The moon with Lodestar X2

[HiloDon]

Hi All,

Had a strange thing happen tonight.  It look like a perfect clear night.  I set up my SW100ED with a .8FR and the NB Ha filter on the Lodestar X2.  Just as I was focusing clouds move in and covered the whole sky.  They were light and you could still see the moon through the haze, so I slewed to it to see what it looked like.  i was pleasantly surprised.  Here are a couple of captures.  The caption says F9, but I forgot to change it.  I think I'm at about F7.  First lunar images I've gotten with the Lodestar.

[f15p5]

Very nice Don, suprised X@ could do moon! Was under the impression it was DSO only. Thanks!

[HiloDon]

Very nice Don, suprised X@ could do moon! Was under the impression it was DSO only. Thanks!

For the most part the Lodestar X2 and X2C are only for DSO's.  This was an unusual case where I had a fairly thick cloud cover and a narrow band Ha filter installed.  Lodestar Live software only has .02 seconds as the shortest exposure, not short enough to do lunar or planetary.  

Don

[Paul81]

Those have come out really well Don! I am surprised too - I had written the Lodestar off completely for this kind of work (I have an ASI120MM for lunar and planetary).

I guess keeping a shorter focal length and with a strong ND (and maybe IR pass) to drain away the majority of the light some good results are possible.

[Mac4Lyfe]

Very nice...  I'll have to keep this in mind when I'm clouded out which seems to be all the time in Houston.

[arkosg]

Wow Don!

All I've ever gotten is blown out lunar images every time I've tried with the Lodestar (my Mallincam can shoot shorter exposures, so it works for Lunar imaging).  I've even tried using a neutral density filter, but I could never keep the Lodestar exposures from blowing out, even at the minimum LL exposures time.  Nice job!

- Greg A

[HiloDon]

Thanks, everyone. It was just a chance thing. The cloud cover was thick enought to provide just the right amount of filtering together with the NB Ha filter. I was wondering if the the Ha filter improved the contrast as well. I thought the detail was pretty good for such a low res camera. If you try using Lodestar Live for lunar or planetary, remember that exposures under 250ms are at half resolution. These used 1s.

Don

[orion25]

Clouds can come in handy sometimes, LOL! If they're not too thick. Nice imaging work

Reggie

[nytecam]

Nice one Don - the Cloud Filter Tip - here's one I needed recently on the moon below via 30cm f/2 SCT stopped down to a 1/2" annulus* +L-Mx2 in 1ms [1/1000s] under SX s/w - left = clear sky; right = thin cloud

* annulus used to test here [and on other terrestial subjects] that the FR in f/2 mode was not vignetting the scope aperture at the very edge as had been suggested elsewhere