September Challenge Object (Lunar) - Copernicus

[iceman]

Hi all.

We'd love you to take part in the September Observing and Imaging Challenge (http://www.iceinspace.com.au/index.php?id=69,226,0,0,1,0). Please post your reports, sketches and images of Copernicus in this thread. Discussions about the images can also be in this thread.

Please ensure the images obey the posting guidelines when you attach them.

While it would be nice if the report, sketch or image were taken in the month of September, it's not essential so feel free to post older reports and images if you're unable to take some new ones.

We look forward to seeing your contributions!

[miketheobscure]

This is an image I took last month, as Copernicus won't be up again for me till the 12th.

http://www.mikekreuzer.com/astro/cop.jpg (18.3k)

Copernicus showing rays and Montes Carpatus taken on 16 August 2005, 11.04pm. 3 days after 1st quarter. I can't find (sigh) all the imaging details for this pic, I didn't take particular care recording them as this wasn't the crater I was going after on the night. :doh: It is 69 images, captured in K3CCDTools 2, stacked & processed in Registax. Logitech Quickcam on my 8"f/6 newt. Probably prime focus. Other details lost to posterity.

As an aside, Fauth A & B are on the South slope of Copernicus (not the North), just off the top of the picture.

Regards, Mike

[iceman]

Nice one Mike, what's your scope tracking on?

[edit]whoops, saw your sig!

[atalas]

Good shot Mike ! hope to see more from you.


Louie :)

[dhumpie]

Nice one! I hope to get started on some lunar sketching soon and this is as good an opportunity as any.

Darren

[davidpretorius]

sorry a noobie talking!!

what is a ray?

[davidpretorius]

thanks mate, thought they might be!

[iceman]

Prime time for copernicus viewing/imaging is coming up! Don't forget the lunar challenge, guys!

[miketheobscure]

Cloudy here, anyone else get to have a look?

[asimov]

Had a quick squizz last night...too many clouds. I felt the need to post a pic, so heres one taken last month: 12.5" newt with the kodak. :rolleyes:

[asimov]

Finally a bit of a look in tonight, only briefly though, then the clouds rolled in again. Here's a couple of copernicus pics for U's though.

6" refractor with aperture mask @ 80 & 240X..the ol' kodak set on auto. Bit of tone balance/unsharp mask/cropping in picture publisher. Cleaned up in neat image. :D Also grayscale conversion.

Edit: I added the original of the close up Mike. Without the noise taken out I mean.

[asimov]

Oh. Here's another one @ 160X Slightly outa focus on this one :doh: bummer.

[iceman]

Hey John! They're great shots of Copernicus! I'd suggest though, that you've gone a bit too far in cleaning them up in NeatImage - especially the 2nd closeup one. You're removed lots of the fine detail and the image looks un-naturally smooth. I made the same mistake with some of early lunar shots, so i'm just passing on what i've learnt. Sorry not trying to be overly critical.

I love the first shot with the ejecta rays! Well done.

[asimov]

That's ok Mike, I don't mind constructive critisism at all. Totally agree, I over did it. There was a lot of noise from the camera...I still have the...actually I have a dozen originals like that one.

Thanks mate.

[iceman]

I observed copernicus last night, with a 15mm eyepiece @ 83x, and then barlowed (2x and 2.4x) @ 166x and 200x. The seeing only just supported the high magnifications in moments of clarity, but for the most part the wider 83x view was the best.

The sun was fairly high, but the terraced walls of the crater were still very clear and the central peaks stood out nicely. The ejecta rays were already bright from the high sun and spread out hundreds and thousands of kilometres from the crater.

It's truly a magnificent crater with so much detail to take in when the air is steady. I try to imagine the view standing within the crater, dwarfed even by the central peaks, let alone the high crater walls. It would be a stunning sight.

[davidpretorius]

My go tonight, with light cloud and too much wind

Toucam at prime focus (aprox 200X) and got a video of the area

http://www.precons.com/iis/gallery/Nontracking/Solar%20System/moon-20050915-200x_001.avi

200k, looses a lot of detail with compression

i extracted a shot from the video an posted it here

http://www.precons.com/iis/gallery/Nontracking/Solar%20System/moon-20050915_200x_001.jpg
It is a lovely area of the moon, i have been given a fantastic national geographic encyclopedia of space,leather bound and up to date. it has a lovely map of the moon. guess which book is coming to star camp????

[asimov]

Good pic Davo! Just downloading the vid now...

[asimov]

Yeah, the vids pretty ordinary cos' of the compression. But hey, It's the 1st video of the moon I've ever seen so well DONE mate!!:cool: :thumbsup: :D