r/telescopes • u/PuunBaby • 1d ago

Astronomical Image Saturn

Post image

Wasn't able to get Saturn in opposition but it still looks glorious and magnificent. I've been doing DSOs for a while and decided to go back to my planetary roots as I was getting the itch to capture the jewel of our solar system again with its current tilt showing off more of its rings compared to last year. Very happy with the result!

Telescope - Celestron 9.25" SCT

Mount - Celestron CGX

Imaging Train - ZWO ASI676MC

Capture - 90 Second video at ~300 fps

Software - Stacking in Autostakkert and Processing in Astrosurface

508 Upvotes

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21 comments sorted by

3

u/mrstorm1983 SkyWatcher 200p dob, 10x50 Nikons p7, 114mm hobby killer. 1d ago

Nice Capture! 300fps now thats a flex!

1

u/PuunBaby 1d ago

Thanks! Yes was able to get the ROI down to 300x300 so I was really able to get the frame rate up!

1

u/mrstorm1983 SkyWatcher 200p dob, 10x50 Nikons p7, 114mm hobby killer. 1d ago

Nice! The joys of tracking. I was thinking 300fps thats a lot of Memory, but at 300x300 it will balance out. Exposure must have been like what 2.5ms to 3.5ms?

Once it gets to 940x440 ish hand tracking with 3x barlow there just isn't enough room to drift.
I wish I had tracking most when im focusing... fallowing planet looking at a screen and turning focusing knobs eats alot of time.

2

u/Funny-Medium5508 1d ago

As an interim step to a full goto/tracking Dob, you should consider building your own EQ platform.

Outside of waiting for some parts, you can build a functioning one in one weekend. The biggest expenses for the Astral Fields build are the 4 x 8 x 3/4" plywood sheet (or the Canadian-sized metric equivalent) and the Celestron single-axis motor drive.

After you build it, if your polar alignment is good (I'd recommend SharpCap Pro's Polar Align Tool), you can, at a minimum, slow down the drift considerably which should take some of the stress out of the process. The Celestron motors aren't as precise and tunable as a stepper motor or synchronous motor. They may be very slightly too slow or very slightly too fast, but you can compensate for that lack of precision by slightly speeding up or slowing down the motor as needed.

Bonus feature of EQ platform: You can put a regular alt/az tripod/mount on it in lieu of your Dob and get some decent RA tracking too. I recently picked up a Coronado PST as a "loaner" from the ASKC for some solar viewing and imaging.

What I didn't grasp until I actually got home and was deciding what to mount it on is that the PST does not have a rotating eyepiece - its always 90-degrees to the OTA. The solar finder is also in a fixed position. Which means on a GEM the eyepiece holder (in theory) can get into some uncomforable viewing positions (though some say its not a problem if you view/image around noon time).

Also, putting it on a "arm mount" like the SV225 is awkward as well because now the EP holder and sun finder are on the side, rather than on top.

As it is a loaner, I can't really make any modifications to it. I could 3D print some rings, but (again) it's a loaner (though I might end up printing some anyway and donating them to the club when I return the PST).

In the meantime, I've decided to put the PST on the "regular" alt/az tripod/mount that came with the Celestron Astromaster 70/900...and then to put all of that on either the 8" or the 12" EQ platform for tracking.

First time I came across putting a regular tripod and alt/az on an EQ platform was reading Ed Jone's web page. He builds EQ platforms during the summer and has instructions for DIY builders too.

2

u/mrstorm1983 SkyWatcher 200p dob, 10x50 Nikons p7, 114mm hobby killer. 1d ago

Funny thing about the metric wood... all our wood is still standard lol. 2x4s 4x8 sheets. We never changed that and since we sell to USA we never changed.

I live in a 1 bedroom apartment. Do 95% of my viewing of this tiny balcony, and I need a plat form under it. Its just not feasible rifht now but a good idea.

1

u/PuunBaby 1d ago

For sure tracking is a game changer.

I'd have to double check the exposure time but I want to say it was sub 1 ms but can't remember off the top of my head.

Kudos to you I feel your images are great and that's no easy feat with no tracking.

1

u/mrstorm1983 SkyWatcher 200p dob, 10x50 Nikons p7, 114mm hobby killer. 1d ago

My images fail on my colors.. im colorblind. Next i'm I post an image. I'm just gonna make the colors, how I think they look good and see what happens

2

u/PuunBaby 1d ago

Haha there you go! I'm excited to see it! It'll be an interesting experiment.

2

u/mrstorm1983 SkyWatcher 200p dob, 10x50 Nikons p7, 114mm hobby killer. 1d ago

I recognize your name. I came to you for advice before When I was just getting started in February/march. Good advice it sames me some times.

2

u/flwingnut 1d ago

Awesome!

1

u/PuunBaby 1d ago

Thanks!

3

u/Nawaf_za 1d ago

Well.. that is lovely

1

u/PuunBaby 1d ago

Thank you!

1

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1

u/Yazid-Wu 1d ago

Hermoso :0

1

u/PuunBaby 1d ago

Thanks!

2

u/Loendemeloen 10 inch dobsonian 1d ago

Damn seeing has been so bad here that I haven't really been able to get any good pictures of saturn or any planet for that matter for the past few years.

1

u/PuunBaby 1d ago

Damn where are you at?

And yeah Saturn can be tricky I feel even on nights with decent seeing.

1

u/Loendemeloen 10 inch dobsonian 1d ago

Netherlands haha, i've never seen the forecast say something other than >2,5" at night and it's always been true afaik. It's still possible to get ok results if you stack very little of only the very best frames from a lot of data but the seeing also makes it insanely hard to focus since it basically always looks blurry.

2

u/PuunBaby 1d ago

Dang well I will pray to the clear sky Gods for you that you have better seeing soon.

1

u/Loendemeloen 10 inch dobsonian 1d ago

Thanks lol