Saturn from IISAC2007, my best!

iceman (Mike) · #1 25-01-2007, 01:59 PM

Hi all

Here's an image I captured at the IISAC2007 star party at Lostock, NSW on the 19th January 2007.

I was imaging next to Anthony (Bird) and Markus, and it was great to actually be sitting next to someone while imaging, comparing the views on the two laptops, and both of us commenting when we noticed good patches of seeing. Imaging can be a fairly lonely exercise, so it was great to be able to share it with someone.

We did an all-nighter that night, capturing Jupiter before dawn (yet to process).

The dark skies and great transparency at Lostock helped me to get my best image of Saturn ever, as I was finally able to capture the crepe ring which had alluded me in the hazy skies we've had back home for the past 2 months.

This image is also my first using my 10" newt on the EQ6 mount.. I didn't take the 12" to IISAC2007 as it wouldn't fit in the car with everything else. It was much much easier to sit down and press buttons on the hand-controller to keep the planet in the FOV, rather than crouching down at the platform, nudging the dob etc. This is definitely something i'm happy to get used to.

Anthony also got his best image of Saturn from IISAC2007, but on the Friday night when seeing was better. Unfortunately I didn't image that night, I was just too tired from the night and days before.

Details:
- Captured for 90 seconds on each colour channel at 15fps (1/15s exposure).
- Stacked 900 frames from each channel in registax
- Rings and globe processed separately and combined in photoshop
- AstraImage used for LR deconvolution and RGB combine.
- Photoshop for final gamma, levels and curves adjustments.

Thanks for looking.

h0ughy (David) · #2 25-01-2007, 02:06 PM

glad to see you get your personal best image.

bird (Anthony Wesley) · #3 25-01-2007, 03:31 PM

The seeing was good that night, nice to see your first EQ mount image came out ok!

Bird

ving (David) · #4 25-01-2007, 03:49 PM

would anyone hit me if i said it saw better than birds?

iceman (Mike) · #5 25-01-2007, 03:52 PM

It's nowhere near better than Birds

ving (David) · #6 25-01-2007, 03:54 PM

so i would get hit then!

great shot tho mike

i did a side by side. he has image scale and er.... everything else. but i do like the contrast in your more... a taste thing i am sure

davidpretorius · #7 25-01-2007, 03:59 PM

a super dooper congrats!!!!!

crepe ring, 100% cd, great banding!!!!

6 nude struts up and done the street for that one!! Well done!

Dennis · #8 25-01-2007, 04:58 PM

Hi Mike

That is an excellent image - well done. I'm pleased for you, now that you can relax more during imaging sessions using the GEM - it makes life so much easier, just sitting there touching up the motor movement keys to keep the planetary disc in the central sweet spot on the display.

Look forward to more images from your new rig.

Cheers

Dennis

gbeal · #9 26-01-2007, 06:09 AM

Ah, he's converted. Gotta love that GEM Mike, now you can appreciate why we all like them. Nice shot too.

asimov (John) · #10 26-01-2007, 09:24 AM

Great shot Mike. Well done on bringing that elusive crepe ring out in the shot!

How do you go about processing the rings & globe seperately? A masking technique?

RB (Andrew) · #11 26-01-2007, 09:36 AM

Awesome shot Mike.

Glad it went so well with the new setup.

33South (Chris) · #12 26-01-2007, 10:22 AM

You gotta be pleased with those rings

Yeah most excellent shot Mike, always good feeling to do a PB.

Ric · #13 26-01-2007, 10:40 AM

Wonderful image Mike.
It looks like the dark skies at Lostock really brought out the best in everyone.

Top stuff

netwolf · #14 27-01-2007, 04:40 AM

Wow wow wow. Well Mike, what can I saw not much with my mouth hanging open.. U and Anthony side by side poor old Saturn did not have a chance.

Now I really really want that EQ6 so i can begin on the long road to long nights outside.

Regards

shaneaust (Mick) · #15 27-01-2007, 04:36 PM

Mike, the other members have just about said it all - fantastic image!

I was interested in your new EQ mount - can you supply us with more info (unless you already have, and I've just missed it!

) plus a pic or two of it?

Great job, dude!

Mick

iceman (Mike) · #16 30-01-2007, 06:23 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by asimov

Great shot Mike. Well done on bringing that elusive crepe ring out in the shot!

How do you go about processing the rings & globe seperately? A masking technique?

Thanks Asi.

I process the rings using minor wavelets in registax, so as not to make the cassini division too wide and/or sharpen too much so that the crepe ring simply disappears. I save that as image 1. I sometimes do some minor deconvolution in AstraImage.

I then process the globe using more aggressive wavelets in registax, and then also do some deconvolution of that image in AstraImage. That's saved as image 2.

I open both images in Photoshop, and select the globe (minus the rings) of Image 2, and paste it on Image 1 as a new layer. I then adjust the alignment, curves, gamma of the globe, finish with a minor sharpen of the rings and that's it.

Hope that helps.

Quote:

Originally Posted by shaneaust

Mike, the other members have just about said it all - fantastic image!

I was interested in your new EQ mount - can you supply us with more info (unless you already have, and I've just missed it!

) plus a pic or two of it?

Great job, dude!

Mick

Thanks Mick. I posted a new thread in equip forum - http://www.iceinspace.com.au/forum/s...ad.php?t=16901 which shows the mount (EQ6). The photos in that thread have the 12" on it, whereas I was using my 10" for this Saturn image.

To answer the question from your PM, when I used the ToUcam, it was at prime focus with a barlow.