Karah's Astronomy

Mosaic of the Plato region

2008-08-13T20:31:00.003Z

After a rather long break from imaging i managed to get some avi's of the Plato region. Not great as it was very windy and also had problems focusing. Taken on the 12th August, using my Celestron 4SE @F13, Toucam proII @10fps, 6 images using roughly 450/500 frames. Stacked in Registax4, processed in Gimp2.4 and stitched using i-merge.

Few images between 4th-19th March

2008-03-20T20:23:00.004Z

Not had much chance to get out recently mainly due to cloud!!! Managed another Saturn on the 4th, not overly happy with the colouring but getting better. Taken with a Celestron 4 SE @F13, 3xbarlow, Toucam pro. Can't remember exact number of frames but it was around 1100 used @5fps. Processed between Gimp and Registax4.
The moon images are from the 17th and 19th March and through cloud! I wasn't going to let cloud stop me, going mad!!LOL. Considering the conditions they were taken in I'm quite happy with them. The close ups were taken using a 3xbarlow. All around 400 frames @10fps using the same equipment. The mosaic was stitched together using i-merge, processed in Gimp2.4 oh and all were stacked in Registax4.

Cloudy nights=Redo's!!!

2008-03-03T21:06:00.003Z

Not managed to get outside for nearly 3 weeks now and i'm starting to get BAD withdrawal symptoms,LOL. So i decided to go through some of the avi's i had stil while cleaning up my laptop. All i know is this was taken around begin of Feb, 1000/1200 frames used @5fps. Still using my Celestron 4 SE, 3xbarlow and Toucam pro.
To me there seems to be more detail and the colour a bit better, but then that could be me and wishful thinking,LOL.

Saturn getting loads better...

2008-02-15T13:19:00.005Z

After a lot of sleepless nights sitting at the computer trying out different processing tips, help from lots of very talented people, i have managed to get a decent Saturn at long last. Taken on the 11th Feb using my Toucam pro, i changed the fps to 5 instead of 15. Thinking that it would be the other way around i was using an higher frame rate,DUH!!!. 5fps is soooo much better. Adjusted the gain, brightness n exposure to compensate and put gamma at around 50% to bring out the Cassini Division.
Just to finish off i grab the chance of grabbing an image of the Moon. Taken on the 13th Feb during daylight so not great but at least i got something. The area is mostly Boussingault craters, taken with a 3x barlow.
Equipment used for Saturn : Celestron 4SE @F13, 3x barlow, Toucam pro @5fps, 1100/1500 frames used. Stacked in Registax4 and processed between Registax4 and Gimp2.4.

2008-01-26T15:27:00.000Z

2 clear nights in a row!!!!! That very rare ,lol. Managed to get some more avi's of Saturn but after an hour the clouds started to roll in so i turned my attention to the Moon. Grabbed hubby's K850i and spent another hour trying it out on different settings. With mobile phone cameras you do have to spend time just mucking around with the settings to see what works best with that particular model, can take a while but the reward is soooo good :-)).
The mosaic was 4 images stitched together, a 26mm ep and set on ISO200. Can't tell you the zoom ratio as the phone doesn't tell me. Not great, had problems with the last image at the bottom, just wouldn't match in contrast n brightness no matter what i tried, but i'm very happy with it being it's a mobile phone mosaic!!!.
The full shot was again 26mm ep and the 3rd was using a 2x barlow. All were run through Gimp2.4 to adjust the contrast and brightnes.s

First Saturn

2008-01-25T15:56:00.000Z

Got one of them rare things last night......A clear sky!!!!! After getting loads of avi's of the moon(trying for a full mosaic) i turned my attention to Saturn. Sitting quite close to the Moon and just about high enough for me to view over the trees. Don't think i quite got the focus right but didn't have alot of time to fiddle to much. Grabbed a few avi's at different focus and fiddled about with the exposure settings. Only stacked n processed 2 very quickly, got over 60 avi's in total inc the Moon, gives me something to do while it's cloudy,LOL.
Equipment used: Celestron 4 SE @F13, 2x barlow, Toucam pro. 1050 frames stacked and then processed in Gimp2.4. 1st image is 150%, 2nd is 100%.
I changed the fps from 15 to 20 when i started with the Moon and i think it gives a better avi, less noise. Will find out when i get around to stacking n processing them and then comparing to other images.

Pekaboo Plato n Copernicus

2008-01-19T15:07:00.000Z

Really started to get hooked on this mosaic Lark and decided to get the Plato region. 3 Images stitched together using my Celestron, Toucam pro, around 500 frames each stacked n processed in Registax4 then twicked in Gimp. Once stacked and processed i used a free program called i-merge to stitch them together.
Copernicus crater was taken with the same scope and webcam , just used a 2xbarlow to get in closer.

Terminator Mosaic

2008-01-15T12:22:00.001Z

My 2nd attempt at a Mosaic. Only had 30 mins of clear skies and the wind was starting to pick up but still managed to get a handful of decent avi's. Used my Celestron which was set up in 2 mins(love this scope!)and my Toucam pro. All frames between 500-600 frames, stacked in Registax4 and processed in Gimp2.2.
I'm pleased with the result considering it's only my 2nd go.
Here's a link to the full size version, click on the image....http://i171.photobucket.com/albums/u304/karah75/fullversion.jpg

Mars 7th Jan

2008-01-12T11:25:00.000Z

As you know i have been having problems with my laptop. It's got to be sent off once again, keeps crashing, freezing amongst other things. Around 50 avi's were taken between 5th and 9th Jan via laptop, stacked and processed as well. Looked fine, nice and bright. Backed everything up to load onto desktop only to find that all avi's and images are BLACK!!!!!! Something is wrong with the graphics(going insane with all this!). Managed to save one avi taken on the 7th in gale force winds(well, very windy). USed my Celestron @F13, 2xbarlow and my Toucam pro. 350 out of 1000 frames used. Lost most due to the wind.

Christmas Moon with the G600 RGB and Greyscale versions

2007-12-28T12:39:00.000Z

Here is another image that i think is better. One is RGB and the other is the Greyscale version of the same image.

Christmas Moon with the G600

2007-12-28T12:17:00.000Z

Had a gap in the clouds Christmas night and got some handheld images of the moon with my G600 mobile phone. Did get some avi's with the webcam but it seemed to drop alot of frames so gave up there. The 2 nearly full moons were taken with my Celestron, 26mm ep, 50%ish zoom and ISO200. The 3rd, Mare Crisium, was a 9mm ep with 100% zoom. All run through Gimp quickly.

Problems with images....

2007-12-15T11:39:00.000Z

I have had problems with my computer and all the images look fine through the desktop until i look at them on another computer when they look terrible. I will try and see if i can re process them and see if any improvements can be made. On a desktop the background looks nice and black and the details seem to come out but not when i look on a laptop. Asking for some advice through some friends and hopefully will get this sorted.

Getting there

2007-12-14T15:57:00.000Z

Re-stacked one of the avi's i got Tuesday night but this time i found some other functions that seemed to make a big difference. 599 frames stacked in registax4 then instead of arguing with Gimp and these RGB split images i played about with RGB in registax. Was amazed at how much more detail came out before i even got round to running it through Gimp. Slowly but surely i'm getting better, just need to sort out the focusing problem and get a 3x barlow to enlarge the image some more. I'm very pleased with this one, more so when i compare it to the others i have done.

Getting better(I think!!)

2007-12-13T23:46:00.000Z

Had another go at Mars last night(12th) and took 605 frames of which 600 were stacked. Focusing is still a problem so when i can i will try imaging Mars with my Skywatcher and see if that makes a difference. Can't get the hang of this RGB split in processing, keep getting either a very red or blue Mars?!?! Practice and some reading up should help there(with a little help from my lovely friends)

Another Mars

2007-12-09T14:53:00.000Z

Had a go through some of the avi's and practiced a bit more with the processing in Gimp. This is the finished result, a lot better i think than the others. More detail seems to be coming through and the redness doesn't seem to be so overpowering. I used the updated version of Gimp which does have some extra features and found a tool that allows you to put different filters on. I'm sure this has made a big difference.

First go at Mars

2007-12-09T11:06:00.000Z

Managed to actually get outside the last 2 nights, not for long but hey, i'm not complaining, better than nothing. Gave Mars a go for the first time Friday night . Took a little while for me to find it on the ccd chip and got 5 avi's before the cloud rolled in. Wasn't very happy with the first results as Mars seemed very orange and i couldn't work out why!?! Last night i gave it another go and noticed a setting i had missed on my webcam. Changed it slightly and presto, not so orange. Still think it needs a bit more toning down but still a massive improvement. Took 8 avi's at 450 frames each with my Celestron before the wind got too bad and then attempted to process in Gimp. Not quite the same as processing the Moon so lots more practice needed but i'm very happy with the end result for a first go.
The larger image and more orange colour was my first attempt last night at processing which i don't think is too bad but the smaller image i think is much better. More detail coming through and not so orange. Think the focusing is better in that one as well.
One thing i don't like about this Celestron is the focusing, very difficult to get focus and once you do have focus you have no way of marking where you reached it. Think a crayford focuser is needed!!

HD Moving image of the Moon

2007-11-15T14:16:00.001Z

For roughly a month now the Japanese spacecraft Kaguya or also known as Selene, has been orbiting the Moon at an altitude of 62 miles to re-create the image that Apollo 11 took, Earth-rise. Well, they have gone one better and managed to get a High Definition version, Earth-set, along with a moving image. They are breathe taking, just shear beauty. Here are a few links for some of the images and the movie.The title is also a link to an article on spacespot. Enjoy...

http://www.jaxa.jp/press/2007/11/20071107_kaguya_movie_e.html

http://www.jaxa.jp/press/2007/11/img/20071113_kaguya_03l.jp

http://www.jaxa.jp/press/2007/11/img/20071113_kaguya_02l.jpg

http://www.jaxa.jp/projects/sat/selene/index_e.html

Retry at the Rosette Nebula

2007-11-09T14:12:00.000Z

Thought i'd give this another go after fiddleing around with Chris's images. I think it's alot better than my last attempt, the pretty version i done. Used Gimp but updated version which is a little easier to use and some extras all for free. Rick has given me the specs on this image and i was amazed he still uses film. Excellent results Rick
Equipment used are:- Classic C-8, Olympus OM-4, Chilled gas-hypered Kodak Royal Gold 100 film. 2 Hour hand guide expsoure using off axis guider. Then scanned in at 1200 DPI from large format print

G600 Colour Moon

2007-11-09T12:56:00.000Z

Not had much chance to test this phone out properly but did manage a couple of shots. Taken on the 5 mega pixel option with 50% zoom and iso200. Scope used was the Celestron 4 Se with 26mm EP and 2xBarlow. Not bad, do like the way the colours came out in the images taken and all i had to do was fiddle a little in Gimp2 to bring them out more. Found my U600 was easier to use but might get some better results when i get more time to fiddle around with the settings. Unlike the U600 i had to use the Moon filter in some as it was just too bright, could just be a setting i haven't found yet.
Getting hooked on this mobile phone experminenting. Now what phone could i try next

Where to look for Comet 17/P Holmes

2007-10-30T14:28:00.001Z

Comet 17/P Holmes

2007-10-30T14:14:00.001Z

I managed to see Comet 17/P Holmes last night for the first time. Cloud has plagued me all week and if not cloud something else has stopped me from enjoying the view. As you all should know it was only supposed to be Mag +17 but due to an outburst it has become a naked eye object of +3.8. I have not seen one before so this is the first for me and WOW what a beauty it was. Didn't stop smiling all night. As soon as i went outside last night i could see it as clear as day, even under the BAD LP here in London. My Celestron gave me lovely views and am going to get the 5" out tonight as well to try and get some images. A friend of mine took these images which are fantastic but i want to try and get some afocal images to add to my little collection. Fingers crossed.

First Mosaic of the Terminator

2007-10-29T09:10:00.000Z

This is my first attempt at stitching my images together. Taken on the 20th October but have only just managed to sort them all out. Equipment used was my Celestron 4 SE, Toucam pro II with 600 frames stacked and processed then put together in iMerge. Another lot of free software that a friend of mine showed me, very easy to use. I'm very pleased with the result being as it's my first but was unable to get the balance right towards the middle, no matter what i tried, but hey, all comes with practice. I have put 2 up as the one is in JPEG and the other in BMP. Can't decide myself which one i prefer...

Trifid Nebula by Chris Dixon

2007-10-15T13:05:00.000Z

Needed to practice my processing with DSO's but haven't had much luck with my own images(if you can call them that!) so Chris very was kind and let me use his images. This one of the Trifid Nebula is one of my favs, just one word to descibe his image.....Beautiful. Chris has done an excellent job, better than any of mine. The first image is my attempt, the other is Chris's original.Using Gimp I played about with unsharp mask and then sharpened it up a tad, added a little more hue and saturation and finally adjusted the curves to darken some of the background and the blueish tint towards the bottom. To be completely honest i had no idea what i was doing and just played about with different functions to see what the result would be. I don't think it's that bad but do prefer Chris's to mine.

ISS PASSES FOR LONDON

2007-10-13T15:33:00.000Z

Seems to be a few chances from tonight to catch a glimps of the ISS passing over. All passes are very bright so you won't miss it. Here is a table for the times and where to find it. The minus in the mag coloum means it's bright ie: -2.4 is brighter than 0.2 and 0.2 is brighter than 1.2. Hope that makes sense.

Date	Mag	Starts			Max. altitude			Ends
Date	Mag	Time	Alt.	Az.	Time	Alt.	Az.	Time	Alt.	Az.
13 Oct	-2.4	19:08:09	10	W	19:11:01	88	NW	19:13:07	17	E
13 Oct	0.2	20:43:17	10	W	20:44:30	22	W	20:44:30	22	W
14 Oct	-2.5	19:31:21	10	W	19:34:16	85	NNE	19:35:18	35	E
14 Oct	1.2	21:06:30	10	W	21:06:42	11	W	21:06:42	11	W
15 Oct	-2.4	18:19:23	10	W	18:22:18	88	NE	18:25:09	10	E
15 Oct	-2.5	19:54:31	10	W	19:57:30	73	S	19:57:30	73	S
16 Oct	-2.2	18:42:33	10	W	18:45:16	77	WNW	18:48:18	10	E
16 Oct	-0.8	20:17:42	10	W	20:19:41	33	WSW	20:19:41	33	WSW
17 Oct	-2.4	19:05:40	10	W	19:08:38	74	S	19:10:31	18	ESE
17 Oct	0.6	20:41:03	10	W	20:41:54	15	WSW	20:41:54	15	WSW
18 Oct	-1.5	19:28:48	10	W	19:31:35	43	SSW	19:32:46	26	SSE
19 Oct	-2.2	18:16:44	10	W	18:19:38	75	S	18:22:29	10	ESE
19 Oct	-0.3	19:52:06	10	W	19:54:27	22	SSW	19:55:04	21	SSW
20 Oct	-1.4	18:39:49	10	W	18:42:38	44	SSW	18:45:21	10	SE
20 Oct	0.8	20:16:27	10	SW	20:17:08	11	SW	20:17:28	10	SW
21 Oct	-0.1	19:03:04	10	W	19:05:25	23	SSW	19:07:46	10	SSE
22 Oct	1.0	19:27:19	10	SW	19:28:05	11	SW	19:28:51	10	SSW

Plato

2007-10-02T13:43:00.000Z

This was taken on the 21st September using a 2xbarlow lens. 450 frames stacked and processed. Am really pleased with this, one of my fav craters of the Moon.