Hi Al
I took several test exposures and checked the histogram after each shot to get the exposure right. Nothing was over or under exposed - the exposure was just right. The levels were adjusted just to add a bit of contrast (darken the mare and lighten the rays).
I'm definitely not using that technique, the result is just not at the standard I set
for myself.
I tried some alternatives tonight (involving a 12" and a dob
). I'll post the results tomorrow morning, chugging through Jupiter data now