First attempts to capture Jupiter & Saturn

[imakebeer]

New to the forum, astronomy and astrophotography but I've been reading loads and getting my head round lucky imaging and working with the equipment I have:

• SkyWatcher 900mm/70mm refractor
• EQ1 manual mount
• Nikon D5500 & Svbony eyepiece projection adapter
• BackyardNikon, Autostakkert! and Registax

I was quite chuffed when this shot of Jupiter popped out of the fuzzy and wobbly video I took on the camera (hadn't found BYN at this point!):

 

I had another go a couple of days later once I'd found BYN (not sure why the colour changed):

 

And I was really pleased to get a bit of detail on Saturn (if you look close enough and squint!):

 

 

I've now got hold of a Canon 450D which might be better for lucky imaging and 1:1 pixel resolution, though I've yet to try it. From what I gathered so far from another forum I might not expect much more from this scope and achromatic refractors suffer from chromatic aberration so there's not much I can do to fix the colour in post-processing.

I'm already looking seriously at a SkyWatcher 150PDS on (probably) and EQ5 mount, and probably driven - but I'd like to see this setup or something similar before I part with my hard-earned, just to make sure.

In the meantime I'll keep practicing with what I have (plus the kids seem to enjoy driving BYN for me!😂)

Edited November 2, 2022 by imakebeer
Change BMPs to JPGs

[Graham Darke]

You’ve every right to be pleased with those. Well done. I wonder if the second image of Jupiter was taken when it was lower in sky? There’s more atmosphere for the light to pass through when lower down. The colour is similar to the Saturn shot and Saturn is certainly lower in the sky.  The best images come when the planets are higher in the sky. 
 

Keep it up. 
 

[imakebeer]

Thanks for the tip @Graham Darke 👍 You could well be right - I'd have to check the time stamps on the original files but from memory I think Jupiter may have been lower in the sky for the second one.

I was disappointed not to have captured the GRS in either of those - I did get it subsequently but the image was much lower quality, maybe due to poorer seeing, clouds, bad luck, cackhandedness or different eyepieces/barlow 😂 (Note to self: take notes!)

[CraigT82]

They’re really good considering the equipment, nice work 👍🏼

[ONIKKINEN]

70mm scope, DSLR, eyepiece projection? These are EXCELLENT for the kit.

[Space Cowboy]

Brilliant first images! Way better than my first planetary shots. Considering the limitations of your gear you are clearly a natural at this game! 

[happy-kat]

love the first Jupiter colours and sharpness are great remains a gaseous object for me. CA effects focus on blue channel, in registax there's a colour align option in there, somewhere.

[LaurenceT]

Excellent images

[TheThing]

Streets ahead of my first attempt (and 2nd, 3rd, 4th.....!)  Great images, thanks for sharing.

[neil phillips]

This looks like the sky watcher Capricorn. Members will know i have been shouting the praises of these little beginner scopes. Not hard to see why. Good first captures

Also try the moon. And with correct filter the sun

It appears you make beer and nice planetary images

[imakebeer]

@neil phillips I'm just waiting for the stars to align moon to be out and it not be raining before I have another crack at the moon. I had a bash last winter, a bit with the scope, and also just my DSLR on a tripod which wasn't too bad, but now I've got my head around the basics of lucky imaging I'd like to have another go.

[imakebeer]

47 minutes ago, neil phillips said:

This looks like the sky watcher Capricorn. Members will know i have been shouting the praises of these little beginner scopes.

Oh, and yes, you're spot on there, SkyWatcher Capricorn. It's certainly not bad - with the 25mm eyepiece both Jupiter and Saturn can be seen. They're both very bright white but the image is sharp and you can see the outline of Saturn's rings. With the 10mm eyepiece, or 25mm + x2 Barlow (they seem to add up to about the same in practice) you can just make out some of the banding on Jupiter, though it's rather bright so the colour is rather washed out but they're there alright. And of course you can make out Jupiter's moons too.

Obviously when you attach a DSLR you can play around with the settings more and control the brightness of the image and start to more of the colours and patterns as in the images above.

[neil phillips]

39 minutes ago, imakebeer said:

Oh, and yes, you're spot on there, SkyWatcher Capricorn. It's certainly not bad - with the 25mm eyepiece both Jupiter and Saturn can be seen. They're both very bright white but the image is sharp and you can see the outline of Saturn's rings. With the 10mm eyepiece, or 25mm + x2 Barlow (they seem to add up to about the same in practice) you can just make out some of the banding on Jupiter, though it's rather bright so the colour is rather washed out but they're there alright. And of course you can make out Jupiter's moons too.

Obviously when you attach a DSLR you can play around with the settings more and control the brightness of the image and start to more of the colours and patterns as in the images above.

The images are indeed sharp. The figure of the lens on my one is pretty good. If they are consistently similar. Even at only 70mm. (there are expensive scopes not much bigger) At F13 they perform well. Certainly not Chromatic aberration free. But in mono on the sun. It doesn't matter. They are tack sharp. To get better in a long focus doublet requires quite a bit more money. I find it useful catching thin moon captures. Got mine tube only for around £40 

I have a few images of the sun and moon with mine.

Will look out for any future moon and sun captures. And please do not put your eye or camera anywhere near the scope without correct filtering. minimum Baader astrolosar. The visual film is good for both looking and capturing. The imaging film ONLY imaging.

Edited November 4, 2022 by neil phillips