I guess we were all looking at Mars tonight - 29-01-10 00:35

[MishMich]

I managed to get some AVIs shot using the Meade 5" f/9/3 achromat tonight with x5 barlow - after some werstling with the synscan to get aligned (the HEQ5 upgrade... it still coughs and wheezes when I use the SPX).

So, QHY5 (waiting for the bits it needs to guide), with LRGB filters in a filter wheel. The other day, I tried the IR-cut in the camera nosepiece, and the LRGB filters in the wheel. Tonight I swapped the L into the nosepiece, and ran the IR-cut along with the RGB in the wheel.

I have flipped and rotated the image slightly, as I was trying to comapare what I captured with what is shown on Stellarium, and this appears to correspond closest. I would prefer more detail, and a better colour, but at least I have started to get the hang of LRGB imaging, and processing it, and managed to get the Meade to work with the x5 barlow, and given the QHY5 a proper run - not quite its first light, but the first night I've tried to image with it, rather than working out how to use it with the wheel.

Any suggestions on how to improve this are welcome. This is the first cut using one group of LRGB AVIs out of four shot in total, processed in Registax. I haven't calibrated the channels, only stacked them, saved the channels, combined them, then applied wavelets.

M.

[beamish]

Good first effort, sorry I can't offer any advice re improvements since I'm at exactly the same point

[Starman]

Personally I wouldn't use the L at all. You're use the RG and B filters which allow you to bring each colour to a sharp focus through your scope and then undoing the good work by using a filter that permits all colours through at the same time and can't therefore be focused properly.

[beamish]

Oooh cheers Pete !

[MishMich]

Thanks Pete - delay in replying due to internet being down. I did try processing the RGB separately, but I think I wasn't achieving accurate focus. I re-collimated the SPX last night, and used the EOS last night (30th), and achieved a much better result (as I had that set up for DSO). I will see if I can get another attempt with the QHY5 later tonight, using the SPX, as I seem to have more success with a crayford rafther than R&P.

Image attached. Mars 31 01 2010 appx 00:50. 8" f/6 SPX, x5 barlow, EOS 1000D, EOS movie maker, Registax, Gimp.

M.