Jump to content

  •  

CNers have asked about a donation box for Cloudy Nights over the years, so here you go. Donation is not required by any means, so please enjoy your stay.

Photo

Mars opposition (better than nothing)

  • Please log in to reply
7 replies to this topic

#1 TonyStar

TonyStar

    Viking 1

  • *****
  • topic starter
  • Posts: 813
  • Joined: 25 May 2013

Posted 16 January 2025 - 10:53 PM

Imaged last night with my 14.5" dob in cold and slightly windy condition. Seeing was probably 3/5 but definitely better than CSC predictions. Eyepiece view was actually pleasant, but then I went inside and did the imaging remotely. 

 

3 mins per channel (RGB) with the ASI462mm and powermate 5X @300fps and 0.077 "/pix

 

2025-01-16-0502_5-RGB_PS.jpg


Edited by TonyStar, 16 January 2025 - 11:15 PM.

  • Bob Campbell, revans, JMP and 19 others like this

#2 Umesh

Umesh

    Explorer 1

  • -----
  • Posts: 69
  • Joined: 06 Nov 2010
  • Loc: India

Posted 17 January 2025 - 12:03 AM

superb, beautiful picture...  I struggled for my first Mars picture yesterday night and go this lol.

I was of the impression that planetary photography is simpler than doing DSO, but this tiny planet humbled me to the point of giving up.. 

 

SW 70mm AZ refractor, 2x barlow and SVBONY SV205

Attached Thumbnails

  • IPS_2025-01-16.20.20.49.jpg

Edited by Umesh, 17 January 2025 - 12:04 AM.

  • Bob Campbell, Alexandrite, osbourne one-nil and 1 other like this

#3 Craigar

Craigar

    Viking 1

  • *****
  • Posts: 549
  • Joined: 03 Jul 2021
  • Loc: Lawndale, CA

Posted 17 January 2025 - 03:28 AM

superb, beautiful picture...  I struggled for my first Mars picture yesterday night and go this lol.

I was of the impression that planetary photography is simpler than doing DSO, but this tiny planet humbled me to the point of giving up.. 

 

SW 70mm AZ refractor, 2x barlow and SVBONY SV205

That's pretty good for 70mm !  I think capturing planetary is way easier than DSO - but to keep the data transfer/frame rate speed high and incoming data small we have to use as small as possible portion of the sensor, something like maybe 150 x 150 pixels, so we tell our capturing software to use a small (usually user specified) area of the sensor a.k.a. "region of interest" or ROI. Also want to use RGB24 for the color depth and save as .AVI 

 

Here's a REALLY good tutorial / FAQ

https://www.cloudyni...-december-2024/


  • Umesh likes this

#4 Craigar

Craigar

    Viking 1

  • *****
  • Posts: 549
  • Joined: 03 Jul 2021
  • Loc: Lawndale, CA

Posted 17 January 2025 - 03:29 AM

Imaged last night with my 14.5" dob in cold and slightly windy condition. Seeing was probably 3/5 but definitely better than CSC predictions. Eyepiece view was actually pleasant, but then I went inside and did the imaging remotely. 

 

3 mins per channel (RGB) with the ASI462mm and powermate 5X @300fps and 0.077 "/pix

 

attachicon.gif 2025-01-16-0502_5-RGB_PS.jpg

WoW!   Way better than nuthin !!!  waytogo.gif


  • Susanmd3 likes this

#5 Umesh

Umesh

    Explorer 1

  • -----
  • Posts: 69
  • Joined: 06 Nov 2010
  • Loc: India

Posted 17 January 2025 - 05:42 AM

That's pretty good for 70mm !  I think capturing planetary is way easier than DSO - but to keep the data transfer/frame rate speed high and incoming data small we have to use as small as possible portion of the sensor, something like maybe 150 x 150 pixels, so we tell our capturing software to use a small (usually user specified) area of the sensor a.k.a. "region of interest" or ROI. Also want to use RGB24 for the color depth and save as .AVI 

 

Here's a REALLY good tutorial / FAQ

https://www.cloudyni...-december-2024/

Thank You.. back to tutorials..



#6 Craigar

Craigar

    Viking 1

  • *****
  • Posts: 549
  • Joined: 03 Jul 2021
  • Loc: Lawndale, CA

Posted 17 January 2025 - 08:57 AM

Thank You.. back to tutorials..

.. and mars is much smaller than Jupiter or Saturn so it will seem more "fuzzy" and really small, I ended up shooting Jupiter or Saturn many months of before I tried Mars - and my first Mars were really bad, so bad I chickened out for almost a whole year.  The smaller it is the more important good seeing becomes.. you really have a good mars for starting out!


  • Umesh likes this

#7 TonyStar

TonyStar

    Viking 1

  • *****
  • topic starter
  • Posts: 813
  • Joined: 25 May 2013

Posted 17 January 2025 - 12:29 PM

RANT ALERT:

 

I forgot to add that this apparition has been somewhat disappointing, at least for me. Not only the seeing has been junk most of the time, Mars hasn't put up much of a (atmospheric) show this time. With the polar cap melting I was expecting more cloud activity, maybe in the coming weeks things will change.

But the forecast looks like junk next week....again....


Edited by TonyStar, 17 January 2025 - 12:30 PM.


#8 Umesh

Umesh

    Explorer 1

  • -----
  • Posts: 69
  • Joined: 06 Nov 2010
  • Loc: India

Posted 18 January 2025 - 09:43 AM

.. and mars is much smaller than Jupiter or Saturn so it will seem more "fuzzy" and really small, I ended up shooting Jupiter or Saturn many months of before I tried Mars - and my first Mars were really bad, so bad I chickened out for almost a whole year.  The smaller it is the more important good seeing becomes.. you really have a good mars for starting out!

Thank you for those encouraging words... really helps. :)  I will try Jupiter when I get the chance.

 

Umesh




CNers have asked about a donation box for Cloudy Nights over the years, so here you go. Donation is not required by any means, so please enjoy your stay.


Recent Topics






Cloudy Nights LLC
Cloudy Nights Sponsor: Astronomics