Thanks for this detailed video. Most astrophotographers on CZcams just assume that people know everything when it comes to stacking but you explained everything for the newbies. This was really helpful.
I've always believed that the experience of visual observations through a modest sized telescope 🔭 should be an important part of every child's education. To see, with their own eyes, at an early age, the incredible wonders of the Universe around us, can only impress on the child a sense of "Wonder"! "There are more wonders, in Heaven and Earth, then are dreamt of in your philosophy." A great quote to live by!
Absolutely. I had a very memorable star party sometime back. 32 + people of different ages seeing Saturn for the first time. It was a joy to experience it with them. The reactions were priceless. I try to imagine the mind of a child when everything is still full of wonder. Somehow age makes that easy to lose sight of. A mud puddle can be an adventure. Ever so often I shed all my gear of electronics and just go out to take it all in. I think the heavens reconnect me to that child like wonder more than anything. If only we could live every moment like that. People would cherish life more certainly. I love the quote. I like this one a lot too: “We are the universe trying to discover itself” - Carl Sagan
I've said so many times, the Maks are superb for planetary imaging. Don't get me wrong high performance refractors and huge aperture schmidts are tops for planets. But I don't have a budget to afford such equipment, hence why Mak 127 is not be under estimated, a true performer for the budget astronomer. There has been times where my 127 Mak has outperformed my 102mm refractor and blew any 6" Schmidt out of the water. The advantages of the Mak has longer focal length and a lot less secondary mirror obstruction which help the contrast and planetary detail is much sharper. Though these are my own opinions, I totally agree Garnett you have highlighted a ton of information in this video which has provided what the viewers wanted. There is too many show off channels on CZcams, which show great reviews on expensive equipment and self promote just for views and sponsorship and forget the true passion of Astronomy and offer no technical advice which both our channels offer. This video explains it all. There is alot of talented astronomers who receive no credit for making videos like this, we need more of this content. Garnett keep up the great work, I've hit a like, as always because I know video content like this is an asset to the new people starting out in the hobby and survival of our love for Astronomy. Thanks again for this video, and your support to MP ASTRO. I too will get back on my feet once again and hopefully start a new era of MP ASTRO video content. But at the moment I'm still man down and It will some time for me to recover from my injuries.
Wow thanks man. I hope you have a speedy recovery. I couldn’t agree more with your assessment of the mak. I actually purchased the ASI 120 after watching your review. Anyone reading this should be confident as I am in your assessments. The only fault I have with the mak is the small exit hole. I want to multi-purpose it but it’s difficult. I have found the 0.5 TPO reducer works well in combination with a small chip sensor but the fov is still very constrained. With a full frame Canon 6D I had to put a 2” extension on the back to avoid clipping the sensor. I have seen an SCT thread adapter for the mak but am still searching wether or not a conventional 2” reducer can be used in combination with a dslr. There’s very little info, mostly opinions, regarding that. It’s an expensive venture with a high probability of a fail. I say that because I experimented with the 1.25” TPO 0.5 reducer at varying distances with the dslr and it seemed to only create a soda straw effect. I’m curious if you have ventured with the idea any. Additionally I’m curious if the 150-180mm versions are compatible with reducers. They both have a 2” exit out the back. The mak is a complex optical design and admittedly I can’t do the math on this one. I prefer it to a standard sct but they seem to be single purpose instruments. I have a few 30” raw images of Orion that are quite nice in combination with a full frame 6D. Unfortunately the Meade LX-85 has so much backlash it’s next to impossible to take a deep sky project on with any seriousness at 1540mm. I’m torn between investing in trying to reduce it or skipping the idea altogether. I will make a full review on the 127 soon and include all my findings. That TPO 0.5 is extremely well suited to the ASI 120MC-S. I have to figure the actual reduction but it is quite substantial with no obvious image depreciation. I can’t wait for you to get back in the saddle. Like you I will always keep it real. Clear skies friend and quick recovery.
Thank you. That’s very inspiring. The saddest thing is to see equipment end up in a closet or yard-sale due to frustration. It’s not impossible to enjoy with modest equipment. Too many people are caught up with the flashiest setups. One day maybe enough competition will create budget solar in h-a. So far there’s no inexpensive solution for that.
Thank you for making this. I made a Astrocam out of a Webcam per your instructions last year. Been shooting Jupiter & Saturn 🪐 with my old original C8. Learned to polar align it from you too. I hope to process my videos this week. Thanks again. Dave in PA
That’s awesome and very encouraging. Thank you. I appreciate your support. I love the original C8. It should smoke the planets. Good luck with your project and clear skies.
Good video Garnett! Useful tips! I made also few planetary videos this summer, that i will upload soon on my channel. I did use a smaller telescope, Skywatcher Ed80/600 with 2x barlow and eyepiece.
It’s quite amazing what everyone can do with smaller equipment. I really hope we can encourage people to try. It’s easy to get discouraged looking at all the huge scopes primarily used for this but it’s no reason not to try. Looking forward to your video.
This video was really good, you going through everything like your setup and then showing the whole process of getting the final images made me feel like I was there!
Wow, thanks Garnett. This is such a helpful video. I've recently purchased a second hand Sky-Watcher Skymax 127 Mak and the ZWO ASI120MC-S planetary camera. I totally agree with you about the zoom eyepiece. It's so useful. I've a Celestron Omni x2 Barlow lens. I really like it. It's relatively high quality and at great price. I have a very similar seeing problem as you do on the N Carolina coast. I live in Amsterdam, The Netherlands. My elevation is 3 metres above sea level and the humidity is like Florida. Unfortunately, I've had zero opportunity to use my rig due to perpetual cloud cover, or high winds off the North Sea. The weather has been seriously awful for months. Hopefully things will change in the spring. I should be able to get some good lunar imaging. Thanks again, I've subscribed to your channel. Clear skies! 😀🔭
Thank you for the thoughtful comment. What you have is new gear curse lol. Whenever you get new equipment the weather turns bad. Minimum two days. On a serious note you’ll love the scope. Omni is a good barlow. I once owned the full set of eyepieces. Good luck over there and clear skies.
Great video! very concise and informative. I've got a mak127 as well, on an EQ5 mount (non GoTo though, just dual axis motors), I'm just starting to try to learn the basics of AP. Plenty of insights here, thanks for sharing. Clear skies!
Thanks for watching. I’m putting together a very thorough review of that scope. I’ll be including collimation tricks and important reducer info I had to do trial and error to discover. There’s not much info on that topic so I seek to change that. My love for the Maksutov is probably in excess of any other optical design available. Clear skies.
I saw Jupiter through a 72mm refractor the other day using the zwoasi120mm-c but kept trying to get it better and totally lost it and couldn't get it back . I was stoked tho because that was the first time I saw something live on my laptop looking into space ....................... peace. Oh and thank you for sharing so us inexperienced astronomers can learn and not get so frustrated that we give up ................. clear skys
I will never forget the first time I saw them. Getting that finder scope aligned in the daytime makes it easy. A memorable story was the first time I saw a solar finder scope. I laughed. I thought “how hard can it be to locate the sun?!” I found out the hard way when I was challenged to do it in less than 5 minutes without it. I felt like a jerk. Lol. Thanks for watching. Best of luck. Clear skies.
My friend here it is not a question of the diameter of the lens. You are really lucky to be under a sky with exceptional seeing! You can also use a bottle bottom as a lens!
Good to see you here. This is the basic approach. Look closer into the settings and you’ll see there’s a lot more you can do. I’m excited to see your work.
Very interesting video - even for one like me who is just interested in astronomy, but doesn't have a telescope. It is quite interesting that you can get these results, from small telescope etc.
Thank you. I have seen much better results with the same equipment. It’s not difficult just time consuming. The detail we can resolve from Earth never stops amazing me. Over twenty years and it still impresses me.
Amazing job bro, i really enjoy watching your videos for so many reasons, u have good topics, good presentation skills, simple ashort to the point videos, using budget and reasonable gears to get excellent results, so keep it up bro 👍
Thank you for the kind words. That’s my mission. Find things and techniques that work and share them with the community. I see no need in fancy video production or b-rolls. Lol
Excellent in my book, especially for short exposure times. 30 seconds on Saturn and a very nice image!! I might try the same using my Orion XT8 Dobsonian (no tracking) and very short exposure times. Thanks for your video.
Thanks for watching. I think they came out well myself. A bit noisy but that’s easily mitigated by more time and or de-rotations. The importance of this video to me is to give the audience an idea of what can be done simply. Typically a search for anything in particular yields results from complex methods. Beginners don’t need to know how masters do it. They benefit more from a simplistic approach. One that’s easily obtained by reasonable entry level equipment. It’s easy to be discouraged when you believe you absolutely need 40 sets of data. Your Dobsonian is a beast at planetary. There’s a whole technique just for that but certainly some of the best views I’ve ever had were through an XT8. It’s truly my most recommended telescope. Ed Ting puts it 1st and many other countless astronomers. It’s perfect in many ways.
@@GarnettLeary, thanks for replying. I used Ed's recommendation when looking for a larger telescope. We got an Orion 4.5EQ in new condition from friends moving ($100), and views were good enough to start researching, leading me to the larger aperture chase. I got the XT8 on craigslist from a man who used it once with grandkids, but couldn't see much so twisted everything, completely taking it out of collimation. Even the locking screws on the primary were very loose. It cost me $325 (in late November), in it's original box. (The saved money is going to accessories and better eyepieces!). I'm enjoying it, but since it's now winter and bitter cold by just after dusk here in the Rockies, I'm still taking out the 4.5 more often because of portability when I dash back inside before frostbite. I did use it to view through a large southern window a couple of times last week, but seeing conditions were far from perfect because of introduced pane glass distortion. Hey... Spring is coming in a few months, and I'm continuing to research and read new astronomy books in the meantime. Anyway, sorry for the long reply. Clear skies, and stay warm. ...oh, I replied on your vid for "FirstScope" fixes. I ordered that little 76mm as the ultimate portable tool for dashing out for short periods on overcast evenings. ($42 on ebay, with shipping, open box New). It's supposed to arrive Wednesday, and I'm going to use your tips to tighten things up. Anyway, take care, and thanks for your videos.
Wow that’s a fantastic compliment and thanks for the support. I’m a huge fan of Newton and I love: “If I have seen further, it’s by standing on the shoulders of giants.” I mean to say I have trimmed all the fat off many a professionals interpretation in order to make this video. I’m really proud of this ones simplicity. When I first started planets I had to surf what seemed like endless piles of information just to find a basic starting point. I truly hope I have successfully made that available in this one tutorial. I hope you had a Merry Christmas and I hope you dabble in the craft. Capturing the heavens is a very humbling and rewarding experience. It’s a test of will but ultimately the greatest pursuit I have ever ventured.
Thank you. Don’t be discouraged. Likely you have excellent data that just needs a different edit technique. Unfortunately there’s a lot of “Look what I can do” videos and not a whole lot of “This helped me, I want to share it” videos. I know some folks who learn tricks and immediately want to share them. They’re called astronomers. Thank you for watching and best of luck. Clear skies.
Using the same software as you to image planets, moon and some double stars. I do set the histogram in Registax differently though. I find it better to drag the right hand edge adjustment to the left and then hit “stretch” to expand the histogram. My scope is a Celestron 8” SCT and camera an SvBony 305.
I’ll try that. Sounds like an awesome setup you have. I pinned your comment because I’m thinking logically that makes more sense with histogram. How are you liking the SvBony 305? I only have the 105. Have you tried deep sky with it?
@@GarnettLeary I have tried Deep Space using my set up but it’s not satisfactory. The Sv305 is intended to be a planetary camera and it has a rather small pixel size. It also isn’t cooled, so that limits exposure times. You can see what I got out of my scope and camera, if you look at my channel and find “Images Through My Celestron 8 EdgeHD” czcams.com/video/S4JVdkAmw7Y/video.html
Didn’t realize you had content. Dropped in to support. Very nice. I watched a Lunar clip and also saw random images. Saturn is fantastic. I’ll have a closer look when I get time. I’ll share a few to my groups to get you some exposure.
Great video. I personally think that the image at 10:48 is better than your final version, which looks a bit overdone to me. Thanks for explaining the process!
Awesome results. Great shots. Maybe you can also improve by using a dispersion corrector... to additionally remove the "rainbow colors" and weir edges as well (12:35 bottom of Saturn). But as you said there are many ways to improve the already great shots. cs
Thank you. Yeah that’s the caveat of using cheap barlows. The Maksutov has apo-like color correction but means nothing with a two element barlow. Many clear skies.
Superb video. Looking forward to getting back on the planetary imaging again, so far I've only taken jupiter late last year with my 127-Mak, bloody planets have all been hanging about the sun this year so far! Nice to see whats possible with my scope, your Jupiter blows mine out the water, will use a Barlow next time, previously I only attached a DSLR to the scope.
Thank you for the compliment. I have seen work with the same scope that far exceeds mine as well. It’s not often I get a reasonably stable night. The true secret is shooting a lot. I can’t overemphasize that. Shoot lots and lots and lots of footage. I have seen the seeing conditions rise and fall in the course of a few seconds. It’s by taking huge amounts of datas over long periods that you arrive at that one spectacular capture. Above all the seeing is the deciding factor in the overall quality of your image. Damian Peach said that and I tend not to disagree with such legends in the genre. Best of luck. Clear skies.
Very interesting, thank you, some great tips there 👍 You mentioned the aparture of the scope but not the focal length, can you let this know ? And have you ever tried a 3x Barlow, how would that perform ?
My scope in the video is an Orion Apex 127mm 1540mm fl. My experience, even with a quality x3 barlow, is that the image quality deteriorates beyond my liking. If you look up Carolina Sky Astronomy you’ll see he’s making good images using a x3. I assumed it was sky conditions that discouraged me until I learned he’s only an hour away from my location. He’s getting better images at x3 so his technique must be better. When I get up to x3 on the Apex my gain is maxed out in order to keep a reasonable frame rate. I prefer more frames to higher gain but that may be my mistake. It could be that his post processing skills are sharper. Regardless he won’t divulge on his secrets lol. If I find a better way I’ll definitely share it. I would only consider a x3 on my scope if I had better tracking. It would have to be a crystal clear night too with zero atmospheric disturbance. Optimal conditions. I may be wrong however.
Just reduced due to framing. I use ROI “region of interest” also. I could crop out the outer black areas later but it’s better file management to do it during capture. Much smaller file sizes to store and also you get increased frame rate using a portion of the sensor as opposed to the full resolution. Great question and a topic I should have covered. Clear skies.
Hi, When i try to use eyepiece projection with my Canon T5i the image is always completely dark, EXCEPT for the moon. Everything else is complete darkness. Any idea on what is wrong? thank you
Love the Video! Felt like a kid watching your video Garnett! Do you know why? I saw your videos long time back when I was learning and felt you are some kind of geek!
That’s awesome Ray. I just enjoy challenging myself. I like limitations. Thru limitations you understand people’s struggles. I try to encourage people. Otherwise the internet gets flooded with people using huge and expensive gear. It’s easy to be discouraged because you feel you need all the high tech and expensive equipment. I know I’m successful because occasionally I get positive feedback. To know I’m the reason someone kept trying is such a great feeling. That’s why I like your work so much. You’re very good at explaining what you’re doing and take the time to show people how to accomplish things. As humans we should feel that responsibility to share wisdom. Although entertaining the “look what I can do” videos offer little. I don’t wish to play that game. I can tell who is who in that respect. I have many accomplishments and they are my own. My personal journey is just that. To help others on theirs is priceless. I am certain we agree. Keep up the good work friend. I guess I am a geek. Lol. I have been told I was as dry and boring as the noxima guy from acne commercials. On the same token I received a post card of the milky way a kid shot on his dads dslr. The message was “Thanks to you I can do this.” I love it. I think this video will steer people in the right direction. It will reach those who need it. It’s not fancy, entertaining, or colorful but it is useful. Knowledge is power. Keep up your work Ray. Don’t ever be discouraged. You have a good message as well. Clear skies.
Garnett Leary Somene hit your sweet spot I guess! But I totally agree: Showing off is cool for am moment, but sharing knowledge is much more gratifying on the long term. Thanks for the video, it‘s exactly what you strive for! But I guess I would have to check the „Ray“-Guy out as well, reading your profound respect for his work!
He’s amazing. Very informative. I have nothing but respect for Ray and his work. He’s genuine. I guess in general the internet is something I despise. Most folks use it poor ways. That’s my opinion. I’m totally about sharing information and especially things that work. If I learn anything, especially helpful to starting beginners, I’m compelled to get it out there. Many of my topics are things I struggled with. The internet is powerful because we no longer have to repeat each others mistakes. I guess my biggest problem is with misinformation. It’s great to enjoy entertainment channels but occasionally they damage the community. An example would be to convince an audience they need an apochromatic refractor to do this. An example would be spending hours in Photoshop setting unrealistic standards for folks. People don’t need to get the impression that it has to be expensive. They don’t need the impression that they can just walk outside and get a Hubble image. They should approach this craft at their own speed and investment capability and with the support of the community. “Look what I can do” helps nobody. Some of my big influences were guys like Forest Tanaka. You need a solid foundation that includes understanding of what’s going on. If you snatch the power cord from most of these clowns they’re lost. A guider used to literally be an occupation. Folks used to do this with film cameras. To suggest you need to invest $5000 in it is laughable. It’s discouraging. What’s worse is that 90% of what’s trending is tens of layers of Photochop with star reductions. ?!!!! Why go out to shoot stars to just delete them? Lol. Mind blowing. Good data doesn’t need thirty layers of Photoshop. I guess it is a sore subject for me. I shouldn’t care but it’s kind of the Spiderman slogan. My circle counts on me to be accurate. I can’t abandon that idea. I’m responsible for everything I do and say. If I don’t have an answer I’ll find someone who does. I don’t agree with most of the statements I see being made. Everything from burning an st4 cable to promoting RASA’s. Garbage. Ray won’t fall into that category. He’s got exceptional morals where the community is involved. He’s also reaching more folks. I’m so happy for that. I have learned some nice tricks from him as well. His last live view of planets was a fun get together. If I seek astro entertainment I go one place. My friend Astrobiscuit. Neowise from a bathroom?! Lol!!! Good stuff. The man is highly skilled too. The days of old are soon gone. It was well accepted that an Orion ST-80 with an h-a filter on ccd produced amazing scientific data. Guess what, that’s still true today. The most popular scope today is probably the RASA. Overpriced. Flat. Useless for planets. Too big for a reasonably priced mount. Totally garbage to endorse such a thing. It’s basically a giant portrait lens for stars with a stupid cord you can’t keep out of the image. It’s fantastic modern technology but what’s the point in PHD2 if you don’t understand what it’s doing? I’ll take a small group of people and a dob over a $10,000 setup any day of the week. I’ve been in the presence of greatness. Guys who can spend $50 at Lowes and blow the socks off this whole crowd. They’d give you the shirts off their backs. It’s not a race or a competition or some sell out endorsement. It’s about community and responsibility. To those who feel that way my hats off. The rest of it is garbage. A lot of it belongs in entertainment not science and technology category. Deleting entire worlds and galaxies, or tilt-shifting images is not science. It’s a mess. I’m likely to break out my big guns soon. I’ll make it interesting. Let’s do some deep sky with a Maksutov simply because people say we can’t. Absurd.
Garnett Leary. As i promised, I read through the hole page-filling answer! There‘s a little bit too much anger and bashing in it, I was sometimes thinking „just let them do their stuff if it makes them happy“, but maybe there’s a story behind that. But I totally agree with your main point: Let‘s try to get the most out of the site and the gear we have available! And I guess you will like some of my pictures, because some of them are taken with a poket camera (Canon G7X - it‘s a crazy little piece of engineering) on an tripod, some with my fancier Canon 90D (in the US it might be branded differently) on tripod, but the best pictures of course through my NexStar 6SE, with the same camera mounted to it, not astro-modified, the same marvelous piece of engineering I use daytime chasing after birds! All I try to do: Capture the beauty of the world directly around me and trying to understand my camera, my telescope and some software as good as possible. Sincerely, Stefan, Switzerland, awaiting tons of clouds for days ...
I’m just about to dip my toes into the astrophotography world and found this a great help. Thanks Garnett . I am going to begin with the planets first then maybe M42. I need a new laptop as my old one packed up and I’ve been using my tablet and phone in the meantime. What specs do I need for a laptop to do the processing etc?. It doesn’t have to be lightning fast, just as long as it’s up to the task. Sorry for the rambling message
Windows 10 is a must for a lot of software. USB3 ports are very important with planetary to get the fastest frame rate you can. I use an old HP with only a 500GB processor. I typically buy field computers used. You don’t need anything fancy just the first two items.
Thank you. The seeing was pretty good. I attribute the detail to the Maksutov design. I personally believe they are fantastic for the job. Have a look at what 180 Mak owners are doing on Astrobin. Fantastic for moderate aperture
I’m currently torn between a C9.25 or the 180 Maksutov. I know aperture is hugely better on the C9 but the overall Maksutov experience is best. It would be much more portable and hold collimation much better. It’s a difficult decision that I will likely be stuck on for some time. C11 or C14 is off the table. I’m not getting any younger lol.
I live on the eastern coast of USA. Humidity is the killer for me. The seeing was above average for my locale. Where are you located? An eight inch aperture should destroy the five inch Maksutov unless collimation isn’t spot on or the seeing is bad.
I'm puzzled - how are you able to get these planets to appear larger than most people with 12" and 14" SCT's? I mean they are already large during your live video capture... Are you using a 20x barlow ?............
That’s a good question. I use Sharpcap and ROI, or “region of interest” during capture. I use a x2 barlow. During post processing I resample my images to a larger scale. The draw back is grain or noise rather.
Great tutorial. Is the live image of Jupiter cropped or electronically zoomed? I know this can be achieved using eyepiece projection but how does it work without a lense?
Great question. As you know CZcams display is 16:9. That’s how video outputs to your phone. The original video capture was at 640x480. In essence it is slightly zoomed in from its original format to fit properly the dimensions of CZcams. It is very close in size to how I recorded it but slightly zoomed in. Unfortunately there’s a lot of compression on CZcams also so it’s very pixelated displayed on here. If you’re interested I could possibly share the original via cloud. To answer your second question a lot of small chip sensors can crop way in. At full res I would have had a lot of wasted data on recording the black background around Jupiter. The frame rate would drop and the file size would be twice what it is at 640x480. In Sharpcap you can choose to crop in. Basically it’s only using a portion of the imaging sensor. With cameras like the ASI 120 MC-S you can also move the cropped section with your mouse to the area of interest. You get a much higher frame rate and a smaller file to work with. You may choose to crop in tighter than 640 x 480 depending on how good your tracking is and what focal ratio your scope is. The idea is to capture the planet and not waste data on the sky around it. It’s much more efficient because you’re producing more frames of data. 640x480 is a very popular and widely used crop. I hope this explains it for you. Don’t hesitate to shoot a question my way. If I can’t answer it I’ll gladly try to find someone who can. Clear skies.
Hi mate. Great vid and subscribed. Am using a C90 MAK + fixed photo tripod. Am getting nice results moon, sun, jup, altho finding saturn is proving tricky and getting enough frames before flies off 120MC frame withx2 barlow frustrating. Problem is tripod head is not very fine adjustment. Question: I am now considering a tracking motor head OR a fine tune adjust EQ mount to enable me to get more frames. Both similar price. Which one would you chose? Thanks
Great question. From my experience anything with directional inputs is better. I have used both methods very diligently. With fine adjustments I find visual a better experience. With astrophotography lower end mounts like that suffer. You need to be concentrating on the computer and exposure. Having a tracking system of any kind keeps you focused more on the screen. My favorite setup for that is a motorized CG-4. Once you make guiding corrections it’s very easy to keep planets centered. Saturns surface brightness is very low. Jupiter is much more forgiving on static tripods. I’m sure you’re aware of this scenario: you jack the gain way up to locate your object. You then race to reset exposure. On a static tripod this can mean multiple attempts. Because of Saturns surface brightness you need every frame you can get. You can compose Saturn off of multiple captures then combine them all. With my 127 Mak I prefer that method. I consider multiple frames for less noise as opposed to a single capture. At 127 I figure I’m not picking up any fantastic surface details anyway. That’s my logic at a fixed tripod and smaller aperture. I may do a video example of this. It obviously doesn’t work with Jupiter because there’s obvious surface details in the cloud banding. Good luck to you and clear skies.
144mm ID Orion Telescope Tube Rings Item #07374. They fit perfectly. $40 USD. They come with a 1 1/4” camera mount for piggy backing also. I took mine off in the video because I like my finder and Guidescope straight above my weights.
What do you mean when you say focus off of the moon? How does that help me focus on Jupiter? I'm missing something for sure. I have nearly the same gear you do. I'm getting similar results but not quite as crisp as yours. I'm having a lot of ah ha moments watching your videos. Thank you.
I mean to say if the Moon is also available you can use the terminator to lock in your focus then slew to Jupiter. The terminating line of the Moon is likely the easiest focus aid. If you’re spot on there then you should be perfect for Jupiter. My friend Ioan Nemes swears by just using the cloud bands on Jupiter. He’s at a much higher elevation than myself. I deal with way too much humidity here to rely on that. Experts like Christopher Go will say use the moons of Jupiter. With an ideal surface exposure setting for Jupiter capture you should just see Io pop into focus and out. If the main moons are not prevalent then your focus is off. Alternatively I have seen folks jump the gain way up and use Batinov masks. I have not tried that approach. The absolute best way is to use Sharpcap focus assistant. Monitor the highest number. That takes time but is very effective. I hope this helped to explain it. If my images appear slightly sharper than yours it’s likely seeing conditions, editing, or a combination of the two. I pay very close attention to collimation and just outright pack it in if the sky is too wobbly. The quality of the barlow you use is huge. Make sure it’s at least a four element design. Clear skies.
Typically people portray it north up. Depending on which type of telescope you use it may be reversed left to right etc. I typically just place it as the mirror or refractor sees it. Fantastic observation tho.
Certainly and I’ve been meaning to do this video. Firstly you’re lucky to have the model camera you do. You’ll want to use “Movie Crop Mode”. This will allow you to get 60fps region of interest. Focus well and use the exposure limit rules of each planet and you’re golden.
Oh and if you want to spend a little money Backyard EOS has an excellent planetary mode for DSLR. I believe it’s $20 once or something like that. Definitely worth the investment
You can’t physically see it this way with any scope unfortunately. Diffraction etc doesn’t allow it and our eyes aren’t very sensitive. Photography brings out the details you see. With a scope you can see the banding on Jupiter and discern its moons. Your scope is perfectly capable of doing that.
@@GarnettLeary yes correct I can see Jupiter and differentiate its moons, but are you telling me that with good photography my scope can provide those derails also ?
It probably was a poor choice of words sorry. In the astro community 127mm is considered very modest for solar system objects. There’s a lot of people that will tell you not to go below 250mm. I’m personally into the idea of making the best of what’s available. Lately I’ve been using my Sarblue 60mm more than anything else.
I think generally speaking anything under 8” aperture is considered small for planetary. That’s widely accepted as true. It’s unfortunate but aperture is king. I’ve seen amazing photos on Astrobin at 102.
Holy shit this is so beginner unfriendly. You are using so much fancy equipment and bs someone like me who is barely dipping his feet into this wont even begin to understand.
Sorry. I have a similar video with a lot less high end equipment. There’s a lot of information on planetary imaging by a lot of folks. Can I recommend some to you? If so give me an idea of what gear you have. I’d be glad to.
Does anyone know if these types of camera can be attached to a cellphone or does it only work when plugged to laptops? Thanks
That’s a good question and I’d love to know the answer. Somewhere someone has modded one to do just that likely.
With zwo asi you can connect zwo cameras to a tablet
I use a svbony 105 and with a goto cable and usb camera app I can use my Samsung Galaxy phone. I usually use my laptop though.
@@Ludspo why do you need two cameras? One as a spotter?
Get an ASIAIR Pro. This video is great for teaching.
Thanks for this detailed video. Most astrophotographers on CZcams just assume that people know everything when it comes to stacking but you explained everything for the newbies. This was really helpful.
Thank you. When I made this I streamlined it as much as I could. Anyone with decent data can make use of it. Thank you for watching. Clear skies.
@@GarnettLeary Yup. Thanks. Subscribed.
This is the best video on planetary with PIPP, AUTO, etc… I’ve found yet! Thanks!
Aw thank you! It’s very nice of you to say. Many clear skies.
I've always believed that the experience of visual observations through a modest sized telescope 🔭 should be an important part of every child's education.
To see, with their own eyes, at an early age, the incredible wonders of the Universe around us, can only impress on the child a sense of "Wonder"!
"There are more wonders, in Heaven and Earth, then are dreamt of in your philosophy."
A great quote to live by!
Absolutely. I had a very memorable star party sometime back. 32 + people of different ages seeing Saturn for the first time. It was a joy to experience it with them. The reactions were priceless. I try to imagine the mind of a child when everything is still full of wonder. Somehow age makes that easy to lose sight of. A mud puddle can be an adventure. Ever so often I shed all my gear of electronics and just go out to take it all in. I think the heavens reconnect me to that child like wonder more than anything. If only we could live every moment like that. People would cherish life more certainly. I love the quote. I like this one a lot too: “We are the universe trying to discover itself” - Carl Sagan
I've said so many times, the Maks are superb for planetary imaging. Don't get me wrong high performance refractors and huge aperture schmidts are tops for planets. But I don't have a budget to afford such equipment, hence why Mak 127 is not be under estimated, a true performer for the budget astronomer. There has been times where my 127 Mak has outperformed my 102mm refractor and blew any 6" Schmidt out of the water. The advantages of the Mak has longer focal length and a lot less secondary mirror obstruction which help the contrast and planetary detail is much sharper. Though these are my own opinions, I totally agree Garnett you have highlighted a ton of information in this video which has provided what the viewers wanted. There is too many show off channels on CZcams, which show great reviews on expensive equipment and self promote just for views and sponsorship and forget the true passion of Astronomy and offer no technical advice which both our channels offer. This video explains it all. There is alot of talented astronomers who receive no credit for making videos like this, we need more of this content. Garnett keep up the great work, I've hit a like, as always because I know video content like this is an asset to the new people starting out in the hobby and survival of our love for Astronomy. Thanks again for this video, and your support to MP ASTRO. I too will get back on my feet once again and hopefully start a new era of MP ASTRO video content. But at the moment I'm still man down and It will some time for me to recover from my injuries.
Wow thanks man. I hope you have a speedy recovery. I couldn’t agree more with your assessment of the mak. I actually purchased the ASI 120 after watching your review. Anyone reading this should be confident as I am in your assessments. The only fault I have with the mak is the small exit hole. I want to multi-purpose it but it’s difficult. I have found the 0.5 TPO reducer works well in combination with a small chip sensor but the fov is still very constrained. With a full frame Canon 6D I had to put a 2” extension on the back to avoid clipping the sensor. I have seen an SCT thread adapter for the mak but am still searching wether or not a conventional 2” reducer can be used in combination with a dslr. There’s very little info, mostly opinions, regarding that. It’s an expensive venture with a high probability of a fail. I say that because I experimented with the 1.25” TPO 0.5 reducer at varying distances with the dslr and it seemed to only create a soda straw effect. I’m curious if you have ventured with the idea any. Additionally I’m curious if the 150-180mm versions are compatible with reducers. They both have a 2” exit out the back. The mak is a complex optical design and admittedly I can’t do the math on this one. I prefer it to a standard sct but they seem to be single purpose instruments. I have a few 30” raw images of Orion that are quite nice in combination with a full frame 6D. Unfortunately the Meade LX-85 has so much backlash it’s next to impossible to take a deep sky project on with any seriousness at 1540mm. I’m torn between investing in trying to reduce it or skipping the idea altogether. I will make a full review on the 127 soon and include all my findings. That TPO 0.5 is extremely well suited to the ASI 120MC-S. I have to figure the actual reduction but it is quite substantial with no obvious image depreciation. I can’t wait for you to get back in the saddle. Like you I will always keep it real. Clear skies friend and quick recovery.
This is a great channel. I really appreciate watching instructional videos using equipment I can actually afford. Thanks for all you do.
Thank you. That’s very inspiring. The saddest thing is to see equipment end up in a closet or yard-sale due to frustration. It’s not impossible to enjoy with modest equipment. Too many people are caught up with the flashiest setups. One day maybe enough competition will create budget solar in h-a. So far there’s no inexpensive solution for that.
Thank you for making this. I made a Astrocam out of a Webcam per your instructions last year. Been shooting Jupiter & Saturn 🪐 with my old original C8. Learned to polar align it from you too. I hope to process my videos this week. Thanks again. Dave in PA
That’s awesome and very encouraging. Thank you. I appreciate your support. I love the original C8. It should smoke the planets. Good luck with your project and clear skies.
Good video Garnett! Useful tips! I made also few planetary videos this summer, that i will upload soon on my channel. I did use a smaller telescope, Skywatcher Ed80/600 with 2x barlow and eyepiece.
It’s quite amazing what everyone can do with smaller equipment. I really hope we can encourage people to try. It’s easy to get discouraged looking at all the huge scopes primarily used for this but it’s no reason not to try. Looking forward to your video.
This video was really good, you going through everything like your setup and then showing the whole process of getting the final images made me feel like I was there!
Thank you. I’m glad it was useful. Clear skies.
That Jupiter shot is amazing!!
Thank you. It’s probably pretty close to the limits of the scope and my seeing area. It was a particularly still night where everything went perfectly
Wow, thanks Garnett. This is such a helpful video. I've recently purchased a second hand Sky-Watcher Skymax 127 Mak and the ZWO ASI120MC-S planetary camera. I totally agree with you about the zoom eyepiece. It's so useful. I've a Celestron Omni x2 Barlow lens. I really like it. It's relatively high quality and at great price.
I have a very similar seeing problem as you do on the N Carolina coast. I live in Amsterdam, The Netherlands. My elevation is 3 metres above sea level and the humidity is like Florida. Unfortunately, I've had zero opportunity to use my rig due to perpetual cloud cover, or high winds off the North Sea. The weather has been seriously awful for months. Hopefully things will change in the spring. I should be able to get some good lunar imaging. Thanks again, I've subscribed to your channel. Clear skies! 😀🔭
Thank you for the thoughtful comment. What you have is new gear curse lol. Whenever you get new equipment the weather turns bad. Minimum two days. On a serious note you’ll love the scope. Omni is a good barlow. I once owned the full set of eyepieces. Good luck over there and clear skies.
@@GarnettLeary Yeah, I love Maks. Dmitri Maksutov was a genius. His robust and simple design, is brilliant. I'd love to play around with a Rumak too.
Same. Never have. I’d love to find a large Intes.
Great video! very concise and informative. I've got a mak127 as well, on an EQ5 mount (non GoTo though, just dual axis motors), I'm just starting to try to learn the basics of AP. Plenty of insights here, thanks for sharing. Clear skies!
Thanks for watching. I’m putting together a very thorough review of that scope. I’ll be including collimation tricks and important reducer info I had to do trial and error to discover. There’s not much info on that topic so I seek to change that. My love for the Maksutov is probably in excess of any other optical design available. Clear skies.
@@GarnettLeary I have just acquired one too. I'm giving it to my son in law.
Fine video and Astrophotogaphy demonstration. Thanks thumps up !
Thank you for watching and taking the time to comment
Great presentation! Thank you! Greetings from Hungary.
Thank you. Happy new year to you and yours.
This is an amazing instructional video. Very helpful. Thanks for your time
Thank you for watching. I’m glad it was useful. Success
Great video Garnett! Very useful tips as always! 👍
Thank you. You’re opinion is greatly valued. Clear skies friend.
Great video !@ finally, I understand what PIPP is and how to use it .. thanks!!
Thank you. I tried making it short just for the purpose of people diving in. Happy new year. Clear skies.
Nice video thanks for all the information and tips.
Thank you for watching. Clear skies
I saw Jupiter through a 72mm refractor the other day using the zwoasi120mm-c but kept trying to get it better and totally lost it and couldn't get it back . I was stoked tho because that was the first time I saw something live on my laptop looking into space ....................... peace. Oh and thank you for sharing so us inexperienced astronomers can learn and not get so frustrated that we give up ................. clear skys
I will never forget the first time I saw them. Getting that finder scope aligned in the daytime makes it easy. A memorable story was the first time I saw a solar finder scope. I laughed. I thought “how hard can it be to locate the sun?!” I found out the hard way when I was challenged to do it in less than 5 minutes without it. I felt like a jerk. Lol. Thanks for watching. Best of luck. Clear skies.
Awesome results! Love the tips, saturn and the lunar surfaces were my favorites! Nice work! 👍
You’ve got a light bucket just waiting on planetary photons.
Garnett Leary You’re making me want to try it!!
Hey i follow u on ig
Cex Atreus Me or Garnett?
@@astroedsastrophotographych4562 you
Great info... I’m just starting AP with the Skymax 127 and an ASI 224MC so this is really useful stuff... many thanks 👍🏻
Ty for watching and good luck. Clear skies.
My friend here it is not a question of the diameter of the lens. You are really lucky to be under a sky with exceptional seeing! You can also use a bottle bottom as a lens!
Amazing images! I can't wait to do planetary astrophotography in the months to come. Keep up the good work!
Thank you. Clear skies
Thank you for making this, hoping to try some planetary soon.
Good to see you here. This is the basic approach. Look closer into the settings and you’ll see there’s a lot more you can do. I’m excited to see your work.
Very interesting video - even for one like me who is just interested in astronomy, but doesn't have a telescope. It is quite interesting that you can get these results, from small telescope etc.
Thank you. I have seen much better results with the same equipment. It’s not difficult just time consuming. The detail we can resolve from Earth never stops amazing me. Over twenty years and it still impresses me.
Amazing job bro, i really enjoy watching your videos for so many reasons, u have good topics, good presentation skills, simple ashort to the point videos, using budget and reasonable gears to get excellent results, so keep it up bro 👍
Thank you for the kind words. That’s my mission. Find things and techniques that work and share them with the community. I see no need in fancy video production or b-rolls. Lol
Garnett, thanks for an excellent tutorial!
Thanks for watching and for the nice feedback.
What a beautiful video
Thank you. Very encouraging. Have a beautiful day
Excellent in my book, especially for short exposure times. 30 seconds on Saturn and a very nice image!! I might try the same using my Orion XT8 Dobsonian (no tracking) and very short exposure times. Thanks for your video.
Thanks for watching. I think they came out well myself. A bit noisy but that’s easily mitigated by more time and or de-rotations. The importance of this video to me is to give the audience an idea of what can be done simply. Typically a search for anything in particular yields results from complex methods. Beginners don’t need to know how masters do it. They benefit more from a simplistic approach. One that’s easily obtained by reasonable entry level equipment. It’s easy to be discouraged when you believe you absolutely need 40 sets of data. Your Dobsonian is a beast at planetary. There’s a whole technique just for that but certainly some of the best views I’ve ever had were through an XT8. It’s truly my most recommended telescope. Ed Ting puts it 1st and many other countless astronomers. It’s perfect in many ways.
@@GarnettLeary, thanks for replying. I used Ed's recommendation when looking for a larger telescope. We got an Orion 4.5EQ in new condition from friends moving ($100), and views were good enough to start researching, leading me to the larger aperture chase. I got the XT8 on craigslist from a man who used it once with grandkids, but couldn't see much so twisted everything, completely taking it out of collimation. Even the locking screws on the primary were very loose. It cost me $325 (in late November), in it's original box. (The saved money is going to accessories and better eyepieces!). I'm enjoying it, but since it's now winter and bitter cold by just after dusk here in the Rockies, I'm still taking out the 4.5 more often because of portability when I dash back inside before frostbite. I did use it to view through a large southern window a couple of times last week, but seeing conditions were far from perfect because of introduced pane glass distortion. Hey... Spring is coming in a few months, and I'm continuing to research and read new astronomy books in the meantime. Anyway, sorry for the long reply. Clear skies, and stay warm. ...oh, I replied on your vid for "FirstScope" fixes. I ordered that little 76mm as the ultimate portable tool for dashing out for short periods on overcast evenings. ($42 on ebay, with shipping, open box New). It's supposed to arrive Wednesday, and I'm going to use your tips to tighten things up. Anyway, take care, and thanks for your videos.
This is the best tutorial on the internet thanks and subscribed. Not sure if I will do this kind of imaging but for now just looking.
Wow that’s a fantastic compliment and thanks for the support. I’m a huge fan of Newton and I love: “If I have seen further, it’s by standing on the shoulders of giants.” I mean to say I have trimmed all the fat off many a professionals interpretation in order to make this video. I’m really proud of this ones simplicity. When I first started planets I had to surf what seemed like endless piles of information just to find a basic starting point. I truly hope I have successfully made that available in this one tutorial. I hope you had a Merry Christmas and I hope you dabble in the craft. Capturing the heavens is a very humbling and rewarding experience. It’s a test of will but ultimately the greatest pursuit I have ever ventured.
Plain talk...no bs in everyday language thank you!
Thank you for watching and clear skies.
Very helpfuk tips bro!
Thanks for watching. Clear skies.
@@GarnettLeary My pleasure Bro!
This looks so good, my images were blurry and I gave up trying to take jupiter or saturn images or any at all
Thank you for this guide
Thank you. Don’t be discouraged. Likely you have excellent data that just needs a different edit technique. Unfortunately there’s a lot of “Look what I can do” videos and not a whole lot of “This helped me, I want to share it” videos. I know some folks who learn tricks and immediately want to share them. They’re called astronomers. Thank you for watching and best of luck. Clear skies.
Thanks for this super video...great.
Thank you for watching. Good luck and clear skies.
Using the same software as you to image planets, moon and some double stars. I do set the histogram in Registax differently though. I find it better to drag the right hand edge adjustment to the left and then hit “stretch” to expand the histogram. My scope is a Celestron 8” SCT and camera an SvBony 305.
I’ll try that. Sounds like an awesome setup you have. I pinned your comment because I’m thinking logically that makes more sense with histogram. How are you liking the SvBony 305? I only have the 105. Have you tried deep sky with it?
@@GarnettLeary I have tried Deep Space using my set up but it’s not satisfactory. The Sv305 is intended to be a planetary camera and it has a rather small pixel size. It also isn’t cooled, so that limits exposure times. You can see what I got out of my scope and camera, if you look at my channel and find “Images Through My Celestron 8 EdgeHD”
czcams.com/video/S4JVdkAmw7Y/video.html
Didn’t realize you had content. Dropped in to support. Very nice. I watched a Lunar clip and also saw random images. Saturn is fantastic. I’ll have a closer look when I get time. I’ll share a few to my groups to get you some exposure.
Great video. I personally think that the image at 10:48 is better than your final version, which looks a bit overdone to me. Thanks for explaining the process!
Thank you and it’s very easy to go overboard. I’m very guilty of that.
Awesome results. Great shots. Maybe you can also improve by using a dispersion corrector... to additionally remove the "rainbow colors" and weir edges as well (12:35 bottom of Saturn). But as you said there are many ways to improve the already great shots. cs
Thank you. Yeah that’s the caveat of using cheap barlows. The Maksutov has apo-like color correction but means nothing with a two element barlow. Many clear skies.
Great in depth video my dude!!👌Keep up the great edits🙌🤓
Thank you and thank you. Clear skies.
Thank you! Nice overview of what’s possible for newbs👍
Ty for watching. Clear skies.
Superb video. Looking forward to getting back on the planetary imaging again, so far I've only taken jupiter late last year with my 127-Mak, bloody planets have all been hanging about the sun this year so far!
Nice to see whats possible with my scope, your Jupiter blows mine out the water, will use a Barlow next time, previously I only attached a DSLR to the scope.
Thank you for the compliment. I have seen work with the same scope that far exceeds mine as well. It’s not often I get a reasonably stable night. The true secret is shooting a lot. I can’t overemphasize that. Shoot lots and lots and lots of footage. I have seen the seeing conditions rise and fall in the course of a few seconds. It’s by taking huge amounts of datas over long periods that you arrive at that one spectacular capture. Above all the seeing is the deciding factor in the overall quality of your image. Damian Peach said that and I tend not to disagree with such legends in the genre. Best of luck. Clear skies.
@@GarnettLeary Thanks for the advice, will put it to use!
Very interesting, thank you, some great tips there 👍
You mentioned the aparture of the scope but not the focal length, can you let this know ?
And have you ever tried a 3x Barlow, how would that perform ?
My scope in the video is an Orion Apex 127mm 1540mm fl. My experience, even with a quality x3 barlow, is that the image quality deteriorates beyond my liking. If you look up Carolina Sky Astronomy you’ll see he’s making good images using a x3. I assumed it was sky conditions that discouraged me until I learned he’s only an hour away from my location. He’s getting better images at x3 so his technique must be better. When I get up to x3 on the Apex my gain is maxed out in order to keep a reasonable frame rate. I prefer more frames to higher gain but that may be my mistake. It could be that his post processing skills are sharper. Regardless he won’t divulge on his secrets lol. If I find a better way I’ll definitely share it. I would only consider a x3 on my scope if I had better tracking. It would have to be a crystal clear night too with zero atmospheric disturbance. Optimal conditions. I may be wrong however.
@@GarnettLeary Thank you for this extensive answer !
Thanks Garnett. Lots of good info here.
Thanks for watching
Thanks for the crash course in autostakkert. I really couldn't figure out where to start, other than loading the file
Glad it was helpful. It can do loads more but you’ll figure it out by experimenting.
Thanks for your sharing...
Thank you for watching. Clear skies.
wonderful achievements thanks
Hi Garnett, great video, just subscribed
Thank you
Brother, I hope you are doing well and staying safe during these crazy covid times. Keep up the great videos.
Ty you too. Waiting on a mount. Lots of ideas.
Awesome
Great video. I was wondering why you selected 480x640 res. Is that the limit of the sensor system? would higher res capture help any with image?
Just reduced due to framing. I use ROI “region of interest” also. I could crop out the outer black areas later but it’s better file management to do it during capture. Much smaller file sizes to store and also you get increased frame rate using a portion of the sensor as opposed to the full resolution. Great question and a topic I should have covered. Clear skies.
Hi, When i try to use eyepiece projection with my Canon T5i the image is always completely dark, EXCEPT for the moon. Everything else is complete darkness. Any idea on what is wrong? thank you
Love the Video! Felt like a kid watching your video Garnett! Do you know why? I saw your videos long time back when I was learning and felt you are some kind of geek!
That’s awesome Ray. I just enjoy challenging myself. I like limitations. Thru limitations you understand people’s struggles. I try to encourage people. Otherwise the internet gets flooded with people using huge and expensive gear. It’s easy to be discouraged because you feel you need all the high tech and expensive equipment. I know I’m successful because occasionally I get positive feedback. To know I’m the reason someone kept trying is such a great feeling. That’s why I like your work so much. You’re very good at explaining what you’re doing and take the time to show people how to accomplish things. As humans we should feel that responsibility to share wisdom. Although entertaining the “look what I can do” videos offer little. I don’t wish to play that game. I can tell who is who in that respect. I have many accomplishments and they are my own. My personal journey is just that. To help others on theirs is priceless. I am certain we agree. Keep up the good work friend. I guess I am a geek. Lol. I have been told I was as dry and boring as the noxima guy from acne commercials. On the same token I received a post card of the milky way a kid shot on his dads dslr. The message was “Thanks to you I can do this.” I love it. I think this video will steer people in the right direction. It will reach those who need it. It’s not fancy, entertaining, or colorful but it is useful. Knowledge is power. Keep up your work Ray. Don’t ever be discouraged. You have a good message as well. Clear skies.
@@GarnettLeary well said!
Garnett Leary Somene hit your sweet spot I guess! But I totally agree: Showing off is cool for am moment, but sharing knowledge is much more gratifying on the long term. Thanks for the video, it‘s exactly what you strive for! But I guess I would have to check the „Ray“-Guy out as well, reading your profound respect for his work!
He’s amazing. Very informative. I have nothing but respect for Ray and his work. He’s genuine. I guess in general the internet is something I despise. Most folks use it poor ways. That’s my opinion. I’m totally about sharing information and especially things that work. If I learn anything, especially helpful to starting beginners, I’m compelled to get it out there. Many of my topics are things I struggled with. The internet is powerful because we no longer have to repeat each others mistakes. I guess my biggest problem is with misinformation. It’s great to enjoy entertainment channels but occasionally they damage the community. An example would be to convince an audience they need an apochromatic refractor to do this. An example would be spending hours in Photoshop setting unrealistic standards for folks. People don’t need to get the impression that it has to be expensive. They don’t need the impression that they can just walk outside and get a Hubble image. They should approach this craft at their own speed and investment capability and with the support of the community. “Look what I can do” helps nobody. Some of my big influences were guys like Forest Tanaka. You need a solid foundation that includes understanding of what’s going on. If you snatch the power cord from most of these clowns they’re lost. A guider used to literally be an occupation. Folks used to do this with film cameras. To suggest you need to invest $5000 in it is laughable. It’s discouraging. What’s worse is that 90% of what’s trending is tens of layers of Photochop with star reductions. ?!!!! Why go out to shoot stars to just delete them? Lol. Mind blowing. Good data doesn’t need thirty layers of Photoshop. I guess it is a sore subject for me. I shouldn’t care but it’s kind of the Spiderman slogan. My circle counts on me to be accurate. I can’t abandon that idea. I’m responsible for everything I do and say. If I don’t have an answer I’ll find someone who does. I don’t agree with most of the statements I see being made. Everything from burning an st4 cable to promoting RASA’s. Garbage. Ray won’t fall into that category. He’s got exceptional morals where the community is involved. He’s also reaching more folks. I’m so happy for that. I have learned some nice tricks from him as well. His last live view of planets was a fun get together. If I seek astro entertainment I go one place. My friend Astrobiscuit. Neowise from a bathroom?! Lol!!! Good stuff. The man is highly skilled too. The days of old are soon gone. It was well accepted that an Orion ST-80 with an h-a filter on ccd produced amazing scientific data. Guess what, that’s still true today. The most popular scope today is probably the RASA. Overpriced. Flat. Useless for planets. Too big for a reasonably priced mount. Totally garbage to endorse such a thing. It’s basically a giant portrait lens for stars with a stupid cord you can’t keep out of the image. It’s fantastic modern technology but what’s the point in PHD2 if you don’t understand what it’s doing? I’ll take a small group of people and a dob over a $10,000 setup any day of the week. I’ve been in the presence of greatness. Guys who can spend $50 at Lowes and blow the socks off this whole crowd. They’d give you the shirts off their backs. It’s not a race or a competition or some sell out endorsement. It’s about community and responsibility. To those who feel that way my hats off. The rest of it is garbage. A lot of it belongs in entertainment not science and technology category. Deleting entire worlds and galaxies, or tilt-shifting images is not science. It’s a mess. I’m likely to break out my big guns soon. I’ll make it interesting. Let’s do some deep sky with a Maksutov simply because people say we can’t. Absurd.
Garnett Leary. As i promised, I read through the hole page-filling answer! There‘s a little bit too much anger and bashing in it, I was sometimes thinking „just let them do their stuff if it makes them happy“, but maybe there’s a story behind that. But I totally agree with your main point: Let‘s try to get the most out of the site and the gear we have available! And I guess you will like some of my pictures, because some of them are taken with a poket camera (Canon G7X - it‘s a crazy little piece of engineering) on an tripod, some with my fancier Canon 90D (in the US it might be branded differently) on tripod, but the best pictures of course through my NexStar 6SE, with the same camera mounted to it, not astro-modified, the same marvelous piece of engineering I use daytime chasing after birds! All I try to do: Capture the beauty of the world directly around me and trying to understand my camera, my telescope and some software as good as possible. Sincerely, Stefan, Switzerland, awaiting tons of clouds for days ...
I’m just about to dip my toes into the astrophotography world and found this a great help. Thanks Garnett . I am going to begin with the planets first then maybe M42. I need a new laptop as my old one packed up and I’ve been using my tablet and phone in the meantime. What specs do I need for a laptop to do the processing etc?. It doesn’t have to be lightning fast, just as long as it’s up to the task. Sorry for the rambling message
Windows 10 is a must for a lot of software. USB3 ports are very important with planetary to get the fastest frame rate you can. I use an old HP with only a 500GB processor. I typically buy field computers used. You don’t need anything fancy just the first two items.
0:36 It was probably just the angle, but it made it look like you were pointing the telescope towards the sun.
Yeah that’s bad
Well Done !!!
Thank you
Thoughs pictures look remarkable for a 5 inch scope. My first was 8 inch and didn't know 5 was so good for planets.
Thank you. The seeing was pretty good. I attribute the detail to the Maksutov design. I personally believe they are fantastic for the job. Have a look at what 180 Mak owners are doing on Astrobin. Fantastic for moderate aperture
@@GarnettLeary I knew the MAKS were great scopes for planets. A good reputation.
I’m currently torn between a C9.25 or the 180 Maksutov. I know aperture is hugely better on the C9 but the overall Maksutov experience is best. It would be much more portable and hold collimation much better. It’s a difficult decision that I will likely be stuck on for some time. C11 or C14 is off the table. I’m not getting any younger lol.
@@GarnettLeary I have a used Orion xt10 that I love that I got for 250 dollars from a widow.
Great video for a newb!!! Thanks 🤓
Thanks for watching. Clear skies.
In the words of Hubert horn blower Humphrey I'd be as pleased as punch with these views in my 8 inch newtonian reflector.
I live on the eastern coast of USA. Humidity is the killer for me. The seeing was above average for my locale. Where are you located? An eight inch aperture should destroy the five inch Maksutov unless collimation isn’t spot on or the seeing is bad.
@@GarnettLeary oh it was definitely better in my scope but actually just larger. The resolution was about the same.
Good guide!
Thank you.
I'm puzzled - how are you able to get these planets to appear larger than most people with 12" and 14" SCT's? I mean they are already large during your live video capture... Are you using a 20x barlow ?............
That’s a good question. I use Sharpcap and ROI, or “region of interest” during capture. I use a x2 barlow. During post processing I resample my images to a larger scale. The draw back is grain or noise rather.
Great job on the video! I have the same ZWO camera but haven't used it yet. Do you want the histogram somewhat centered for planetary imaging?
I have found more centered works best for me. A little left would make sense considering the sky.
@@GarnettLeary THANKS!
Great tutorial.
Is the live image of Jupiter cropped or electronically zoomed?
I know this can be achieved using eyepiece projection but how does it work without a lense?
Great question. As you know CZcams display is 16:9. That’s how video outputs to your phone. The original video capture was at 640x480. In essence it is slightly zoomed in from its original format to fit properly the dimensions of CZcams. It is very close in size to how I recorded it but slightly zoomed in. Unfortunately there’s a lot of compression on CZcams also so it’s very pixelated displayed on here. If you’re interested I could possibly share the original via cloud. To answer your second question a lot of small chip sensors can crop way in. At full res I would have had a lot of wasted data on recording the black background around Jupiter. The frame rate would drop and the file size would be twice what it is at 640x480. In Sharpcap you can choose to crop in. Basically it’s only using a portion of the imaging sensor. With cameras like the ASI 120 MC-S you can also move the cropped section with your mouse to the area of interest. You get a much higher frame rate and a smaller file to work with. You may choose to crop in tighter than 640 x 480 depending on how good your tracking is and what focal ratio your scope is. The idea is to capture the planet and not waste data on the sky around it. It’s much more efficient because you’re producing more frames of data. 640x480 is a very popular and widely used crop. I hope this explains it for you. Don’t hesitate to shoot a question my way. If I can’t answer it I’ll gladly try to find someone who can. Clear skies.
Take out a small mortgage for the equipment????
Hi mate. Great vid and subscribed. Am using a C90 MAK + fixed photo tripod. Am getting nice results moon, sun, jup, altho finding saturn is proving tricky and getting enough frames before flies off 120MC frame withx2 barlow frustrating. Problem is tripod head is not very fine adjustment. Question: I am now considering a tracking motor head OR a fine tune adjust EQ mount to enable me to get more frames. Both similar price. Which one would you chose? Thanks
Great question. From my experience anything with directional inputs is better. I have used both methods very diligently. With fine adjustments I find visual a better experience. With astrophotography lower end mounts like that suffer. You need to be concentrating on the computer and exposure. Having a tracking system of any kind keeps you focused more on the screen. My favorite setup for that is a motorized CG-4. Once you make guiding corrections it’s very easy to keep planets centered. Saturns surface brightness is very low. Jupiter is much more forgiving on static tripods. I’m sure you’re aware of this scenario: you jack the gain way up to locate your object. You then race to reset exposure. On a static tripod this can mean multiple attempts. Because of Saturns surface brightness you need every frame you can get. You can compose Saturn off of multiple captures then combine them all. With my 127 Mak I prefer that method. I consider multiple frames for less noise as opposed to a single capture. At 127 I figure I’m not picking up any fantastic surface details anyway. That’s my logic at a fixed tripod and smaller aperture. I may do a video example of this. It obviously doesn’t work with Jupiter because there’s obvious surface details in the cloud banding. Good luck to you and clear skies.
Just seeing this video....great tips, but could you please tell me what rings you have mounted on your Mak?
144mm ID Orion Telescope Tube Rings
Item #07374. They fit perfectly. $40 USD. They come with a 1 1/4” camera mount for piggy backing also. I took mine off in the video because I like my finder and Guidescope straight above my weights.
Garnett Leary wow...Thank you so very much!
What do you mean when you say focus off of the moon? How does that help me focus on Jupiter?
I'm missing something for sure.
I have nearly the same gear you do. I'm getting similar results but not quite as crisp as yours.
I'm having a lot of ah ha moments watching your videos.
Thank you.
I mean to say if the Moon is also available you can use the terminator to lock in your focus then slew to Jupiter. The terminating line of the Moon is likely the easiest focus aid. If you’re spot on there then you should be perfect for Jupiter. My friend Ioan Nemes swears by just using the cloud bands on Jupiter. He’s at a much higher elevation than myself. I deal with way too much humidity here to rely on that. Experts like Christopher Go will say use the moons of Jupiter. With an ideal surface exposure setting for Jupiter capture you should just see Io pop into focus and out. If the main moons are not prevalent then your focus is off. Alternatively I have seen folks jump the gain way up and use Batinov masks. I have not tried that approach. The absolute best way is to use Sharpcap focus assistant. Monitor the highest number. That takes time but is very effective. I hope this helped to explain it. If my images appear slightly sharper than yours it’s likely seeing conditions, editing, or a combination of the two. I pay very close attention to collimation and just outright pack it in if the sky is too wobbly. The quality of the barlow you use is huge. Make sure it’s at least a four element design. Clear skies.
I dont have a Telescope but I haven't seen Jupiter lines like that upside down I've always seen them right to left 🤔
Typically people portray it north up. Depending on which type of telescope you use it may be reversed left to right etc. I typically just place it as the mirror or refractor sees it. Fantastic observation tho.
zooming eye piece? very smart, how much was it
I believe I paid $60 USD. That was a while ago.
you have any tips to get better planetary images with a t2i?
Certainly and I’ve been meaning to do this video. Firstly you’re lucky to have the model camera you do. You’ll want to use “Movie Crop Mode”. This will allow you to get 60fps region of interest. Focus well and use the exposure limit rules of each planet and you’re golden.
Oh and if you want to spend a little money Backyard EOS has an excellent planetary mode for DSLR. I believe it’s $20 once or something like that. Definitely worth the investment
"A small telescope" proceeds to show more than 105mm diameter scope
Can I see jupiter with those details with Orion Spaceprobe 2 Reflector 76mm ?
You can’t physically see it this way with any scope unfortunately. Diffraction etc doesn’t allow it and our eyes aren’t very sensitive. Photography brings out the details you see. With a scope you can see the banding on Jupiter and discern its moons. Your scope is perfectly capable of doing that.
@@GarnettLeary yes correct I can see Jupiter and differentiate its moons, but are you telling me that with good photography my scope can provide those derails also ?
Have a look at this article:
skyandtelescope.org/online-gallery/jupiter-with-great-red-spot-shot-with-a-5mp-webcam-in-urban-skies/
@@GarnettLeary Thank youu
inside saturn ring it's actually jupiter...
Three cheers for lower budget astro-imaging.
Thank you and I agree
What is the cost of this?? And from where did you buy??please send me link
What parts?
@@GarnettLeary full telescope
That’s an Orion Apex 127mm Maksutov on 144mm tube rings. It’s mounted on a Meade LX-85. The camera is a ZWO ASI 120MC-S. In total around $2000 USD.
@@GarnettLeary ok thanks😊
If this is small then my telescope doesn't exist.
It probably was a poor choice of words sorry. In the astro community 127mm is considered very modest for solar system objects. There’s a lot of people that will tell you not to go below 250mm. I’m personally into the idea of making the best of what’s available. Lately I’ve been using my Sarblue 60mm more than anything else.
Clicked looking at “small telescope” but it is still bigger than mine. Recognized how small my telescope is. 102mm 😭
I think generally speaking anything under 8” aperture is considered small for planetary. That’s widely accepted as true. It’s unfortunate but aperture is king. I’ve seen amazing photos on Astrobin at 102.
@@GarnettLeary actually I am satisfied with mine. It has been only a month to start astronomy life!
@@parkchulwoong3442 awesome. I hope you stick with it and many clear skies.
@@GarnettLeary clear skies!!
It's not small telescope 🤦
Holy shit this is so beginner unfriendly. You are using so much fancy equipment and bs someone like me who is barely dipping his feet into this wont even begin to understand.
Sorry. I have a similar video with a lot less high end equipment. There’s a lot of information on planetary imaging by a lot of folks. Can I recommend some to you? If so give me an idea of what gear you have. I’d be glad to.