Date: 5/24/2009
Location: Joshua Tree Lake RV Park.
Conditions: 0% moon, seeing 6/10, transparency 8/10, temperature 69 F, wind 3-10 mph
Telescope: C8 Celestron 8" scope, prime focus
Mount: Losmandy G11, Gemini goto, polar scope used to align
Guiding: Televue 85mm refractor, 600mm focal length, F7, with diagonal, The Image Source DMK 21AF04, PHD guiding software
Camera: Canon 40d prime focus.
Focusing:Used IP 3.75 camera software to focus.
Exposures: (12) 90 sec raw 800 ISO, (10) 2 min raw 800 ISO, (6) bias, (6) darks, (0)flats
Processing: P 3.75 - converted raw to FITS, calibrated with dark & bias, align-rotate 2 pt, combine median, digital development, sharpened using adaptive Richardson Lucy, star size reduction, converted to jpg, Photoshop CS4; levels, color balance, cropped, reduced size for web, unsharp mask,.
Comments:My tracking was off because of poor polar alignment, wind also degraded photo. I will try using Gemini polar axis correction next time out to achieve better polar alignment.
DATE: 5/29/2007
LOCATION: Home driveway in San Diego with extreme light pollution
CONDITIONS: 100% moon, seeing 6/10, transparency 6/10, temperature 59 F
TELESCOPE: C8 Celestron 8" scope, prime focus, with diagonal.
Mount: Losmandy G11, Gemini goto, polar scope used to align
Guiding: none
Camera: The Image Source DMK 21AF04 mono web cam using IC Capture software.
FOCUSING: On my laptop computer screen using IC Capture software.
EXPOSURES: (9) 16 second EXPOSURES to AVI file using IC Capture software.
PROCESSIONG: Registax 4.0.1.1 aligned , stacked, saved as jpeg. IP 2.82 - digital development, sharpened using adaptive Richardson Lucy, star size reduction, color balance to add blue to stars, Photoshop CS; levels, added white frame - name and sized for web.
COMMENTS: This is my first long exposure with my new DMK camera. This camera shows a great of detail and sensitivity for only 16 second EXPOSURES. Darks and flats would probably improve this image. IP 2.82 will not read the camera AVI files but Registax wil
M13 Great Hercules Globular Cluster globular cluster in Hercules
DATE: 6/10/2006
LOCATION: Bryce Canyon, UT
CONDITIONS: 93% moon, seeing 8/10, transparency
8/10, temperature 65-46 F.
TELESCOPE: Televue 85mm refractor, 600mm focal length,
F7, prime focus, no
diagonal.
Mount: Losmandy G11, Gemini goto, polar scope used to align,.
Camera: Canon Rebel 300d
FOCUSING: Manual on star using right
angle Canon 2.5 magnifying view finder.
EXPOSURES: (2)
5 min raw, 800 ISO,
raw
PROCESSIONG: Convert
raw to FITS, dark frame calibrate, align-rotate-scale, combine
average,. digital development, convert to 16 bit TIFF, PS CS-
curves, levels, color saturation, cropped, unsharp mask, convert to
8 bit JPEG.
COMMENTS: