HST with DSLR + Jupiter with SPC900NC

[AlexN]

2 pics from today...

The ToUcam Jupiter image seems a bit blurred.. I captured for 120seconds @ 5fps with 5x powermate + extension tubes giving roughly 6.5M focal length.. seeing was decent enough... on and off..
Edit : It was kind of windy.... perhaps continuous scope vibration/movement caused the "funny" image


Is the capture too long and the blur caused by planetary rotation? or was it focus and or collimation do you think?

Anywho...

[Dennis]

Hey Alex

Nice pics! I’m surprised you were able to capture as much as you have with the conditions. I had a quick peek at Jupiter earlier on and the image looked very soft and mushy; definitely one of those nights on which I would not even attempt any hi res imaging.

Generally, for Jupiter at your configuration, the limit is around 90 to 100 seconds before Jupiter’s very fast rotation becomes quite noticeable. Most certainly the wind hammering your ‘scope would induce detail-destroying vibrations and poor collimation would also contribute to a soft image.

Cheers

Dennis

[Screwdriverone]

Hi Alex,

It may be rotation if you stacked that many frames, lately I have only been capturing 30 secs max at 10fps to give 300 frames and then setting Registax to 70% to weed out the crap. This seems to give me more details because I am not sloshing all the details together and smudging it in the process.

Other than that, not sure, it may have been the wind or the seeing based on that 6.5m focal length?

Chris

[AlexN]

Heres another one, taken a bit later with less focal length, approximately 6.1m.

seems 'better' but still fairly average. This video was a 90sec video, rather than 120 like the previous.

[Dennis]

It looks like the effects of mediocre seeing to me Alex, from the jet stream which seems quite active of recent days.

Cheers

Dennis

[Kal]

Hi ALex,

I agree with Dennis, I think it was just the jetstream. I imaged almost the exact same Jupiter, but from Sydney there was a bit less jetsream going by the Weather Underground map. The jetstream was also on and off for me last night, unfortunately when it was great to seemed to only last for a few seconds, not a few minutes as I would have liked.

I don't know if it's just from the change of focal length, or a change in processing, but I like the second Jupiter better. The first Jupiter image appears a bit grainy when compared to the second one, which looks great!

[AlexN]

Thanks Kal, The second AVI actually looked better before any processing.... As I increase the focal length the conditions I require to capture a good image increase exponentially.. with a 3x barlow (3600mm FL) I can get away with pretty average conditions, with the 5x and 2 extension tubes, if its not pristine, the image always appears a bit iffy..