siriusc
sage
Reged: 04/03/07
Posts: 367
Loc: Racine, WI
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This planet is my favorite telescopic target. I had a good view opposition night, the northern belts and zones appeared as linear shades of blue through the eyepiece, so I decided to try and capture them. Here is the result using my 10" SCT (F/37.5) and an SPC900NC webcam. cheers, Dan Petersen
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Just arrived... Meade 12" LX-200 with UHTC coatings, Superwedge.
"Life is an eternal and infinite gift that came from beyond the stars, and one day we shall return there!"
Edited by siriusc (04/01/08 09:43 PM)
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Orion_PKFD
sage
Reged: 01/22/08
Posts: 433
Loc: Vieira do Minho, Portugal
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It's a BIG saturn! xD
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André Gonçalves
http://astro-andregoncalves.blogspot.com/
SkyView Pro 8" EQ
Dob 4,5" (ATM)
60mm achromatic refractor
10x50 WA
10x25
SPC900NC
DSI
Canon 1000D
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asimov_1
sage
Reged: 06/17/07
Posts: 343
Loc: Bundaberg Queensland Australia
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Nice image. Pity about the limb artifacts sustained from rotating it though!
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CS's
Asi
CGE1100XLT - DMK 21AU04.AS USB version
http://southcelestialpole.org.au/forum/index.php
http://asimovjohn5.googlepages.com/home
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john D
All you have to do is ask!!
Reged: 08/05/07
Posts: 5472
Loc: Midlothian, VA
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beautiful shot! 
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Meade ETX-125
Meade LXD55 mount
Philips SPC900NC webcam
Some Accessories!
My Blog
 -Midlothian VA
--Land Of The Free Because Of The Brave--
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TheNebulai
Pooh-Bah
Reged: 01/26/07
Posts: 1139
Loc: New Jersey
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Great pic! Amazing scale!
Did u scale the photo at all or is that original size?
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Equipment:
Z10, Meade 8" LX90GPS, Galileo 120mm
A bunch of EP's, Filters, and Barlows
10*50 Binocs
Sony Cybershot,Philips SPC900NC,DSI Pro,
DMK21AU04/ Astronomik LRGB
Messier Count: 48
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siriusc
sage
Reged: 04/03/07
Posts: 367
Loc: Racine, WI
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Thanks guys!
Hi Chris, it's a 145% resize.
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Just arrived... Meade 12" LX-200 with UHTC coatings, Superwedge.
"Life is an eternal and infinite gift that came from beyond the stars, and one day we shall return there!"
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zAmbonii
Pooh-Bah
Reged: 01/19/08
Posts: 1012
Loc: Ypsilanti, MI
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Quote:
Nice image. Pity about the limb artifacts sustained from rotating it though!
Sorry if I am not up on my terminology, but are you talking about the wavyness on the outside of the rings?
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Check out my Astrophotos on Flickr
C6-N 150mm f/5 Newtonian
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iceman
Post Laureate
Reged: 03/07/04
Posts: 4845
Loc: Gosford, Australia
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You just need to click "attachment" to get the non-pixelated version. It's wider than 800px so the forum automatically squishes it and makes it ugly.
Beautiful image, huge scale!
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Mike
. mikesalway.com.au - Astronomy and Photography by Mike Salway
. IceInSpace - The Australian Amateur Astronomy Community
. My Bio | My Jupiter 2007 Gallery | My Image Gallery
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siriusc
sage
Reged: 04/03/07
Posts: 367
Loc: Racine, WI
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Hi Mike, thanks for your comments!
Here's a (reduced scale) sharp smooth Saturn.
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Just arrived... Meade 12" LX-200 with UHTC coatings, Superwedge.
"Life is an eternal and infinite gift that came from beyond the stars, and one day we shall return there!"
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Mare Nectaris
Pooh-Bah
Reged: 03/09/08
Posts: 1472
Loc: Toijala, Finland
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Hi Dan,
what a marvellous sight your Saturn is!
The ring system is the most impressive and striking in my mind 
The Cassini Div is beautifully smooth yet almost 3 -dimensional and it fits extremely naturally to the ringsystem - it isn't in any way over contrasted or overly crisp.
And the disc is beautifully coloured!
Thanks for sharing this - please, send more soon. One never gets bored to this juvel of the night skies!
Clear Skies and be well 
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Share - and you shall have it all
Timo Keski-Petäjä
CtheMoon
Observation shelter KuuMaja (MoonHut)
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Mike Clemens
Post Laureate
Reged: 11/26/05
Posts: 4667
Loc: Wasilla, Alaska 61N
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2nd version is gorrrrrrgeous
you need more bands on the globe though....
(just kidding!)
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Mare Nectaris
Pooh-Bah
Reged: 03/09/08
Posts: 1472
Loc: Toijala, Finland
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... that was good, Mike, about the more bands - this being the DAY this is ... 
P.S just read some really funny stuff about there being double-yellow peanut shaped new bisolar systems out there, that are only visible for a very v e r y short period of time and then explode into giant-double yellow ... something (reckon some papers will cite even that somewhere, eh...) 
Be well Mike - and clear skies 
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Share - and you shall have it all
Timo Keski-Petäjä
CtheMoon
Observation shelter KuuMaja (MoonHut)
TAL 250K*Celestron C8-N*SkyWatcher Skymax 150 Pro*TAL1(Mizar)*EQ6 Pro SynScan*Celestron Advanced GT (CG-5 GOTO)*Baader Hyperion Clickstop Zoom 8-24*17 mm UWA-70*TeleVue BIG 2x Barlow*Celestron 2x Barlow Ultima SV Series
Edited by Mare Nectaris (04/01/08 02:43 PM)
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Gendo
Post Laureate
Reged: 12/12/05
Posts: 3231
Loc: Rexburg, ID
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A big, great looking shot Dan!!!
I notice the slight ghosting effect on the left side of the rings. Seems to be the tendency of our SCTs if they aren't in perfect collimation, so you may want to fine tune collimation on a nearby star (such as Regulus) just before imaging next time. This usually helps minimize that.
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siriusc
sage
Reged: 04/03/07
Posts: 367
Loc: Racine, WI
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Hi Justin:
Thanks for the tip, I've been scratching my head trying to figure out what's causing that, I thought it might be the webcam producing the occasional image shift, about 1/3 of the avi frames show this ghosting, but your theory makes more sense. I can get great detail on the globe but this ghost is blurring the Cassini Division, if I can get that to sharpen up I'll be one happy camper.
Cheers, Dan
PS: I've noticed here at Cloudy Nights that the original display image is higher quality than the attachment image, that is if you keep the pixel width under 800... strange?
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Just arrived... Meade 12" LX-200 with UHTC coatings, Superwedge.
"Life is an eternal and infinite gift that came from beyond the stars, and one day we shall return there!"
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TheNebulai
Pooh-Bah
Reged: 01/26/07
Posts: 1139
Loc: New Jersey
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Thanks for the info on the resize, the original looks amazing!
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Equipment:
Z10, Meade 8" LX90GPS, Galileo 120mm
A bunch of EP's, Filters, and Barlows
10*50 Binocs
Sony Cybershot,Philips SPC900NC,DSI Pro,
DMK21AU04/ Astronomik LRGB
Messier Count: 48
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Gendo
Post Laureate
Reged: 12/12/05
Posts: 3231
Loc: Rexburg, ID
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Yes, I discovered it by trial and error. Its never much, just a tiny adjustment usually solves it.
I've been trying to get into the habit of fine tuning collimation at the start of all my sessions and if/when I reset my GEM mount to point my C11 at something on the other side of Meridian (I have noticed there is a slight collimation shift when I move to the other side). I believe all the top planet imagers follow this routine just to be sure collimation is accurate for imaging.
Despite that, its still an impressive Saturn. Excellent cloud banding. I'm seeing at least a bit of 23 or more separate bands.
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Mert
Carpal Tunnel
Reged: 08/31/05
Posts: 2216
Loc: Spain, Pamplona
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That's amazing Dan, very beautiful image you
have captured.
I think you may call yourself already a happy,
or even better, a Very happy camper with such
an image 
Also very nice to see the planets disk not being
round due to rotational effects, great shot!
Regards,
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Mert
42º49"N 1º38"W
3" Polarex refractor
6" F12 SW Maksutov,CS2-S
EQ6 + EQMOD 
SPC900NC/DFK21AU04.AS
My web-page don't laugh, I should make it better! 
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asimov_1
sage
Reged: 06/17/07
Posts: 343
Loc: Bundaberg Queensland Australia
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Quote:
Quote:
Nice image. Pity about the limb artifacts sustained from rotating it though!
Sorry if I am not up on my terminology, but are you talking about the wavyness on the outside of the rings?
My mistake. I've rotated a few images before in picture editing software & half the time it'll cause wierd limb artifacts such as the ones I was seeing on your image.
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CS's
Asi
CGE1100XLT - DMK 21AU04.AS USB version
http://southcelestialpole.org.au/forum/index.php
http://asimovjohn5.googlepages.com/home
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siriusc
sage
Reged: 04/03/07
Posts: 367
Loc: Racine, WI
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Thanks to everyone!
I appreciate all of your comments guys; the good, the bad and the ugly, anything to help me improve my images! I've only been shooting planets for a year and am tying to learn as much as possible.
Take it easy, Dan
PS: This is a great forum!!!
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Just arrived... Meade 12" LX-200 with UHTC coatings, Superwedge.
"Life is an eternal and infinite gift that came from beyond the stars, and one day we shall return there!"
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cncb
Pooh-Bah
Reged: 02/21/08
Posts: 1102
Loc: 3rd Rock from the Sun
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wow,this is just awesome congrats!
Regards.
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Living on Earth may be expensive,but get over it.Remember it does include an annual free trip around the sun.Just hang on..
Sky-Watcher-120 achro (EQ3-2) f/1000mm(f/8,33)
Sky-Watcher Skymax 127 mak f/1500mm (f/11,66)
Tento 20x60
Canon EOS 500D and some cheap glass from Tamron and Sigma.
*********
73`s & 51`s
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siriusc
sage
Reged: 04/03/07
Posts: 367
Loc: Racine, WI
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Hi cncb, Saturn sure is a magnificent world, hard to believe that it even exists. My composite would have been sharper if I had collimated the SCT's optics before hand. I'm glad Justin pointed it out to me, the alignment should be checked and corrected before every session. I don't know why I'm so afraid of those three little screws? Thanks for your comments, have a great day, Dan
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Just arrived... Meade 12" LX-200 with UHTC coatings, Superwedge.
"Life is an eternal and infinite gift that came from beyond the stars, and one day we shall return there!"
Edited by siriusc (04/03/08 06:05 PM)
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Anto
Pooh-Bah
Reged: 06/06/06
Posts: 1011
Loc: Italy, Caserta 41°N 14°E
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Simply great for a webcam. I like the opposition effect.
Quoting Gendo about the collimation status.
Regards, Antonello
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My web site
"The imagination is more important than knowledge..." - A. Einstein
LX200GPS 14"; Borg101ED; Borg60ED; Intes Micro M603
Coronado SolarMax 60 with BF10
DMK21AF04; DMK31AF04; SXV-H9
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Zoomster
professor emeritus
Reged: 01/30/05
Posts: 722
Loc: Tampa FL
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And some people say SCTs aren't planetary scopes! Beautiful...
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Celestron CPC 1100 aka "The Marino"
Moonlite Dual Rate Focuser
WO Dielecric Diagonal
Denkmeier "Big Easy" Binos and assorted eyepieces.
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Is God willing to prevent evil, but not able? Then he is not omnipotent. Is he able, but not willing? Then he is malevolent. Is he both able and willing? Then whence cometh evil? Is he neither able nor willing? Then why call him God?
Epicurus
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themos
journeyman
Reged: 04/01/08
Posts: 9
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That's a lovely image...!
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siriusc
sage
Reged: 04/03/07
Posts: 367
Loc: Racine, WI
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Hi Antonello:
Thanks! To bad there's only about one week each year when we have the opportunity to record this Seeliger Effect. Here is a photo taken the same evening (2-24-08), but a half hour earlier at 6:02 UT, it very clearly shows this glowing ring effect!
Cheers, Dan 
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Just arrived... Meade 12" LX-200 with UHTC coatings, Superwedge.
"Life is an eternal and infinite gift that came from beyond the stars, and one day we shall return there!"
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siriusc
sage
Reged: 04/03/07
Posts: 367
Loc: Racine, WI
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Hi Zoomster, you would think that the 3.7" secondary obstruction on my 10" SCT would really destroy contrast, but if you have good seeing it seems like there's plenty of it to go around! The right processing helps too. Thanks for your reply - Take it easy, Dan
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Just arrived... Meade 12" LX-200 with UHTC coatings, Superwedge.
"Life is an eternal and infinite gift that came from beyond the stars, and one day we shall return there!"
Edited by siriusc (04/03/08 07:09 PM)
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siriusc
sage
Reged: 04/03/07
Posts: 367
Loc: Racine, WI
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Thanks,Themos! I wish Earth had a ring system like this, what a site that would be! The night sky would never be dark though. Have a good day, Dan
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Just arrived... Meade 12" LX-200 with UHTC coatings, Superwedge.
"Life is an eternal and infinite gift that came from beyond the stars, and one day we shall return there!"
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russ_watters
Pooh-Bah
Reged: 11/24/04
Posts: 1293
Loc: Trappe, PA
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Dan, could you provide some more info about how you obtained that pic - software, settings, resolution, codec, color palate, etc? I bought that webcam and haven't gotten anywhere near those results. I seem to have a compression artifact in my images that really shouldn't be there - I'm not using compression that I know of!
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Equipment: Orion Atlas 11, ED80, DSI-C, DSI II Pro, Dell Inspiron Laptop.
www.russsscope.net
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siriusc
sage
Reged: 04/03/07
Posts: 367
Loc: Racine, WI
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Hi Russ, I'm off to work but when I get home later I'll give you the info. Thanks for viewing, Dan
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Just arrived... Meade 12" LX-200 with UHTC coatings, Superwedge.
"Life is an eternal and infinite gift that came from beyond the stars, and one day we shall return there!"
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siriusc
sage
Reged: 04/03/07
Posts: 367
Loc: Racine, WI
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Hi Russ, I'm back! The images were recorded using VDub set to YUY2. I always capture Saturn at 10fps, 1/10 s/s, gain: 50 - 55%, brightness: 75 - 90%, gamma: 55 - 80%, saturation: 50 - 100%, no filters. I process in RegiStax v4. My first two Saturns are the same image, just different sizes, it is a 2100 frame composite selected by Rv4. The third (Seeliger Effect) Saturn composite is 3000 frames! I do quite a bit of careful post processing in Microsoft Digital Image and then back in Rv4 again. It's hard to explain, it's more of an art than a science, because every image is different? Good luck, Dan 
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Just arrived... Meade 12" LX-200 with UHTC coatings, Superwedge.
"Life is an eternal and infinite gift that came from beyond the stars, and one day we shall return there!"
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siriusc
sage
Reged: 04/03/07
Posts: 367
Loc: Racine, WI
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Mert, thanks for your kind words all the way from Spain, I'm in the United States. It's funny how distant stars and planets can bring people together in this computer age! Cheers, Dan 
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Just arrived... Meade 12" LX-200 with UHTC coatings, Superwedge.
"Life is an eternal and infinite gift that came from beyond the stars, and one day we shall return there!"
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