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View Full Version here: : Is it a bird, is it a plane… crossing the Moon


Dennis
28-03-2016, 09:23 AM
Well, it certainly wasn't Superman!:)

I was imaging 11x7 arc min regions of our Moon (23rd March 2016) to assemble into a mosaic for a full disc image. Whilst watching the AVI’s being recorded, I noticed the fleeting shadows of birds passing through the small field of view on 3 of the 15 image runs that evening, spanning the period 9:46 pm to 10:47 pm AEST (UT+10).

Each run collected 3000 frames using a ZWO ASI174MM CMOS camera (1920x1200 pixels) attached to a Takahashi Mewlon 180 F12 with a Takahashi x1.6 Extender, giving an effective focal length of 3456mm at F19.2.

I have attached images of a final mosaic and two of the mosaic panels showing the (composite) track of the birds as they flew through the field of view.

Three bird strikes in 15 imaging runs, spanning 1 hour, shows how busy the night skies are with our winged friends, of terrestrial origin of course!

It reminded me of the "The Great Moon Hoax (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Great_Moon_Hoax)" a series of six articles that were published in The Sun, a New York newspaper, beginning on August 25, 1835, about the supposed discovery of life and even civilization on the Moon.

The articles described fantastic animals on the Moon, including bison, goats, unicorns, bipedal tail-less beavers and bat-like winged humanoids ("Vespertilio-homo") who built temples. These discoveries were supposedly made with "an immense telescope of an entirely new principle."

The discoveries were falsely attributed to Sir John Herschel, one of the best-known astronomers of his time.

Cheers

Dennis

Astroman
28-03-2016, 10:08 AM
Very nice image of the moon, very clear and sharp. Well done capturing our feathered friends....

Somnium
28-03-2016, 10:27 AM
Really nice work Dennis , for a moment I thought that it was an iss transit.

CJ
28-03-2016, 10:34 AM
Or is it a bat?

MortonH
28-03-2016, 10:51 AM
Possibly Batman being thrown by Superman. Or maybe just a giant turkey.

astroron
28-03-2016, 12:21 PM
Good work there Dennis, :)
I see them pass in front of the moon in the 16" scope, sometimes in big flocks,large birds like Ibis or Cranes,it is great when they are in the V formation.
Cheers:thumbsup:

multiweb
28-03-2016, 01:34 PM
That's pretty cool Dennis. Good catch. :thumbsup:

Dennis
28-03-2016, 02:52 PM
Thanks for all the comments folks, I appreciate them.:)

I generated an AVI of the bird frames and the wing beat doesn’t appear to match that of the flying foxes we see at lower altitudes.:shrug:

This single frame shows the shadow of a much larger (or closer) object which might well be a flying fox?:shrug:

I wonder how many AVI’s I have processed have frames with birds passing through but unless you are watching the screen, they tend to go unnoticed? There is something to be said for good old fashioned eyeball astronomy, eh Ron!;):thumbsup:

Cheers

Dennis

Decimus
28-03-2016, 03:34 PM
Awesome images, Dennis. The first one of the whole moon is amazingly sharp and detailed. Well done.
Cheers,
Richard

RobF
28-03-2016, 03:44 PM
Gosh that's a stunning moon mosaic Dennis. Would love to see it in bit more detail. Kudos.

And glad you've only got image momentos, nothing more liquid and physical on your gear to remember the occasion! :D

Dennis
28-03-2016, 05:28 PM
Thanks Richard and Rob, I appreciate your comments.

@Rob – I hear you – cleaning flying fox goop off the weather boards is a messy job.:rolleyes:

Here are links to a 750KB image at 2560x2560 pixels and,

https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/25149831/Moon_25_03_2016_ZWO-ASI174MM_M180_1x6_Mosaic-Rev-A-Crop-2560.jpg

a 20MB 1024x600 animation (may take a few seconds to download and run).

https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/25149831/Bird-in-front-of-Moon-Frames-1024.gif

(press the Browser refresh button to re-run it)

Cheers

Dennis

Camelopardalis
28-03-2016, 08:12 PM
Beautifully detailed Dennis, well done :thumbsup:

RobF
28-03-2016, 11:25 PM
Wow again. Hi res is stunning Dennis. Did you use any filters, or is it just Mewlon res and processing that has brought out so much detail. Think this might be my desktop for a while (if you don't mind....).

astronobob
28-03-2016, 11:30 PM
Rather Extraordinary Dennis - what are the chances ???

That full disc must look especially awesome in the full file !!

Vary Noice capturing :thumbsup: :thumbsup:

Dennis
29-03-2016, 09:33 AM
Thanks Rob, I’m pleased that you enjoyed the bigger image.:)

I think the overall image quality is more related to the good seeing conditions and the capture/processing via the ASI 174 MM CMOS camera rather than the Mewlon 180. I suspect that my C9.25 would have done just as good a job?

I tried a x2 TV Powermate but the seeing broke down so I returned to using the Tak x1.6 Extender and captured 3000 frames in each AVI and used the 50% setting (i.e. use 1500 frames) in AutoStakkert2!

The final mosaic was 4468x4441 pixels and down-sizing to 2560x2560 also adds some “pop” to the image.

I also use the Topaz Plug-Ins in CS6 and they help boost the contrast and detail and display the tonal range more effectively so that whites are not blown out.

I have added an “unprocessed” 1024x768 full res crop to show what the data looked like coming out of AS2! and Registax, before it went into CS6 and the Topaz Plug-Ins.

Cheers

Dennis

EDIT: Just to complete the picture, I have just attached a processed version for comparison.

Dennis
29-03-2016, 09:34 AM
Thanks Dunk and Bob - I appreciate your comments.

Cheers

Dennis

CJ
29-03-2016, 07:35 PM
Bats or birds aside, that full disk is indeed a superb image! :eyepop: