Saturn..

[newbie alert]

Hi all..any tips on imaging Saturn please...im quite at ease with Jupiter but I find Saturn a pain and not at all easy..the only time I got the Cassini division quite bold it disappeared behind a tree before I had time to start imaging.. I use a celestron 8sct with a Skyris 236m..using rgbl baader filters..ive been trying about 50 fps and a imaging time of about 2 mins per channel..i set the gain/exposure to get a whale shaped histogram..any more ideas?

[Tommohawk]

Not sure I'm going to be able to help that much, cos am not familiar with the  camera - but you should be able to get a passable result with an 8" SCT.

Obviously you want the highest FPS you can get - but still getting a decent histo. Not sure what youre using for capture? 50FPS should be OK.

You certainly ought to be able to see the Cassini division quite easily, though of course Saturn is pretty low. Maybe a low power barlow/powermate would help?

The problem with small pixels is it can be tricky to get best optical set up. Youre at F10, so even a 2X gives F20 which is a bit much maybe.

Focussing of course is tricky - why not post your best shot and you may get some other tips. Not too much time left for Saturn so good luck!