First Decent Shot of Saturn

[jr_simpson (Australia)]

Still a long way to go with stacking, but I think this one turned out nicely for my first attempt at Saturn. I must attach my 3x barlow to the CCD to get some decent detail I think.

4 Minutes footage using my NexImage 5 CCD and Registax 6.

[lazjen (Chris)]

Great first attempt, I think.

[jr_simpson (Australia)]

Thanks mate, getting there. Might try a longer record next time with m 3x barlow and see the results !

[Jon (Jonathan)]

Great first go. The 3x Barlow will get you some nice detail.

[carlstronomy (Carl)]

Great shot keep up the good work. Don't forget with Saturn at the end of its season and now low in the sky you may not squeeze a really great clear image with a 3x barlow. If you have a 2x then have a play with that one first, you may get hung up going round in circles trying to get a good 3x image when seeing will prevent you no mater what you try and all the time you will think you are doing something wrong...
I did this for days!! seeing needs to be real nice for a 3x image on Saturn this year.

Carl

[Jon (Jonathan)]

Originally Posted by carlstronomy

Great shot keep up the good work. Don't forget with Saturn at the end of its season and now low in the sky you may not squeeze a really great clear image with a 3x barlow. If you have a 2x then have a play with that one first, you may get hung up going round in circles trying to get a good 3x image when seeing will prevent you no mater what you try and all the time you will think you are doing something wrong...
I did this for days!! seeing needs to be real nice for a 3x image on Saturn this year.

Carl

Hi Carl - good advice in general. But don't forget your Celestron is f/10, which the 3x Barlow would bump up to f/30 which as you say might be a big ask with Saturn low in the sky. Your 2x Barlow gives an effective focal length of f/20.

Jsaon, on the other hand, has a NexStar 130 which is only f/5. Using the 3x will put him at f/15, which is ideal given the conditions.

[jr_simpson (Australia)]

Thanks for the tips guys. I've been seeing it in the western sky at around 19:15, sitting at the right angle above my nemesis (mountains). I'll give the 2x a go first and then have a crack at the 3x. I think if I start recording early, I'll be able to get atleast an hour before it sets over the mountains. (Just got to pray to the rain gods to send the clouds away)

I was also having a go at doing Venus, but I can't seem to get it focused correctly and it overpowers the CCD. Should I be using a filter ?

[carlstronomy (Carl)]

Hi as you can see by the naked eye there is a massive difference in magnitude between Venus and Saturn. I have not used the Neximage 5, but I assume it will allow you to increase the frame per second (reduce exposer time) and or reduce the brightness. As you do this the over saturation of your chip will reduce and slowly leave with with an image you can focus.

Carl

[jr_simpson (Australia)]

Yep all functionality is available. I'm using ASTRO FX, way better than AMCap or iCap IMHO, just takes a bit of fiddling to get the settings right.

Just got to wait for another clear night now.