saturn first attempts

[chemtom24]

hi everyone, i have a celestron astromatser 130 eq, and used a neximage cam with amcap to get this pics, then used registax, tho im sure it can be done better! can anyone give me any tips on how to get more clarity?

added one of moon to, registax processed it and it came out red, it wasnt a filter i put on! dont know why

thanks for looking and any help

tom

[tom33pr]

Saturn looks out of focus, plus the size would indicate you didn't use any magnification.

I managed to get it bigger (having the same aperture - 6") using x2 Barlow (see attached photo).

saturn.bmp

[chemtom24]

the 130 is 5 inch aperture, with a F/L of 650mm, it gives a F ratio of 4/5 i think, which isnt so good for planets, (which is my fault fo rnot researching properly - but to be honest, its my first telescope and I didnt know what half the lingo meant and what to expect to see)

anyway,

Its very hard to get it to focus, i think what i had was about the best it could get, which isnt very good, tho the conditions were probably about the worst they could be - above houses and tarmac road after a hot day.

should i be able to get a clearer pic, liek yours, out of my scope?

I tried a 2x barlow, but could not find saturn so no i did not use any magnification. maybe the neximage camera isnt so good anyway? im gonna buy a compact digital soon, a panasonic lumix, will i get better results with that?

argh soo many questions, sorry

[tom33pr]

Forgot to mention - there's a good Registax tutorial on YouTube:

...and good thread regarding webcam imaging on this forum:

http://stargazerslounge.com/imaging-tips-tricks-techniques/115493-embarrassing-jupiters-webcam-clinic.html

Sure it will help you

[tom33pr]

Tom...

My scope is fast too (f5) and the pic I attached was taken using Philips SPC880 (flashed) + TeleVue X2 Barlow in a city center.

You should be getting the same resolution if not better with your scope, mind you - that was my first attempt at Saturn, having practiced a bit on the Moon.

Be patient and go through those links I gave you in my previous post.

Regards.

[tom33pr]

...and I somehow like that weird, red Moon of yours, looks mad

[Pete Presland]

it looks like something from war of the worlds! the red weed as taken over!

[chemtom24]

from the avi clips i had which i used to get my first images, i have managed to play around with registax and come up with these - gotta say, it feels like cheating. I was expecting, and I want, to have images simimlar to these on my screen when im recording, so processing with registax will come out even better. How??

[chemtom24]

and the red moon, i just used neximage withotu a barlow in the late afternoon, the sky was blue, and a crest of the moon was visible. no funny colours no the moon itself - maybe its the blue sky with has affected the colour?

[tom33pr]

1. Use a barlow when recording, the image will be twice as big, hence your focus will be more accurate. It's pretty difficult to get right focus on such small image (on your pic).

2. You said "I tried a 2x barlow, but could not find saturn" - well, try with low power (say 20 or 25mm) and get it right in the center, then use high power (10 or less mm) and again - center it carefully. Remove the eyepiece, insert the barlow (if it's not there yet) and work on the focus in your cam. You will have a bigger image to set the focus on, the recording should be sharper - so the final photo will be of a better quality.

3. I know what you mean by 'cheating' when it comes to Registax, but at the end of the day your scope is capable of producing a sharp image - you put a high power eyepiece and see it pretty sharp each time, so a Registax photo is not really a cheat - it just gets the best out of your avi.

[Geo]

Hey Tom33per. I'm using a 10" dob and I certainly haven't seen the type of surface detail that you've managed to capture. Lovely. While I can get it pretty large in my EP it really appears as a bright star with rings. Maybe this has something to do with my atmospheric conditions.

[tom33pr]

Geo, Thanks.

I'm sure you will get a cracking image with your dob eventually. It's a matter of time! Not only will you get some detail on the star itself but you will be able to resolve the Cassini Division and obviously you will be able to see the moons around Saturn too

[tom33pr]

This helpful field of view 'calculator' sholud give you a rough idea of what to expect (sizewise) from your scope:

http://www.12dstring.me.uk/fov.htm

[Geo]

Weather has only allowed me out twice since I've had the scope but I'm definitely looking forward to seeing some surface detail hopefully. It really does seem more real, and wonderous when you see it like that.

[PNB]

Tell you what Bro,

They are far better than my attempts where I was holding a compact to a 25mm eyepiece with a 2x Barlow.

Got a philips on the way so will be less embarassed then.

My point is that we all start somewhere...

Some of us are at the start of our astro journey and should be proud of what we achieve and when we achieve it.

Thumbs up to you, sir!

Paul

[Andyfx]

Hi guys, I've only got a smallish scope but got this shot of Saturn earlier this evening.

[chemtom24]

nice pic! have you got a refractor by any chance? and were your seeing conditions good? i think that might be a problem for me, why i cant focus as well as i would like

[chemtom24]

just been looing at ir filters - any thoughts before i buy one? ie are they gonna improve sharpness and focus as much as they claim to?

[star_chaser]

hi chemtom24 i have the exact same scope i was looking at saturn the other night but could not find with the x2barlow to image. but i had a few beers imaging the moon beforehand tho i did notice how bright saturn was

not sure about red moon

[Andyfx]

Hi chemtom24, I have a 114mm aperture reflector and captured that image using a x2 barlow in the nose piece of the SPC880 and slid that into my x2.5 GSO barlow. To be honest I think I'm pushin my little scope to its limit, and I don't reckon I'll get much better than that.

[chemtom24]

i have a 2x barlow shortie and a 3x barlow which is too long to achieve focus . last night i ordered a cheap 3x shortie, with the hope that i can add the two together, giving me 5x mag? hopefully i am right. anyway, this morning i took the 3x apart, picked out the lens and its housing, and it fitted nicely into the 2x barlow ep end, leaving enough room for an ep. just tested it in my garden on an aerial a few houses away, i can get focus with a 10mm ep so hopefully tonight i will be able to get a bigger image of saturn (neximage is ~ to a 5mm ep apparently, i just hope a '1mm' ep wont push it too far!)

any thoguhts on this method?

[chemtom24]

if anyone is still interested... i have refined my skills a little bit - 2x barlow + 3x barlow lens = 5x i think (i think they add not multiply??) anyway, 5x with neximage, using sharpcap to record vids of about 25 seconds - the length of time it took saturn! then processed with registax, i gotta say im well chuffed! proper happy like. for one cos my scope has an FL of 650mm, so using a 5x barlow wth neximage ~ 5mm, that works out at 650/1 = 650x mag! on a scope which is limited to 250x if you go by 50x per inch. ah im rambling, i hope yuou liek these! no colour was added, it was just different shutter speeds which gave diff colours.

[chemtom24]

you might want the attachements lol. in all my excitement i forgot. hehe