up too. I've a feeling they'll be a bit soft as I still struggle with focus at that f/l with the Mak.  Subsequent nights show what a difference seeing makes as results with the same kit weren't anything like as good - back to the "reading a paper at the bottom of swimming pool" views.

[Mak One]

Here we go then.  The 2.5x Luminos barlow shots to complete the set from 09 April.  Working north-south:

Montes Alpes:

Ptolemaeus group:

(I like the detail in the Promontorium Taenarium area)

Tycho & Clavius:

Individual panes:

Copernicus:

Erastothenes:

Mons Hadley:

They're not super-crisp, but I think they came out better than I expected.  Anyway, thanks for looking again!