I like your videos. For an old geezer like me, it is impressive to see what images amateurs can achieve. But if there is one thing I learned in the nearly 40 years I did astronomy, is that there is no substitute for PATIENCE. No amount of imaging software can compare to staying up all night, waiting for the very best viewing, usually about 3:00 AM and past. It's not just a hobby, it's an adventure. (??!?!?!!!?)
Hi, I just found your video. Nice, thanks for all the good info. I'm just getting more serious with my astronomy, so looking forward to checking out your channel. I'm in MD, too.
Ok, now I made it to the end. Great video. You obviously seem to have focused in on planetary astrophotography. So maybe you can answer these questions for me. I will be shooting an image of a nebula first, for my granddaughter, but afterwards I plan to go for the planets. 1) What telescope would be best for visual viewing of planets? 2) what equipment would you suggest to image the planets and be able to print an 8x10 print to frame and hang? The 8x10 is a minimum, I would prefer a 10x13, without any pixelation. 3) When imaging Mercury, what is the best process, since it is so close to the sun? From what I have read up on so far, at best, you would have only minutes to capture an image of it after the sun set, due to it being so close to the sun. 4) From what I have heard so far, one of the difficulties of imaging Jupiter is it's fast rate of rotation. Can you still image the planet for longer than 3-4 minutes? If you recorded 10 minutes of video, would stacking still work, or would the rotation of Jupiter blur the image? In case you can't tell, I am an absolute noob on this. I got interested in Astrophotography when I was in California for 9 months. I had some serious long downtime, so I would use my tripod and Canon T3i and stack using DSS. I got a decent Andromeda Galaxy. I also used the same gear to capture some of the lunar eclipse in November 2021. But I am about to order a Star Adventurer 2i pro, actually I will place the order in the next couple of hours. I was leaning heavily to the HEQ5 and do the Rowan belt upgrade myself, but since I'm new, I figured I would start at the bottom and work my way up. Plus, I can image the Heart and Soul nebula with that equipment. I am disabled, (neuropathy and muscular atrophy in my legs) so I am limited on how much weight I can move around. I think I'm leaning toward the HEQ5, a 9.25 SCT, and whatever cameras I need, as my final setup. Would the 9.25 image planets and DSO's well? Or is it only good for planets? Thank you for any advice you can give me.
Great video Kwasi! I’m so glad you left a comment on my channel so I was able to find yours. This is a great tutorial and will try some of the things you did in my next planetary imaging session.
I actually wasn't out imaging on the 10th, even though the conditions were so good. I'd stayed up too late on Saturday and Sunday and couldn't do another late night LOL. Seems like we're going to have a few good nights this week, so I might take an hour or two to do Jupiter / Saturn again. Then again, I'm currently trying to get some data on Mel-15. I've got about 6 hours of Ha... and now with the waning moon, I'm going to collect some O3. Anyway, enough about my imaging plans LOL! Good tutorial / step-by-step walkthough, Kwasi! You had some steady seeing, and the final images are quite nice.
Thanks Jonny, and no worries! It's good to see you were able to go out to do some imaging! This week does look pretty good in terms of clear skies, and since the Moon is out of the way, I'll probably jump back into some DSOs as well.
Thanks for watching Stephen! I personally haven't had any issues regarding backfocus for planetary astrophotography. But if you're using an ADC with your system, and you move the adjustment levers to their maximum position and the max dispersion correction still hasn't been achieved, then you may have to add some spacers between the ADC and the camera to fix that.
Kwasi, nice video (as usual... ;-) )! I´m wondering about the exposure you chose for Jupiter. In the video i can´t see any details of Jupiter. Is this because of the video itself? Cid you see the details on your actual laptop-screen?
Thanks! Yeah, at the time I was using my filming camera to record my screen and it was overexposed unfortunately. Another commenter mentioned this as well. I was able to see the details perfectly from my point of view. At the end of the video, I showed my video capture of Jupiter before the final image, and that's what I saw on my screen.
Thanks Craig! As you saw in the video, I use FireCapture for my capture and acquisition for the planets. For processing, I run the videos through Autostakkert to select the best frames and stack those together. Then I use the wavelet functions in RegiStax for the sharpening details.
Thank you! Yes, I do use an UV/IR cut filter for planetary astrophotography with a color camera. The filter simply threads on to the barrel that's attached to the camera body.
Thanks! As I always say, work with what you have and make incremental upgrades along the way when you can. I've seen some clean images of the planets with varying apertures, so it can be done.
Speaking from my long experience, I would say that opposition is not necessarily the best time to photograph any planet. Here in California, the very best time is the peak of summer, like mid July. Opposition or not, the viewing quality often depends more on the season than on the planet being at opposition. Live long and prosper.
Quick question: you are talking about the red spot being nicely visible, but from my perspective the planet is solid white. Is that because you are recording the screen, or is that something on my end?
I think another commentator mentioned this to me. No, nothing is wrong on your end. My camera unfortunately overexposed the screen making Jupiter appear bright white. I've been using a new screen recording technique that I started to use with my Pleiades imaging session video. It seems to work well, so I'll stick with that for future videos. Near the end of this video, where I show the planetary video capture before the final image, you should be able to see the GRS for Jupiter.
Question: How would you image Mercury and Venus at "opposition"? The earth is never in the middle of those planets and the sun, right? 12:36 Edit: ah, guess I should have waited a few more seconds. My bad.
No, nothing is wrong with your screen Kevin. My camera unfortunately overexposed the screen while I was recording unbeknownst to me. I'll be looking into some alternative methods to do screen recordings for future imaging session videos when I'm out in the field. At the end of the video, where I show the planetary video followed by the final image, that video is what's seen on the screen, and the GRS is visible.
THIS GUY IS UNDDERATED
Clear and concise, true scientist. Great tutorial and perspective.
Just found your site. Excellent videos!
I am just getting started and your great tips will help me make less mistakes. Thanks for sharing your experience.
Jupiter and Saturn look good. Great capture!
I like your videos. For an old geezer like me, it is impressive to see what images amateurs can achieve. But if there is one thing I learned in the nearly 40 years I did astronomy, is that there is no substitute for PATIENCE. No amount of imaging software can compare to staying up all night, waiting for the very best viewing, usually about 3:00 AM and past. It's not just a hobby, it's an adventure. (??!?!?!!!?)
Always enjoy your videos! Informative and helpful. Keep it up!
Thanks so much for taking the time to make this video I've learned alot.
Hi, I just found your video. Nice, thanks for all the good info. I'm just getting more serious with my astronomy, so looking forward to checking out your channel. I'm in MD, too.
Ok, now I made it to the end. Great video. You obviously seem to have focused in on planetary astrophotography. So maybe you can answer these questions for me. I will be shooting an image of a nebula first, for my granddaughter, but afterwards I plan to go for the planets.
1) What telescope would be best for visual viewing of planets?
2) what equipment would you suggest to image the planets and be able to print an 8x10 print to frame and hang? The 8x10 is a minimum, I would prefer a 10x13, without any pixelation.
3) When imaging Mercury, what is the best process, since it is so close to the sun? From what I have read up on so far, at best, you would have only minutes to capture an image of it after the sun set, due to it being so close to the sun.
4) From what I have heard so far, one of the difficulties of imaging Jupiter is it's fast rate of rotation. Can you still image the planet for longer than 3-4 minutes? If you recorded 10 minutes of video, would stacking still work, or would the rotation of Jupiter blur the image?
In case you can't tell, I am an absolute noob on this. I got interested in Astrophotography when I was in California for 9 months. I had some serious long downtime, so I would use my tripod and Canon T3i and stack using DSS. I got a decent Andromeda Galaxy. I also used the same gear to capture some of the lunar eclipse in November 2021. But I am about to order a Star Adventurer 2i pro, actually I will place the order in the next couple of hours. I was leaning heavily to the HEQ5 and do the Rowan belt upgrade myself, but since I'm new, I figured I would start at the bottom and work my way up. Plus, I can image the Heart and Soul nebula with that equipment. I am disabled, (neuropathy and muscular atrophy in my legs) so I am limited on how much weight I can move around. I think I'm leaning toward the HEQ5, a 9.25 SCT, and whatever cameras I need, as my final setup. Would the 9.25 image planets and DSO's well? Or is it only good for planets? Thank you for any advice you can give me.
Nice
This is a great video, Kwasi! And exactly what I needed. Thank you!
I'm always happy to help Sarah! Thanks for watching!
👍 Nice work Kwasi, always fun to take in the planets. Not sure I have a favorite depends on the day and my mood:)
Great video Kwasi! I’m so glad you left a comment on my channel so I was able to find yours. This is a great tutorial and will try some of the things you did in my next planetary imaging session.
That's great to hear Joe! I hope your next planetary session goes well!
WOW......
salut,vraiment sympa ton site astro..c'est cool ..! france continu...
I actually wasn't out imaging on the 10th, even though the conditions were so good. I'd stayed up too late on Saturday and Sunday and couldn't do another late night LOL. Seems like we're going to have a few good nights this week, so I might take an hour or two to do Jupiter / Saturn again. Then again, I'm currently trying to get some data on Mel-15. I've got about 6 hours of Ha... and now with the waning moon, I'm going to collect some O3.
Anyway, enough about my imaging plans LOL! Good tutorial / step-by-step walkthough, Kwasi! You had some steady seeing, and the final images are quite nice.
Thanks Jonny, and no worries! It's good to see you were able to go out to do some imaging! This week does look pretty good in terms of clear skies, and since the Moon is out of the way, I'll probably jump back into some DSOs as well.
Great tutorial, Kwasi!
As you use an EdgeHD, do you have to consider something regarding back focus?
Thanks and CS,
Stephen
Thanks for watching Stephen! I personally haven't had any issues regarding backfocus for planetary astrophotography. But if you're using an ADC with your system, and you move the adjustment levers to their maximum position and the max dispersion correction still hasn't been achieved, then you may have to add some spacers between the ADC and the camera to fix that.
Kwasi, nice video (as usual... ;-) )! I´m wondering about the exposure you chose for Jupiter. In the video i can´t see any details of Jupiter. Is this because of the video itself? Cid you see the details on your actual laptop-screen?
Thanks! Yeah, at the time I was using my filming camera to record my screen and it was overexposed unfortunately. Another commenter mentioned this as well. I was able to see the details perfectly from my point of view. At the end of the video, I showed my video capture of Jupiter before the final image, and that's what I saw on my screen.
Very nice. What capture and wavelet programs do you use. I like to image Uranus and Neptune with my C14
Thanks Craig! As you saw in the video, I use FireCapture for my capture and acquisition for the planets. For processing, I run the videos through Autostakkert to select the best frames and stack those together. Then I use the wavelet functions in RegiStax for the sharpening details.
Just found your channel. Nice job. Do you use a UV/IR cut filter for planetary?
Thank you! Yes, I do use an UV/IR cut filter for planetary astrophotography with a color camera. The filter simply threads on to the barrel that's attached to the camera body.
Beautiful work man! My equipment gets a size on Jupiter roughly the size you have on Io 😂
Thanks! As I always say, work with what you have and make incremental upgrades along the way when you can. I've seen some clean images of the planets with varying apertures, so it can be done.
Speaking from my long experience, I would say that opposition is not necessarily the best time to photograph any planet. Here in California, the very best time is the peak of summer, like mid July. Opposition or not, the viewing quality often depends more on the season than on the planet being at opposition. Live long and prosper.
Excellent video Sir…..but I didn’t understand what computer program your using
Thanks for watching! Is there something in particular that you don't understand about FireCapture?
Quick question: you are talking about the red spot being nicely visible, but from my perspective the planet is solid white. Is that because you are recording the screen, or is that something on my end?
I think another commentator mentioned this to me. No, nothing is wrong on your end. My camera unfortunately overexposed the screen making Jupiter appear bright white. I've been using a new screen recording technique that I started to use with my Pleiades imaging session video. It seems to work well, so I'll stick with that for future videos. Near the end of this video, where I show the planetary video capture before the final image, you should be able to see the GRS for Jupiter.
Question: How would you image Mercury and Venus at "opposition"? The earth is never in the middle of those planets and the sun, right?
12:36 Edit: ah, guess I should have waited a few more seconds. My bad.
8:33 I think there is something wrong with my screen. You say that the GRS is visible and all I see is a white circle.
No, nothing is wrong with your screen Kevin. My camera unfortunately overexposed the screen while I was recording unbeknownst to me. I'll be looking into some alternative methods to do screen recordings for future imaging session videos when I'm out in the field. At the end of the video, where I show the planetary video followed by the final image, that video is what's seen on the screen, and the GRS is visible.
@@AstroParkAstrophotography oh ok. The end shot was amazing! You do an excellent job!
You should add a dog or cat to the video like the Astro-backyard guy.