Wednesday, March 29, 2006

Saturday, March 25, 2006

Cassini image - March 2006

Saturns rings imaged by Cassini.

Wednesday, March 22, 2006

Saturn 22nd March

Wow! it's clear... well clear'ish, first time for bleeding ages. I took about half a dozen videos of Saturn, but when I processed them, they all exhibited a strange mis-align on one side of the rings.
I went out 2 hours later and them imaged these. Not that great, but it was very misty and the gain had to be increased quite a bit on the Toucam. These are all 2 x barlow, I couldn't use anything higher because it wasn't bright enough... Saturn that is.
I think the scope needed time to cool down. I normally have the scope covered by a blanket and a nylon cover. When I took it off, I don't think the scope was fully cooled down for the earlier images. During the day, the 'shed' observatory seems to heat up a lot. I may need to spray/paint the clear roof :-( more expense.

Here's a picture of the scope in action on the night (we don't need no stinking dew shield). As you can see from the scope position, Saturn was just coming up to the Meridian and running up against the buffers so to speak, doh! as per normal, switch the scope over.

Sunday, March 19, 2006

The Sun 19th March


Toucam Pro image























Close-up of image below.














Using Canon Powershot through 35 mm EP and yellow filter.

Friday, March 17, 2006

Wednesday, March 15, 2006

Moon 15th March


Canon Powershot A620

Friday, March 10, 2006

Monday, March 06, 2006

Various from 6th March Moon.

Apollo 17 landing site; Taurus Littrow











Posidonius











Theophilus

Various from 5th March Moon.

Apollo 17 landing site; Taurus Littrow









Posidonius











Theophilus










Fabricius

Sunday, March 05, 2006

Vallis Rheita

Three image mosaic, 2 x Barlow.

Messier A & B

Friday, March 03, 2006

The Moon 3rd March

Taken at prime focus, 15 images stitched together using Paintshop Pro.





Mare Crisium detail from mosaic.

Thursday, March 02, 2006

Saturn 2nd March

Been changing the gamma settings to try and bring out the D-Ring.
Misty seeing tonight.
Here is a single frame from the video of the top image. You wouldn't believe that you could get anything out of it, just goes to show.

The Moon 2nd March

This version is made up of a mosaic of 11 images captured at prime focus.
Inverted.

Wednesday, March 01, 2006

Saturn 1st Mar. ...later

The seeing got better later on; both 3000 frame AVI's, 2 x Barlow.






















3000 frame AVI, 4 x Imagemate with Barlow extension tube

Saturn 1st Mar.

3000 frame AVI, Toucam, 2 x Barlow and #12 deep yellow filter, which is why some of the colours are a bit naff.

Lovely clear night, but the seeing is not very good. That's my excuse and I'm sticking by it!

Not as windy/gusty as last night but very cold though, me little heater from Wickes is working overtime.
My thermometer from my office is off-scale low!!!