Mare Australe - The SAC4.2 shakedown continues

[[1ponders] (Paul)]

Mare Australe from 05-10-06

Seeing not good: 2-3/10
Transparency: 7/10 (halo around the moon out to about 1.5 lunar diameters)

Still battling the colour cast though it is much easier now with the UV/IR filter. Though as you can see from the unadjusted colour image of Tycho there is still a predominant pink cast to images. Hopefully I'll have it sorted out by Saturn time

The images of Mare Australe have all been processed through Registax without using the colour option, so they have ended up greyscale. The first images is a ROI capture (Region of Interest). Catch-42 lets you select just the area you want to capture. This significantly speeds up the frame rate (15 fps), which for this little camera is important as it captures RAW with no compression. Compare the second image that used no ROI (6 fps). Exposures varied between 10 and 25 ms with gain around 60 - 80%

The fourth image is the same as the third one but using different processing. Pick you fav.

They are no Mick Salway, Zac Pujic or Dennis Simmons, but I'm happy with the progress of this little camera so far. I've deliberately avoided doing a side by side with the ToUcam at stage. I'll wait untill I feel confident with the SAC first (and the image size of this chip still blows me away for a planetary camera. None of the images have been resized from the originals so override windows automatic resizing with the "Expand to regular size" button and check out how bit they are compared to the ToUcam chip images we normally see)

[Dennis]

Hi Paul

Nice image set, especially for the conditions you describe. Mare Australe is very clearly visible – nicely done. It’s always a tough ask, imaging around the time of full moon.

Some 100kms south of you, I reckon it started off at 4/10 and climbed to 6/10 with moments of 7/8 out of 10 before dropping back to 4/5 out of 10. Quite a difference over such a short distance eh?

Cheers

Dennis

[[1ponders] (Paul)]

You're not wrong Dennis. I knocked off around 22:30 when Ron went home. The moon was just past the zenith by then.

I think part of my problem with seeing is where I live and the direction I have to shoot. 90% of the time I'm imaging to the east over the hole in the earth they call Nambour (I have a house about 8 feet to my west that blocks everything past the zenith basically). Well Nambour is in a valley so that's sort of a hole. Then there's a lovely valley that leads off it down to the ocean. I live in the hills at the back of Nambour. So not only do I get to shoot through the rising heat off the town, and all it's lovely wood fires (why in heavens name do you need a wood fire on the coast of SE Qld ) but the wind coming down the valley from the ocean hits the hills and goes straight up Mind you I'm not complaining (much ) at least I can see some stars most nights. I don't know how you guys in Bris Vegas stand the lights.


Anyway the house is going on the market in the next couple of months and were moving west, to darker more stable climes.

[ving (David)]

hmm... interesting paul. the sac is a capable lil' camera from what i have seen.

you have done well under the seeing and transparency circumstances.

[astroron (Ron)]

They came out quite well, they will be even better when you move closer to greener pastures It was a great drive home I did not see one vehicle from I Highfields to Cambroon beautiful night to drive in.