I tested the new filter (the DSLR clip in version) from within the city (many, too many Sodium and LED lights). I used the following:
Canon 1100D mod,
Canon EF 200mm f2.8L II USM,
HEQ5,
ExposureTime – 15 seconds
FNumber – 3.50
ISOSpeedRatings – 1600
the field of view, Saturn is the green circle
idas lps d2 design
clear, original
clear, edited as best as I could
with the filter, orig
with the filter, edited as best as I could
NGC 6960, 12×4 min
This is the first light of the IDAS LPS D2 filter (the DSLR clip in version) I added to my toolkit. Using the Canon 1100D mod, I imaged 12×4 minutes at ISO 1600 with the N 150/750, Baader MPCC Mark III, HEQ5 setup, from Gyerőfidongó, Kolozs county.
Moon, Mars
Old habits die hard, so I pointed a raspberry pi (an old friend of mine, a model B+ from a few years back, still functioning like a charm) plus some compatible camera with a large field of view (fish eye like) to record. Record what? IDK, just make timelapses and something *will* come out of it.
So I captured the conjunction of the Moon and Mars with a very modest and toy-like MacGyverish, but at the same time very versatile setup. The Raspberry Pi board is “floating” in a drainage tube with tight fittings, with a camera front from a cheap mock camera for weather protection and an ND filter in front (the Sun has a tendency to burn its trail into the sensor, already visible on every image). Since I risked to move the camera, the ND filter stays on for the night which kinda sucks… I know.
I also created a max combination of all the recorded images, function finalPixel(x,y) = max(pixel(frame[0], x,y), pixel(frame[1], x, y) … pixel(frame[n], x, y)) where max compared values of luminance = (rgb24 >> 16) + ((rgb24 >> 8) % 256)*2 + (rgb24 % 256).
Omega Centauri
While in Namibia, I imaged the largest globular cluster or galaxy remnant we have, the ω Centauri. I used a rather dark 300 mm photo lens, and my Canon 1100D mod on the HEQ5. I have taken 36×90 sec, ISO 1600 at f/7.1, according to the EXIF. I may still have some unprocessed raws hiding in some folders on the external hard drives :)
C 80, NGC 5139, Mel 118 [globular cluster in Cen] Omega Centauri 3.9m ø36′ [wiki] [simbad] 200mm, 400mm, 600mm, 750mm (tovább…)
NGC 6791
I also captured an open cluster, 12x90sec, ISO 800.
NGC 6791 [open cluster in Lyr] 9.5m ø10′ [wiki] [simbad] 750mm, 800mm, 1000mm
It is not particularly interesting for visual/photographic viewing, I chose it because it is on my local zenith – and accessible in spite of the heavy light pollution. It is however a cluster that fell onto the sensor of Kepler during its first mission, and it is a very very old cluster. At 13000 light years, it is also very very far away for a visible open cluster.
21P/Giacobini-Zinner, 2x90sec stack, very little processing, N150/750, Canon 1100D, city sky
Messier 92
I chose an unlikely location to image M92, I thought since it was in the zenith, I imaged it from the city. So I used my equipment, the N 150/750, Baader MPCC Mark III, Canon 1100D mod, HEQ5 with no naked eye Milky Way. I acquired 11×90 sec ISO 800 frames. Then began the hunting.
To my surprise, many faint, >16m galaxies are visible too, in spite of the heavy light pollution.
Messier 13
As a secondary target, I imaged the Hercules Cluster, M 13, NGC 6205, Mel 150 [globular cluster in Her] 5.8m ø17′ [wiki] [simbad] 400mm, 600mm, 750mm, 800mm, 1000mm, 1200mm, 1500mm . It came out somewhat unexpectedly well, considering M64. I acquired 8×180 sec and 7×90 sec, ISO 1600, with the usual setup, N 150/750, Baader MPCC Mark III, Canon 1100D mod, HEQ5.
The bright galaxy is NGC 6207 [galaxy in Her] 11.7m ø3′ [wiki] [simbad] [photo-planner] and the fainter yet still obvious is IC 4617 [galaxy in Her] [wiki] [simbad] [photo-planner]
Messier 64
The Moon was no issue on 2018-05-12-13, since the solstice is very near and the astronomical dawn started earlier than the rise of the not yet new moon. The seeing was below average, and it was windy, but I managed to image the Black Eye Galaxy, Messier 64, gathering 15x240sec, 11x90sec with my usual equipment, N 150/750, Baader MPCC Mark III, Canon 1100D mod, HEQ5, at ISO 1600, the rest of the frames, almost half falling victim to the wind.
The object itself is fairly small for this equipment, measuring only 1/3 of the moon’s diameter, and the camera has a small resolution sensor – only 12MPs which though otherwise ok (large pixels gather more light, smaller guiding errors don’t really show up), leaves very little room for cropping.
M 64, NGC 4826 [galaxy in Com] Black eye galaxy, Feketeszem-galaxis 8.4m ø10′ [wiki] [simbad] 750mm, 800mm, 1000mm, 1200mm
