A lunar update

I'm being a bit poor at getting this updated at the moment... I've been having some more fun with the moon recently..

I'll start with a couple of cloudy moon shots





On to the more details stuff... I've found a mode on the QHY5v that allows for a better bit depth, at the cost of some dynamic range.. to prevent overexposure this means ending up with a bit darker image...

Here's a couple of comparison shots..






I did another 25 Pane mosaic (I can't remember when... it was a little after mid may I think)... Captured using the Celestron 80ED, QHY5v guidecam, a red filter and a UV/IR filter. 250 frames of avi from 1000 per pane, processed in Registax 5, and merged in iMerge.



click for full size

Then last week, I had a couple more goes, although this time at a much earlier day in the cycle.

I had some issues actually being able to point the scope in the right direction, thanks to trees etc, and with the moon being very low, the seeing was pretty poor, nonetheless... This is a 9 pane mosaic, the image details are as before, shot on the 15th.



Then on the 16th I had another bash, this was a little earlier in the evening, and I had some helpers in the form of my sons. The eldest focused for me, and they both helped in the capture.

This is a 22 pane mosaic, details as before, but shot in the 12-10 bit mode of the camera, and using a 30mm extension tube between the camera and barlow for increased image scale. Processing this was a little trickier, as starting that much earlier in the evening, the lighting levels changed as the evening wore on... meaning that the later panes appeared darker.



And just to finish off, I grabbed a few sections. Each is 250 frames from 1000 frames.

Petavius to Funerius


Pitiscus


and Endymion


I've really been enjoying these mosaics, and just seeing precisely what I can managed to pull out of my little 80mm refractor.