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Mars Pre-Opposition Shot and Imaging Rig

Discussion in 'Astrophotography and Imaging' started by Orion25, Nov 19, 2022.

Mars Pre-Opposition Shot and Imaging Rig

Started by Orion25 on Nov 19, 2022 at 6:43 PM

12 Replies 575 Views 3 Likes

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  1. Orion25

    Orion25 Well-Known Member

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    Here is my latest Mars image using the 180 Mak and ASI224mc. I'm pretty "chuffed" as my British friends say! I also included shots of my imaging rig (I tried to get creative):

    ASTRONOMY - MARS 11-18-22 A.jpg

    ASTRONOMY - TELESCOPE IMAGING WITH BIG MAK 11-18-22 A 001 BEST SM.jpg

    ASTRONOMY - TELESCOPE IMAGING WITH BIG MAK 11-18-22 A 006 BEST SM.jpg

    ASTRONOMY - TELESCOPE IMAGING WITH BIG MAK 11-18-22 A 007 BEST SM.jpg
    Mars is at the top of the picture. Orion is rising on the right.
    ASTRONOMY - TELESCOPE IMAGING WITH BIG MAK 11-18-22 A 013 BEST SM.jpg
    Can you see Orion in this one?
    ASTRONOMY - TELESCOPE IMAGING WITH BIG MAK 11-18-22 A 017 BEST SM.jpg

    BTW, I've been listening to lots of music by The Jam lately. They were a really rockin' band. Versatile, too. I would post a video but, well...you know ;)
     
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  2. Ed D

    Ed D Well-Known Member

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    Wow, thank you for posting ALL of your great images. BTW, Orion jumped out at me, couldn't miss it.

    Very nice imaging setup, Reggie. Are you using an extension or a Barlow in your imaging train? If a Barlow, what power? And, if a Barlow, does it have T-2 threads for screwing directly into the camera housing?

    Ed
     
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  3. Orion25

    Orion25 Well-Known Member

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    Thanks, Ed, I didn't use a barlow for that particular image but when I do I use the Celestron #93640 2x barlow/T-adapter for 1.25". It's of excellent quality; I highly recommend it:

    Celestron Barlow T-Adapter 93640.jpg
     
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  4. Mak the Night

    Mak the Night Well-Known Member

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    I'm impressed Reggie. You should be double chuffed with that Mars shot. I'm equally impressed with your set-up. Most excellent.

    The Jam were huge in the UK in the 1980's, until Weller (aka The Modfather) left the band. Their first real hit was 'Eton Rifles' about a conflict on a Right to Work march. Weller actually witnessed the demo (he probably took part). Their biggest hit was 'Going Underground', allegedly another comment on Thatcherism. Check out The Style Council which was Weller's other band.
     
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  5. Orion25

    Orion25 Well-Known Member

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    Thanks, Dave. I'm familiar with Style Council as they were more well-known in the States. They were pretty cool, too. I like the punkiness and rawness of The Jam better though, particularly live. I'm going to get the DVD " The Jam - 1977-1982 The Complete Jam On Film" which has the Newcastle City Hall show from 1981. They were on FIRE in that show!
     
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  6. Mak the Night

    Mak the Night Well-Known Member

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    You're welcome. They sound like great CD/DVD's. The Jam sold so many records in the early 80's that it actually changed the way the charts were calculated. 'Just Who is the 5 o'clock Hero' went straight to number one in the UK. It was never officially released in Britain and it got into the charts as a Dutch import. I liked The Style Council, but they were never The Jam. After The Jam split Rick Buckler (drummer) never spoke to Weller again. Bruce Foxton (guitar, lead vocals on many tracks) joined Stiff Little Fingers. For a while he was in a band with Buckler called From the Jam. Both Buckler and Foxton claim that they were never really credited with contributing to the enormous success they had as The Jam. They also claim Weller took a lot of the credit that wasn't due to him. Weller, as usual, said nothing about it.
     
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  7. Nebula

    Nebula Well-Known Member

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    Holy moly! that is a terrific shot of mars. Shaaaa it's FILLED with features!!! Wow @Orion25 you must be proud of that one right? :)

    I like your setup also, it's a cool setup, glad to see that I am not the only one on earth using the Straight Through classic finder.

    Obviously competent photo equipment and simple, you don't have 50 wires and it probably don't take 2 hours to install. it makes me happy, seeing your picture and your gear.

    Glad to see that you are using this mount which looks similar to a EQ5, ultimate evidences that it's possible to take very good pics with that type of mount.
     
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  8. Nebula

    Nebula Well-Known Member

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    I have the Style Coucil album "The style Council collection" Listening to it right now.
     
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  9. Orion25

    Orion25 Well-Known Member

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    You absolutely MUST check out The Jam, Paul Weller's band before The Style Council, if you haven't already :)
     
    Last edited: Nov 26, 2022
  10. Orion25

    Orion25 Well-Known Member

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    Thanks, Neb. I am chuffed (very pleased)! LOL! I like the old-school classic finders. The mount is the Orion Skyview Pro which is the U.S. version of the Skywatcher EQ5. Yep, it's a quick and dirty setup; the longest part about it is the cool down time which isn't too bad at the moment. The mount is about 16 kg with counterweights and can hold about 9kg. The scope (180mm Mak) is about 7kg so it's a perfect fit. The ZWO ASI224mc is a great little space camera at a good price point around $200 U.S. dollars and works great with my setup.
     
    Last edited: Nov 26, 2022
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  11. Nebula

    Nebula Well-Known Member

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    @Orion25 How much time do you need to cool this one down, the 180 Mak, when it's very cold in your region?

    Check this out, I almost have my own photo setup, I have my 6" which it's 5.53kg total with the rings, the finder and no camera, I've got the EQ5 with the RA drive and the laptop.

    I didn't even think about astrophoto when I bought the laptop 3 weeks ago!! All that is missing is a ASI224MC color camera, I am not far away from being forced into it :eek: :p

    You clearly convinced me that it's a great little camera, light weight and with only 1 wire.

    [​IMG]
     
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  12. Nebula

    Nebula Well-Known Member

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    @Orion25 I will check Paul Weller's band, thanks for the suggestion. I listened to the whole Style Council Greatest hits, and now I am listening to Hall & Oates - The Singles.

    Another very good album.
     
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  13. Orion25

    Orion25 Well-Known Member

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    Nice kit!

    I give it about an hour on chilly nights; I need to get a dew shield for it as I have for my 127mm Mak. The coldest it gets here is about -6 Celsius but I don't usually get out on those nights unless it's a special event. And yes, yes, yes, consider the ASI224mc (or maybe the version that has a fan to cool itself to reduce noise, a little bit more but well worth it if you can afford it)! Download the latest version of Firecapture software to run the camera and choose a post-processing program to refine your images like Registax for instance, but there are others. I use Registax 6 (it's not the latest version though). Let us all know what you decide! Best wishes! :D
     

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