My first image of Mars in quite a while! Taken Monday dawn in above average seeing as the high pressure system moved over SE England. Details of the acquisition are at the link below:
https://www.astrobin.com/y1nltx/E/ (https://www.astrobin.com/y1nltx/E/)
It was imaged using a 10" f/20 Maksutov and a ZWO ASI462MC CMOS OSC camera at 142 frames per second. 1,500 frames stacked out of 30,000 taken.
I hope the seeing cooperates later in the month and into October for closest approach.
Roberto
(https://cdn.astrobin.com/thumbs/hdLHqEy2AwVE_1824x0_yOjrhbNM.jpg)
I saw this on Astrobin. Great detail Roberto.
Carole
Thank you Carole!
I managed to extract a little bit from the data (in my view but maybe I'm squinting...) and finished with the below:
(https://cdn.astrobin.com/thumbs/vZXWQXBhmM_i_1824x0_kZeHYKMo.jpg)
The new version looks smoother.
Carole
Excellent work Roberto, that AP Mak is a great scope.
May be I'm squinting as well but I also think there is a bit more teased out of the second image. I'll be trying Mars myself when I get back from hols.
Robert
Thank you Carole, Robert. Robert it's a TEC Mak, I wish I had the AP! Enjoy your break 8)
Roberto
That's a fantastic image. Lots of detail. The seeing must have been good.
Mark
Thank you Mark - difficult to put a reference on seeing as I have not observed the planets in literally years because they are so low over the horizon. I would say it was above average. I'm hoping for equal or better conditions for early October when the planet will be more illuminated.
Roberto
That is fantastic Roberto, the detail is amazing. Seeing must have been very good. I have done a lot of Mars images over the years and also intend to set up for planetary when I get home. My old Meade 8" SCT can't compete with this though and you've done a great job with the colour. Shame the other planets are at such woeful altitudes this year. Did you use an ADC?
Thank you! Yes, I did have an ADC in the imaging train. There was some dispersion but it was easily corrected - some 5/7 px at that focal length (0.11"/px). Fingers crossed for good seeing - maybe some this weekend- and we can compare images!
Roberto
Lovely picture Roberto
Good to see one of the planets back on the Forum!
Hugh
Thank you Hugh! Yes, with Jupiter and Saturn so low, it's nice to have Mars high(er) in the sky.
Roberto
More Mars....
Taken early in the morning of 22 September. Same equipment but slightly better seeing:
(01:37UT - 7% of 30,000 - resized 150%)
(https://cdn.astrobin.com/thumbs/_RS5WLwJbbit_1824x0_Ld6lYopT.jpg)
(01:45UT - 5 frames de-rotated and stacked in WinJupos)
(https://cdn.astrobin.com/thumbs/UNk-645dPU5u_1824x0_yOjrhbNM.jpg)
(02:00UT - 3 frames de-rotated and stacked in WinJupos)
(https://cdn.astrobin.com/thumbs/KFVaonrUXwCg_1824x0_COnXzQFG.jpg)
Animation of the 5 frames from the second image:
(https://cdn.astrobin.com/images/5378/2020/cfb5a317-9450-465f-a70b-e3799add259c.gif)
What hopefully should be visible in the above...
(https://cdn.astrobin.com/thumbs/QFppJCmXCBRr_1824x0_kZeHYKMo.jpg)
Roberto
Those are really excellent Mars images, great capture.
Robert
Thank you Robert!
I added a bit of colour saturation to the last stack.
Roberto
(https://cdn.astrobin.com/thumbs/mJFFhFEPF1E6_1824x0_XMZ8qe_X.jpg)
That last batch show some fantastic detail.
Carole
Thank you Carole. I was surprised by that as the planet had crossed the meridian by then and seeing was not any better, at least on the monitor. I suspect I got something better out of it as the videos were shorter (20k vs 30k frames) and maybe details smeared less when stacking.
Roberto
More Mars in no so good seeing...but after all this rain and clouds better than nothing. Taken on Thursday night:
(https://cdn.astrobin.com/thumbs/TU7w0MVugXva_16536x16536_LOFmXT2F.jpg)
Information here: https://www.astrobin.com/8fc2xh/G/ (https://www.astrobin.com/8fc2xh/G/)
Great Result Roberto
Carole
Thank you Carole! I put together an animation from the frames I took from 22:43 to 00:01.
Roberto
(https://cdn.astrobin.com/images/5378/2020/afde971a-08ea-4e95-ac2d-c02093ea8ecd.gif)
Very good Roberto
And in motion too.
Noel
Thank you Noel!
The dreaded edge-rind effect became stronger and stronger since September.
More Mars in November:
3/11/20 - 21:55UT
(https://cdn.astrobin.com/thumbs/A9w_-O2UgUCg_1824x0_weuzSonx.jpg)
And a blurb of Phobos and Deimos:
(https://cdn.astrobin.com/thumbs/DW5gLT04Kczy_1824x0_XMa3dGG3.jpg)
And the next day, 5 November, at the same time:
(https://cdn.astrobin.com/thumbs/JTI7IBPTJs7P_1824x0_CtqCEXoG.jpg)
And what will possibly be the last hurrah of Mars this apparition as the weather deteriorates and planet shrinks, on 7 November at 20:58UT:
(https://cdn.astrobin.com/thumbs/KPwil5tpIosf_1824x0_weuzSonx.jpg)
Roberto
Very nice Roberto. Shame some deity can't peel the rind off these planets :wall:
Thank you! I have not tried to remove the effect by processing but did read Martin Lewis' update on it here: http://skyinspector.co.uk/mars-edge-artefact/ (http://skyinspector.co.uk/mars-edge-artefact/) Some study!
Roberto