Jupiter last night in good conditions

[Dave882]

Well it's been a looooooong time since we've had decent seeing for planetary viewing, but the clouds parted for a few hours and as soon as I observed Jupiter through the eyepiece it was clear that conditions were very nice.

Anyhow - the seeing stayed pretty good but the transparency was getting worse so before I lost the opportunity I took a few videos - first in mono IR and then in osc RGB. It was really up and down by now but I think I got a couple of ok captures.

I tried something different in processing. Thanks to Mickoid for the idea of adding IR as a luminance layer to the RGB image - I managed to do this in GIMP. First though, I had to derotate in Winjupos to match the time stamps although for some reason that seemed to deaden the colour a bit.

I've attached both the original and combined images...

Hope you like the result - shame the GRS wasn't in view but consolation prize for a very late night out was watching Glen Maxwell performing a miracle in India...

Details:
c14 non edge
eq8
asi178mm (IR685 filter) 1x 1min capture
asi462mc (UV/IR filter) 1x 1min capture
ASICAP
AS!3
Registax6
Winjupos
GIMP

When I can find a bit more time I'll play with the other 30 odd captures from the night and see if I can combine them all in Winjupos to extract out a few more details. :)

Thanks for looking!

[Mickoid]

Nice shots David, I don't recall suggesting to use the IR data to add as a Luminance layer but it makes sense, as your IR data has definitely captured more detail than the RGB set. I'll have to figure out a way of capturing some IR with the ASI120mms. I have a 58mm IR pass filter (720nm) that I might be able to fit into the optical chain somewhere. :question:

Keep up the good work David, I love your dedication and perserverance to consistantly produce excellent shots from your big scope. :thumbsup:

[Dennis]

Very nice results David, the processing looks "natural" and "relaxed", which I know is highly subjective, but it works for me. Well done.:):thumbsup:

Dennis

[Dave882]

Thanks mate. Yeah you helped me with a Mars shot a while back using this same technique. I find my planetary seeing conditions are normally quite bad so IR is a wonderful way to still capture some fine detail. In theory, the rgb image should be giving the same level of detail if the seeing was good.

[Dave882]

Thanks Dennis- yeah sometimes have to resist the urge to over-sharpen lol. But reckon I could have done better with the colour balance, as it looked quite nice straight out Registax but not so good after I combined them together

[Startrek]

Dave,
Nice images of the gas giant
Well done !!
Glad you found a little window to capture something
Over the past few weeks the days have been fairly clear but nights have been mostly cloudy , clearing in time for sunrise and the immediate forecast looks grim too
El Niño or La Niña ?
Patience is a virtue , clear nights will probably arrive just in time for the next full moon again
Grumble , grumble …….
Martin

[Anth10]

Dave,
These are splendid images of Jove- the detail is mesmerising really- that 14’” really brings out the detail and I’d sure would be happy with the result- plenty to gaze at even at the high latitudes where detail is sometimes lost in poorer images so all up you’ve aced it again - you are a humble person Dave - be proud of your efforts as you deserve it with the quality of your work.

Cheers
Anthony

[Dave882]

Thanks Martin- yeah it’s been all clouds of late and even while I was shooting this there was a fair bit around but as long as it stays thin you can still capture these bright giants. There was a short period of maybe 30min while I had the binoviewers on, when the transparency was just outstanding. Seeing was still on/off a bit but when it was clear it was seriously like looking at a magazine pic at 450x. The colour saturation through the eyepiece was something I’ve never seen before. Unfortunately those kind of conditions don’t hang around for long

[Dave882]

Cheers Anthony for your very kind words. Yeah Jupiter stays pretty low in the sky unless you’re up north- certainly adds to the challenge! There was a short period which was definitely the best conditions I’ve had this year for planetary viewing, and had some beautiful views through the eyepiece as well. Good nights are few and far between but we take what we can get!