From: "Tim" <tjp314@pacbell.net>
Date: March 20, 2007 11:06:35 AM MDT
To: Astro_IIDC@yahoogroups.com
Subject: Re: Saturn March 18th
Jim:
Sorry, I didn't read the caption all the way through. I note that you
state that you're using a C9.25, but that it needs collimation. I
highly recommend collimating the scope while you're running Astro
IIDC. I point the laptop screen toward me at the corrector end of the
scope, and hold the screwdriver (or allen wrench, I can't remember
which it is on the 9.25) in one hand and the control paddle in the
other. When I tweak the screws, I keep the planet centered with the
paddle. Until collimation is right on the money. It goes VERY fast
this way, and the results you'll get will knock your socks flat off.
The 9.25 is one of the best SCTs alive.
Drift polar alignment works very well using the same technique with
Astro IIDC, only you tweak different screws.
-Tim.
--- In Astro_IIDC@yahoogroups.com, "Tim" <tjp314@...> wrote:
Jim:
I can't remember if you specified anywhere what brand/type color
filters you are using. If you don't already have a set, you might
want to get dichroic filters, rather than died glass filters. The
died filters absorb too much of the wavelengths you're interested in,
and have a lot of "leakage" from other wavelengths in the wings.
I agree with Alan also about the value of trying monochrome for the
luminance, but I would recommend you use green, as there are twice as
many green pixels as red or blue pixels. Also, depending on the
optics you're shooting with, the best focus might also be in the green
(our eyes are most sensitive to green). My 6" f/10 Jaegers refractor
does very well at green monochrome with a green filter. I've tried
monochrome with red and blue separately, but the focus is still too
soft at those wavelengths even if I adjust the focus knob. So, while
the Jaegers does very well visually on the planets, it doesn't do well
as a planetary color imager. It does fine on DSOs, though, as the
color abberations aren't objectionable at f/10.
-Tim.
--- In Astro_IIDC@yahoogroups.com, Alan Friedman <alan@> wrote:
Hi jim -
Great to see your two images a year apart sitting next to each other
in
the files area - the learning curve is paying off.
Saturn is a really tough nut to crack - it demands good seeing
perhaps
more than any other planetary subject. You can get some help in
moderate seeing by using the red filtered streams (maybe combined
with
green) for luminance - the steadiness is always better in red. But
the
light tradeoff with the red filter means using a much slower
shutter,
which negates much of the advantage (and of course you don't want to
bin your luminance data). With my 10" at about f30 even 66ms at full
gain is very dim and noisy - at 133ms the brightness is acceptable
but
the noise becomes evident quite quickly processing a stack of 200
frames. Really the only way to go is to use unfiltered streams for
luminance (or a much smaller image scale) - and this requires 6-7/10
seeing for a good result, I think.
Now the happy news is the Clear Sky Clock forecast for our region
tonight!!
best -
Alan
On Mar 19, 2007, at 8:31 PM, jimchung2338 wrote:
Hey everyone,
I've given up on trying to get color data from my Unibrain webcam
for
imaging Saturn and
turned to a filter wheel with my mono Flea. Much better results
in my
opinion but still
ascending the imaging learning curve.
http://tech.groups.yahoo.com/group/Astro_IIDC/files/Planetary/
saturnmar18b copy.jpg
Jim