Baby steps

[popeye85]

OK folks so after a couple years of observing I have decided that I quite fancy getting some decent shots of the moon and planets-only problem is I don't know where on earth (deliberate pun) to begin! 

I have ordered a modified webcam that should be here in the next couple of days. I also on the process of downloading firecapture and registax. 

Can anyone provide me with what my first move should be and just a dummies guide to getting up and running. Would be much appreciated- I know the good folks on SGL have never let me down before!

Popeye.

P.s oh yes. I will be using a 200mm revelation dob but the missus also has a 150mm skywatcher with goto. ( I image you need a motorised mount for this project?)

[PeterCPC]

I would use AS!2 (Autostakkert) for stacking your video images and then use Reg6 for adjusting wavelets etc. Some people use Dobs for planetary imaging and you should be able to find threads on here about that but I could never get on with my Dob so I got an C9.25 instead. For planetary imaging you will need to get many many frames to stack so a driven mount is definitely an advantage.

Peter

[wornish]

For moon and planet shots download PIPP (Planetary Imaging Pre Processor) it makes a huge difference to stacking and its free.

[PeterCPC]

You'll probably want to get a Barlow as well.

 

Peter

 

[popeye85]

6 hours ago, PeterCPC said:

 For planetary imaging you will need to get many many frames to stack so a driven mount is definitely an advantage.

Peter

Cheers Peter-how many frames would you recommend? Or is it a CSS of the more the merrier? Plus what effect does adjusting the wavelengths have?

6 hours ago, PeterCPC said:

 

 

6 hours ago, wornish said:

For moon and planet shots download PIPP (Planetary Imaging Pre Processor) it makes a huge difference to stacking and its free.

Would you use this instead of firecapture or aswell as?

5 hours ago, PeterCPC said:

You'll probably want to get a Barlow as well.

 

Peter

 

 

All sorted! Have a 2x and a 3x. I take it that the order is camera, eye piece, Barlow?

Thanks for the help! No doubt it will start to make sense when I see it but just want to get a rough idea!

[ronin]

No eyepiece.

Scope - Barlow - Camera.

Not totally sure how strict this is but for Jupiter you may need to limit the total exposure time to 90 seconds or less, that seems to be a value I have read. Reason is just that Jupiter rotates fast and after a fairly short time enough of it has moved so that the software has problems aligning all the bits. Just keep it in mind.

[PeterCPC]

I would recommend about 3000 frames if you can get them. Wavelets allow you to sharpen the image.

Peter

[popeye85]

ok thanks.

My webcam is 30 fps so that would make it just over a minute of footage to get the 3000 frames. an this be done with a manual scope or will I need a moterised mount?

also would 3000 frames be sufficient for other targets? eg. Jupiter?

Cheers.

Popeye

[Uplooker]

Make sure that your finder is very well aligned to your scope. The sensor on the webcam is small and it can take a while to get the planet on the sensor.

Best to up the gain to the max when trying to get the planet in the frame, check your finder alignment again, it is sure to be out.

[newbie alert]

2 hours ago, popeye85 said:

ok thanks.

My webcam is 30 fps so that would make it just over a minute of footage to get the 3000 frames. an this be done with a manual scope or will I need a moterised mount?

also would 3000 frames be sufficient for other targets? eg. Jupiter?

Cheers.

Popeye

If your camera and software has a ROI(region of interest) that will help to keep the file size down and as in some cameras the frames per second up..of yours has a 30fps then just do a min of video..windupos has a de-rotate feature

A motorised mount is a must as you need to keep the target in the frame without vibrations..you cant touch the scope

[popeye85]

13 hours ago, Uplooker said:

Make sure that your finder is very well aligned to your scope. The sensor on the webcam is small and it can take a while to get the planet on the sensor.

Best to up the gain to the max when trying to get the planet in the frame, check your finder alignment again, it is sure to be out.

Perfect! Just the sort of advice I'm after! Keep it coming!

13 hours ago, newbie alert said:

A motorised mount is a must as you need to keep the target in the frame without vibrations..you cant touch the scope

OK Cheers! Take it the wind factor needs to be taken in to consideration aswell.

I hope I've not bitten off more than I can chew!!

[popeye85]

I read somewhere that you need a ir filter when doing planetary photography with a webcam- is this essential for the moon and Jupiter it can I get by without?

[Owmuchonomy]

Nothing like jumping at the deep end!  What planets are you going to image?  Only Jupiter of the easier targets is available and that is very low I'm afraid.  Unfortunately the opportunities for the next few years are very limited indeed.  Looks like lunar then so what camera do you have and then we can answer your IR question.  Is it mono or colour and how sensitive is it in the near IR?  For example my mono ASI174MM is sensitive in the near IR so a benefit can be gained by using an IR pass filter because near IR is less affected by atmospheric turbulence.  Some colour planetary cameras like the ASI290 have all pixels sensitive in near IR despite the Bayer matrix so you can use the IR pass to image in mono with them.  My link below in the signature has some examples of recent IR pass captures.

[popeye85]

To be honest I couldn't tell you how sensitive it is at it. I'm happy doing lunar for now till I get the hang of things.

It is only a cheap modified webcam-got it last week and still waiting for a opportunity to use it!!

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