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Swansea Astronomical Society BlogFriday, August 17, 2018Palus Somni region of the 35% Waxing Moon with a ZWO ASI128MC and AstroDMx Capture for Linux
Nicola has almost completed the full implementation of the ZWO ASI128MC in AstroDMx Capture for Linux. Here is a stack of the best 80% of 1000 frames of the Mare Tranquillitatis, Mare Fecunditatis, Mare Crisium, Palus Somni, Sinus Asteritatis and Mare Nectaris region of the 35% waxing Moon. With a Skymax 127 on a Celestron AVX mount.
Click on the image for a closer view
 Steve Wainwright & Nicola Mackin Monday, August 6, 2018Sketches of the deep sky and the Sun
The solar sketch was made using a modified PST H-alpha scope.
 The deep sky sketches were made using a 150mm refractor and a Watec camera as a digital eyepiece.    Jim Startup Deneb and the Milky Way
The image subs were taken with a modified Canon 650D with its 18-55 stock lens at 18mm. The camera was mounted on an iOptron Skytracker photography mount. 20x30s subs were captured with 10 darks, all stacked in Deep Sky Stacker, processed in Pixinsight and Astroflat applied in Photoshop CS3.
Click on the image to get a closer view.
 Anne Startup M16 with an Atik 314L, AstroDMx Capture for Linux and a Raspberry Pi 3
M16 with an Atik 314L and a Raspberry Pi 3
Full details of this experiment can be read here: FULL DETAILS
Click on the image to get a closer view
 Steve Wainwright & Nicola Mackin Sunday, August 5, 2018Mars, Saturn and the Moon with AstroDMx Capture for Linux
A Skymax 127 Maksutov was mounted on a Star Discovery AZ GOTO mount. A 2x Barlow was fitted to a QHY 5M-II-C camera and a 10,000 frame SER file was captured with AstroDMx Capture for Linux. The best 60% of the frames were stacked in Autostakkert! 3 running in Wine and the resulting image was wavelet processed in Registax 5.1 also running in Wine. The resulting image was post processed in the Gimp 2.10 and Neat Image.
 An SVBONEY SV105 camera was used in the same configuration to capture a 1000 frame SER file of Saturn using AstroDMx Capture for LInux. The best 80% of the frames were stacked in Autostakkert! 3 running in Wine and the resulting image was wavelet processed in Registax 5.1 also running in Wine. The resulting image was post processed in the Gimp 2.10 and Neat Image.  A Celestron Nextstar 130SLT f/5 Newtonian was mounted on the Star Discovery AZ GOTO mount in daylight. A QHY 5L-II-M camera fitted with an 850nm IR pass filter was used to image the 43% waning, crescent Moon. Two overlapping, 1000 frame SER files were captured with AstroDMx Capture for Linux. The best 80% of frames were stacked in Autostakkert! 3 and the two resulting images were stitched in Microsoft ICE, both running in Wine. The resulting image was wavelet processed in Registax 5.1 also running in Wine and post processed in the Gimp 2.10.
The Moon in >850nm IR light
 Steve Wainwright & Nicola Mackin Friday, July 27, 2018The 99.2% waxing Moon with AstroDMx Capture for Linux, a QHY 5L-ll-M and a Nextstar 130SLT
The 99.2% waxing Moon was imaged with AstroDMx Capture for Linux, a QHY 5L-II-M and a Celestron Nextstar 130SLT OTA on a Skywatcher AZ, GOTO Mount. Five overlapping panes, each pane a 1000 frame SER file were captured and then registered and stacked in Registax 5.1; stitched in Microsoft ICE and post processed in ImPPG all running in Wine and the Gimp 2.10.
Click on the image to get a closer view
 Steve Wainwright Tuesday, July 24, 2018The quiet Sun in H-alpha with a modified PST
An Altair GPCAM was placed at the prime focus of a modified PST.
 1000 frames were captured of part of the quiet Sun, and the best 25% were stacked. The resulting image was sharpened in ImPPG.  Anne Startup Monday, July 23, 2018The Sun in H-alpha and the 79.1% waxing Moon with AstroDMx Capture for Linux
A Solarmax ll 60, BF15, H-alpha scope was mounted on an iOptron Cube Pro AZ GOTO mount. A DMK 21AU04.AS camera was placed at the prime focus. AstroDMx Capture for Linux was used to capture the data. 4 x overlapping, 2000 frame SER files were captured exposed for the solar disk and 4 exposed for the prominences. The SER files were stacked and wavelet processed in Registax 5.1 running in Wine. The disk images were merged in Microsoft ICE running in Wine and the Prominence images were merged in Jon Grove's iMerge also running in Wine. The images were combined and processed in the Gimp 2.10
Click on an image to get a closer view.
 A 2 x Barlow was attached to the DMK and the major prominence region was imaged by capturing a 2000 frame SER file exposed for the Prominence and a SER file exposed for the disk. The SER files were stacked and wavelet processed in Registax 5.1. The images were combined in the Gimp 2.10.  The central region of the solar disk with filaments was also imaged by capturing a 5000 frame SER file which was stacked and wavelet processed in Registax 5.1. The final image was processed in the Gimp 2.10.  Later, a Skywatcher 8" f/5 Newtonian was mounted on a Celestron AVX EQ, GOTO mount. A QHY 5L-II-M camera fitted with a ND13 filter was placed at the Newtonian focus and 8 overlapping, 1500 frame SER files were captured of the 79.1% waxing Moon using AstroDMx Capture for Linux. The SER files were stacked and wavelet processed in Registax 5.1 running in Wine and the resulting images were stitched in Microsoft ICE also running in Wine. The final image was processed in the Gimp 2.10.  Steve Wainwright Friday, July 20, 201850.7% waxing Moon with AstroDMx Capture for Linux
A Skywatcher Explorer 130 PDS 130mm, f/5 Newtonian was mounted on a Celestron AVX mount. A QHY 5L-II-M camera was placed at the Newtonian focus. AstroDMx Capture for Linux was used to capture two overlapping 2500 frame SER files of the 50.7% waxing Moon. Autostakkert! 3 running in Wine was used to stack the best 40% of the frames of each SER file and the resulting files were wavelet processed in Registax 5.1 also running in Wine. The two images were stitched in Microsoft ICE running in Wine and The final image was processed in the Gimp 2.10.
Click on the image and click again to get a closer view.
 Steve Wainwright & Nicola Mackin Thursday, July 19, 2018Moon and the Swan with AstroDMx Capture for Linux and a QHY-5L-ll-M and Atik 314L
A Bresser Messier AR102xs 102mm, f/4.5 achromatic refractor was mounted on a Celestron AVX mount and a QHY 5L-ll-M fitted with a ND13 filter was placed at the Prime focus. A 5000 frame SER file was captured of the 40% waxing Moon. Autostakkert! 3 running in Wine was used to stack the best 20% of the frames and Registax 5.1 also running in Wine was used to wavelet process the image. The final image was processed in the Gimp 2.10.
Click on the image to get a closer view
 A Skywatcher 130 PDS 130mm, f/5 Newtonian, was mounted on a Celestron AVX GOTO mount and an Atik 314L camera was placed at the Newtonian focus. AstroDMx Capture for Linux was used to capture 30 x 60s exposures of the Swan or Omega nebula. The data were dark-frame and flat-field corrected and stacked in Deep Sky Stacker running in Wine. The resulting Fits file was processed in the NASA, ESO, ESA Fits Liberator software and Fitswork running in Wine and post processing was completed in the Gimp 2.10.
Click on the image to get a closer view
 This image was captured as part of our experiments to refine the display of the 16 bit images, non-destructively, on an 8 bit monitor during capture.
Screenshot of the capture process
 Steve Wainwright and Nicola Mackin Sunday, July 15, 2018The Lagoon Nebula with AstroDMx Capture for Linux and an Atik 314L
An Atik 314L camera was placed at the Newtonian focus of a Skywatcher 130 PDS 130mm, f/5 Newtonian, mounted on a Celestron AVX GOTO mount. 16 x 48s exposures were captured of M8, the Lagoon nebula and 5 matching dark-frames using AstroDMx Capture for Linux. The images were dark-frame corrected and stacked in Deep Sky Stacker running in Wine. The final image was processed in Fits Liberator, running in Wine and the Gimp 2.10.
Click on the image to get a closer view.
 The images were captured while testing the new gammalog image display function in AstroDMx Capture for Linux. Steve Wainwright & Nicola Mackin Saturday, July 14, 2018Core-less active regions and prominences in H-alpha with AstroDMx Capture for Linux
Core-less active regions were imaged in H-alpha. AstroDMx Capture for Linux was used with a DMK 21AU04.AS camera fitted with a 2.5 x Barlow, and a Solarmax ll 60 BF15 H-alpha scope. Stack of the best 2k frames of a 10k SER file.
Click on an image to get a closer view
 Three prominences were imaged with AstroDMx Capture for Linux, a DMK 21AU04.AS camera with a 2.5 x Barlow and a Solarmax ll 60 BF15 H-alpha scope. 2000 frame SER files were captured exposed for the prominence and exposed for the disk. The best 50% of frames in the SER files were stacked in Autostakkert! 3 and wavelet processed in Registax 5.1 both running in Wine. The prominence and disk images were combined in the Gimp 2.10.    Four overlapping quadrants of the Sun were imaged with 2000 frame SER files, exposed for the Disk and also exposed for the prominences. The SER files were stacked in Registax 5.1 running in wine. The 4 disk quadrants were merged in Microsoft ICE running in Wine and the 4 overexposed, prominence quadrants were merged in Jon Grove's iMerge also running in Wine. The two resulting images were merged in the Gimp 2.10.  Steve Wainwright Tuesday, July 10, 2018Solar sketches with a modified PST
A modified PST H-alpha scope was used with a 15mm eyepiece to make the following sketches.
  Jim Startup Monday, July 9, 2018Saturn with AstroDMx Capture for Linux
A QHY 5L-ll-C camera kindly loaned by Derek Francis was placed in a 2.5 x Barlow and placed in the focuser of a Skymax 127 Maksutov mounted on a Celestron AVX mount. The seeing was poor and a 6000 frame SER file was captured of Saturn with AstroDMx Capture for Linux. The best 10% of the frames in the SER file were stacked in Autostakkert! 3, wavelet processed in Registax 5.1 running in Wine and post processed in the Gimp 2.10 and Neat Image.
 Steve Wainwright Saturday, July 7, 2018First Light for the implementation of the Atik 314L in AstroDMx Capture for Linux
An Atik 314L camera was placed at the Newtonian focus of a Skywatcher 130PDS, 130mm, f/5 Newtonian, mounted on a Celestron AVX, EQ, GOTO mount. 16 bit Fits images were captured of M16 (40s), M17 (40s) and M13 (35s) using AstroDMx Capture for Linux. For each object, the best 26 frames were stacked in Deep Sky Stacker, running in Wine. The images were post-processed in Fitswork (running in Wine), The Gimp 2.10, RawTherapee and Neat Image.
Click on an image to get a closer view
M16 the Eagle nebula and cluster
The Pillars of Creation
M17, the Swan or Omega nebula
M13
The Atik 314L implementation is a work in progress. When it is complete, a new version of AstroDMx Capture for Linux will be released.
Steve Wainwright & Nicola Mackin
Monday, July 2, 2018H-alpha Solar Sketches
The sketches were made using a modified PST and a 15mm eyepiece
Click on the sketch to get a larger view
 Jim Startup H-alpha images with a modified PST
Data captured with an Altair GPCam and a modified PST. The best 200 from 1000 frames for each image were stacked in Autostakkert3! and IMPPG for process the surface images. Surface and prominence exposures layered together in Photoshop except for the filament image which only has surface.
The modified PST   
Click on an image to get a closer view
     Anne Startup Saturday, June 30, 2018Solar sketches
Using a modified PST and a 15mm eyepiece
Click on a sketch to get a closer view
  Jim Startup Friday, June 29, 2018Jupiter and Moons
Europa, Ganymede, Io and GRS
Celestron 9.25 SCT AVX, ZWO ASI120MC-S, 5038 images captured in Firecapture 2.5x64, 750 stacked and aligned in AutoStakkert!3, wavelets in Registax 6, then edited in Adobe Elements 11
Click on an image to get a closer view
 Io and GRS Celestron 9.25 SCT AVX, ZWO ASI120MC-S, 8759 images captured in Firecapture 2.5x64, 30% stacked and aligned in AutoStakkert!3, wavelets in Registax 6, then edited in Adobe Elements 11  Colin Miles Thursday, June 28, 2018The Sun in H-alpha light
The images were captured with an Altair GPcam and a modified PST H-alpha scope. Frames were stacked in Autostakkert!3, sharpened in IMPPG then surface and prominence images combined and coloured in PS3.
     Anne Startup ArchivesDecember 27, 2009 January 3, 2010 January 17, 2010 January 24, 2010 January 31, 2010 February 7, 2010 February 14, 2010 February 21, 2010 February 28, 2010 March 7, 2010 March 14, 2010 March 21, 2010 March 28, 2010 April 4, 2010 April 11, 2010 April 18, 2010 April 25, 2010 May 2, 2010 May 9, 2010 May 16, 2010 May 23, 2010 May 30, 2010 June 6, 2010 June 13, 2010 June 20, 2010 June 27, 2010 July 4, 2010 July 11, 2010 July 18, 2010 July 25, 2010 August 1, 2010 August 8, 2010 August 15, 2010 August 22, 2010 August 29, 2010 September 12, 2010 September 19, 2010 September 26, 2010 October 3, 2010 October 10, 2010 October 17, 2010 October 24, 2010 October 31, 2010 November 7, 2010 November 14, 2010 November 21, 2010 November 28, 2010 December 5, 2010 December 12, 2010 December 19, 2010 December 26, 2010 January 2, 2011 January 9, 2011 January 16, 2011 January 23, 2011 January 30, 2011 February 6, 2011 February 13, 2011 February 20, 2011 February 27, 2011 March 6, 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