Jump to content

SkySurveyBanner.jpg.21855908fce40597655603b6c9af720d.jpg

Struggling on


TheThing

Recommended Posts

So nowhere near as good as the brilliant images shared here but... I did manage Saturn yesterday.  Albeit tiny.  I don't mind because

a) It's still fun

b) It's great having a solid goto that works at last and;

c) It can't get any worse.

My real problem is focus.  It all looks good on the screen but then in the  cold light of day, it's obviously out.  I think a Bahtinov mask and a flip mirror might be next on the list of essentials.

I've tried with Barlows, but it's the same result (only bigger!).  I think I need to seriously adjust the settings.  I've got the gain right up but maybe I should drop the exposure to 5ms rather then 25ms?  Contrast needs a bit of jig too, I think.  Next clear night I'll have to experiment.

Eventually, I'll get to a reasonable image I hope, but in the meantime, please enjoy the fruits of my labour! 

19_57_10_pipp.jpg.505973db606a45d6ef5b8ab2b3cd8227.jpg

  • Like 9
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Its not a bad Saturn, have taken plenty of shots worse than that. Saturn is very low in the sky for northern observers at the moment, so if seeing is anything less than excellent the details are not great.

Regarding exposure time, yes 5ms would be better since it is less effected by seeing. Have read on multiple occasions that less than 5ms is maybe not so useful from a seeing-dodging point and will increase noise (and mean you have to stack more frames).

Would not recommend a bahtinov mask for focusing. Its just too coarse and the focuser knob movements you will be making are so small you cant tell the difference from the bahtinov diffraction pattern. Its best to just spend a lot of time getting the focus right manually. Rack the focuser in and out and you will find the spot at which the image is in best focus fairly quickly. The last 0.1mm is the most troublesome, and the difference between good focus and a complete miss, that just takes time. Also if you found it particularly difficult to do, seeing probably played its part on that. In poor seeing it will be difficult to tell when the camera is focused, because the patches of decent seeing gaps may be few and far between.

  • Thanks 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

 

2 hours ago, TheThing said:

Eventually, I'll get to a reasonable image I hope, but in the meantime, please enjoy the fruits of my labour! 

Absolutely! 

It's best not to see this hobby as a contest. I got involved in imaging relatively recently in my astronomy career. 50 years a star gazer, 2 of which I've been an imager. 

When I first saw Saturn, Jupiter and Mars through my old 60mm refractor in the '70's there was no internet and little to compare my experience with. But that was ok because it was MY experience, my "WOW!" moment. I didn't known nor care how "wow!" it was for anyone else, it was MY moment and continues to be so.

Same with my images, such as they are. I'm no pixel peeper, far from it. The hunt is where I'm at. Image processing is very much a secondary process, a necessary evil to me!

So when I see an image form on my computer screen it's MY image, unique to me. An experience that I like to share if only to inspire others, but it continues to be MY experience.

Enjoy! :)

 

  • Like 1
  • Thanks 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

I remember my 5inch Mak being tricky to focus. I would often focus on a bright star nearby lowering the exposure so I could make the star appear and disappear on screen with a tweak of the focuser put the exposure back up and pan back to the planet. I would also spend hours learning how to collimate the scope. I got good at it so much so the hex bolts at the back of the scope looked well used. When I look back at my imaging with the Mak for every great night there might have been twenty not so good even poor ones. Keep working on your setup and capture and when Mars is high in the sky on a really still, cold minus 3 winter night later this year !!!  The results will be fantastic. These images will fill you with joy because you got to a point when you knew you couldn't get much more out of your scope. I still look at my Saturn, Jupiter and Mars images from years ago and they still make me smile and every now and then I use one as a desktop image on my computer or phone.

Edited by StarryEyed
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Are you using the Opticstar PX-126C and 200mm reflector?  Are you using Firecapture, i ask because it records a nice capture file you could post on here.

I am not sure you are going to manage an exposure of 5ms on Saturn, it is quite a dim target even for my C9.25/Asi224mc set up. I use around 15ms and a high gain setting. 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Good effort. Saturn is hard with UK skies. I think I only had one night where the Cassini division was visible enough to focus well. I always focus on my planets no stars or moon as it will depend on the seeing conditions. Most of my Saturn captures are awful but I enjoy being out at night and take the serenity and calmness, despite the weather frustrations. Keep going, ask questions and experiment. I always end up with several videos trying new things.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now
  • Recently Browsing   0 members

    • No registered users viewing this page.
×
×
  • Create New...

Important Information

We have placed cookies on your device to help make this website better. You can adjust your cookie settings, otherwise we'll assume you're okay to continue. By using this site, you agree to our Terms of Use.