Slim Lunar Crescent - 11th May

[Roy Foreman]

The dire weather continues, even when it is clear it's hazy.  So it was when I imaged the slim lunar crescent last night.  I waited until the moon was just skimming the treetops ( actually a very high hedge ) to try and maximize the contrast between it and the surrounding hazy sky.

Imaging slim crescents is always a trade off in quality, and the prevailing conditions usually dictate at which height above the horizon will give the best results.

So here is my effort.

 

Celestron C11 Edge HD at prime focus.

ZWO ASI 183mm camera.

Proplanet 642 IR filter (love this filter)

15% of 2000 frames at 19fps.

4 pane mosaic to cover while disc.

Plus selective enlargements from it.

 

As always, hope you enjoy and thanks for looking.

Roy

 

 

[LukeTheNuke]

Wow, those are fantastic, Roy. Well done! Gosh, my wife was going on about maybe getting an Edge 11 last week I think it was (though I think she's since cooled on the idea - though I could go on about how ace it'd be for star parties as a fairly compact scope).

Theses image certainly don't put me off that idea! Thanks for the fab views!

Edited May 12 by LukeTheNuke

[Roy Foreman]

6 minutes ago, LukeTheNuke said:

Wow, those are fantastic, Roy. Well done! Gosh, my wife was going on about maybe getting an Edge 11 last week I think it was (though I think she's since cooled on the idea - though I could go on about how ace it'd be for star parties as a fairly compact scope).

Theses image certainly don't put me off that idea! Thanks for the fab views!

Thank you and so glad you are impressed with my images. They certainly did turn out better than I was expecting. Large SCT's do excell at lunar, and the 11"Edge is certainly a powerful and versatile instrument. The smaller 9.25 is nearly as good, and more practical as well as being less expensive, so that could be an option. Good luck in whatever choice you and your wife eventually make.

[Roy Foreman]

Just discovered some unevenness in the black background due to atmospheric variation between panels, so here is a corrected version, plus an extreme close up of Petavus.

 

 

[inedible_hulk]

Wow 😎

[PembrokeSteve]

Hi, Roy,

Wow & Fantastic from me as well.

I can't stop looking at these images!  I know from my own experience that thin crescents are so difficult to image.  

Best Regards,
Steve

[Sunshine]

Oh my gosh these are beautiful and that Petavus closeup is just stunning! as I scrolled down to Petavus and saw it I pet out an “oh geez!” and my wife across the room said “what happened” lol

[Roy Foreman]

6 hours ago, PembrokeSteve said:

Hi, Roy,

Wow & Fantastic from me as well.

I can't stop looking at these images!  I know from my own experience that thin crescents are so difficult to image.  

Best Regards,
Steve

Thank you Steve and yes you are so right, I've been attempting to image lunar crescents for years and more often than not it ends in disappointment. This time it turned out well in spite of hazy skies !

[Roy Foreman]

6 hours ago, Sunshine said:

Oh my gosh these are beautiful and that Petavus closeup is just stunning! as I scrolled down to Petavus and saw it I pet out an “oh geez!” and my wife across the room said “what happened” lol

Ha ha that made me smile !  So glad you like my images, thank you.

[900SL]

Superb imaging. I'm amazed how sharp and clear they are.  Masterful, well done!

[Roy Foreman]

6 hours ago, 900SL said:

Superb imaging. I'm amazed how sharp and clear they are.  Masterful, well done!

Thank you very much. With lunar imaging we are always at the mercy of the seeing, and on this occasion I must have got the timing just right.