Jupiter 26 May 2018

[geoflewis]

I wasn't sure if this should be posted under obsrrving or imaging, but since there is an image, I've posted here.

I had a few neighbours around this evening so that they could personally observe the GRS which was transiting at a respectable time, though sadly too late for their children (mum and dad taking shifts between their home and my obs). Views at x300 in a darkening blue sky between 9:30 and 10:30 were excellent, so much so that my guests wanted to see how I capture the data to produce a final image. They saw first hand the fun and games of me trying to get an image on the camera chip.. ?. I then demostrated how very subtle focus changes affected the image quality observed through the live feed on my laptop. I did a quick IR filter capture, ran it through AS3! and Registax to show them how the software takes a boiling video stream, converting it to a sharp single image - I got a few 'wows' when the sharp image appeared on screen even though only mono B&W. I explained that to get a colour image I had to run a series of videos through R,G, B filters and combine them.

They didn't seem too bored at the detailed process and asked if was possible to have an image of what they'd seen to share with the children, so I agreed to see what I could get tonight. Typically, it wasn't long after they left that clouds started to build and unfortunately I had to image through light passing cloud, just having enough time for a single RGB-RGB-RGB run, before I lost the sky completely.

Since any further astro was not possible, I decided to process what I'd captured, so that I can share it with them tomorrow (well that's now later today...!!). It's far from my best Jupiter image, but hopefuly it will be a nice record of what they actually observed half and hour earlier...

Hope you all enjoy it too..

Regards, Geof

[Davey-T]

Had the same problem, got back from a trip to catch Mercury, set up for Jupiter and clouds arrived though they were forecast by CO to be fair, just had time to get it focused.

Was hoping for a clear night to image Saturn and Mars.

Dave

[MarsG76]

After the fun and games, you have a fine Jupiter result.

 

[dyfiastro]

Cracking shot.

[geoflewis]

8 minutes ago, MarsG76 said:

After the fun and games, you have a fine Jupiter result.

 

Thanks ?

[geoflewis]

9 minutes ago, dyfiastro said:

Cracking shot.

Thanks

[morimarty]

Well done Geof thats a really decent image. Your friends and neighbours will be talking about it for months to come. now if you can image saturn at a decent hour so the children can watch they will be talking about it for the rest of there lives.?

[geoflewis]

5 minutes ago, morimarty said:

Well done Geof thats a really decent image. Your friends and neighbours will be talking about it for months to come. now if you can image saturn at a decent hour so the children can watch they will be talking about it for the rest of there lives.?

Thanks Martyn,

Yes, that is the plan.... ? and you are so correct about Saturn; I still recall my first sight of it with nearly 50 years ago with a 4" Charles Franks newtonian that my paraents purchased for me after I got good O-Level results.

We've tried to get the children to see Jupiter a few times, but they are very young. One family has a 6 year old and the other family has 2 slightly older children, but both under 10. The earlier that Jupiter transited as this Springprogressed was offset by the lighter evenings, so I was chasing my tail trying to find a suitable opportunity, especially with the GRS in view. I suggested this evening, but 9:30 was just way too late on a school day, though mums and dads, plus a third older neighbour were all keen to take a look. Hopefully the summer holidays will allow more flexibilty with both Saturn and Mars reaching opposition later this year and the evenings darkening ealier.

Cheers, Geof

[celestron8g8]

Nice capture !

[geoflewis]

1 minute ago, celestron8g8 said:

Nice capture !

Thanks Ron

[jock1958]

Lovely image Geof ? Great to see you are involving family and neighbours ? 

Seeing in South Wales was very good, followed the transit of the GRS also lots of action in the NEB.  To tired to stay up for Mars....maybe tonight!

  

[geoflewis]

32 minutes ago, jock1958 said:

Lovely image Geof ? Great to see you are involving family and neighbours ? 

Seeing in South Wales was very good, followed the transit of the GRS also lots of action in the NEB.  To tired to stay up for Mars....maybe tonight!

  

Thanks Jock,

Well neighbours anyways, as for the life of me I can't get my wife interested in anything astronomy. Even when I showed her Saturn a few years ago she just said, 'that's nice, can I go now, I'm getting cold...'. It's particularly great to get the young ones interested, hopefully they will have lifetime memories and always look to the heavens in future with the same wonder and pleasure that we on here all experience.

It's been great to have a sustained period of good seeing, I can't remember the last time I headed out to the scope night after night expecting to see something good. Of course it would have to coincide with bad weather on Mars, where I understand that the dust storm has gone global blocking almost all detail except the polar ice cap, so you probably didn't miss much. Hopefully it will clear over the coming weeks and hopefully we will still have some good seeing.....

Cheers, Geof

[orion25]

Great image, Geof. And now, there is a memento from that nice evening! Yes, when they rise at a decent hour, Saturn and Mars will be worthy targets for more memorable experiences!

Reggie

[U Cyg]

Nice capture.

Angie

[geoflewis]

2 hours ago, orion25 said:

Great image, Geof. And now, there is a memento from that nice evening! Yes, when they rise at a decent hour, Saturn and Mars will be worthy targets for more memorable experiences!

Reggie

Thanks Reggie,

Yes, this hobby is all the better when we can share it with others and even better to be able to provide them with a memento.

Cheers, Geof

[geoflewis]

1 hour ago, U Cyg said:

Nice capture.

Angie

Thanks Angie,

It was a bit of a smash and grab after a good hour or so viewing with my neighbours. The sky transparency was rapidly fading making it necessary to adjust the exposure on the fly, but the seeing remained pretty good right up to finally losing Jupiter to cloud at the start of my last Blue filter run.

Geof

[Stub Mandrel]

I think the kids will love that.

[jock1958]

6 hours ago, geoflewis said:

Well neighbours anyways, as for the life of me I can't get my wife interested in anything astronomy. Even when I showed her Saturn a few years ago she just said, 'that's nice, can I go now, I'm getting cold...'.

Ha ha my wife's exactly the same, managed to get her out to look at the moon a few weeks ago and her reactions were more or less the same!! 'boys and their toys' Just a pity there's not more boys toys shops in the UK ?