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Old 06-03-2013, 02:12 PM
mbaddah (Mo)
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Best way to image Panstarrs?

Was wondering what would be the best way to image Comet Panstarrs tonight with a fixed tripod (no tracking) ? I'm going to try and have a shot at it tonight if the coast is clear.

Thanks
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Old 06-03-2013, 03:01 PM
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rogerg (Roger)
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For wide field images, fixed tripod is no problem for Panstarrs because it and the twilight sky behind it are quite bright so exposure times are limited anyhow.

I would recommand a focal length of approx 150mm or less and exposure times of less than 10 seconds. Edit: suggest aiming for ~80mm and go from there.

My shots last night were mostly with the tracking turned off so that the foreground wasn't trailed, and the exposure times were between 2 and 10 seconds at 800ISO and between F/4 and F/10. It all depends on the stage of twilight as to when the sky background will over expose.

Hopefully you have a cable release or such, that's probably the most critical other factor I think.

If you had a tracking mount you could do longer focal length and longer exposures but you won't miss it in this case I don't think
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Old 06-03-2013, 03:05 PM
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multiweb (Marc)
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Quote:
Originally Posted by mbaddah View Post
Was wondering what would be the best way to image Comet Panstarrs tonight with a fixed tripod (no tracking) ? I'm going to try and have a shot at it tonight if the coast is clear.

Thanks
Short answer: dodge clouds (if you're in Sydney). Trying that one tonight weather permits with a 200mm lens. But the western horizon is looking pretty gloomy...
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Old 06-03-2013, 03:32 PM
mbaddah (Mo)
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Quote:
Originally Posted by rogerg View Post
For wide field images, fixed tripod is no problem for Panstarrs because it and the twilight sky behind it are quite bright so exposure times are limited anyhow.

I would recommand a focal length of approx 150mm or less and exposure times of less than 10 seconds. Edit: suggest aiming for ~80mm and go from there.

My shots last night were mostly with the tracking turned off so that the foreground wasn't trailed, and the exposure times were between 2 and 10 seconds at 800ISO and between F/4 and F/10. It all depends on the stage of twilight as to when the sky background will over expose.

Hopefully you have a cable release or such, that's probably the most critical other factor I think.

If you had a tracking mount you could do longer focal length and longer exposures but you won't miss it in this case I don't think
Thanks Roger for the tips. Hopefully the clouds part on the western horizon and can get something decent. Have you had a chance to image Panstarrs with the astrotrac?
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Old 06-03-2013, 04:02 PM
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iceman (Mike)
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Looking good for tonight, my first opportunity to see it!
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Old 06-03-2013, 04:04 PM
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rogerg (Roger)
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Originally Posted by mbaddah View Post
Thanks Roger for the tips. Hopefully the clouds part on the western horizon and can get something decent. Have you had a chance to image Panstarrs with the astrotrac?
Every night I use a mix of tracking and not tracking on the AstroTrac. It's critical to my success
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Old 06-03-2013, 07:28 PM
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mithrandir (Andrew)
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Originally Posted by multiweb View Post
Short answer: dodge clouds (if you're in Sydney). Trying that one tonight weather permits with a 200mm lens. But the western horizon is looking pretty gloomy...
100% correct. It would have been great if you wanted a 10° band of red/orange glowing cloud. Every other horizon was fine.
The forecast for tomorrow looks promising.
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