Jupiter This Morning

[nibber]

Hi all,

Just tried some shots of Jupiter earlier using a Celestron Nextimage ccd,tried on my LX 200 10" and LX90 8",all the shots tonight have no detail/colour of the disc even though i tried loads of times to get it into focus,i used it last week and got a fair image which shows some some colour/detail (used registax 5),but this was my first attempt to get some decent shots tonight,and it failed miserably,any ideas?:),

Regards Nigel.

[TheThing]

I'm still waiting to try Jupiter, but I had a similar problem with Saturn earlier in the year.

The advice from those who know better is to turn the shutter speed right down until Jupiter is only just visible on your monitor. Also you need higher mags, so use your Barlow (2x - 4x seems best).

Good luck and don't be shy about showing your results (thay won't be worse than mine!)

[TopHouse]

If you post a pic it helps people know what's going on to provide a solution.

[nibber]

Okay

First attempt last week, dont laugh LOL taken with my MeadeLX90 8"

[nibber]

Okay second attempt last night,this is the best i could get it focused, any other attempt either side(left or right) focusing image went totally ouf of focus,Celestron Nextimage ccd- 60 seconds duration,640x480, 10FPS,with a Barlow tried a Televue X3 and a BCF X2 could not even get any decent type of focus,Have spoken to Telescope House today going to get the LX200 serviced as when i try and focus it ,if focuses, try and tweak it left or right and focus goes off then cannot re-focus with out a lot of faffing about,but still could not get a decent image with the LX90 8", ,No its not the Moon ! LOL!

[greenkat]

Hi Nigel

The first pic is great

The second attempt is just an overexposure problem

Bring down the exposure time and you should be ok .

I use a Meade DSI3 camera and envisage software that comes with it.

It can give me this kind of result if the auto contrast box is ticked as it pushes the histogram over to the left too much.

Not sure what capture software you use, there may be something to control the contrast ?

Greenkat

[nibber]

Hi there,Thanks,

I am using the Amcap software that came with the Celestron CCD Camera,anyone suggest anything else i could use as well ? the camera must be a Philps SPNC 900 clone as this is the driver i had to download from the Philips website (on advice from Celestron's website)to get the camera to work under windows 7.

Regards Nigel.

[TopHouse]

I have found by far the best combination of software for philips types is wcctrl :-

Welcome to my Astro Pages

Run it in combination with Robin's sharpcap software :-

SharpCap - rwgastro

[nibber]

Hi ,

Btw on the second picture i could not get any kind of image/detail on the laptop screen,in the first avi clip and registaxed photo i took last week i could just about focus on the bands of Jupiter,and there was no moon making a much darker night, on the 2nd avi clip recorded last night is all i could get in the display on the laptop, as though it was overexposed, no bands on Jupiter etc just a very bright disc and the only way to focus was to try and focus the 'scope on the moons of Jupiter.

[TopHouse]

On the first one, it looks like it's slightly out of focus, although it may be your processing, you also have a greenish band on the edge which suggests you may have tried RGB align and overdone it a bit, at the wavelets section, click the RGB align on button on the right and then click 'estimate' as that does a good job. Also on wavelets, don't be scared of pushing those sliders way up, just use your eye and when it stops giving detail and starts adding artifacts, back it off a touch.

Aim for about 1000 frames per avi and make sure before alighning you just have a quick lookie for a decent frame to use as reference.

At that mag and that aperture with that camera you should be able to get it like this, althought this one is a tad over processed and it shows on the outer edges :-

[nibber]

Hi,

Thanks for all the information and advice,will try again tonight weather/clouds permitting

Great pic btw !

[TopHouse]

You can get them like that nibber with what you have, I 100% guarantee that!

Most important by far is focus, spend a good few minutes with it on your lappy screen and watch it, I'm motorised and i still touch in and out a fair few times before i'm happy, you think it's not in and all of a sudden it clears, even when perfectly focused it drifts in and out due to seeing, taking your time with focus pays MAJOR dividends.

[Keiran]

I tried jupiter for the first time with the neximager and my megrez 72... Very unsuccessful, i know its not a planetary scope, but the views of it through it were brilliant...

I am going to have anothergo with my 8" newt tonight if it is clear... Conditions were pretty poor last night though

[Rob]

On the first one, it looks like it's slightly out of focus, although it may be your processing, you also have a greenish band on the edge which suggests you may have tried RGB align and overdone it a bit, at the wavelets section, click the RGB align on button on the right and then click 'estimate' as that does a good job. Also on wavelets, don't be scared of pushing those sliders way up, just use your eye and when it stops giving detail and starts adding artifacts, back it off a touch.

Aim for about 1000 frames per avi and make sure before alighning you just have a quick lookie for a decent frame to use as reference.

At that mag and that aperture with that camera you should be able to get it like this, althought this one is a tad over processed and it shows on the outer edges :-

Nice image.. I was out till 1.15am this morning, and your image looks exactly the same as the image I had through my 200P DS (colour and all).

Keep going with those webcam images.. it will come

[nibber]

Ok, thanks for all the info

Regards Nigel.