The fuss over capturing 6 Trap stars has suprised me. I thought that was normal and it was supposed to happen as a normal thing.
Oh well, live & learn.
On the original Avi all the stars are a blobby mess dancing their way across the FOV.
They actually look like blurry throbbing Ameoba doing synchronised swimming!
I have only seen six trap stars clearly once, the other times I could almost imagine them. When you get your tracking Ken you will do even better. I am amazed you can even capture them as they must sail through you field of view fairly quickly. Or do you ambush them by setting the dob in their path?
Bert, I give the object several runs to get my levels right and then when I am ready to capture I put it just off the side of the monitor. I get the record button ready and as it sails onto the monitor I click 'Record'.
Yep, it flies right across the FOV pretty fast!!!! Just before it leaves the other side of the monitor I click on 'Stop Recording'. Gives me about 150-180 frames. Usually about 6-8 seconds worth.
I actually tried the Barlow last night on Mars but it shot across the screen in under 3 seconds!!!! Obviously I didn't try capturing with the Barlow.
i spose guys that take pics of stars are long exposures so the trap gets burnt out.
the guys that take short exposure stuff are mainly only intersted in planets.
I have seen 6 stars in the trap say only on 5 nights.
This is why i am keen as eggs to do some more double star work. Asimovs sirius was a beauty. I would love to capture some more different coloured double stars.
So mr ken, you 5 from a few weeks ago and now 6 are a rarity on film so to speak, hence the excitement!!!!
Quote:
Originally Posted by ballaratdragons
Thanks all!
The fuss over capturing 6 Trap stars has suprised me. I thought that was normal and it was supposed to happen as a normal thing.
Oh well, live & learn.
On the original Avi all the stars are a blobby mess dancing their way across the FOV.
They actually look like blurry throbbing Ameoba doing synchronised swimming!
It's amazing what you can do with an unguided dob eh? I know what you mean about the images zooming across the FOV - it's surprising you can get any decent frames at all, even with good seeing. But I think that's where video capture is very useful, since you get lots of frames in a short time and can sometimes bag some beauties.
Video really has opened up some possibities for those of us who would otherwise have no chance without all the expensive gear & large, stable tracking mount etc. Even a total beginner like me can get out and give it a go hehe...
I have just been outside on another fantastic night! (Tuesday night)
BUT! I cannot find that elusive 6th star in an Avi in the Trap tonight. I can easily get the 5 each time but not the 6th! (I have taken 5 Avi's of it) But as Bert said, it is a variable star!!!
I also captured a great Avi of 47Tuc but Registax will not lock on to anything in the Avi to process it! I even tried a brightish star in the pic next to Tuc but it just won't lock on, so I can't process it. Pity coz it looks good as it slides across the screen!!!!
Tarantula still won't show up on the monitor and I am having trouble getting objects in the crosshairs in the finder. I need to piggyback mount another scope on the 12" so I can see when I have an object in the field of view for capturing.
Oh well, I am not about to give up. I am on my way back outside to give it more time and more hair-pulling!!! At least I remembered to Collimate BEFORE capturing this time.
Hopefully I will get something worth putting in here!
Sorry Ken, I was using the new Pleiades plug-in for PhotoShop instead of using the Trapezium plug-in.
I've had another go. Tried to bring out the nubulosity better.
Cheers
Andrew,
Thanks for giving it a go but that looks like the version I got when I pumped the Red up! Heaps of Red stars is the result!
I want to be able to bring the natural Red Neb out but leave the stars their natural whiteish colour too, like the enlarged version I posted above in 'post #16', which hasn't had the colour bumped, it's direct from the Toucam with only Brightness and Contrast fiddled with.
