10.05.17 Jove in the Mist?

[Macavity]

Rather an inauspicious return to Planetary imaging?

I'm not TOO downhearted though! Beginning to get
processing right (better) now? (AS!2 + Registax 6)   
-- SW MAK150 Barlowed 2x into ASI120MC (colour).

"Clear" - But the whole sky appears to be veiled in MIST these days?



Always good to have a "Case for the Defence" though? 
Truth be told, I think I started all this a month too late...

[mikeDnight]

That's a truly lovely image Chris! 

I managed a quick sketch of the planet shortly before you imaged it, and although some of the detailed in the sketch are a bit intense by comparison, they correspond well with the features recorded in your image. Thanks for posting!

Just for the sake of comparison, I've taken the liberty of flipping your image to match the sketch to make it easier to relate the features. I hope you don't mind!

Mike

[CraigT82]

Nice work Chris, have you tried out the 'RGB Align' tool on registax?  It's very useful to get rid of the blue/red fringing.

• Hit the 'RGB Align' button on the right
• Manipulate the green box to encompass the planet
• Hit the 'estimate' button and give it a few moments
• Done!

 

[Macavity]

Thank you BOTH --- SGL is truly (In anticipatory mode too!) Helpful as ever...  

I shall definitely have to get "Flipping"! I have all recent images of WL & HA Solar
the right way round now. All I need to do is remember the right way for each!

Ah yes... Since you mention it, I DID notice my satellites were definitely Red/Blue
-- In addition to their being a tad "blobbly" just now. Many Thanks for that too!

(For a change) I invested modest time in finding some predictions re. the GRS...

NICE to de-mothball an "old" scope? Invested a fair bit of time in the old girl. 

With more "applied savvy" on my my part, I suspect she still has potential!

[michael.h.f.wilkinson]

Very nice scope for planetary imaging, and very nice first result, especially for just 6 inches of aperture! I get the feeling you could perhaps have stacked a few more frames to get rid of the noise. How many did you acquire, and how many did you stack?

[Macavity]

4 hours ago, michael.h.f.wilkinson said:

Very nice scope for planetary imaging, and very nice first result, especially for just 6 inches of aperture! I get the feeling you could perhaps have stacked a few more frames to get rid of the noise. How many did you acquire, and how many did you stack?

Yes - Among the other issues, there does look to be some noise too.
Always happy to have the settings I use reviewed (or improved on)! 

In my enthusiasm (and the mist?) I had allowed the exposure setting
to reach 100ms - Thus limited frame rate (obviously) to only 10fps!
I sense limiting exposure to TWO min is a max re. Jupiter's rotation?

In *practical* terms, there was only around 1000 events for stacking 
of which I only used 100! (too few) For my USB II ZWOs at full frame,
I am limited to ~18fps with my little Samsung acquisition notebooks.

BUT I NOW find I can get significantly better using ROI of 640x480. 
And still have room for Jupiter! Clearly a bit more *twiddling* could
well pay dividends (Idem a clearer night might help as well. lol).

As a final point, I reckon I'm getting about 0.2" arc per pixel for
the 150mm MAK (Barlowed 2x) --- focal length 3600mm (f/24)!
That might be a TAD optimistic for typical UK nights (or not...)? **

I think there's quite a good image lurking in there somewhere!! 

Thanks again for the comments.

** Thinking a bit more about it, maybe the arc sec per pixel is not
so bad? I was forgetting this is a COLOUR camera - Thus the pixels
size is "sort of double" 3.75 micron? Aargh - Back to my calculator! 

[Macavity]

Sometimes easier to TRY these things out? 
So with only 908(!) events to play with. Using
AS!2 "conv" files to compare in an easy way...

*********************************
One can be persuaded the NOISE is reduced?
Definitely need more data / stacked events!
*********************************

Left 100 events stacked --- Right 400 events Stacked:

 

[Macavity]

OK, just ONE more! Took the 400/908 (less noisy) stack...
+ Registax 6 using some "recommended" Jupiter settings.
RGB alignment and hopefully now the right way up too!

 

[Macavity]

Corrected above orientation again! Also processed non-Barlowed image
and made a composite with satellites (Roughly as seen in the sky!).
L to R: Io, Callisto, Europa. Ganymede had just hidden behind Jupiter!

[Pete Presland]

Getting better with every image!

[johnfosteruk]

A fine evening's work Chris, the last 2 are a testament to the power of processing when compared to the first image

 

[Macavity]

Nice to see the usual suspects some familiar faces here too...

TBH, the main thing that dissuades me from Planetary Imaging
is the canonical 1/2hr+ it takes me me to find the B* things!

Despite a couple of (wider field) Electronic Finders, I realise it
is the sub-Lunar fields that foil me? But I have a Flip Mirror +
reticle eyepiece on order! "I have a cunning plan" -- Baldrick.  

[rodrigol]

Awesome shots. Thanks for sharing. 

[Macavity]

Flip Mirror arrived anyway... (By return from 365 Astro!)
Not TOO difficult to get camera and reticle EP "parfocal".
But then it occured to me I need BOTH straight through
AND the Barlowed camera to be easily interchangeable!
(Of course this was always at the back of my mind) lol

As Nigel tufnel (Spinal Tap) might have said:
"But this one goes to Eleven!"? More bits to
buy... more experiments etc. Maybe a new
"Shorty" Barlow? Never ends, Eh Readers?