Petavius

Folks - here's a shot of Petavius (lunar crater)





10/06/05 21:30 UTC
18 * 0.04 sec images
Meade DSI
AP1200 mount
C8 SCT f/10 and F/25
Processing: Registax; Photoshop

Nice image, though a little fuzzy Dave. What happened there?

Crap seeing basically. Flicking through the images in Registax showed noticeable shimmering from one image to the next.

I've yet to go though othe images I took last night - at first sight, the seeing improved a little but processing may prove otherwise. Expect Neptune, Uranus and Nepune sometime in the next few days.

If it stays clear tonight, I might have another go at lunar shots.

Cheers

Dave McD

Thats the problem with this time of year - even when its clear, it is still hazy, usty, and turbulent. You have to admit, there's nothing like a freezing cold night in Winter for a good nights' astronomy!

Nice go there Dave, what magnification are you at? 200+ ????

Keith..

That's an interesting question Keith. I was using the DSI coupled with a 2.5 PowerMate. That gives me a FOV of 2.5 x 3.4 arcminutes. I don't know what that is in terms of magnification... Clearly at that level though, seeing becomes the major factor. The setup with the PowerMate gives me 0.35 arcsec/pixel which is really pushing it. But the visual views through the powermate with the 16mm Nagler is superb - a mag of 312x. When the seeing allows, the view is as crisp as you like and stunning - you could almost be hovering above the surface.

Cheers

Dave McD