David Lee: RASC Victoria Centre

Venus-Saturn Conjunction

(RASC Victoria Centre) — Mon, 20 Aug 2007 04:38:15 GMT

It was beautiful evening on Saturday, June 30, 2007. A number of us were perched in the upper parking lot of the Hill watching the planetary pair glow brighter as the glow of the Sun diminished. Near the end of the evening we had a few quick looks at Jupiter. Jupiter's satellites were all lined up on one side and the surface of the planet had more detail than we've seen for a long time.

I took some wide shots of the conjunction on Saturday and noticed that I also caught the constellation Leo in the frame. I've also rebalanced the colour of my medium shot of the two planets.

I had another look at the overview shot I did with the 16mm fisheye. This is a wonderful lens to use for astronomy but it does have it's quirks. The distortion can work for you but it can be annoying if you're just going for a wide distortion free view. I've not invested in any specific tools or plugins for Photoshop but have used the Lens correction filter and and transformation functions.

There's are usually two distortions to remove. The barrel distortion is removed with the Lens correction filter. The fisheye lens I use is just an extreme version of this distortion but you'll notice that any of the ultra wides that you are using suffer from some barrel distortion but to a lesser degree. The second type of distortion comes from how far from level the lens is giving some type of keystoning effect. For this I used the transformation function (perspective).

The other interesting thing to note about processing these images taken at dusk is the challenge of getting enough signal to minimize noise. You can actually see the increase in noise as you look from west to east (right to left in the frame). On the flip side you need to avoid burning out your brighter subject matter. This was the case with the conjunction area given that Venus was so bright. In general I found I had to lift these images a fair bit because I had avoided overexposing Venus. In hindsight I probably should have exposed more.

Double Cluster

(RASC Victoria Centre) — Mon, 20 Aug 2007 04:38:20 GMT

It's been a long time since I've observed from Cattle Point. Early in the evening the views of Venus and Jupiter were not stunning especially Venus that looked like it was on fire, alright it was near the horizon line. I pointed the Fuji S2 at a number of areas of the sky but the you know it doesn't get that dark at this time of the year. With the Moon coming up I had to decide on something to image. I settled on a Fall favourite the Double Cluster. It pays to stay up a little bit longer so you see what a preview of what's coming up in the following weeks. I had been playing around all evening with the balance of the GM8. I still haven't removed the backlash in the RA so I really have to concentrate on making sure the gears mesh.

The image is a stack of 23 images of 60 seconds. I used Registar to register and stack the images and Adobe Photoshop CS2 to make the final adjustments.

Telescope: NP101is 540mm f/5.4 prime focus
Camera: Fuji S2
Sensor ISO: 1600
Exposure: 23 60 second light frames; no darks

I like that fact you can see the red giant stars, which I've only noticed in observing with larger telescopes or at dark sky sites.

M51 Whirlpool Galaxy

(RASC Victoria Centre) — Mon, 20 Aug 2007 04:38:22 GMT

Outside of Andromeda and my chance encounter with the Splinter Galaxy I haven't really imaged many galaxies. I finally imaged M51. I still need to do some work with my balance and find a night when the Moon isn't up but I have my initial attempt. I quite surprised when I attached the 2x Powermate how much more demanding it was to use due to the use of the extension tube and the higher magnification.

August 4, 2007
Telescope: Televue NP101is 101mm f/5.4
Camera: Fuji Finepix S2 Pro
Sensor ISO: 1600
Exposure: 10 light frames of 45 seconds
Processing: Registered and stacked with Registar 1.0; tonal adjustment and noise reduction with Adobe Photoshop CS2

M34 - A Tiny Cluster in Perseus

(RASC Victoria Centre) — Mon, 20 Aug 2007 04:38:25 GMT

Here's an object from a couple of nights ago when I was imaging the Milky Way. This one had my head scratching for a few moments as I was trying to remember which part of the sky it was. I knew the general direction so it didn't take long for me to confirm a few stars around the cluster. It's been described as an open cluster with a series of visual double stars. Another signature feature is the series of three stars just above the cluster.
They're just a little under and little over 2 arc minutes apart. It's quite pretty and hard to miss in even a small refractor.

August 15, 2007
Camera: Fuji Finepix S2
Lens: 85mm/1.8 AF Nikkor
Sensor ISO: 800
Exposure: 10 light frames; 5 dark frames median combined; 5 flatfield frames median combined
Processing: AstroArt 3 to process darks and flatfields, Registar 1.0 to stack images and Adobe Photoshop CS2 for final tuning. An artificial flatfield was created in Photoshop to remove remaining gradient from skyglow.

Double Cluster & Muscle Man

(RASC Victoria Centre) — Mon, 20 Aug 2007 04:38:30 GMT

Earlier this week (August 14, 2007) I took advantage of the clear night skies and photographed along the Milky Way, specifically below Cassiopeia. It's a wonderful area of the sky as is the opposite side of the Milky Way where the Teapot is. I worked my way up from the OB-Association of stars near Mirfak to the Double Cluster. When I reviewed the images I noticed a curious asterism next to it.
It looked oddly like a juggling stickman. A quick look at the Sky told me it wasn't a discovery ... at least in the true sense. The asterism is known as Stock 2 and is commonly called the Muscle Man. I do recall seeing it before in a refractor many years ago, I just didn't realize it was so close to the Double Cluster. If you have an eyepiece that gives you a 3 to 4 degree field of view you can frame it very nicely, the same field of view that would allow you to see the Double Cluster in one view.
The top image highlights the Double Cluster & the Muscle Man asterism.

Double Cluster & Muscle Man

(RASC Victoria Centre) — Mon, 20 Aug 2007 04:38:35 GMT

Total Lunar Eclipse Victoria BC August 28 2007

(RASC Victoria Centre) — Sat, 01 Sep 2007 05:53:09 GMT

I was absolutely amazed by the depth of the red colour. I don't remember ever seeing it so dark red. Given the exposure at totality it was very dark. The view of the stars around the eclipsed Moon at totality was stunning. The totality images contain many mag 7 and 8 stars. They're cut off in the composite image.

Camera: Fuji Finepix S2
Sensor ISO: 400
Telescope: Televue NP101is 540mm f/5.4 with 2X Powermate for an effective f/ratio of f/11
Exposures: Full Moon 1/500 second; Beginning of Total Eclipse 2 seconds; Totality 16 seconds.

The Moon, Regulus, Saturn and Venus

(RASC Victoria Centre) — Sat, 01 Sep 2007 15:36:16 GMT

Out on a field in Metchosin as the Sun faded we watched the Moon, Regulus, Saturn and Venus pop in to view. It was a beautiful setting and just prior to our viewing of the ISS and Shuttle the sky was covered in feathery clouds. As a special treat while breaking down my telescope I looked up to see an amazing fireball just above me (~11:45pm). It almost looked like a bolt of lightning and I could see it slowing down and breaking up.

Venus and Saturn Conjunction June 30 2007

(RASC Victoria Centre) — Sat, 01 Sep 2007 15:50:31 GMT

Just in case you were out walking this evening you may have noticed a bright pair of planets. The bright one in the picture is Venus and just above is Saturn not quite so large in frame. The view through the telescopes tonight were impressive as most of us could see the ringed planet (Saturn) in the same view as the crescent shaped Venus.

M42 Orion Nebula

(RASC Victoria Centre) — Tue, 11 Sep 2007 05:49:27 GMT

This was imaged very early in the morning in September and is a preview of what we will see in a few months. So for those of us who can't wait you just need to stay up late or get up earlier. This is a very familiar object in colour amongst amateur astronomers but the black and white imagery reinforces the shape and form. The small chip size of the CCD imager makes the use of mosaics necessary to include the whole object. I now have a future project.

Imager: Meade DSI Pro
Telescope: Televue NP101is
Exposures: 8 light frames of varying exposures from 5 to 30 seconds. Light frames were auto dark frame subtracted at the time of exposure.
Capture: MaxDSLR with final processing Adobe Photoshop CS2

Comet 17P/Holmes: October 25th 2007

(RASC Victoria Centre) — Sat, 27 Oct 2007 02:32:19 GMT

This is my first snapshot of this most unusual comet. The starfield was imaged using a Televue NP101is and a Fuji Finepix S2 digital body. The head of the comet looks very circular but overexposed at 30 seconds. Shorter exposures of 1 second were used for the stacked image in the inset. Here the pseudo-nucleus is visible and a very distinctive halo.

Telescope: Televue NP101is
Camera: Fuji Finepix S2
ISO: 400
Exposure: 30 seconds for starfield; 1 second for comet head. effective aperture for starfield f/5.4 for comet head f/11 using 2x Powermate.

Comet 17P/ Holmes: Luminance and Contour

(RASC Victoria Centre) — Sat, 27 Oct 2007 03:33:42 GMT

Image analysis routines in AstroArt were used to enhance the original image of the comet. False colour of the luminance made the halo of the comet head more prominent. The contour filter along with false colour shows the pseudo-nucleus more clearly.

Comet 17P/Holmes October 26 2007

(RASC Victoria Centre) — Sun, 28 Oct 2007 07:23:31 GMT

Friday offered another opportunity to view Comet Holmes and to image it this time with the Meade DSI Pro. My hopes were to better define the structure of the comet head area. By now the gaseous halo had enlarged. With this set of images I was able to make the pseudo-nucleous more distinct along with its surrounding area.

Telescope: Televue NP101is
Imager: Meade DSI Pro
Exposure: A stack of 30 frames exposed at f/5.4 for .5 second.

Comet 17P/Holmes October 30th 2007

(RASC Victoria Centre) — Wed, 31 Oct 2007 12:56:00 GMT

On Tuesday night the sky was beautifully crisp with pinpoint stars. With the Moon absent Comet Holmes was even more evident, very much at home in the Perseus constellation.

Telescope: Televue NP101is 101mm f/5.4
Imager: Meade DSI Pro
Exposure: 10 images of 3 seconds combined with MaxDSLR; post processing in Adobe Photoshop CS2

Comet 17P/Holmes Emerging Tail

(RASC Victoria Centre) — Sat, 03 Nov 2007 17:28:01 GMT

Like many others while waiting for the weather to turn I've started to do more processing on the images I have. My last images on Tuesday night were longer 10 second images with the DSI Pro so I hoped to discern more of the emerging tail eveyone has been talking about. While I was at it I merged an image more tuned for the pseudo-nucleus.

Comet 17P/Holmes Near the Alpha Persei Cluster

(RASC Victoria Centre) — Mon, 05 Nov 2007 09:57:34 GMT

On Sunday I wanted to show where the comet was located in a wider starfield. Here we can see the Alpha Persei Cluster nearby. This widefield view was imaged with a digital SLR on a stationary tripod using a number of stacked frames.

Camera: Fuji Finepix S2 Pro
Lens: Nikkor AF 85mm/1.8
Sensor ISO: 1600
Exposure: 23 light frames of 4 seconds at f/2.8
Processing: Stacking with Registar 1.0; fine tuning with Adobe Photoshop CS2

The Crescent Moon and Venus at Dawn

(RASC Victoria Centre) — Mon, 05 Nov 2007 15:03:22 GMT

It was hazy this morning but the air was crisp and in the east the Moon and Venus formed the perfect pairing in the sky. When I scanned across to the south high up in the sky I could see the Twins, Castor and Pollux form a triangle with the brillantly red Mars. Comet Holmes had rotated to the north west.

Camera: Fuji Finepix S2 Pro
Lens: Nikkor 85mm/1.8
Sensor ISO: 200
Exposure: 1/8 second at f/2.8

Comet Holmes on November 13 2007: The Flame

(RASC Victoria Centre) — Wed, 14 Nov 2007 07:56:55 GMT

Tonight was the first clear night I was able to get out and image Comet Holmes. It was 2 degrees centigrade and it didn't take long for the equipment to frost up. Fortunately I was running with my new dew removal system that worked like a charm! When I looked in to the eyepiece I noticed how much the comet had enlarged and become much more diffuse. The head now has a beautiful "flame" appearance.

Telescope: Televue NP101is 101mm/5.4
Sensor: Meade DSI Pro
Exposure: 15 stacked exposures of 30 seconds using MaxDSLR; fine tuning using Adobe Photoshop CS2

Comet Holmes and the Alpha Persei Cluster

(RASC Victoria Centre) — Mon, 19 Nov 2007 05:04:37 GMT

With weather being as variable as it has been I took a quick snapshot this evening before I start imaging. It's a series of stacked images taken on a stationary tripod. The off white to yellow tone that others have mentioned is apparent here.

Camera: Fuji Finepix S2 Pro
Lens: AF Nikkor 180/2.8
Sensor ISO: 1600
Exposure: 8 light frame exposures of 4 seconds
Processing: Stacking done with Registar 1.0 and fine tuning and noise reduction with Adobe Photoshop CS2.

Comet Holmes Near the Star Mirfak

(RASC Victoria Centre) — Thu, 22 Nov 2007 07:53:26 GMT

It was another chilly night in Victoria but the skies were clear. A thin veil of cloud threatened to rise from the east but it stayed clear for my imaging session. The comet was now past Mirfak but still within the field of view of the NP101is. I've been imaging with the Fuji S2 ever since the image of the comet exceeded the chip size of the Meade DSI Pro. The comet was also noticeably dimmer.

Telescope: Televue NP101is 101mm/5.4
Camera: Fuji Finepix S2 Pro
Sensor ISO: 1600
Exposure: 47 light frames of 20 seconds stacked using Registar 1.0; fine tuning with Adobe Photoshop CS2; noise reduction using Astronomy Tools actions.

Comet 17P/Holmes on November 29 2007

(RASC Victoria Centre) — Fri, 30 Nov 2007 15:29:26 GMT

With the Moon gone Comet Holmes is shining brightly once again. The comet is just over 2 degrees away from Mirfak. It continues to be diffuse.

Telescope: Televue NP101is 101/5.4 modified with IDAS light pollution suppression filter
Camera: Fuji Finepix S2 Pro
Sensor ISO: 1600
Exposure: 20 light frames of 30 seconds stacked with Registar 1.0; noise reduction with Astronomy Tools actions and fine tuning with Adobe Photoshop CS2.

Lunar Eclipse February 20 2008

(RASC Victoria Centre) — Fri, 22 Feb 2008 02:55:33 GMT

Imaged as the eclipse was on the verge of leaving totality, it was a beautiful sight shared with many onlookers. The day began heavily overcast with the promise at best of a few holes in the cloud to view through. An hour before the eclipse the sky opened up almost on cue. It wasn't long before a keen observer spotted the Moon at the horizon line. As the Moon climbed through the sky we could see the Earth's shadow move across the face. It was the perfect opportunity to explain the phenomenon to the curious. As we reached totality we marvelled at the darkness of the sky, the brilliance of the constellations.

Telescope: Televue NP101 101/5.4 focal length 540mm
Mount: Losmandy GM8
Camera: Fuji Finepix S2 Pro
Sensor ISO: 400
Exposure: 1 second at f/5.4