Moon Images - New Scope - New Eyepiece

[Grant]

Hi everyone,

Just finished a bit of quick processing on a whole bunch of images I've just taken of the moon using my new scope and new eyepiece. My new scope is a 10" revelation dobsonian, its a beautiful piece of kit and super easy to use. It was recently purchased from Steve (cheers Steve) and arrived today, beautifully packed and also in pristine condition. It wasn't as massive as I thought it would be, its big but not monsterously so, I think because the tube isn't overly long it doesn't take up to much space in the corner of the living room... its a huge step up from my Stargazer ST80 though!!

Setting it up was a breeze, there are a couple of things I want to do to make it slightly less easy to move, changing the nut that goes through the base to form the revolving turrety bit and also increasing the tension on the springs. This is mainly because with the camera on I was finding the scope would slip a little and lose the target.

Anyways, first look through at the moon and WOW!!! The moon was an awesome site through my ST80 but through this, theres so much more to see and damn is it bright!!! Even with a moon filter, the eyepiece I used was also new, a Baeder Orthoscopic 18mm, won as a prize also from Steve (thanks again Steve!). This is the best eyepiece I have by a very long way and the build quality is completely different, I really feel that the kit I have has taken a great leap forward today and the detail I could see on the moon just made my jaw drop.

Anyway, its pretty cloudy out so I knew I didn't have much time so I snapped a few pictures with my Nikon Coolpix 4600:

[OXO]

Cracking images Grant, that 3rd one does it for me very atomspheric 8)

James 8)

[Kaptain Klevtsov]

They're looking great. Have you considered iMerging them together?

Captain Chaos

[lunator]

Very good pics Grant.

Youuu've got a good scope and the ortho's are great eyepeices

Cheers

Ian

[FLO]

I see you have avoided the new scope curse (cloudy nights)!

Thanks for sharing the pix

I have had a quick play with one of them:

[CELESCOPE]

Hey well done Grant first class mate , some nice images there , DSOs next eh !!!

[Caz]

Very nice Grant, look forward to seeing more.... 8)

Caz

[Grant]

Thanks everyone

Great re-edit Steve, any tips on how you did it? I just used picassa for the processing and just changed the levels slightly, made them black and white and cropped them...

CC, I tried merging them in photoshop but it just wasn't happening for them, any tips on the best way to merge them?

The other problem I had was that using my camera adaptor thingy to hold the camera against the eyepiece it loses a bit of the eyepiece barrel which meant I couldn't get the eyepiece in enough to the focusser to achieve focus, these images were all taken just holding the camera up to the eyepiece, hence some slightly weird bits... any ideas how I can solve this?

[geppetto]

What an excellent start mate, great images through some great kit 8)

I dont use the springs on my Revelation dob, just have a counterweight velcro'd

on to the top of the OTA at the back end

It sticks to a velcro strip about 12" long so plenty of fine adjustment back and forth.

Keeps the ALT movement very smooth.

Hope you have lots more clear skies with it

[Kaptain Klevtsov]

I've recently heard good things about iMerge as a software package though I've never tried it myself.

Captain Chaos

[FLO]

The other problem I had was that using my camera adaptor thingy to hold the camera against the eyepiece it loses a bit of the eyepiece barrel which meant I couldn't get the eyepiece in enough to the focusser to achieve focus, these images were all taken just holding the camera up to the eyepiece, hence some slightly weird bits... any ideas how I can solve this?

Don't laugh but Spud's broomhandle idea was a good one

[Jamie]

Great pics mate.

New kit works a treat then eh?

[Grant]

Cheers Jamie, I'm well chuffed with the new kit

CC, I'll look into iMerge, cheers for the heads up on that one

Steve - whats the broomhandle idea?

[FLO]

When using a compact camera thru the eyepiece, hold the camera but use use a broom handle to steady it, a bit like a monopod - you'll figure it out. It isn't ideal and a proper afocal attachment is best but the broom handle is convenient and I remember Spud used it to great effect.

[Grant]

See I have a proper afocal attachment, I just need to work out how to make it come into focus, I need to get the focuser in perhaps 5mm more....

Fingers crossed for a clear night again tonight!

[FLO]

I know you have the attchment but its the attachment that is preventing you from focusing in that last 5mm. Which attachment are you using? Some fit around the chrome eyepiece ring, others clamp to the eyepiece itself.

[Grant]

This one you put over the chrome barrel bit, a ring slides down up against the eyepiece body, this is where I'm losing the 5mm I need to achieve focus...

Gotta say, its so much nicer using the focuser on the dobsonian than the focuser on my ST80, so much smoother!

[FLO]

This one fits onto the eyepiece body:

[Grant]

Look neat Steve, may have to consider a purchase

Just been playing with the images from last night again, I remembered some tips James gave me ages ago for processing stuff in photoshop, the stuff above was basically tweaked in Picassa which isn't overly powerful, anyways here are my re-edits, alot more pleased with these results:

[FLO]

And so you should be 8)