Hallingskies Posted November 10, 2020 Share Posted November 10, 2020 This is a dodgy GIF made from half a dozen of so images of Mars I collected on the exceptionally soggy and fireworky evening of last Saturday (it runs if you click on it)...For each contributing image I shot 1000 or so frames using an ancient Toucam Pro and a C9.25 with a x2 barlow. I stacked the best 100 of each run in an equally ancient edition of Registax. The result (sort of) shows the rising of Syrtis Major over the eastern limb, between 18.30 and 20.00.I am no planetary imager and I had forgotten how hard it is to get good planetary images. The seeing looked pretty good to me, yet the image was bouncing around the PC screen like a demented ping pong ball, making manual focussing a hit and miss affair. The results were pretty blurred, but they do show large-scale detail: I matched up an image gathered at 19.30 with the BAA Mars map of the same time and most of the features are recognisable, if not exactly clear...I had to pack up at around 8, partly because the flashing and banging fireworks were driving me up the wall, and partly because the fog was drawing in, condensation was dripping off of everything and I was worried about the electrics! 9 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gina Posted November 10, 2020 Share Posted November 10, 2020 Nice ? 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MarkAR Posted November 10, 2020 Share Posted November 10, 2020 Nice work. ? 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
geoflewis Posted November 11, 2020 Share Posted November 11, 2020 Well done 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Carastro Posted November 11, 2020 Share Posted November 11, 2020 Well done.Carole 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GazAstro Posted November 13, 2020 Share Posted November 13, 2020 That's excellent and with a Toucam ! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bob-c Posted November 14, 2020 Share Posted November 14, 2020 That's a good pic.Bob. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hallingskies Posted November 14, 2020 Author Share Posted November 14, 2020 Thanks everyone for the positive comments. I would still like to know how experienced planetary imagers get some of the staggeringly detailed images I have seen. I appreciate that the Phillips TouCam/Registax v2.1.14 combo is hardly state of the art these days, but is a small pixel/high frame rate CMOS camera the secret of sharp planetary images? Or is it just down to luck with the conditions? I have every confidence in my old Celestron 9.25, it is optically excellent and a breeze to collimate. I should get more use out of it than I do. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stub Mandrel Posted November 14, 2020 Share Posted November 14, 2020 Posted by: @Hallingskies Thanks everyone for the positive comments. I would still like to know how experienced planetary imagers get some of the staggeringly detailed images I have seen. I appreciate that the Phillips TouCam/Registax v2.1.14 combo is hardly state of the art these days, but is a small pixel/high frame rate CMOS camera the secret of sharp planetary images? Or is it just down to luck with the conditions?I have every confidence in my old Celestron 9.25, it is optically excellent and a breeze to collimate. I should get more use out of it than I do.Nicely done.I find I get best results with:Spot on focus.Atmospheric Dispersion Corrector.Good quality barlow.Decent but not ridiculously expensive colour camera (ASI120MC).Excellent seeing. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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