SlimPaling Posted May 23, 2017 Share Posted May 23, 2017 Hi Folks ... I recently started trying my hand at imaging Jupiter using my APM refractor / 3x Televue Barlow / DMK mono CCD optical train for the very first time. However the results have been very disappointing After processing the video files using Registax6 and Photoshop some final images are tolerable at best ............ but mostly not good at all. Am I correct in thinking that the atmosphere has been particularly bad in recent weeks? ... or am I not focusing my optical train correctly? Jupiter was certainly bouncing around on my computer screen most of the time. I live a few miles north of Nottingham so have to look at Jupiter through the haze from the city and we seem to be under a major flight path from USA into Europe here giving us regular high haze. I almost feel that I ought to give up on planetary imaging and concentrate on other things Any comments? Mike Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
michael.h.f.wilkinson Posted May 23, 2017 Share Posted May 23, 2017 It would help if you showed a few results, but Jupiter being low in the sky does not help at all in getting good results. Atmospheric dispersion doesn't help either. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Uplooker Posted May 23, 2017 Share Posted May 23, 2017 I think you have answered your own question, seeing has been poor recently. I suspect your location does help, not to mention the con trails Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Grotemobile Posted May 23, 2017 Share Posted May 23, 2017 Hi Mike. I find that I get better results without using a Barlow lens. It just seem to magnify the Atmospheric dispersion . Give this a try. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
newbie alert Posted May 23, 2017 Share Posted May 23, 2017 You need stable air for Jupiter.. this coming week looks good on paper..only once you set up an look at it on the comp screen you will know how good it is Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SteveBz Posted May 23, 2017 Share Posted May 23, 2017 44 minutes ago, SlimPaling said: Hi Folks ... I recently started trying my hand at imaging Jupiter using my APM refractor / 3x Televue Barlow / DMK mono CCD optical train for the very first time. However the results have been very disappointing After processing the video files using Registax6 and Photoshop some final images are tolerable at best ............ but mostly not good at all. Am I correct in thinking that the atmosphere has been particularly bad in recent weeks? ... or am I not focusing my optical train correctly? Jupiter was certainly bouncing around on my computer screen most of the time. I live a few miles north of Nottingham so have to look at Jupiter through the haze from the city and we seem to be under a major flight path from USA into Europe here giving us regular high haze. I almost feel that I ought to give up on planetary imaging and concentrate on other things Any comments? Mike I feel the same way about my results, but as I concentrate on focus my photos get better. I've just started using a Bahtinov mask and that has really helped, however, I'm in the process of moving to electronic, computer driven focussing and I hope that will help even more. Here are two examples, before and after Bahtinov. But still a long way to go. No Bahtinov: With Bahtinov: As you can see, still not great, but better. If you stack out-of-focus pics, you just get better noise ratios, not better focus. And although deep sky is more forgiving because DSO are by nature fuzzy, you'll still need focus to get those really stunning ones. Regards Steve Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Craney Posted May 23, 2017 Share Posted May 23, 2017 (edited) Mike, Download a version of PIPP https://sites.google.com/site/astropipp/ This takes your AVI or SER file and stabilises the jellyfish on acid that is Jupiter, you can even crop down the results and select quality levels. This helps a bunch. I may be wrong here ( please anybody correct me....) but I use an IR cut filter to reduce any fuzziness on the CCD created by IR (even off of Jupiter) smearing out the pixels. .......oh and get focus on a nearby star using a Bahtinov mask before going for the gas giant (ie. lock that focuser down). I have tried to estimate a focus by hand as the image is dancing all over the joint, but rarely get it sweet. Keep at it..... it does get better with trial and the many errors. Sean. Edited May 23, 2017 by Craney Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
UKJay1971 Posted May 23, 2017 Share Posted May 23, 2017 Use a bahtinov on one of Jupiter's moons if you want more accurate focus. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
si@nite Posted May 23, 2017 Share Posted May 23, 2017 (edited) 5 hours ago, SlimPaling said: Hi Folks ... I recently started trying my hand at imaging Jupiter using my APM refractor / 3x Televue Barlow / DMK mono CCD optical train for the very first time. However the results have been very disappointing After processing the video files using Registax6 and Photoshop some final images are tolerable at best ............ but mostly not good at all. Am I correct in thinking that the atmosphere has been particularly bad in recent weeks? ... or am I not focusing my optical train correctly? Jupiter was certainly bouncing around on my computer screen most of the time. I live a few miles north of Nottingham so have to look at Jupiter through the haze from the city and we seem to be under a major flight path from USA into Europe here giving us regular high haze. I almost feel that I ought to give up on planetary imaging and concentrate on other things Any comments? Mike Hi mike The elevation of Jupiter will not help, its low enough to induce a lot of atmospherics, & that's not including Jetstream turbulence! Its really been a lousy few years where Jupiters concerned, only a hand full of really top notch images being produced from the uk & that's with more sensitive cameras available! Focusing & collimation are critical in high res planetary imaging, but ditch the bahtinov mask idea as focusing will always have to be tweaked especially between channels if using mono, its a better aid for dso work! As for giving it up its crossed my mind more than once! Edited May 23, 2017 by si@nite Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SlimPaling Posted May 23, 2017 Author Share Posted May 23, 2017 (edited) 6 hours ago, michael.h.f.wilkinson said: It would help if you showed a few results, but Jupiter being low in the sky does not help at all in getting good results. Atmospheric dispersion doesn't help either. Many thanks for your thoughts and suggestions. I am attaching three images that I have taken this month (they are all jpegs for easy upload) ... there are a LOT more that are just too bad to upload! I must admit that focusing is pretty difficult when the image in dancing around on my screen despite me having an electronic focuser. I did focus my CCD on a bright star before moving over to Jupiter. I do have some filters that I have not got around to using yet. I will give my filters and Bahtinov mask a go at the nest opportunity. Thanks Sean ... I will have a good look at the ASTROPIP software ... look interesting. Mike Jupiter 21st May 2017 Jupiter and Io 14th May 2017 Jupiter 1st May 2017 Edited May 23, 2017 by SlimPaling Added deatils of images 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SteveBz Posted May 23, 2017 Share Posted May 23, 2017 9 minutes ago, SlimPaling said: Many thanks for your thoughts and suggestions. I am attaching three images that I have taken this month (they are all jpegs for easy upload) ... there are a LOT more that are just too bad to upload! I must admit that focusing is pretty difficult when the image in dancing around on my screen despite me having an electronic focuser. I did focus my CCD on a bright star before moving over to Jupiter. I do have some filters that I have not got around to using yet. I will give my filters and Bahtinov mask a go at the nest opportunity. Thanks Sean ... I will have a good look at the ASTROPIP software ... look interesting. Mike Jupiter 21st May 2017 Jupiter and Io 14th May 2017 Jupiter 1st May 2017 So your focusing is already better than mine but it could be better. I've seen more finely focussed images than this produced with a 127. However, your processing is horrible. As the guy said, you can use PIPP for pre-processing your photos, but then any of the main stacking software apps will process it nicely. In fact I've written my own stacker, you can do it quite easily using Python. Good luck, Steve. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SlimPaling Posted May 23, 2017 Author Share Posted May 23, 2017 1 hour ago, SteveBz said: So your focusing is already better than mine but it could be better. I've seen more finely focussed images than this produced with a 127. However, your processing is horrible. As the guy said, you can use PIPP for pre-processing your photos, but then any of the main stacking software apps will process it nicely. In fact I've written my own stacker, you can do it quite easily using Python. Good luck, Steve. Thanks for the encouragement anyway. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
celestron8g8 Posted May 23, 2017 Share Posted May 23, 2017 I never have got a good image of Jupiter but living in the city doesn't help with LP and lots of wind in West Texas . But best shots I have got were after midnight when things got cooler and Jupiter highest at zenith . Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
astroman001 Posted May 24, 2017 Share Posted May 24, 2017 The seeing has been awful, however this week has been better. Next check collimation, look at star image either side of focus. You should have concentric rings with a small star in the middle. Can only do this under reasonable seeing conditions. Focus is hard when the image is fuzzy. Use an electric focusser if possible so you don't nudge the scope. Keep on tryung, don't give up. Peter Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SteveBz Posted May 24, 2017 Share Posted May 24, 2017 (edited) 26 minutes ago, astroman001 said: The seeing has been awful, however this week has been better. Next check collimation, look at star image either side of focus. You should have concentric rings with a small star in the middle. Can only do this under reasonable seeing conditions. Focus is hard when the image is fuzzy. Use an electric focusser if possible so you don't nudge the scope. Keep on tryung, don't give up. Peter Hi Peter, Given the topic of this discussion, you need to disclose the origins of your profile photo. If it's yours, how did you produce it. Steve. Edited May 24, 2017 by SteveBz Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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