Another try at improving my planetary technique. A bit better, notably because the raw material was shot from the summit where the seeing is much better. it was not a great night for Mauna Kea, but it was much better than Waikoloa…
Jupiter and Moons
Category: Astrophotography
Peering into the dark with a camera
Jove 15Apr2016
Eight Day Moon
Jupiter 30 March 2016
Yes, the Kona winds are still here resulting in more good seeing over Waikoloa. Another pass on Jupiter tonight, this time featuring the Great Red Spot…
Jupiter 27 March 2016
Another pass on Jupiter this evening, the string of decent seeing nights has continued. I am working on improving the setup and my technique. I had been using a diagonal to mount the camera… That is gone. I futzed with the collimation a bit, but it really is quite close. I need to figure out how to get a barlow into this arrangement, do they make a rear cell thread barlow like the focal reducer?
The seeing really does appear to be my greatest limitation. Planning a trip to better seeing in the next couple weeks.
It is not an Easter egg, but this will have to do, the closest I have for the day…
Jupiter Again
After a stormy Friday night we had clear skies and decent seeing over Waikoloa again last night. Again I set up the telescope for a little planetary photography. The seeing was marginally better, and so is the resulting image.
The night also featured three moons in close to the planet. Io can be seen alone to one side of the Planet while Europa and Ganymede form a close pair. Ganymede is the larger moon and slightly closer to the planet
I really need to do this from the summit under good seeing some time.
Jupiter High
Jupiter passed through opposition back on March 7th. Thus the giant planet is high in the sky through much of the night, well placed for observations.
Turns out the seeing was pretty good. The typical horrible seeing in Waikoloa is 2 to 3 arcseconds or worse, when the trades are blowing it can be quite bad. I suspect the seeing was 1 arcsecond or better last night, the view of Jupiter in the eyepiece was quite pleasing. Putting a camera in place of the eyepiece yielded video worth the effort in processing.
MIlky Way Arching over Hualālai
My first attempt at a proper Milky Way arch photograph. Not easy to stitch properly, but worth the effort! Click on the image for a file size large enough to properly enjoy…
March 8, 2016 Solar Eclipse from Kawaihae
The seeing was terrible, but at least we could see the Sun while much of the island was overcast and raining. I had hoped to set up in the parking lot for Puʻukohala Heiau but arrived a few minutes after they closed the gate. Instead I set up just below at Spencer Beach park.
Of course the telescope drew a crowd of folks who wanted a look. No matter, an eclipse is a slow motion affair with plenty of time to share the eyepiece. I showed my guests how to take photos with their cell phones at the eyepiece, so everyone got a photo or three of the event.
C8 Sun
I still have an 8″ solar filter on-hand, leftover from the Meade LX50 I used to have many years ago. A quick inspection to insure it is in usable condition (take no chances with solar filters) and a fit check… It fits the restored C8 perfectly.
Shall we see what the Sun looks like today?
