|
Hi Jowel,
No, the colour is NOT due to long exposures when taking pictures of planets - because they are SOOOO bright we need to take REALLY short pictures, as many as you can to "freeze" the atmospheric seeing. (technical term for the big column of air between YOU and outer space which is turbulent and moving). This is why we use a webcam which can take videos at 30 or 60 frames per second which in reality equates to 60 pictures every second. Once you capture say, 30 seconds of video, then this equates to 30 x 60 frames = 1800 pictures. These are then stacked on top of each other (after throwing away the not so good ones - done by software like Registax) and then you get LOTS more details than just a single exposure which may be blurred when you take it because the atmosphere at the time is moving.
We dont see as much colour on a planet through the eyepiece because our eyes are not as sensitive as say a CCD on a camera or webcam. You CAN still see vague colours and you can definitely see bands on Jupiter and the Great Red Spot etc, but nowhere near as vibrant or detailed as a camera can do. For example, my Saturn pic looks like it has a rainbow of bands on Saturn, but through the eyepiece, it looks creamy white or even beige as my eyes (in the dark) are NOT as sensitive to colours as the camera. Mars however, does look red and you can make out surface details in the eyepiece, depending on how big it is at the time (how close Mars and Earth are to each other in space)
You have to be careful not to expect what you see in pictures here, as it is DEFINITELY NOT what you will see in the eyepiece. My M20 Trifid pic is a prime example of this, a nebula often only looks like a grey wispy blob with your eye, but as you can see in the astrophoto, its red AND blue in reality. However, what you DO see, often blows you away even without all the colour as you are seeing it "live" through your OWN EYES with your very own telescope and often in your own backyard. Humbling and cool all at the same time. AND, very worth it. The first time you see Jupiter or Saturn in your scope will blow your mind and be a memorable moment for you.
Cheers
Chris
|