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First of Mars

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17 years 5 days ago #58338 by pj30something
Replied by pj30something on topic Re: First of Mars
It IS one of the best B&W pics of Mars i have seen pretty much anywhere. The detail is second to none.

There will be many moon cycles passed by the time i know enough and "how to" to ever see Mars so gloriously.

I love this thread cuz it allows me to see the universe in ways that i can only imagine.

One day PJ.....................one day.

P.S.~~~as a web designer (and a very poor graphics artist) It may look more striking if you centre Mars in the middle of the frame. Suck peoples eyes and attention right into the middle.

Paul C
My next scope is going to be a Vixen VMC200L Catadioptric OTA

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17 years 4 days ago #58486 by gbyrne
Replied by gbyrne on topic Re: First of Mars
Here's one I took tonight... Doesnt quite have the same detail ... lol :-)

But is my first "attempt"! I took the main image from Mars PreviewerII for a comparison.



Found focusing it a real chore... any ideas on how to get this better? I read somewhere to focus on a near star and go to mars and record the image. Tried this first and the test image was worse than above. This was the best image I got.

Cheers,
Gary

Equipment:
Celestron NexStar 8 SE
Celestron NexImage
Canon 300D

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  • carlobeirnes
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  • IFAS Sponsor & Astronomer of the Year 2013
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17 years 3 days ago #58609 by carlobeirnes
Replied by carlobeirnes on topic Re: First of Mars
Hi Gary,

First of all well done on the image. There is a lot of detail in there. Did you use a Barlow how was the collimation. no need to focus on a near by star just on Mars itself. The best thing to do is to go right through focus see your best focus them come back again.

Carl O’Beirnes,
Scopes and Space Ltd,
Unit A8 Airside Enterprise Centre,
Swords, Co Dublin,
Ireland.
www.scopesandspace.ie/
www.facebook.com/scopesandspace
twitter.com/ScopesandSpace
www.youtube.com/user/ScopesandSpace

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17 years 3 days ago #58774 by gbyrne
Replied by gbyrne on topic Re: First of Mars
Hi Carl,

I used a 2x Barlow, and the collimation is fine (I think).

I tried to check the collimation the other night on the scope, as when focusing on Saturn I noticed once or twice that I was seeing a double image (or 1/2 of saturn overlapping), but when I did the collimation test with a star it seemed to be fine? Do I need to collimate. (Have never done this before).

Hopefully we'll get a few more nights free from rain and gales to try again.

Cheers,
Gary.

Equipment:
Celestron NexStar 8 SE
Celestron NexImage
Canon 300D

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  • carlobeirnes
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  • IFAS Sponsor & Astronomer of the Year 2013
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17 years 3 days ago #58820 by carlobeirnes
Replied by carlobeirnes on topic Re: First of Mars
Hi Gary,

By Collimating your Scope allows you to get much sharper image.I know this can be a scary procedure the first time round but once you get the hang of it you will be flying.

1 check the out of focus diffraction pattern on a star at about 300x+, if there is a cakeslice shaped disruption on one side, it is not cooled . And wont do its very best.


.It takes a long time to to learn not to overprocess, and get the best out of the avis. Every session is an extra step on the learning curve. Dont push the individual avis too much or unevenly or you will screw the colours

Seeing is everything good seeing occurs about once in 6 weeks if you're lucky. AND, you have to be there to catch it, and when you do WOW.! Most seeing is crap. I havent caught any good seeing this Mars apparition.

The scope takes ages to cool , use every trick in the book to ensure it is as ambient as possible.
If you dont have an observatory leave it outside under a tarpaulin.

stack a1000 images per 3000 frame avi for Saturn

Here is a link to help you better understand collimation

images.google.ie/imgres?imgurl=http://ar..._en___IE204%26sa%3DN

Carl O’Beirnes,
Scopes and Space Ltd,
Unit A8 Airside Enterprise Centre,
Swords, Co Dublin,
Ireland.
www.scopesandspace.ie/
www.facebook.com/scopesandspace
twitter.com/ScopesandSpace
www.youtube.com/user/ScopesandSpace

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17 years 19 hours ago #59225 by gbyrne
Replied by gbyrne on topic Re: First of Mars
Cheers Carl thsnks for the info & that link is excellent. Ill have a go at the weekend.

Cheers,
Gary.

Equipment:
Celestron NexStar 8 SE
Celestron NexImage
Canon 300D

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