Christmas Crescent

[Mak One]

Low, murky and a bit rushed to catch it before it sank too far (and Christmas Eve chores beckoned...):

10 panes 500 frames each with 150 Mak and ASI120MM + red filter.  Sharpcap2 and Registax 6.  Contrast control is really tricky at this phase - so easy to burn out details - thank goodness for the over-exposure warning in Sharpcap2!

[JB80]

Nice thin crescent there.

It can be real tricky when it's low down but that has come out well.

[Stardust]

10 panes, quite a lot to glue together with little exposure on some, nice image

[Mak One]

10 panes, quite a lot to glue together with little exposure on some, nice image

Thanks both.  I've found MS ICE is a great bit of software for glueing lunar panes together.  If you are careful with the overlaps and keep all the panes landscape it usually never fails.  Also allows output as TIFF's and JPG's so there are options for further processing in PS etc.

[Blazar]

Apologies Ash, I thought I had commented! It was a nice evening on the 24th..I did manage to get out, but my 67GB of data was ruined (as I wanted to try something new (and it affected my files)...i was a bit upset! That is a really moody looking shot. love it....

[Mak One]

Apologies Ash, I thought I had commented! It was a nice evening on the 24th..I did manage to get out, but my 67GB of data was ruined (as I wanted to try something new (and it affected my files)...i was a bit upset! That is a really moody looking shot. love it....

Thanks Steve.  67GB binned (and not 2x2 either!)   That's gotta hurt.  I'm guessing "a bit upset" is an exercise in understatement...?  What were you trying out?

[Blazar]

Thanks Steve.  67GB binned (and not 2x2 either!)   That's gotta hurt.  I'm guessing "a bit upset" is an exercise in understatement...?  What were you trying out?

Cheers bud. Weeellllll......I happened to notice a 'radio button' in my capture software that was just begging to be used.......so I did.......(it was a 16bit option)...it appears the 120mm-S does not support it..or thats what I made of the output I got given back. Never mind....all of this is a learning experience! Luckily it was Christmas day in the morning and I knew a filter wheel was on Santa's list ;-)

I do however now have over 70 AVI's on ice...literally....its damn cold out there! The seeing on the 28th was a bit iffy to start with, but improved later on (that and  a reduced cloud base!)

I really like this phase (in your image) as well. I have not managed to shoot it before, and the captures I was seeing showed the seeing to be pretty good....though there is always next month ;-)