From: Mark Gaffney <markgaffney@me.com>

Date: December 4, 2009 1:44:23 PM MST

To: Astro_IIDC@yahoogroups.com

Subject: Re: [Astro_IIDC] Alan`s version...

Hi again Ray, 

I`ve been looking at your solar images with interest as I hope next week to buy some Baader Solar film (about a foot square of it ) & try my own images during the lazy daytime period. I understand best results are to be had in the early morning & late afternoon?  I`ve spoken to Alan about this & he tells me his hydrogen Alpha filter would cost $1400 or so but that basic solar imaging can be done for the $45 I`m paying for the Baader film. I hope to buy a cake making "spring form" & tuck the solar film between two pieces of card board attached to this & mount it on the scope. Alan solar images mostly with a 4" "Little Big Man" scope & although I have a NexStar 4SE I was going to try my C9.25 perhaps, reduced...Any comments? Are there any sites you use for instance which keep you abreast with solar activity?

Mark.

On 04/12/2009, at 1:35 PM, Ray Byrne wrote:

Hi Mark,

I've taken much better shots of the moon using a digital camera than your effort with your Scorpion camera. My old Nikon Coolpix 4500 has been afocally attached using a coupling device  and its self timer function to eliminate camera/telescope shake from the exposure. Webcams (i.e. your Scorpion or your Imaging Source camera) are used by most amateur imagers to attempt hi-resolution imaging of the moon, planets, and the solar disc in it's various depths not for pictorial shots like the mosaic you have attempted. Many many years ago before digicams I used a b/w digital surveillance camera to do a mosaic of the moon but I made a better fist of it than your Scorpion image. Somehow you are over complicating things. I had none of the software you have now it was a one shot type of affair (no movies to stack) and I think PS had just got the layers function.

Here's a link:

<http://www.in4media.co.uk/rayandtelescope/rayandtelescopel.html>

If you just want lunar portraits go the digicam route and as I've said several times before just keep it simple for goodness sake!

ATVB

Ray

On 3 Dec 2009, at 23:36, Mark Gaffney wrote:

Hi Alan & Milton,
Alan`s kindly effort in processing one of my new Scorpion shots (in
need of first aid) is now posted to this folder; http://tech.groups.yahoo.com/group/Astro_IIDC/files/Lunar/Mark%60s%20Moon%20shots/
It`s under the title "Picture 1.png ...Alan`s tweaked version of one
of my shots".
It is a slightly derivative version having been snapshotted with
Command-Shift-4...

Mark.