Orpington Astronomical Society

Astronomy => Astrophotography => Topic started by: Carole on Sep 11, 2011, 23:15:39

Title: My manic solar system 24 hours!!!!
Post by: Carole on Sep 11, 2011, 23:15:39
Have done a marathon over the last 24 hours apart from the imaging between the clouds, I had bought one of Robert's Webcams and so had to find a new focal point using 2 different scopes.  Today I was doing the Sun and it kept telling me I was getting short of space and so it didn't record the last batch.  Found out why later this evening as I thought I had better move some of the files off the laptop and found a HUGE AVI of 8.8GB 21130 frames, I must have accidently left it on as it was mostly clouds!!!!  Duh.   :oops:

Then Registax kept crashing, but interestingly was happily trying to align the 8.8Gb file.

Anyway, enough of all that:

Uranus (a first for me).
Can't Remember how many frames, but probably not more than about 300 - 400.
Captured in K3CCD tools, ETX125, Webcam SPC900, IR filter

(http://gallery.orpington-astronomy.org.uk/albums/userpics/10047/Uranus_crop.jpg)


Title: Re: My solar system 24 hours!!!!
Post by: Carole on Sep 11, 2011, 23:19:29
Jupiter and three Moons:
Callisto bottom left, Europa left of Jupiter and Io top right.

ETX125 and webcam SPC900, IR filter, 764 frames in K3CCDTools
Processed in Registax, the Moons had to be processed in K3 as Registax kept freezing every time I tried to put them in, and then a composite was made in Photoshop.

(http://gallery.orpington-astronomy.org.uk/albums/userpics/10047/Jupiter_Moons_10-9-11_ETX125___SPC900_composite.jpg)
Title: Re: My solar system 24 hours!!!!
Post by: Carole on Sep 11, 2011, 23:24:29
Today's sunspots.  Used the ED80, the SPC900, IR filter and Baader solar filter (do I need the IR filter with a Baader filter?)
Registax only stacked 44 out of 1494 frames as there were lots of clouds, tried to turn off in time but needed Baader specs!! :cheesy:

Processed in Registax and PS CS3

(http://gallery.orpington-astronomy.org.uk/albums/userpics/10047/Sun_11-9-11_ED80___SPC_900_44_frames.jpg)

I also took some images of the Moon, but being full Moon they are not very interesting, so won't bother to post them.

Title: Re: My manic solar system 24 hours!!!!
Post by: Mac on Sep 11, 2011, 23:27:58
QuoteI also took some images of the Moon, but being full Moon they are not very interesting, so won't bother to post them.
why not?

the images are very nice, especially Uranus.
Title: Re: My manic solar system 24 hours!!!!
Post by: Carole on Sep 11, 2011, 23:42:11
Thanks Mac, Oh alright then.

ETX125 and Webcam SPC900, IR filter.
Absolutely no idea where this is on the Moon, possbly Tycho??
Captured in K3CCDtools and processed in Registax and PS CS3

(http://gallery.orpington-astronomy.org.uk/albums/userpics/10047/normal_Moon_10-9-11_Full_Moon_Crater.jpg)

Title: Re: My manic solar system 24 hours!!!!
Post by: PhilB on Sep 12, 2011, 06:23:33
Wow, nice going, Carole, well done!
Title: Re: My manic solar system 24 hours!!!!
Post by: Carole on Sep 12, 2011, 08:18:33
Thanks Phil,
I'm Kna.....ered now, still have the remainder of files to shift off the laptop, might as well finish the job now I've started.  I've also got some partions to the HD (which Mac did for me some time ago), so haven't really run out of space, it was just tight on the C drive. 

Carole

Title: Re: My manic solar system 24 hours!!!!
Post by: MarkS on Sep 12, 2011, 14:10:04

Wow - you have been busy!  A good crop of images there.

Mark
Title: Re: My manic solar system 24 hours!!!!
Post by: Carole on Sep 12, 2011, 15:18:12
Thanks Mark.
What's the secret of getting more detail on Jupiter?  I didn't try a Barlow this time, but will the next time I image it (provided I can get focus).  Also might use Sharpcap next time.   

Carole
Title: Re: My manic solar system 24 hours!!!!
Post by: Mac on Sep 12, 2011, 17:06:06
QuoteWhat's the secret of getting more detail on Jupiter?

More images,

if you have your avi set up for 5 frames a second and you video 10 mins,
thats 3000 frames,

now if you were to look at every single frame,
probably 1% would be fantastic, where the air is perfectly still and the whole of the disk is pin sharp,

If you only use those frames you will get a fantastic image,

If you use the top 80%, then the other 79% of the images will not be as sharp as the 1%,
so your image will come out not as good,

its a numbers game,
when you stack the image, select only the top 1% and see what you get,
then up it to 5%,10% ect, untill you get an image that you are not happy with.

then you will know that you are now stacking images that are removing the detail form the images.

Mac.
Title: Re: My manic solar system 24 hours!!!!
Post by: Carole on Sep 12, 2011, 17:19:17
Thanks Mac.   

Carole
Title: Re: My manic solar system 24 hours!!!!
Post by: The Thing on Sep 12, 2011, 17:35:29
Hi Carole,

Jupiter webcam settings and stuff I have been using:
1) Check your focus using a Bahtinov mask on a star.
1a) If you are not using a refractor check your collimation.
2) 5 frames/second so the camera doesn't compress the AVI stream.
3) Gain always less than 100% or you will get a lot of extra noise.
An exposure of around 1/50s or 1/100s, the shorter the exposure the more likely you are to 'freeze' the seeing and get some good frames.
4) Make sure your histogram is not saturated i.e. not going fully to the right - SharpCap has a 'transform' to show a histogram. Adjusting the gain to set this seems to work best. There are SharpCap settign on my Jupiter posts, SharpCap doesn't actually use the 0-100% gain or 1/50s type of settings as the Phillips webcams respond to other ranges of numbers and the SharpCap author hasn't bothered to translate them to user friendly figures like 60%.
5) Capture no more than 120s/600 frames at a time as Jupiter rotates fast enough to cause features to have moved. The AVI files should only be 1Mb in size.
6) Use YUV2 as the capture codec.
7) Use AviStack on default settings to process the AVIs - it produces a much better result than Registax.

Hope that helps.
Title: Re: My manic solar system 24 hours!!!!
Post by: Carole on Sep 12, 2011, 18:40:25
Many thanks Duncan, I now have a webcam that actually sees stars (my previous one didn't) so I did do a Bahtinov focus.  

I'll make a note of the above and the details in your Jupiter post and have them to hand next time I am out.  
I've used sharpcap before, but the 2nd time I tried to use it I could not get something to work (can't remember what it was now), but I intend to give it another try. Just didn't want to waste rare imaging time messing around with unfamiliar software.  

I used 15fps, and always turn the Gain down, and have never been sure about exposure. 
some useful info there, have never used Avistack, is it freeware?

QuoteAVI files should only be 1Mb in size.
Had to chuckle at that, see post number 1
Quotefound a HUGE AVI of 8.8GB 21130 frames, I must have accidently left it on

What I can't work out, is Mac says
QuoteMore images
so how do I square this with your comment
QuoteCapture no more than 120s/600 frames at a time as Jupiter rotates fast enough to cause features to have moved

Thanks Mac and Duncan for your help.

Carole
Title: Re: My manic solar system 24 hours!!!!
Post by: The Thing on Sep 12, 2011, 19:49:16
Quote from: Carole on Sep 12, 2011, 18:40:25
... I used 15fps, and always turn the Gain down, and have never been sure about exposure. 
some useful info there, have never used Avistack, is it freeware?
Yes. And always use 5fps and turn the gain up. It will affect quality.
Quote
What I can't work out, is Mac says
QuoteMore images
so how do I square this with your comment
QuoteCapture no more than 120s/600 frames at a time as Jupiter rotates fast enough to cause features to have moved
They are both true. Your have to get a balance. I am able to get 300-400 good enough frames out of a 120s capture - compare that with using 15 subs for a deep sky image! It's quite enough to deal with signal to noise issues I think.

You can also use a dark frame (made from a dark AVI of around 50 frames) and a flat. The flat doesn't help much as the image area is such a small part of the field of view of the scope that there is unlikely to be any coma or vignetting on the tiny CCD. However you might have dust in the optical path.
Title: Re: My manic solar system 24 hours!!!!
Post by: MarkS on Sep 12, 2011, 20:09:27
Quote from: Carole
What's the secret of getting more detail on Jupiter? 

Use a Celestron C14 with a very sensitive camera and make sure you're in Barbados  :cheesy:

Mark
Title: Re: My manic solar system 24 hours!!!!
Post by: Mac on Sep 12, 2011, 21:37:49
QuoteUse a Celestron C14 with a very sensitive camera and make sure you're in Barbados   :cheesy:

(http://www.macrhon.co.uk/oas/smiley/signs/sign0098.gif)
Title: Re: My manic solar system 24 hours!!!!
Post by: Carole on Sep 12, 2011, 22:40:42
QuoteHowever you might have dust in the optical path
Yes, I have got a dust bunnie, I photoshopped it out of the Moon shot.

QuoteUse a Celestron C14 with a very sensitive camera and make sure you're in Barbados
Ha ha!! 

Thanks for all your advice.

Carole
Title: Re: My manic solar system 24 hours!!!!
Post by: Mac on Sep 13, 2011, 07:03:22
I've just noticed on your Jupiter you seem to have a ghost image about i/16 of the distance below Jupiter, its probably this
that has been mis-stacked and caused your loss of detail,

have a look at re stacking to see if the mis alignment goes,

also have you tried eye piece projection to increase the size of Jupiter

Mac
Title: Re: My manic solar system 24 hours!!!!
Post by: Carole on Sep 13, 2011, 08:20:15
Quoteyou seem to have a ghost image about i/16 of the distance below Jupiter
Hi Mac, I have seen this too, but I think it's more to do with hasty grafting of Jupiter upon the Moons layer, the Jupiter below was more expanded in order to show the Moons.  I did it hastily as I realised I had orientated Jupiter incorrectly in relation to the Moons and changed it quick before any-one noticed.  I will go back and take a look at this though. 

I have since gone back and done a re-stack of the lower 25% of frames on 3 of the AVI files (There were 5 but Registax just freezes when I try to input two of them).  There is a definite miniscule improvement.  I hadn't realised how to select the best frames in Registax before and had to find the manual, so that's something new I've learnt thanks to you.

Eyepiece projection, I've never done it but read about it, don't you need a special gadget to attach to the eyepiece in order to fix the camera onto it?

I've still to try a Barlow, so I think I'll start with that first.

Thanks for your continued efforts.

Carole
Title: Re: My manic solar system 24 hours!!!!
Post by: mickw on Sep 13, 2011, 10:21:36
You certainly have been busy.
Jupiter has come out well and I like Uranus but it looks a bit fuzzy to the left, would that be the clouds ?
Nice spotty sun, the moon looks a bit out of focus though but plenty of detail
Title: Re: My manic solar system 24 hours!!!!
Post by: Carole on Sep 13, 2011, 13:04:21
Hi Mick,

Quotethe moon looks a bit out of focus
Yes I had already done my Bahtinov Mask focus and didn't want to interfere with it, I gather the Moon focus is fractionally different.  My main object of the evening was Jupiter, but took the Moon while I was waiting for it to rise.  Then I realised Uranus might be possible, so again did this while I was waiting for Jupiter. 

QuoteUranus but it looks a bit fuzzy to the left
You're quite right Mick, I don't know what caused this, but the stacked image was a lot worse than the one above which I have had to process to get it to look less fuzzy, really don't know as it only seems to have affected the left side. 

Must have a "go" at these again with a barlow, but MUST get some sort of finderscope for the ETX125 it was a nightmare trying to align and find the object without.  Thus my E mail to you today.

Carole


Title: Re: My manic solar system 24 hours!!!!
Post by: Mac on Sep 13, 2011, 13:19:58
QuoteMUST get some sort of finderscope for the ETX125

cable tie a cheap laser pointer to the scope, thats all i use now, since i melted my old one,
its rough and ready, but very easy to use.

Mac
Title: Re: My manic solar system 24 hours!!!!
Post by: Carole on Sep 14, 2011, 10:00:17
I find laser pointers unreliable Mac.

OK, I've had another "go" at Uranus as a couple of people suggested the collimation might be out on the ETX as Uranus was smudged to the left (it was stacked in K3 on my laptop, Registax would not align on it).  However I managed to stack it in Registax today on my desktop, and this is the resulting image (cropped), you can see how lines from the webcam are accross the image and it is a tiny object, so perhaps using a Barlow next time might help.

(http://www.caroleastronomy.webspace.virginmedia.com/_wp_generated/wp6cd3d0ba.jpg)

I then did some photoshop on it and increased the resolution.  I think this is a better result than the first time and hopefully means my collimation is not out after all, but I will still check it.

(http://www.caroleastronomy.webspace.virginmedia.com/_wp_generated/wpc93b83e9_0f.jpg)

I'm going to have another "go" and Jupiter as well.

Carole
Title: Re: My manic solar system 24 hours!!!!
Post by: Carole on Sep 14, 2011, 12:05:11
....and Jupiter re-done.  This time using 25% of the best frames and re-doing the composite more carefully this time  ;)

(http://www.caroleastronomy.webspace.virginmedia.com/_wp_generated/wp76525f67.jpg)

Carole
Title: Re: My manic solar system 24 hours!!!!
Post by: The Thing on Sep 14, 2011, 12:09:06
That's a vast improvement Carole. Keep dumping those duff frames!
Title: Re: My manic solar system 24 hours!!!!
Post by: Carole on Sep 14, 2011, 12:45:09
Thanks Duncan,
QuoteKeep dumping those duff frames!
Yes will certainly do that in future.
I downloaded Avistack, but am still trying to work out how it works, will get there eventually.

Carole
Title: Re: My manic solar system 24 hours!!!!
Post by: Rocket Pooch on Sep 14, 2011, 15:49:11
Did anyone see the one I did with the society ETX125?
Title: Re: My manic solar system 24 hours!!!!
Post by: Carole on Sep 14, 2011, 16:20:19
Do you mean this one Chris, taken in 2004?

(http://gallery.orpington-astronomy.org.uk/albums/userpics/10036/CS_Jupiter20040301.jpg)
Title: Re: My manic solar system 24 hours!!!!
Post by: Rocket Pooch on Sep 14, 2011, 16:35:02
That's one, another below, just for comparison, I think this was with a Tal barlow, I could be wrong but I think this was with the ETX.



(http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3306/3196700336_e385183c6a.jpg) (http://www.flickr.com/photos/13007140@N05/3196700336/)
Jupiter-20040301v1 (http://www.flickr.com/photos/13007140@N05/3196700336/) by chrissuddell (http://www.flickr.com/people/13007140@N05/), on Flickr
Title: Re: My manic solar system 24 hours!!!!
Post by: Carole on Sep 14, 2011, 16:53:47
Yes good comparison, shows more detail with the Barlow:

This is what you put:
QuoteMeade ETX125, 2x Meade Barlow, 490 Frames at 5FPS, 0 Gamma, 50th Sec exposure 50% gain. 434 frames stacked in registax.

Carole
Title: Re: My manic solar system 24 hours!!!!
Post by: PhilB on Sep 14, 2011, 18:55:11
The images look much improved, Carole. When are you going after the other planets to complete the set?
Title: Re: My manic solar system 24 hours!!!!
Post by: Carole on Sep 14, 2011, 19:42:55
Funny you should say that Phil, but I have just made the decision to try to do just that, though I think Neptune is going to be a bit of a challenge.  

I've made a Mosaic with what I have done so far (except Earth of course) with the aim to try to fill in the missing ones:

Obviously not to scale:
(http://www.caroleastronomy.webspace.virginmedia.com/_wp_generated/wp63bc7f61_0f.jpg)
Title: Re: My manic solar system 24 hours!!!!
Post by: Carole on Sep 15, 2011, 09:47:31
Collimation on ETX125 checked last night (Wednesday) and all is well.

Carole
Title: Re: My manic solar system 24 hours!!!!
Post by: Mac on Sep 15, 2011, 12:27:40
QuoteCollimation on ETX125 checked last night (Wednesday) and all is well.

I diddnt think the ETX 125 could be collimated, as they are Maksutov designs.

http://www.weasner.com/etx/warnings/collimation-warning.html (http://www.weasner.com/etx/warnings/collimation-warning.html)

Mac.
Title: Re: My manic solar system 24 hours!!!!
Post by: Carole on Sep 15, 2011, 12:30:56
Neither did I Mac which was why I never bothered to check it.  But someone suggested that the collimation might be OUT.  I actually had a look on line and there is some-one who has done it, but you have to open up the plastic casing at the back and then collimate it like a Newtonian, but apparently the screws that you need to turn are sealed and you need to break the seal.

Anyway academic now as it's OK.

Carole
Title: Re: My manic solar system 24 hours!!!!
Post by: Carole on Sep 16, 2011, 19:39:39
Someone has told me about a plugin called Focus magic.  I downloaded it and this is the result on the Tycho image.  It's sharpened up the focus a bit. 

(http://www.caroleastronomy.webspace.virginmedia.com/_wp_generated/wp78df2fe3_0f.jpg)
Title: Re: My manic solar system 24 hours!!!!
Post by: Tony G on Sep 16, 2011, 21:37:54
Quote from: Mac on Sep 15, 2011, 12:27:40
I didn't think the ETX 125 could be collimated, as they are Maksutov designs.

Mac.

Mac,

Robert had to collimate my Skywatcher 150 Pro which is a Mak-Cass, a couple of years ago...........................................But me and Chris had stripped it down until it looked like pile of junk, and this was all due to a spider entering the scope through the open eyepiece. :oops:

Tony G
Title: Re: My manic solar system 24 hours!!!!
Post by: Carole on Sep 16, 2011, 21:51:00
It's those Spiders again.

Yes open eye pieces are a danger.  I always try to cover things methodically, but I recently went outside and found I had left my refractor open ended for a few days, I had a fit when I saw it.  Luckily it seems OK.

Carole
Title: Re: My manic solar system 24 hours!!!!
Post by: PhilB on Sep 16, 2011, 22:52:15
I found a web or two in my AT1010 when I got it - just remove the focuser and shove in a vacuum cleaner, works a treat :cheesy:
Title: Re: My manic solar system 24 hours!!!!
Post by: MarkS on Sep 17, 2011, 12:05:35
Quote from: Carole
Someone has told me about a plugin called Focus magic.  I downloaded it and this is the result on the Tycho image.  It's sharpened up the focus a bit. 

I'm impressed with the results that Focus Magic gives - especially for such a straightforward user interface.  However you should bear in mind that the blurred image you have is more likely to have resulted from atmospheric turbulence (which cases a Gaussian blur) rather than defocusing (which cases a defocus blur).   These two types of blur are different and my understanding is that Focus Magic is aimed at defocusing blurs and motion blurs rather than Gaussian blurs.

Mark
Title: Re: My manic solar system 24 hours!!!!
Post by: Carole on Sep 17, 2011, 13:03:21
I actually thought it was a little out of focus.  I had done a Bahtinov focus, but some-one told me the Moon is a slightly different focus to this, are they right?

Is there any way of unblurring a Gaussian blur?

Carole
Title: Re: My manic solar system 24 hours!!!!
Post by: MarkS on Sep 17, 2011, 13:33:34
Quote from: Carole
I actually thought it was a little out of focus.  I had done a Bahtinov focus, but some-one told me the Moon is a slightly different focus to this, are they right?

Is there any way of unblurring a Gaussian blur?

If your Bahtinov mask has corrrectly focused on a star then the moon will also be exactly in focus.  I've no idea what this person had in mind when they told you that the Moon has a different focus.

Registax wavelets are good for unblurring Gaussian blurs.

Mark
Title: Re: My manic solar system 24 hours!!!!
Post by: mickw on Sep 17, 2011, 13:53:35
I would have thought that focus on the moon would be more critical than on a star - a star being just a dot and there being recognisable features on the moon.
Being slightly out of focus on a star would show up more on the moon.

As Mark says - in focus is in focus, just needs to be precise.
Title: Re: My manic solar system 24 hours!!!!
Post by: Carole on Sep 17, 2011, 14:29:32
Yes I thought that was a little strange about the Moon having a different focus that's why I thought I'd double check it.

Carole
Title: Re: My manic solar system 24 hours!!!!
Post by: Rick on Sep 17, 2011, 15:40:11
Quote from: MarkS on Sep 17, 2011, 13:33:34I've no idea what this person had in mind when they told you that the Moon has a different focus.

Either the person concerned has access to optics with a stupidly large f-ratio and therefore an incredibly narrow depth of field, or, perhaps, they actually live on the Moon. I suspect the latter is more likely...  :alien:
Title: Re: My manic solar system 24 hours!!!!
Post by: mickw on Sep 17, 2011, 16:39:07
 :lol: :lol:
Title: Re: My manic solar system 24 hours!!!!
Post by: Carole on Sep 17, 2011, 17:23:14
I wish I could remember who it was who told me. 

Carole