Beginner Jupiter & Moons

[skd]

Just thought I would share my first attempt at shooting Jupiter and its moons tonight.

I still have a little more trial and error to work on, but im happy with these and it was a stunning view seeing them from a telescope.

Of course C&C is welcomed, but this is just a tester I want to share.
View attachment 3679

Thanks for looking

 

[MWHCVT]

That is spectacular to see four different moons in shot with the three bright ones in scene really well lined up I'd love to see it sharper/clearer but to be honest I've not the technical knowledge to advise on Astro stuff like this

Matt

 

[skd]

Cheers for your comment.

To be honest it looked so tiny through the telescope, it was even smaller through the camera attached to the telescope, so focusing was an issue as I could bearly see it. (This image was heavily cropped.

Plus I had problems with my telescope mount not handling the full weight of the camera.

But it was my first attempt and I think I have thought of a few changes that will make the images better/sharper which I may try tonight.

 

[Leebert]

Fantastic image for a first go. Well done for getting the Galilean moons (Europa, Io, Ganymede and Callisto) as well as getting cloud bands on Jupiter itself.

The planets are tricky to capture as they need a good long focal length which then needs a tracking mount. A good way of capturing images is to take a video of the planet for 2 or 3 minutes and then stacking the individual video frames using free software such as 'Registax'.

 

[skd]

Fantastic image for a first go. Well done for getting the Galilean moons (Europa, Io, Ganymede and Callisto) as well as getting cloud bands on Jupiter itself.

The planets are tricky to capture as they need a good long focal length which then needs a tracking mount. A good way of capturing images is to take a video of the planet for 2 or 3 minutes and then stacking the individual video frames using free software such as 'Registax'.

Thanks.

I had problems trying to shoot this as my camera was too heavy so the telescope was tilting back.

But I have been looking into modifying a webcam to record videos and stack them.

As I am unsure if my SLT video would be any good.

 

[jakeblu]

Yeah its a bit soft & yeah its a bit fuzzy but still what a fantastic image. I am sure it takes a lot of patience and skill to photograph the planets and I looking forward to your journey as you improve your technique so keep posting.

Steve

 

[Carlo]

Great first attempt.
I had to sell my telescope a bit back, but will never forget the first time i pointed it at a bright star that turned out to be Jupiter and three of it's moons! fascinating!
When my finances pick up i'll definately be buying another.

 

[Moadib]

This is impossible to critique - whenever thinking about technical aspects, my brain just goes "It's Jupiter and moons, wow!!!". Great image. I still remember seeing Saturn for the first time, and being awestruck. Crap image compared to what you see on TV, but it's different when you are looking directly at it.

Great start, and really look forward to seeing more.

EDIT: Reading this back, I didn't mean your image was crap! I meant the view of saturn through my scope was crap, but still I was getting to see Saturn, and ..... you know what I mean! (oops)

 

[Leebert]

Thanks.

I had problems trying to shoot this as my camera was too heavy so the telescope was tilting back.

But I have been looking into modifying a webcam to record videos and stack them.

As I am unsure if my SLT video would be any good.

A webcam is ideal. I use an old Philips SPC900 webcam and record the video with "Sharpcap" which I then process in "Registax". The images are always small unless you have some serious kit. Less is more with magnification on planets sometimes though.

 

[skd]

Yeah its a bit soft & yeah its a bit fuzzy but still what a fantastic image. I am sure it takes a lot of patience and skill to photograph the planets and I looking forward to your journey as you improve your technique so keep posting.

Steve

Yeah I know its not perfect, but its my first hopefully of many, but I have been doing a lot of reading up since taking the images, I just need a clear sky to try the new hints/tips

Great first attempt.
I had to sell my telescope a bit back, but will never forget the first time i pointed it at a bright star that turned out to be Jupiter and three of it's moons! fascinating!
When my finances pick up i'll definately be buying another.

Cheers,

I know we have all seen planets from the ground with the human eye, but seeing them through a telescope and the details you have never seen before is just mind blowing, I still remember the first time I used it on the moon, I was so shocked at what I had seen.

Good luck with buying a new one.

This is impossible to critique - whenever thinking about technical aspects, my brain just goes "It's Jupiter and moons, wow!!!". Great image. I still remember seeing Saturn for the first time, and being awestruck. Crap image compared to what you see on TV, but it's different when you are looking directly at it.

Great start, and really look forward to seeing more.

Cheers

I still have to see Saturn, but I will capture it one day, my next mission is Sunspots

A webcam is ideal. I use an old Philips SPC900 webcam and record the video with "Sharpcap" which I then process in "Registax". The images are always small unless you have some serious kit. Less is more with magnification on planets sometimes though.

I was looking at getting a CCD camera but I read the Microsoft HD 3000 (I think it was), which is a CMOS does a great job, so I am tempted to buy that and modify it at work.