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Lunar Stacks

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Author Topic: Lunar Stacks  (Read 722 times)
jgs001
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« on: December 17, 2008, 11:37:34 am »

Amazingly the sky was clear this morning... I setup the C80ED on my Manfrotto porta pod, 450d with 2x TC and shot some jpg's. Then struggled to stack them. Registax couldn't align the images, they were all over the place due to it being a static tripod and me having to manually move it. Avistack was the same. I tried DSS which worked and combinez which also worked. I then carried out identical, Curves and USM in GIMP

Stacked in CombineZ, default stack


Stacked in CombineZ, Pryamid Contrast (No idea what it meant, but it sounded good :mrgeen:)


Stacked in DSS, this has had an additional curve to darken it a bit


I think I prefer the DSS output
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John
Canon 450d, EF-S 18-55 IS, 55-250 IS, Raynox DCR250
HQE5 + C80ED & Vista 80s. NexStar Skymax 102 SLT.

*** My Astro Blog ***

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Paul
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« Reply #1 on: December 17, 2008, 11:48:45 am »

John,

Being at work I can't see the images so I'll look at them later! But tell me this - how do you find the C80 ED? Santa is bringing me one you see Smiley

P.
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jgs001
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« Reply #2 on: December 17, 2008, 11:53:37 am »

Paul, I think it's an absolutely brill scope. (ok, it's only my second one I've used..The other being a Konus ST80 clone), and I've managed to look through it for nearly a whole hour (damned weather) However, My first night out, I was using 240x mag (I forgot about the difference in focal length affecting the Mag  Grin and used a 5mm Hyperion with tuning rings making 2.5mm eq) and the view was stunning. I just wish I could get a clear night and get some proper use out of it. I've posted up my impressions (initial, first and second light) on my blog if you fancy a read.
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John
Canon 450d, EF-S 18-55 IS, 55-250 IS, Raynox DCR250
HQE5 + C80ED & Vista 80s. NexStar Skymax 102 SLT.

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brianb
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« Reply #3 on: December 17, 2008, 01:40:46 pm »

Quote
I setup the C80ED on my Manfrotto porta pod, 450d with 2x TC and shot some jpg's. Then struggled to stack them.
Why? For a relatively small scale image like yours, seeing doesn't have much of an effect - though importing a TIFF (preferably 16 bit) or a very high quality JPEG into Registax and using just the wavelet sharpening facility can be a big help if the images are a little soft.

BTW Registax will stack anything if you use manual alignment; for an extended object like the Moon pick four or five very distinctive points on the terminator and use those as reference points. It takes a lot of effort but the results can be very worthwhile.
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martinastro
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« Reply #4 on: December 17, 2008, 04:55:16 pm »

John, great stuff. I think the first image is the best because it looks bright and pure. Thumbs up!  Smiley
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jgs001
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« Reply #5 on: December 17, 2008, 05:02:54 pm »

Brian, it's my inability to use Registax that's causing me the stacking issues. I didn't know about the manual alignment option.

Thanks Martin.
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John
Canon 450d, EF-S 18-55 IS, 55-250 IS, Raynox DCR250
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John9929
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« Reply #6 on: December 17, 2008, 05:13:32 pm »

John - I happen to like the third image, though they are all very good with nice detail.
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« Reply #7 on: December 17, 2008, 05:41:05 pm »

John, those are all fantastic shots. To me, they are all very brilliant and clear(of course my eyesight isn't the greatest). I've been lazy and never bought a T-mount and adapter for my Canon to Meade DS-114 reflector, but seeing results like this are going to push me that way. Again, very stunning! Thanks.

Richard
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jgs001
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« Reply #8 on: December 17, 2008, 05:53:25 pm »

Thanks Gents
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John
Canon 450d, EF-S 18-55 IS, 55-250 IS, Raynox DCR250
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JohnC
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« Reply #9 on: December 17, 2008, 11:32:20 pm »

Crisp and clean, as usual.  I think that will be the last of the moon we'll see for a few days. The low is makng it's way in as I write - strong winds are blowing here.
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jgs001
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« Reply #10 on: December 18, 2008, 12:02:06 am »

Thanks John. I managed to get out and test the scope on the stars tonight, had to make the most of the clearness  Grin
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John
Canon 450d, EF-S 18-55 IS, 55-250 IS, Raynox DCR250
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*** My Astro Blog ***


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