Is RGB imaging with a mono camera any good?

[Gina]

As in the title, I'm wondering if planetary imaging would be feasible with a mono camera (ASI1600MM) and using RGB filters to obtain a colour image or would planetary rotation make this impossible?

[SkyBound]

Hi,

Lots of people do mono RGB planetary imaging...so should not be a problem at all...

[Oddsocks]

Yes, mono + RGB filters will generally give planetary images with lower chromatic noise and better definition.

You need WinJupos (free) software to de-rotate and assemble the images, Jupiter having the fastest rotation is the most demanding. WinJupos can be used for image de-rotation for all planetary imaging.

Acquisition runs in each colour are kept short to avoid smearing and with todays high frame rate cameras you can usually get enough sharp "lucky" frames in acquisition runs of just a few minutes each.

http://www.sunspot51.com/Misc/winjupos.pdf

http://jupos.org/gh/download.htm

 

[GuLinux]

I haven't tried it yet, but winjupos should be the best way to derotate your images.

It is actually very recommended to do colour planetary imaging with mono cameras + filters instead of a colour cameras, for a few reasons: bayer patterns actually gives you a certain resolution only by interpolation, so in a way you're losing a bit of resolution, and more importantly, with mono cameras you can correct for atmospheric diffraction and chromatic aberration, particularly important ad northern latitudes.

This video gives you a lot of interesting suggestions about the subject, made by a very skilled planetary imager:

 

[Owmuchonomy]

Hi Gina it is quite common to do so. You can use freeware Winjupos to derotate and combine RGB. There is another advantage to using mono which is the reason I have the ASI174MM and that is the near IR response. Not sure of the 1600 sensitivity in near IR but combined with an IR pass filter this then gives you your Lum data and decreases atmospheric impact. 

[Gina]

Thank you everyone

[Owmuchonomy]

And if you really are serious one of these .... http://www.365astronomy.com/ZWO-ADC-Atmospheric-Dispersion-Corrector.html

£££ ?

[GuLinux]

Just now, Owmuchonomy said:

And if you really are serious one of these .... http://www.365astronomy.com/ZWO-ADC-Atmospheric-Dispersion-Corrector.html

£££ ?

But as far as I understand, this is useful only for colour cameras, for mono you already have the filters helping you with that.

 

[riklaunim]

1 hour ago, GuLinux said:

But as far as I understand, this is useful only for colour cameras, for mono you already have the filters helping you with that.

 

For mono is also useful. Low planet position will give dispersion even on RGB filters. Also with ADC you can use L and other broad filters to get good luminance channel - something you don't do normally with a mono camera.

[Gina]

I bought one of those when I bought the ASI185MC