Finally a Sunny Winter Day - A couple of close ups

[Technobill]

Hi all,

Weather forecast was all wrong this weekend. Supposed to be sunny omn Saturday but it was overcast and the rainy Sunday was clear (go figure) Anyway I captured alot of stuff. Here are the first to closeups I have processed.

There is some nice activity at the moment. These were taken with the Lunt LS60 double stacked and a 2x barlow

Regards

Bill D

[Merlin66]

Very nice results!! Well done.

What exposure times??

Anyone who uses a double stack set-up will never go back to the single stack.....just look at the surface detail!!

Ken

[Technobill]

Thanks Ken

I tell ya though, the Lunt LS60 Scope not double stacked still is pretty good. This is the first time I decided to use the double stack for a whole session.

Bill D

[NickH]

Those are very very good!

[durr]

Well they make my feeble attempt pretty naff. I can now see I have a long way to go but it gives me something to strive for. I should have my double stack sometime this week all being well but then I will be cursed by the clouds for sure. Steve

[Starblazer]

That's a nice image , It seems to be waking up as of late, making for some awesome images.

Would love to have a nose a the sun through a scope, but will wait until I meet up with someone who has a solar scope, I don't trust my "fixing on of solar filter" or anything else, enough to use it haha.

Last thing I need is a toasted eyeball.

[Technobill]

Well they make my feeble attempt pretty naff. I can now see I have a long way to go but it gives me something to strive for. I should have my double stack sometime this week all being well but then I will be cursed by the clouds for sure. Steve

Thanks Steve but your full disk image is as good if not better than the one that I took last week with this same setup. You are off to a fantastic start. Just throw a 2x barlow on and give it a go next opportunity you get. But don't get discouraged if it does not work. I have more faliures than successes (especially when I only get a chance once every few weeks) Its hard o bed down the process.

That's a nice image , It seems to be waking up as of late, making for some awesome images.

Would love to have a nose a the sun through a scope, but will wait until I meet up with someone who has a solar scope, I don't trust my "fixing on of solar filter" or anything else, enough to use it haha.

Last thing I need is a toasted eyeball.

Thanks. Yes there is some activity at the moment. Actually even with a solar scope I prefer to only use the video camera. That way worst case scenario is dead camera :-)

[Ibbo!]

Those are belting results

I was outside yesterday this afternoon imaging the sun

Steve

[Doug]

Great images wish I could do that:icon_salut:

Doug

Essex

[durr]

Bill, I will try with a x2 barlow next time and give that a try but like you said the higher the mag the more difficult it becomes. Nick gave me that idea to better the focus, which I think may be one of my problems. He also mentions registax which again I think he is right, I used it again and had these very strange light and dark patterns, so I have downloaded avistack. Steve

[NickH]

Use the limb spicules for focus steve is a good idea. Focus at high mag with H-A except on really bad seeing days is pretty easy if the optics are all sound, and this image, whilst superb is not beyond you at all mate!

[durr]

Nick, Good idea with the spicules just need the sun to pop out now. Cheers mate. Steve

[Technobill]

Agreed that is how I try to focus, I look for a prom or the spicules, sometimes seeing is very bad though and this does not help. Somedays you will find that focus is easy and it just stands out, other times it never seems right

Also in regards to processing, I use AviStack. Now I am not wanting to start a fan war and I am not saying that the results are any better. Its just that AVIStack makes total sense to me. I can understand what each step is doing and it behaves as I would expect :-) (I am at one with the program, or I am just too lazy to learn more than one app hehe)

I guess I should have indicated when I posted the images that the source avi's were 3000 frames each. Two separate exposures for each: one for the disk and a shorter one for the proms. Best 50% processed in AviStack and processed in PhotoShop.

Bill D

[RayGil]

Really nice close ups, nice job. Stunning pictures:D

[durr]

Thanks for the tips Bill I am downloading the manual to avistack and will learn on the hoof. Steve

[jarbi]

Really impressive shots Bill ! Which camera did you use ? Seeing the colors I suspect a Luminera ;-).

I have a lunt 60T with the double stack upgrade, but for me it is always difficault to find a tuning position where the whole field of view has equal contrast/brightness. I even turn the front filter to get the best illumination. Do you experience this as well ?

cheers,

Janos

[Worzsel]

Beautiful pictures.. mindblowing really.

[Technobill]

Beautiful pictures.. mindblowing really.

Thanks, sometimes it can be hit and miss, you think something will be awesome and it turns out rather ordinary. But I am very happy with these.

Really impressive shots Bill ! Which camera did you use ? Seeing the colors I suspect a Luminera ;-).

I have a lunt 60T with the double stack upgrade, but for me it is always difficault to find a tuning position where the whole field of view has equal contrast/brightness. I even turn the front filter to get the best illumination. Do you experience this as well ?

cheers,

Janos

Hi Janos, the camera is the DMK41 mono. As with all colour HA images (that are anything but monochrome or red), the colour is really all fake . With Ha you are only looking at the narrowest band of light in the red side of the spectrum so you can collect colour like this. Basically I have tinted the monochrome image. Effectively its my interpretation of what it could look like if we could see that detail in a wider band of light.

Yes with the DS especially I get a hot spot, but I have basically learned to process them out in photoshop. The general rule is to tune with a single etalon first then Double Stack and fine tune.

Really nice close ups, nice job. Stunning pictures:D

Thanks Ray. Getting worried about the praise now I might not always be able to produce images of the same quality. Things seem to vary so much. But I have learned not to let that discourage me.

Kindest regards

Bill D

[NickH]

Bill, these are very good, and once you get a technique, you'll always deliver if the etalon/optics do...

Keep em coming...and well done!

[Technobill]

Bill, these are very good, and once you get a technique, you'll always deliver if the etalon/optics do...

Keep em coming...and well done!

Hehe One technique I havent got right is the sun dance. Its been cloudy here ever since (except when I am at work hehe)

Bill D

[michaelmorris]

Wow! - Lovely shots.

[winterlight]

Fantastic shots! Very tempted to get a solar scope.

[Technobill]

Thanks Guys

Since taking these I am chomping at the bit to have another go and of course it now looks like our 11 year drought in South/eastern Australia is finally breaking so I dont have a chance now hehe.

Bill D

(Looking out the window at the rain) But not really complaining

[dmahon]

Wow!

[sheri_barri]

Fantastic shots Bill! Which barlow are you using? Is it a H-a optimised Coronado 2x or a standard.

Agreed on AVIstack for solar images. Makes complete sense and so far has been almost fool proof, as long as the raw frames are inherently well focussed.

Encouraged to try a 2x barlow now and still learning the etalon tuning tricks!

Kind regards,

Sheri