'another kodak moment' (mars!)

[asimov (John)]

I'm off to bed.....BYE!

[rumples riot]

You're getting there, good detail present and just a hint of the SPC.

[asimov (John)]

Thanks Paul....Now come on...wheres yours mate?? I just know youv'e got some beauties to post after last nights 8.5/10 seeing conditions??

[h0ughy (David)]

Nice one Asimov!

[rumples riot]

I looked outside at 11 pm and went to bed because there was some cloud drifting about. Did not think it would clear here. Bummer, wish I had stayed up.

[ving (David)]

brilliant stuff! that lil' kodak geta a workout doent it!

[rumples riot]

Conditions are looking better for tonight though, just checked the weather and there is a wide space opening up. So maybe tonight.

[davidpretorius]

well done, seeing was great down in tassie too!

off i go to astra image with your pics, see what detail i can get!

[davidpretorius]

astra image results.


interestingly, your blue was messy, but mine was not . the red and green are very similiar.

blue is more the mars atmosphere apparently. i wonder if the toucam pickups up blue better than the kodak, but is similiar in red and greens!

mate, you have got to bring your bride to star camp, how well would the 12.5 pumpa travel??

[ballaratdragons (Ken)]

WOW! Go Kodak!!

It is amazing the shots that can be taken without spending mega dollars on a camera.

Well done John.

[rumples riot]

Blue is nearly always out of focus. This is because each colour focuses at different wavelengths. Sometimes when the seeing is very good all colours have good focus. For Bird to get around this problem he images in each colour in a set time frame. His focus is fully automated by his computer and a program he uses. For myself I just use the Toucam and do everything I can to get a really sharp image and hope for good seeing. Good seeing here in Adelaide is a night when the planet does not jump and jive all over the screen.

So in answer to your question, the Toucam may not get a better blue image, it all depends on conditions. Hope that makes sense. To get the sort of images that Bird gets you will need to spend a lot of money.

Paul

[rumples riot]

BTW, great astra work, image looks pretty good now.

[fringe_dweller]

Wow John - thats pretty good mate!!! what scope was that with? and it was cloudy in adders last night
Kearn

[iceman (Mike)]

To get the sort of images that Bird gets you will need to spend a lot of money.

That's not necessarily true, I've seen some amazing images from a ToUcam. Obviously good equipment helps, but it's not a necessity.

Steve Massey uses a 10" newt with EP projection and a minitron monochrom video camera - and like bird, captures the R, G and B colours separately.

Imaging (whether planetary or deep sky) isn't always about the best equipment, the equipment and capture (in my opinion) is only 30% of the final result. Knowledge and skill in processing makes up the rest, and you don't need expensive equipment for that.

Just my thoughts.

oh btw nice shot John!

[videoguy]

Good Kodak moment Asimov..

[seeker372011 (Narayan)]

ditto!

[atalas]

Good one John !

Louie

[asimov (John)]

Thanks on the comments guys. Tough work this astrophotography! (tis' with my setup anyhow)

Taken with the 6" achro refractor: but because I chose a magnification of 240X over the 400X I tried last time, (in the 12.5") the camera wants to over-expose mars. The only option is to cut back on the light received by way of a 3.75" aperture mask...& it's still slightly over-exposing! At 400X the mask is not needed....but it takes so long to get the object on the LCD camera screen I gave up on this mag (enter a higher mag finder maybe)

The resulting 2 photos are rather interesting: The one on the left, I used a 7.5mm eudiascopic with the element section of my 2X barlow screwed onto it. I've read this 'ups' the mag by a factor of 1.5X = 240X

The one on the right: a 5mm LV vixen again giving a mag of 240X. For me, the AVI from the pic on the left was easier to process, & is more frames stacked than the pic on the right. After saying that I prefer the right image over the left to look at.

Paul & Kearn: it was raining here @ sundown...& I thought, oh well! another night down the gurgler! I stayed up till midnight to see what it was going to do.....Thinking that rumples riot knew something that I didn't by saying the night is looking favorable.....I always listen to guys that have been into astronomy as long as I have! Anyhow, you were right Paul, it did turn out to be favorable! By 1am it went from 100% overcast to 100% visibility. From 4/10 seeing just after it cleared to 8.5-9/10!! Seeing like this is RARE where I am, so I just HAD to get out there & do something!

This is the only thing that's been stopping me getting semi-decent pics like the ones above: rotten seeing & jetstream!

my camera is limited to what it can do too. Not to worry, it's all fun!

I'm pretty happy with the results last night. Another one tonight by the looks! It's the 12.5" turn tonight!!

[asimov (John)]

Davo, You know I'd LOVE to get to star camp..but I can't. There's no way on earth big-blue fits in my car. The only option there is a roof rack or a 6X4 trailer I guess. Not to worry mate! Ol' asikodak will just be sitting here waiting for reports from star-camp!!

[ballaratdragons (Ken)]

Bring your other scope!