Jupiter and Mars imaging - help needed

[Cosmic Geoff]

I recently bought a Celestron Neximage Solar System Imager (an entry level planetary camera, and the cheapest of the Celestron video cameras). My ultimate aim is to take planetary pictures that surpass what can be seen with the eye through the same instrument. For practice, I tried it with all five of my telescopes on the moon, with varying results.

More recently, I got up early and tried imaging Jupiter and Mars using a Celestron 127mm Mak of 1500mm fl mounted on an EQ-5. (11 Feb, around 06.30hrs) The results (below) are rather meh, and I am wondering how to improve things.  It is hard to get the focus right and to adjust the exposure in the supplied icap software.  The camera seemed to work fine in daylight but on astronomical objects there seems to be an annoying tendency for the image to either burn out or disappear altogether.  It also unhelpfully tends to disappear when out of focus.

On the morning of the 12th I added a x2 Barlow in an effort to boost the image scale which as can be seen was too small. Unfortunately despite trying for half an hour I could not get Jupiter on the screen at all. Visually the Barlow is almost parfocal and I tried aiming the scope with a 25mm eyepiece with and without the Barlow. But nothing. I got some video without the Barlow, but no better than the previous night.

Has anyone any suggestions, or am I nearing the limits of what this combo can do?

 

[Cosmic Geoff]

I have found few images online taken with this camera (#93709), and even fewer that look good.

That's not encouraging.

[Stub Mandrel]

I think you ought to be able to equal the results from any ordinary webcam with it. This picture was with a Microsoft Lifecam cinema on my 150PL (1200mm focal length) with x2 barlow. I get better pictures with my ZWOASI120MC, but the neximage ought to be competitive with the Lifecam.

Try Sharpcap instead of the supplied software.

Practice using the various controls in daylight. You need to use manual exposure and keep the exposure as short as possible without having the gain turned up (or the images will be noisy).

Set up for the evening and let the scope cool as long as you can.

Align on a bright star without using the barlow and focus using an eyepiece.

Swap in the camera and get the star dead central on the camera chip AND your finder.

Then swap in the barlow without moving anything. It should be possible to re-find the star just by focusing.

Realign on the star and check the finder.

Refocus on the bright star. ideally using a bahtinov mask (you can make usable one by cutting a 'cnd symbol'  out of a cereal packet that will do the job) the star will have three 'rays' get them to all cross at the same point.

Now target your planet - at these focal lengths expect to have to search a bit but DON'T change the focus.

You need to capture at least a minute and ideally a couple of minutes video, that's 3-7,000 frames at 30 frames a second.

Use PIPP to crop the video to  the planet.

Stack using Autostakkert 3 or Registax.

Use different quality settings to try stacking between 10% and 50% of your frames. If the images look good, you can see if 'drizzle' brings out more detail.

Finish by processing in Registax (wavelets) or Astra Image (deconvolution) to bring out detail.

[martinl]

There is undoubtedly a learning curve with planetary imaging. Fortunately, there are people willing to help and once you get the basics you realise the learning curve is not as steep as you might have feared.

I second everything Neil has already written. In addition, I cannot recommend the tutorials in the link below enough. They cover everything from equipment to processing in a very pedagogical way and got me off to a very good start. 

Hang in there. It’s worth it!

http://planetaryimagingtutorials.com/

[Cosmic Geoff]

Thanks Stub Mandrel and MartinL for your replies. I will follow your advice and the link and keep trying.

[Pete Presland]

Jupiter and Mars are not ideally positioned at the moment for imaging. Mars especially is still a long way from opposition, so is very small presently. The seeing conditions have also been poor for some time, so you are probably near the limits of the conditions, not the equipment. 

When switching to the Barlow it might be worth making the image very bright before you do, by increasing the exposure and gain/gamma settings. when you insert the Barlow/camera you should see a dim doughnut shape if the planet is out of focus and still in the field of view.

Have you had a practice on a brighter object like the Moon ?

[Stub Mandrel]

6 hours ago, Pete Presland said:

When switching to the Barlow it might be worth making the image very bright before you do

That's very good advice.

It also allows you to defocus so that if the planet/star is slightly outside the frame you can see enough of its out of focus halo to find it again.

[Cosmic Geoff]

I had another go today and managed to get a video of Venus with the 127mm Mak and of Uranus with the C8.   I wasn't sure if I could video anything that dim.  Not the world's best pics but getting a picture was a result.

The SLT and SE GoTo mounts can be used if it is necessary to Find Things (as for Venus and Uranus).

I also figured out why I had been unable to get a picture through the Barlow lens  and got it focused on Castor.

[Science562h]

The camera is descent for basic images. It got me up & going. I still have it. Here are some pics, with the same NexImage Solar System Camera, using an Orion Apex 127mm MAK on the same SLT mount you mentioned. Jupiter is currently in opposition, May 2018. Just slide your "brightness," down, if you want to or leave it. Don't mess, with gamma or contrast. I have more specifics for your exact combo, if you want. I always start, with a 1 minute video and make sure, everything is in check. No barlow, no filters & no focal reducers. The videos were taken, using the diagonal prism. I didn't even prime focus image.