Swansea Astronomical Society Blog

I had a short time to image the sun today using my Lunt 50 with an Altair Hypercam 178 on the Ioptron CEM60ec mount.

The best 20% of 1000 frames for the whole disc. The close up was a region of interest which was the best 20% of 5000 frames.Whilst imaging the sun the two areas in this image had a couple of very hot areas which showed white on the computer screen. You can see them on the whole disk image. The detailed shot only shows the brighter one as I did it last.

Over the period I was imaging, the area with multiple sunspots developed first, then the other area with snakelike features. Then both bright areas died down again in a relatively short time and.were no longer visible. However the two areas affected still show very light features in the images.

Click on an image to get a closer view

posted by astroimager  # 4:30 PM 0 Comments

A Panasonic Lumix DMCFZ72, 60x optical zoom bridge camera fitted with a Baader solar filter and mounted on a static tripod was used to capture 193 images of the Sun. 

The images were precisely cropped in Nicola's AstroCrop, registered, the best 175 images stacked, wavelet processed and deconvoluted in Siril. The final image was post processed in the Gimp 2.10.

Click on the image to get a closer view

The Sun in white light, showing sunspots and faculae

Steve Wainwright

posted by astroimager  # 3:42 PM 0 Comments

A Solarmax II 60,BF15 H-alpha scope, mounted on an iOptron Cube Pro AZ mount. AstroDMx Capture for Linux was used to capture two overlapping 2000-frame SER files of H-alpha data.

The SER files were registered, and the best 1801 frames were stacked in Siril.

The two resulting panes were stitched in Hugin Panorama Creator and the final image was wavelet processed and deconvolved in Siril. The final 2-pane mosaic was reoriented and post processed in the Gimp 2.10.

Click on the image and click again to get a closer view

Final H-alpha image of the Sun

posted by astroimager  # 11:24 PM 0 Comments

A Panasonic Lumix DMCFZ72, 60x optical zoom bridge camera fitted with a Baader solar filter and mounted on a static tripod was used to capture 131 images of the Sun. The images were precisely cropped in AstroCrop, registered, the best 125 images stacked, wavelet processed and deconvoluted in Siril. The final image was post processed in the Gimp 2.10. So in this case, all of the image processing was done in native Linux software.

Click on the image and click again to get a closer view

Steve Wainwright

posted by astroimager  # 10:44 PM 0 Comments

Nearly full Moon setting. Settings were 1/30s and 400ISO at f/4.5, using a Canon 75 300mm lens attached to a 4000D DSLR Canon camera and a static tripod. Location Loughor Marsh Common. 

Chris Playle

posted by astroimager  # 1:12 PM 0 Comments

Ca K-line light

A CaK PST was mounted on an iOptron Cube Pro AZ mount and an SV305 Pro monochrome camera was placed at the focus. Overlapping, 2000-frame SER files were captured of two halves of the Sun. The best 65% of the frames were stacked in Autostakkert!, wavelet processed in Registax 5.1 and post-processed in the Gimp 2.10.

H-alpha light

A Solarmax II 60, BF15 H-alpha scope was mounted on an iOptron Cube Pro AZ mount and an SV305 Pro monochrome camera was placed at the focus. Overlapping, 2000-frame SER files were captured of two halves of the Sun. The best 65% of the frames were stacked in Autostakkert!, wavelet processed in Registax 5.1 and post-processed in the Gimp 2.10.

White Light

A Panasonic Lumix DMCFZ72, 60x optical zoom bridge camera fitted with a Baader solar filter and mounted on a static tripod was used to capture 135 images of the Sun. The mages were precisely cropped in AstroCrop, Stacked in Autostakkert!, wavelet processed in Registax 5.1 and post processed in the Gimp 2.10 

Click on an image to get a closer view

Screenshot of AstroDMx Capture for Linux capturing Ca K-line SER data

posted by astroimager  # 12:15 AM 0 Comments

I used my Atik 428, Altair Starwave 70EDT on the Ioptron CEM60ec. 6x600s Ha and 4x300s each of red, green and blue filters.

Stacked in Astropixelprocessor then processed in Pixinsight. Once a red, green and blue images were combined into a colour image colour calibration with gradient removal perfomed, I combined the Ha image into the red channel using a narrowband combination script within Pixinsight whilst in the linear stage.

Some noise reduction and star size reduction to make the Bubble more prominent. M52 can be seen at the bottom of the image.

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The Bubble nebula and M52

Anne Startup

posted by astroimager  # 5:58 PM 0 Comments

A Skywatcher Skymax 127 f/11.8 Maksutov was mounted on a Celestron AVX mount and a ZWO ASI178MC camera was placed at the focus.

AstroDMx Capture for Linux running on a Linux Mint laptop was used to capture 1200-frame SER files of different regions of the 77.7% waxing Moon.

Click on an image to get a closer view

AstroDMx Capture saving a lunar SER file

The best 85% of the frames in each SER file were stacked in Autostakkert! wavelet processed in Registax 5.1 (both running in Wine) and post processed in the Gimp 2.10.

Tycho region

Steve Wainwright and Nicola Mackin

posted by astroimager  # 10:21 PM 0 Comments

82% waxing gibbous Moon. Settings were 1/10s and 400ISO with a 4000D DSLR Canon camera, attached to a 102mm Skywatcher Startravel refractor telescope and an Eq5 tracking mount. 

Click on an im age to get a closer view

Close up shots of the Moon. Settings were 1/10s and 400ISO, using a 4000D DSLR Canon camera attached to a 150mm Maksutov telescope and an Eq5 tracking mount. 

Sinus Iridum region

Gassendi Region

Plato region

Chris Playle

posted by astroimager  # 1:58 PM 0 Comments

A Panasonic Lumix DMCFZ72, 60x optical zoom bridge camera fitted with a Baader solar filter and mounted on a static tripod was used to capture 96 images of the Sun. The images were precisely cropped in AstroCrop, Stacked in Siril, wavelet processed in Registax 5.1 and post processed in the Gimp 2.10

Click on the image to get a closer view

Steve Wainwright

posted by astroimager  # 5:57 PM 0 Comments

Supernova SN2022hrs in NGC4647. Captured with AstroDMx Capture, an SV405CC camera and an ED, 80mm APO triplet refractor. The larger galaxy by the supernova is M60 and the smaller one is NGC4647.

Click on the image to see it properly

Steve Wainwright and Nicola Mackin

posted by astroimager  # 5:38 PM 0 Comments

50% waxing Moon, settings were 1/10s and 400ISO, using a 4000D DSLR Canon camera, attached to a Skywatcher Startravel 102mm refractor telescope and an Eq5 tracking mount. 

Click on the image to get a closer view

Chris Playle

posted by astroimager  # 5:29 PM 0 Comments

M5 globular cluster in Serpens and M3 globular cluster in Canes Venatici. settings were 20s 1600ISO with a 4000D DSLR Canon camera and a 102mm skywatcher startravel refractor telescope and an Eq5 tracking mount. 

M5

M3

Chris Playle

posted by astroimager  # 5:22 PM 0 Comments

Stack of 1200 SER-file frames of the 48.6% Moon captured by AstroDMx Capture, an 80mm APO refractor mounted on an AVX mount and an SV305Pro camera. Stacked in Autostakkert! , wavelet processed in Registax 5.1 and post-processed in the Gimp 2.10.

Click on the image to get a closer view

48.6% waxing Moon

Steve Wainwright and Nicola Mackin

posted by astroimager  # 12:53 AM 0 Comments

43% first quarter Moon. Settings were 1/250s 400ISO using a 4000D DSLR Canon camera and my new 102mm Skywatcher Startravel refractor telescope. And an Eq5 tracking mount. 

Click on an image for a closer view

The equipment used

43% Moon

Chris Playle

posted by astroimager  # 12:07 PM 0 Comments

A Panasonic Lumix DMCFZ72, 60x optical zoom bridge camera fitted with a Baader solar filter and mounted on a static tripod was used to capture 131 images of the Sun on May 5th.

The images were precisely cropped in Nicola's AstroCrop to 1750 x 1750 from the original size of 4608 x 3456. This achieves two objectives: First, the images will require much less processing by stacking software and Second, the images are already registered in position and only require any necessary derotation as a result of the altazimuth nature of a static tripod.

Click on an image to get a closer view

Screenshot of AstroCrop precisely cropping the solar images

AstroCrop was running on a Linux Mint laptop.

The images were then registered, stacked and partly processed in Siril.

The final image was wavelet processed in Registax 5.1 running in Wine, and post-processed in the Gimp 2.1

Steve Wainwright and Nicola Mackin

posted by astroimager  # 7:06 PM 0 Comments

As part of an experiment on mount control, an ED, 80mm f/5.5 refractor was placed on an AVX mount and an SV405CC camera was placed at the focus. Nicola's AstroDMx Capture for Linux was used too capture 40 x 60s FITS exposures with matching dark frames, of one of the objects used in the experiment. This was M64, the Black Eye galaxy and the star field in which it lies.

Click on an image to get a closer view

Screenshot of AstroDMx Capture saving FITS files of M64

The images were calibrated, stacked and partly processed in Siril and then post processed in the Gimp 2.10 and Neat Image.

M64 and part of the surrounding star-field

Steve Wainwright and Nicola Mackin

posted by astroimager  # 2:42 PM 0 Comments

An ED, 80mm f/5.5 refractor was placed on an AVX mount and an SV305 camera was placed at the focus. AstroDMx Capture for Linux was used too capture a 1000-frame SER file of the crescent moon at twilight, through high cloud.

Click on an image to get a closer view

AstroDMx Capture for Linux capturing the lunar SER file

The best 95% of frames were stacked in Autostakkert! wavelet processed in Registax 5.1 (both running in Wine) and post-processed in the Gimp 2.10.

13.8% crescent Moon

Steve Wainwright and Nicola Mackin

posted by astroimager  # 1:27 PM 0 Comments

11% waxing crescent Moon. Settings were 1/100s 400ISO at f/6.3 with a Tamron lens attached to a 4000D DSLR Canon camera and a static tripod. 

Earthshine. Settings were 1/4s, 800ISO at f/6.3,with an 18.200mm Tamron lens attached to a 4000D DSLR Canon camera and a static tripod. 

Chris Playle

posted by astroimager  # 10:41 AM 0 Comments

I used my 8” f/8 Richie Cretian and ultrastar camera as an electronic eyepiece

Click on a sketch to get a closer view

Jim Startup

posted by astroimager  # 5:52 PM 0 Comments

Venus and Jupiter conjuction taken early this morning. Settings were 1/4s 800ISO at f/6.3 using a 18-200mm Tamron lens attached to a 4000D DSLR Canon on a static tripod, location pembrey Park. 

Click on an image to get a closer view

Venus and Jupiter conjunction 

Scorpius over Pembrey dunes. Settings were 12s 1600ISO at f/3.5 using a Tamron lens attached to a 4000D DSLR Canon camera and a static tripod. 

Scorpius

Chris Playle

posted by astroimager  # 2:26 PM 0 Comments

A 66mm Apo Doublet f/5 refractor was mounted on an iOptron AZ mount. A ZWO ASI 178MC uncooled camera was placed at the focus.

Click on an image to get a closer view

The equipment used

Screenshot of the capturing process

The best 50% of the images were derotated and stacked in Siril

The stacked data were post processed in the Gimp and Neat Image

M3

Steve Wainwright and Nicola Mackin

posted by astroimager  # 6:48 PM 0 Comments

M5 and M3 globular clusters. Settings were 30s ISO800 and a 4000D DSLR Canon camera, attached to a 102mm Skywatcher refractor and an Eq5 tracking mount. 

Click on an image to  get a closer view

M5

M3

Equipment used

Chris Playle

posted by astroimager  # 5:30 PM 0 Comments