Last Quarter

[Mandy D]

Another attempt on the Moon using my RC6, just because I love this telescope so much. Thankfully I got it focussed a bit better than last time and the sky was that bit clearer, so I think my final image is much better than last time.

Telescope: iOptron RC6

Camera: Nikon D3200

Mount: Hercules A-Z

Exposure: 1/160s, ISO-100, F/9

Frames: Best 50% of 155

Processing: PIPP for cropping and ranking, AS!3 for stacking, GIMP for final processing, sharpening and de-noise

[astrolulu]

Hi Mandy, it seems like a good practice to take a few shots and choose the best one. Without being sure about the precision of focusing, you can additionally repeat such cycles for several independent focus settings.

[Mandy D]

2 minutes ago, astrolulu said:

Hi Mandy, it seems like a good practice to take a few shots and choose the best one. Without being sure about the precision of focusing, you can additionally repeat such cycles for several independent focus settings.

I check my focus using liveview on the DSLR, then I take a photo and zoom right in to check, but I'm never happy with the view on the camera's screen. It is only when I finally get the images onto my PC and check them on a 4k monitor that I can be sure of what I have.

Are you suggesting that I focus the camera as well as I can, shoot 150 frames or so, then re-focus slightly off from where I was and repeat until I have several sets of images for stacking?

Thanks for your help. This RC seems to be hyper-critical on focussing compared to the Newt.

[astrolulu]

The display in an DSLR is actually a poor way to control focus. The more it is worth making several approaches, focusing several times. If you have trouble finding the best focus point, try to find points where sharpness deteriorates noticeably - and adjust the knob more or less evenly between these positions. If you have enough time, it is also worth taking 3 shots in each such position, because they can also differ in quality, if only due to changing weather conditions.