jupiter the next level how?

[Pete Presland]

all my images do seem to look very alike whatever settings i use webcam or processing wise,a lack of sharpness

this one i thought the focus was as good as possible spc900,x2 barlow,oo10" f4.8,

took a lot of time in registax (841 frames out of 1500 @10fps) just do not seem to be able to pull out any more detail

just how do you get that extra detail? and can you be sure your not trying to find something thats not there

a bit frustrated and wet in bedfordshire

[AztecastroMcJ]

try uping scale a bit with ur scope @f.4.8

u should be trying with x4 or even x5 barlow on good nights

it will be difficult at 1st mainly keeping planet on chip is bit of challenge

u could always try x3 barlow aswell with extension which would be bit easier for above

James

[brianb]

841 frames out of 1500 @10fps

That plus bad seeing may be your problem ... I try to keep the exposure faster than 1/30 sec & stack a much smaller proportion of frames shot, typically 20%.

[beamish]

The only prob with that Brian is it's a webcam, evenat 30fps your gonna get alot of compression, 30 + ummmm. Strikes me the seeing and scale are the problem-you could try EP projection too. The OO 10" 4.8 should readily be able to scale up using as James has suggested the 4x or even the 5x barlow if you're feeling brave.

PS Collimation spot on ?

[Pete Presland]

try uping scale a bit with ur scope @f.4.8

u should be trying with x4 or even x5 barlow on good nights

it will be difficult at 1st mainly keeping planet on chip is bit of challenge

u could always try x3 barlow aswell with extension which would be bit easier for above

James

have just got x3 barlow so will be giving that a go if the cloud ever clears again

[MartinB]

Is your collimation immaculate?

[Pete Presland]

The only prob with that Brian is it's a webcam, evenat 30fps your gonna get alot of compression, 30 + ummmm. Strikes me the seeing and scale are the problem-you could try EP projection too. The OO 10" 4.8 should readily be able to scale up using as James has suggested the 4x or even the 5x barlow if you're feeling brave.

PS Collimation spot on ?

sshh dont mention collimation having spent hours on it , i have cheated and bought a laser collimator it looks spot on with that

the thought of using a x5 barlow sounds pretty daunting!

[brianb]

it's a webcam, evenat 30fps your gonna get alot of compression, 30 + ummmm.

When I had a webcam I used to be able to get a fast shutter speed at a low frame rate.... probably depends on the capture software though. Try AMCap.

[beamish]

When I had a webcam I used to be able to get a fast shutter speed at a low frame rate.... probably depends on the capture software though. Try AMCap.

My mistake Brian- just noticed you said 1/30th sec not 30fps

Sorry !

[beamish]

sshh dont mention collimation having spent hours on it , i have cheated and bought a laser collimator it looks spot on with that

the thought of using a x5 barlow sounds pretty daunting!

TBH I'd be tempted to check collimation of your Laser collimator first. Experience has taught me not to trust them ( unless it's a HoTech). Colly cap and cheshire or if you want to push the boat out a CatsEye AutoCollimator to cream it !!!

More so since your scope is fast 4.8 !!

[bus_ter]

Have you used the 'wavelets' in Registax? Your image looks like one of mine pre-processing.

[RobertCL]

Yeah, I'd agree with buster - have you tried using the wavelets? You should be able to get much better than that with a 10" scope from what I've seen on here. That looks like a pre wavelets image from my 6" reflector.

Just grab the fist few wavelet sliders and move them about half way across and see what happens!

[Pete Presland]

yes i have used the wavelets but not overdone it the image seems to be very "pixle-ated" is that a new word if i over do it

[astromerlin]

Having a similar OTA, I have been imaging for a year now with similar results, I recently discovered laser collimation and my images of Jupiter have improved immensly. It made me realise just how much "spot-on" needs to be.

[Magnum]

If your collimation is good and the seeing is good you should see plenty of detail in the live view from the camera as soon as you reach focus. I can always tell if its going to be a good final image before I start capturing, if Jupiter looks fuzzy and you cant see any detail, then there wont be a lot for registax to work with. Depending on the type you have the collimator may need collimating before you use it, however this only needs to be done once. you can check it by rotating it in the focuser while watching the beam hitting the central donut on the primary mirror, as you rotate the collimator it should stay in the middle, if the beam draws a circle then the collimator needs collimating. There should be some photo tutorial available on SGL or the web

Lee

[michaelmorris]

I wouldn't be daunted at shooting with a 5x barlow on a 10" f4.8 scope. I shoot with a 4x barlow on an 8" f10 scope = f40. Last night's result can be seen below.

From my (rather limited) experience the things that are going influence final image quality are.

- Seeing (Check the jetstream forecast on Metcheck - if it's lousy, don't bother)

- Collimation (take time to get this as good as you can)

- Focus (take time to get this right - get an electric focuser)

- Image scale (the bigger the better - as long as this doesn't compromise camera gain too much)

- Exposure (not too dark, not too bright)

- Camera gain (keep it as low as you can)

- Processing (read, experiment, practice)