5 replies to this topic

[gstrumol]

The clouds were rolling in this morning, but there were still some peeks at it before it disappeared completely. So I hurried the rig out onto the balcony, and managed to take a single video (with the clouds rolling across the screen) with the PST before the curtain closed:

 

(click to enlarge)

 

It seems like we're in a weather pattern where a clear blue sky is just a distant memory, and we're lucky if it isn't raining! 

 

Just as a sanity check, and to make sure I wasn't missing the macro-things around the disk, I made this comparison of the PST image to the best GONG image available (enhanced for better detail), by digitally enlarging sections:

 

(click to enlarge)

 

Looks reasonable I think, given everything else  .

[hornjs]

Nice job, considering your limited window.  And I really like the GONG comparison shots!

[gstrumol]

Nice job, considering your limited window.  And I really like the GONG comparison shots!

Thanks Jeff!

 

As I had no other videos to process given the weather   I thought I'd deep dive into the one to see if I could catch each 'nook and cranny' on the GONG image. Given that the DSLR videos are only 1920x1080, as a color camera I only pick up the red (1/4 pixels), and the disk occupies a small portion of the FOV ... well you get the point - this is no easy task!

[GSteve]

Gary, Great images!

 

Amazing that you can do this with the PST. The sky will be clouded over all weekend so no observation for me unfortunately. I'll have to live through the images I find here

[rigel123]

Maybe it’s better seeing but it appears your tuning and getting the full disk in the sweet spot has improved lately.  Nice disk!

[gstrumol]

Maybe it’s better seeing but it appears your tuning and getting the full disk in the sweet spot has improved lately.  Nice disk!

Thanks Warren! 

 

Actually, the seeing has been worse than normal (if that's possible  ). That image was taken just before the clouds completely shut out the sun. But I think it's due to one factor. Before I would set the zoom so the disk would fill the FOV from top to bottom. In doing so, it's very likely that some portion of the disk will be out of the sweet spot. (when I do max zoom, which almost fills the FOV, that is assured of course, but I like the look anyway  )

 

Now I set it so that the disk is about half that size. It makes it easier to place it completely in the sweet spot. I think that is contributing to the better imaging. This gives me images like this (from 6/16, and playing with drizzle):

 

(click to enlarge)

 

I have to experiment to see if I can find the right size that is between half and full to get the best resolution while still fitting in the SP.