Full Disco Mars

[LostInSp_ce]

It's been a year of planets and this is most likely to be the last. Another quickie captured on the 11/10/2020 just prior to opposition. Processed from the first of two, 2 minute sets for the night.

Acquisition:
LRGB = 8000 (total stack)
Scope: 130mm APO
Mount: NEQ6
Camera: ASI 290MM
Accessory: 2x Barlow
Processing: AutoStakkert, Registax, GIMP (scaled up approx 200%)

[Robert_T]

wow amazing amount of detail for a 5in scope! well done.

[LostInSp_ce]

Thanks Robert. The weather data was spot on so I had a nice little window of opportunity. I was observing that night/morning and the seeing was great.

[PKay]

Really good LIS.

In all my years, never managed more than a fuzzy blob.

You must know what you are doing!

[Startrek]

LIS

That's a great image of the Red planet,plenty of surface detail

Such a difficult planetary target

Well done !!


Looking at your set up -

130mm APO focal length 910mm
Focal length f7
2 x Barlow used

So you were imaging that night at f14

Camera pixel size 2.9uM


General rule of thumb for Planetary Imaging

Bad seeing 3.5 x pixel size ( focal ratio f10 )

Average seeing 5 x pixel size ( focal ratio f14.5 ) *****

Good seeing 7 x pixel size ( focal ratio f20 )


Any idea what the seeing was like ?
Was Mars bouncing around or fairly stable during your sampling ?
Just curious



Thanks



Martin

[etill]

That's awesome, I did 10,000 frames several times over near the same time with an IMX290 (not the zwo though) and stacked the best 10% and it's not even close. I used my 200mm F/4 with a 5 x ES focal extender so probably a little too far.

When you say LRGB, what filters are you using and how are you capturing?

[LostInSp_ce]

Thanks Peter. Mars can be a challenging target. I wouldn't say that I know what I'm doing it's more luck than anything. It also helps when Mars has a close opposition cycle as it does now. Give us small aperture guys a chance to see some finer details. If there was ever a time to image Mars with a small scope it would be now, as it won't be this size again for another 15 years.



Thanks Martin. I find the 290MM to be a perfect match for this scope. However, I want to pair it with a 2.5x Powermate as I feel it would be the absolute sweet spot in terms of quantity and quality. In theory 3x magnification would provide best results with a f/ratio of 21 but in reality those conditions are so rare that it's not worth chasing.

There was a little bouncing which can be seen in the frames below but still very good.



Thanks Elliot. Here's a pic to give you an idea of the session. I hope it explains things enough. Filters are ebay specials I got a couple of years ago. I can't remember the price but they were very cheap. $20 each or something crazy like that. Hopefully one day I can get a set of Chromas.

[Saturnine]

L.I.S.

That is a pretty good crack at Mars for that aperture, as you said , it is as good a time as we'll get for imaging Mars until 2033/35. Still have a few more weeks yet in this current opposition where it will be over 20" dia. so still time to gather more images.
Last opposition in 2018 I was using an 127mm Triplet and managed some reasonable results, once the dust storm had cleared.

[Anth10]

Fantastic effort on mighty Mars LIS!
Anth

[Retrograde]

Very good Mars with such a modest aperture scope. :thumbsup:

[LostInSp_ce]

Thanks Jeff. That's a fantastic grab for that year. I remember it well and that storm lasted for months. All I ever managed to observe and capture in 2018 was a red smudge. It was a shame because Mars was closer that year.



Thanks Anthony. I'm liking the look of your obs.



Thanks Pete. Until I can get the big Newt on to a mount it's all I've got to work with.