[pmrid (Peter)]

I’m planning to image this event - on December 21st. I have been trying to decide which combination of scope and camera will work best. I will have to use a portable rig - I have chosen a site in a west-looking park near home - so already some limitations. It will have to be my HEQ5Pro mount. Now since the planets will be low (15-18 degrees) above the western horizon and barely 90 minutes after sunset, and it is likely to still be warm if not hot, and the seeing will be poor the choice of gear will be tricky. Do I try my ZWO290MC CCD and take videos, or try to get some still frames and hope?

Framing issues clearly favour getting both planets in the same frame. So matching scope to CCD will be the real challenge. I have a 10inch f3.8 newt of 952mm FL. But on a small mount it will probably be a bit unstable in an exposed location. Likewise my127mm refractor - another 950ish FL. I have an RC8 (1600mm FL) which is a bit heavy but less prone to instability if there’s a bit of breeze. I also have a ED80 which is light and portable. But the FL is a bare 600mm and getting a decent image of Jupiter (let alone Saturn) would be difficult.

I have the usual mix of old EOS 20D, 40D and even a 500D plus a great Olympus OMD EM1. and an SBIG STF8300M and an older 4MP Starlight Express SXVR H16.

Spoilt for choice. I won't be able to get both planets in frame AND get a decent image scale so I will have to sacrifice one or the other. And I think image scale loses out. So I think my rig of choice will be the RC8 and the SBIG STF8300.

There won’t be time to take multiple filters. I’m going to have to image in one colour - probably green I think. I’d be interested to see what the experts think though.

Peter