#1  
Old 17-09-2019, 09:01 PM
mynameiscd's Avatar
mynameiscd (Andy)
Registered User

mynameiscd is offline
 
Join Date: Jan 2017
Location: Langkoop, Victoria
Posts: 457
First Planetary images

Hi all,
Just had a go at planetary tonight with my new guide camera.
Not quite sure what settings etc so i just pressed quick capture in sharpcap.
Got a lot to learn about processing with registax but im suprised in what came out.

Camera ZWO ASI120MC
1000 frames captured in sharpcap
Processed in registax
Cheers
Andy
Attached Thumbnails
Click for full-size image (Jupiter3.jpg)
29.0 KB115 views
Click for full-size image (Saturn1.jpg)
16.6 KB94 views
Reply With Quote
  #2  
Old 17-09-2019, 09:38 PM
Saturnine (Jeff)
Registered User

Saturnine is offline
 
Join Date: Jul 2008
Location: Wollongong
Posts: 2,134
Great first effort , welcome to the abyss. There's no climbing back out of the hole you've started digging.

Reply With Quote
  #3  
Old 17-09-2019, 10:05 PM
foc (Ross)
Registered User

foc is offline
 
Join Date: Apr 2017
Location: ACT
Posts: 208
Wow!
I would be very happy with those results at this late stage for these planets in 2019. Were these taken with your little Mak or your 6 inch reflector? Try and capture for at least 3 minutes on Jupiter and 5 or 5 on Saturn if you want more frames but those you have captured appear very good quality.
Reply With Quote
  #4  
Old 18-09-2019, 06:17 AM
mynameiscd's Avatar
mynameiscd (Andy)
Registered User

mynameiscd is offline
 
Join Date: Jan 2017
Location: Langkoop, Victoria
Posts: 457
Thanks Jeff and Ross,
I used my 6 inch reflector for thes two images.
Also I'm not sure what settings I used but the videos were about 30 seconds before they went into Registax.
I'll try my Mak next time and also get longer video capture time.
The Mak should be good for planetary as its 1250mm compared to 750 and its got better optics than my newt.
The only limiting factor is f 13.8 but the planets are quite bright so should be ok.
Now im getting keen so next good seeing im out there.
Also will do some more reading on how to process in Registax esp wavelets but its quite different from DSO imaging.
I haven't even tried this camera for guiding yet but I'm probably have to get another camera for planetary, then another mount for my Mak , then another laptop for planetary......................
hmmmmm looks like I'm going down that rabbit hole.........
Cheers
Andy
Reply With Quote
  #5  
Old 18-09-2019, 06:27 AM
Sunfish's Avatar
Sunfish (Ray)
Registered User

Sunfish is offline
 
Join Date: Mar 2018
Location: Wollongong
Posts: 1,909
Jupiter looks very good. Remarkable first images.
Reply With Quote
  #6  
Old 18-09-2019, 06:38 AM
Startrek (Martin)
Registered User

Startrek is offline
 
Join Date: Dec 2017
Location: Sydney and South Coast NSW
Posts: 5,990
These are excellent first planetary images
The 6” did a great job in your dark skies
You even resolved one of Jupiters moons
Planetary does require a bit of luck on the night but exciting all the same
Well done !!
Reply With Quote
  #7  
Old 18-09-2019, 09:32 AM
casstony
Registered User

casstony is offline
 
Join Date: Feb 2006
Location: Warragul, Vic
Posts: 4,493
I'd be happy with those if I ever do any planetary shots.
Reply With Quote
  #8  
Old 18-09-2019, 01:17 PM
Tinderboxsky's Avatar
Tinderboxsky (Steve)
I can see clearly now ...

Tinderboxsky is offline
 
Join Date: Feb 2012
Location: Kingston TAS
Posts: 1,031
Great first result Andy.
Reply With Quote
  #9  
Old 18-09-2019, 05:01 PM
Saturnine (Jeff)
Registered User

Saturnine is offline
 
Join Date: Jul 2008
Location: Wollongong
Posts: 2,134
Looking at the Jupiter image again and it seems that you've picked up one of the satellites in transit. Bright spot superimposed on the Northern Equatorial Belt, upper left of the disc.
As far as using the 6" newt for imaging the planets and the larger aperture will theoretically give you better resolution, use a barlow or powermate to increase the focal length to more like 2000 mm or an F ratio of 12 to 15. The planets are bright enough to overcome the longer f/l. and I would also suggest taking longer avi's, several 1000's of frames to get the lucky imaging of enough steady frames to choose from.
Don't know what settings you're using in SharpCap but I've been using a 6" f8 newt with an 2.5 Powermate a lot this year for my planetary stuff, that equates to f20. Rough settings I work with for Jupiter are 12 to 15 millesec. exposure, which gives me a frame rate of approx 60 / 70 a second. Gain about 250 and I designate how many frames to capture per avi rather than a time, somewhere between 2000 to 5000 frames is enough for me to work with.
At a frame rate of 60 a sec. a 60 sec. long avi will give you 3600 frames and 1 minute means you don't have to worry about Jupiters' rotation affecting the final image . I'm no expert at this but over the past few years these rough parameters have worked well enough for me and may give you something to work with.
Good luck and carry on regardless
Reply With Quote
  #10  
Old 18-09-2019, 07:38 PM
Ukastronomer (Jeremy)
Feel free to edit my imag

Ukastronomer is offline
 
Join Date: Jan 2019
Location: Llandysul, WALES, UK
Posts: 1,381
Blasted show off
Reply With Quote
  #11  
Old 18-09-2019, 09:43 PM
mynameiscd's Avatar
mynameiscd (Andy)
Registered User

mynameiscd is offline
 
Join Date: Jan 2017
Location: Langkoop, Victoria
Posts: 457
Thanks Ray, Martin, Castony, Steve, Jeff, and Jeremy.
Im a bit humbled by all the praise. All i did was get Jupiter in the centre of the field, then in Sharpcap adjusted the size to the smallest frame size, adjusted aperture (i think) and then pressed quick capture and it took 1000 frames over 30 seconds.
I think i must have fluked steady seeing.
Its very dark here and very flat so theres no local heat thermals only jet stream etc.
I then opened the avi files in Registax pressed align, then stack, and adjusted a couple of sliders in wavelets.
Saved the file as a tif then save as jpeg in photoshop just to get the size for ISS.
Jeff, when i get my laptop out again I'll check my settings and try the tips you have given me.
I'm already hooked after one night so I cant wait to get back out before Jupiter get too low in the west.
Thanks again to eveyone for the encouragement.
Cheers
Andy
Reply With Quote
  #12  
Old 18-09-2019, 09:54 PM
foc (Ross)
Registered User

foc is offline
 
Join Date: Apr 2017
Location: ACT
Posts: 208
Hi again,

This thread talks a bit about focal ratio in imaging:

https://www.cloudynights.com/topic/6...-and-question/

or

https://www.cloudynights.com/topic/6...f-the-cobwebs/


While the quality of 1000 of your current frames is worth far more of those I normally capture, and even more impressive with the ZWO1220MC which is not as sensitive as the 1224MC, do know that current approach (which differs from past views on this subject which were often more like 90 seconds to 2 minutes) with a modern color planetary camera is 3 minutes on Jupiter and say 6 minutes on Saturn, more obviously on Neptune and the numbers are likely to be significantly larger than this with small scopes.

This is mentioned by numerous much better imagers than myself, in particular one of the top imagers Daryl (Kokatha man)who was recently featured on the ZWO site, has shown this even with a C14, I can not quickly find one of the threads where he sets out his experience but in brief you can see this view in for example the second post by another Aussie Imager in the thread below (and lots of other good info here down the thread) and so you may like to obtain well over 20,000 frames although in AS3 you will only stack the percentage that is above 50% in quality (or any higher limit you pick)

https://www.cloudynights.com/topic/6...p-appreciated/.

I am particularly keen to mention this because if you can regularly produce such great images with 1000 frames (better than I ever approached with that number), I would very much like to see what you can do with 10 times that number or more!

As you say you may have fluked the conditions, but you did the main thing which was to get out there!, as to the rest if you have good conditions planetary imaging and processing is much easier than practicing the dark arts on DSOs so you may expect to get a lot more even finer images yet.

For those using DSLRs who might be put off by these numbers while with a well set up Canon DSLR you do not collect frames nearly as fast but the quality of individual frames is often far better so you only need a small fraction of as many frames

Last edited by foc; 18-09-2019 at 10:21 PM.
Reply With Quote
  #13  
Old 19-09-2019, 05:57 AM
LostInSp_ce's Avatar
LostInSp_ce
Unregistered User

LostInSp_ce is offline
 
Join Date: Mar 2017
Posts: 754
Welcome to planetary imaging and a great result for your first batch!
Reply With Quote
  #14  
Old 26-09-2019, 09:54 AM
morls (Stephen)
Space is the place...

morls is offline
 
Join Date: Sep 2009
Location: Melbourne
Posts: 696
Nice work Andy. Have you been out lately?
Stephen
Reply With Quote
  #15  
Old 29-09-2019, 01:57 AM
mynameiscd's Avatar
mynameiscd (Andy)
Registered User

mynameiscd is offline
 
Join Date: Jan 2017
Location: Langkoop, Victoria
Posts: 457
Hi Stephen,
Been out every night lately. It seems to clear up around 5pm then the light semi translucent cloud comes in around 9pm and then after 1am, it clears up again.
I did a few 13000 frame captures of Jupiter and Saturn before i started on the Helix. Im having problems with registax hanging for hours and nothing happening, I even lrft it run for 10 hours and did nothing. I tried all different things and now have finally given up and downloaded AutoStakkert.
Im now learning the program as well as doing so DSOs as well and about to get guiding happening so ive got a bit on my plate this weekend.
Nights have been down to 3°c lately which is perfect for my DSLR so im taking advantage of the cool nights. Soon its going to warm up and the bugs will start. Shoudnt complain about all the moisture when a lot of Australia is in drought.
Cheers
Andy
Reply With Quote
  #16  
Old 29-09-2019, 07:33 AM
morls (Stephen)
Space is the place...

morls is offline
 
Join Date: Sep 2009
Location: Melbourne
Posts: 696
I have the same issue with Registax from time to time, can't remember exactly what triggers it but when it happens I wait 30s or so, then just ctrl/alt/delete to task manager and end task. After reopening it works.
Reply With Quote
  #17  
Old 29-09-2019, 08:50 AM
mynameiscd's Avatar
mynameiscd (Andy)
Registered User

mynameiscd is offline
 
Join Date: Jan 2017
Location: Langkoop, Victoria
Posts: 457
Hi Stephen,
Ive been doing the windows "three fingered salute" and restarting Registax over and over. Mind you its an old Asus laptop with not much ram (getting a new laptop soon).
I ended up trying Autostakkert but now ive got a new problem with a grid like pattern over the finished stacked file. Its definitely a debayer thing but im not sure if its Autostakkert processing or capturing in sharpcap that causes the problem.
Anyway the 13000 frames is better data to work with when i get this one sorted
Cheers
Andy
Reply With Quote
  #18  
Old 29-09-2019, 10:01 AM
morls (Stephen)
Space is the place...

morls is offline
 
Join Date: Sep 2009
Location: Melbourne
Posts: 696
I've noticed lines in my stached images in Autostakkert as well, wonder if it's anything to do with the align points and accompanying grids? I prefer the Registax align points, but am working with both for now while I learn their idiosyncrasies
Reply With Quote
Reply

Bookmarks

Thread Tools
Rate This Thread
Rate This Thread:

Posting Rules
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts

BB code is On
Smilies are On
[IMG] code is On
HTML code is Off

Forum Jump


All times are GMT +10. The time is now 09:58 PM.

Powered by vBulletin Version 3.8.7 | Copyright ©2000 - 2024, Jelsoft Enterprises Ltd.
Advertisement
Bintel
Advertisement
Testar
Advertisement