Astrophotography

[Green Baron]

Thank you, @kookoo_gr, so it is classic hdr technique, then. Will try this the next time, it's been cloudy in the past days.

I have just registered me on Astrobin. And thanks for the wonderful M42 ! Give me some more time, i'll catch up ;-)

[kookoo_gr]

I am not a fan of HDR i have seen many photos and most of them go too far and the photos end up to ''edgy'' for my liking. My M45 was done only with levels, curves, masks and layers using Photoshop and the fact that i had a very good set of data.

 

Here is a video for blending the core of M45 at an overexposed image, you can use this method for galaxies too like M31 or overexposed stars

Unfortunately it's in Greek but i believe you can make out the procedure, if not i can help you. First make sure you align the two photos with the software of your choice and then use an image processing software, at this video the photographer uses the final combined images but the best choice is to do this method only at the L layer and then combine the color.

Edited January 29, 2017 by kookoo_gr

[CelticCossack51]

Yesterday was a fine day for astronomy in BC (except that it was so bloody freezing and windy) as these three were together. 

The bright thing next to the moon is Venus and the very dim dot to the top right of the moon is Mars. Two planets in one crappy iPhone photo, what a deal! I took the opportunity to take out my old telescope and got this with my iPhone through the lens:

Not a bad picture of the moon using only an iPhone and a cheap telescope from Hong Kong. The ISS also flew over me, but I was too slow to react.

Today I tried another attempt at a moon photo, except during dusk, and captured this:

I'm quite surprised that the iPhone camera managed to capture most of the detail. 

I managed to catch the ISS today as well.

Spoiler

This is my professional telescope: the SkyEagleProBro Master 2 Electric Boogaloo 5000.

Spoiler

 

[munlander1]

3 hours ago, CelticCossack51 said:

Yesterday was a fine day for astronomy in BC (except that it was so bloody freezing and windy) as these three were together. 

I got a 10 inch Newtonian astrograph for Christmas and have taken it outside 3 times. If you wanna count the times I was actually able to do something 2. This weekend, it might clear up. I don't care how cold it is. I almost lost it being able to see the moon.

[munlander1]

What's worse? A frosted mirror, or thermal turbulence in the tube?

I ask because the last time I went out the mirror has a nice layer of ice on it.

http://imgur.com/tqurPfH

thats my my mirror after 10 minutes of sitting inside.

[Green Baron]

We all have these problems. That happens if you don't let it adapt to the changes. I doubt that too much frost/water will be good for the mirror coating in the long run (mold, bactaria, pollen, etc.), so let it adapt slowly to temperature changes. Put it in the garage or in cool dry place after viewing until the next morning. Don't wipe moisture off with a towel or so, use optical cleaning stuff only if necessary. The reflective coating is not hardened, if will scratch easily, so only clean it if it has visible dirt on it. Leave dust where it is, it'll be back anyway. Blow perpendicular, not directly on the surface. Stow the scope upright with the mirror at the top facing down so it will not serve as a dust shelf.

Don't use an ultrasonic cleaning device like the opticians use for our wearing glasses. The coating will be off afterwards :-)

Sorry if talking old ....

 

I got a version 0.2 of my orion nebula. Same data, different processing. LRGB composite this time, DSS for stacking and PixInsight for the LRGB. Down with those satellites ...

 

Lots of noise and artifacts. There'll be a version 0.3 soon(tm).

 

Edited March 6, 2017 by Green Baron
aversion for a version

[lajoswinkler]

Yesterday's active region 3272 imaged in ultraviolet radiation which allows us to see plages (large collections of faculas) scattered among small sunspots and photospheric pores.

It's a GIF showing the shimmering of our spring air. Very bad for imaging which requires still air, so here's a real-time animation instead.

All done with my 150 mm mirror, UV pass filter and monochrome camera.

Spoiler

@VanamondePlease consider merging this thread with this, older one of the same topic.

[Vanamonde]

4 hours ago, lajoswinkler said:

@VanamondePlease consider merging this thread with this, older one of the same topic.

I have considered it and found that the idea has merit. Done. 

[Ryaja]

I'm poor I probably need a job... But then I'm gonna do astrophotography, any recommendations for what I should save for(I am also saving for a 3d printer so I could bring mounts as well.)?

[The Aziz]

Strange how in this particular community this thread disappeared for so long

Here's some of mine

I didn't pull my telescope from the bag since 2021 though.

[lajoswinkler]

On 4/13/2023 at 6:34 AM, Ryaja said:

I'm poor I probably need a job... But then I'm gonna do astrophotography, any recommendations for what I should save for(I am also saving for a 3d printer so I could bring mounts as well.)?

It depends on what you want to image and how well you want to do it.

There are three general teams of astrophotographers:

• very wide angle (sky, Milky way, visually large nebulas, comets) - it can be cheap, but ideas and targets are quickly exhausted
• Solar system photography (Sun, Moon, planets and their satellites) - moderately expensive to very expensive, targets are always changing in appearance and ideas are basically inexhaustible, can be done in light polluted sky
• deep space objects (nebulas, galaxies) - very expensive to extremely expensive, requires dark sky and personal transportation

 

Considering owning equipment, if you are in team SSO, you can do very little for team DSO.

If on team DSO, you can do a bit more than that for SSO but not a lot.

If on team wide angle, you can't do anything detailed for other teams and other teams can't do wide angle stuff.

 

If you cherish our money, patience and nerves, do NOT make your own mounts and mirrors. It's not worth the effort with prices of new or used equipment today.

Also, do not buy crappy 50 mm refractors from malls unless you are perfectly aware you're getting a very bad device usable for fun only.

Pick a team and then we can discuss further steps.

[lajoswinkler]

Yesterday's work because the sky finally granted me with lack of clouds and twitchy jet stream.

Highly resolved Sun's pore in the active region 3284, imaged in green light (and subsequently colored to match the channel) which is for most intents and purposes equivalent to Solar continuum or white light. Details the size of France can be noticed. Pore is somewhat smaller than Europe.

Spoiler

 

Next, active region 3282 sunspots, very large system with a gigantic lightbridge almost long as Earth's diameter. Earth could probably fit inside the largest sunspot's umbra. Imaged in green light, but left in black&white for clarity. Orientation is adjusted so that the closest Sun's limb is at the top, which gets us a nice "aerial" view of the scene. And no, you're not wrong, lightbridge really does stick upwards, it's not an illusion.

Spoiler

 

Same scene 18 minutes later, but this time imaged in soft ultraviolet radiation. Intense faculas grouped in plagues can be seen emanating from spaces between granulas. Granulas themselves seem "hairy" because, in this electromagnetic band, beginnings of lower chromosphere can be seen. Almost only the hottest part of the lightbridge is seen radiating. Amount of amperes there has to be fantastic.

Spoiler

 

[lajoswinkler]

Never before have I managed to capture such details on Venus and I've been trying for well over a year now.

[Ryaja]

I just got my first few images, I think they are pretty good! I used a t3i a star adventurer 2i and a sigma 70-300mm lens.

https://astrob.in/gpssgx/0/

https://astrob.in/tsonfj/0/

The second is a gif, click the link above it to see the animation.

 

[Ryaja]

My most recent image, the focus is off but I still think it looks good. it's messier 13.

https://www.astrobin.com/uiub1y/

Edited May 5 by Ryaja
It might have stacked weird so I'm going to reprocess it.

[Ryaja]

The Leo triplet(my cat interrupted my setup a few times on this one): 

https://www.astrobin.com/u0hrt6/?nc=collection&nce=35414

M101:

https://www.astrobin.com/lhfoi2/?nc=collection&nce=35414

[Scarecrow]

It's been a while since I did any astrophotography, so these were taken a few years ago now, but I'm still happy with them.

 

Orion Nebula

Moon

Edited June 7 by Scarecrow

[BA-Forums]

I have a request if possible, as I have no idea how astrophotography works: 

can one of you guys get a pic of Mars whenever it is possible? Thanks! 

[lajoswinkler]

On 5/5/2024 at 7:01 AM, Ryaja said:

My most recent image, the focus is off but I still think it looks good. it's messier 13.

https://www.astrobin.com/uiub1y/

I see you've obtained some equipment. Enjoy it!

8 hours ago, BA-Forums said:

I have a request if possible, as I have no idea how astrophotography works: 

can one of you guys get a pic of Mars whenever it is possible? Thanks! 

Mars is inconvenient to image right now, especially in northern temperate zone, so here's two pictures I made at the end of 2022. To this day they remain my best images of this planet.

Second one is a bit artificially enlarged for comfortable viewing of details. Obviously, yielded magnification increase is clearly empty. Some clouds are visible.

Terrain details are visible in the right images taken in ultraviolet radiation, especially during the end of December 2022, which is probably related to so called blue/violet clearing happening on rare occasions.

[Ryaja]

3 hours ago, lajoswinkler said:

On 5/4/2024 at 11:01 PM, Ryaja said:

 

I see you've obtained some equipment. Enjoy it!

Ya, I have a t3i, an old sigma 70-300mm lens I believe and a star adventurer 2i. I also have a Hadley telescope( a 3d printed on I built here: https://www.printables.com/model/224383-astronomical-telescope-hadley-an-easy-assembly-hig the guy how made it sells kits too, thats where I got alot of the hardware) but it is too heavy for my mount. So I'm looking at saving a bunch to get like an am5 or something. But my equipment I think works great for the cost (~$1000 all costs considered)

Edited June 8 by Ryaja

[BA-Forums]

11 hours ago, lajoswinkler said:

I see you've obtained some equipment. Enjoy it!

Mars is inconvenient to image right now, especially in northern temperate zone, so here's two pictures I made at the end of 2022. To this day they remain my best images of this planet.

Second one is a bit artificially enlarged for comfortable viewing of details. Obviously, yielded magnification increase is clearly empty. Some clouds are visible.

Terrain details are visible in the right images taken in ultraviolet radiation, especially during the end of December 2022, which is probably related to so called blue/violet clearing happening on rare occasions.

Awesome photos! Is the position of the Earth and Mars one of the causes of the inconvenience? I would like to know more about that. 

lol I can make out surface features in those pictures I study mars too much  

[lajoswinkler]

7 hours ago, BA-Forums said:

Awesome photos! Is the position of the Earth and Mars one of the causes of the inconvenience? I would like to know more about that. 

lol I can make out surface features in those pictures I study mars too much  

Thanks! Because we can be very near or very far away, Mars has very large angular diameter differences. At Solar conjunction, when it's behind Sun, most recently during middle of November 2023, it was 3.7'' wide. During Solar opposition, soonest one being around middle of January 2025, it will be almost 15''. Difference can be even larger because Earth's and Mars' orbit are eliptical and oppositions and conjunctions don't always coincide with us being at same places in orbit around Sun. In October of 2020, it was almost 23'' wide. In September of 2035, it'll be almost 26'' wide.

The closer it is to us, the more we can see, but sometimes opposition happens when we're tilted in such manner target doesn't reach high in the sky when it passes through highest point (crossing the celestial meridian), so our atmosphere ruins resolving by smearing the image (pricey dispersion corrector helps). Or sometimes it happens during the rainy season. Or the jet stream won't stop flowing and the image just jumps like trying to look into seafloor through choppy waters.

All in all, planetary astrophotography is a very dynamic hobby that can't get better with pouring money into it. Skill and chance play a large role.

Surface features of Mars are loads of fun. Planet can be seen rotating through the night. Clouds move, too.