DMK Mars - 12.46am - Brisbane, Dec 3

[matt]

Plenty of star twinkle tonight and managed to find a gap in the clouds to have some more fun with the DMK21AF04.AS.

The usual: C9.25, 3x barlow, red filter.

I've attached the original as well as a 1.5x Mitchell resample out of R4.

If we ever get some really good seeing this cam/scope might produce a stunner.

[iceman (Mike)]

Very good Matt, almost the same view I saw at the same time. Gotta process mine now

When is your filter wheel arriving?

[Dennis]

Nice work Matt, what type of Red filter are you using? Some very nice contrast showing the various features really well.

Apart from this lingering cloud, how are you finding the local imaging conditions compared to Canberra?

Cheers

Dennis

[matt]

Originally Posted by iceman

Very good Matt, almost the same view I saw at the same time. Gotta process mine now

When is your filter wheel arriving?

Thanks Mike.

The filter wheel was ordered weeks ago from Adirondack, back on Oct 26, but there have been delays in production and delivery from the manufacturer. I am told it is shipping this week.

Won't give me much time of RGB-ing Mars but it'll serve as some form of preparation for Saturn and Jupiter.

Originally Posted by Dennis

Nice work Matt, what type of Red filter are you using? Some very nice contrast showing the various features really well.

Apart from this lingering cloud, how are you finding the local imaging conditions compared to Canberra?

Hi Dennis.

I went with the tried and trusted Astronomik Type II LRGB 1.25" filter set. They do seem to give a very nice result.

I've had the chance to try them out individually on Mars and the different details each filter brings out (when using the DMK) is very promising.

As far as a comparison of conditions in Canberra and Brisbane goes, it's a little hard for me to gauge at the moment. I have only been here four months and from what I can glean conditions have not been good for quite a while. The jetstream has been an almost permanent companion overhead and there's been so many cloudy nights. It will also take me a while to discover which time/s of year best suit imaging, and what are my favourable conditions locally?

I'm keeping a journal at the moment which will hopefully help with that.

So, it would probably not be fair or accurate to compare the two at this stage.

Having had the opportunity to do some imaging in quite good conditions in Canberra, I'll wait until Brisbane offers up something similar until I offer an opinion.

I will say this though, I've not had a single night yet where I've needed to plug in the dew heating system. That has been a surprise!

And I'm quite excited by the images I have been able to acquire so far in less than ideal conditions. All I need now is some of that seeing you had back a year or two ago!!!

Cheers.

[Dennis]

Originally Posted by matt

>snip
And I'm quite excited by the images I have been able to acquire so far in less than ideal conditions. All I need now is some of that seeing you had back a year or two ago!!!

Cheers.

Yeah – that was my first experience at hi-res planetary and lunar imaging and I was blissfully ignorant of the effects of the jet stream at the time, and how good it was on those nights I managed to get out.

In Feb 2006, whilst imaging Jupiter for the first time with the trusty old ToUcam, the small white ovals were just sitting there, pretty on the notebook display. I naturally assumed that everyone in Australia was experiencing the same seeing!

I do hope conditions improve and that some of that seeing returns soon!

Cheers

Dennis

[beren]

Nice results matt, I hope your filter wheel arrives soon, look forward to see what you'll produce