The Moon: Canon T3i vs. QHY-5L-II-M

I took series of videos of the moon using my Orion ED80 f/7.5 refractor on 4/20/16.  I first took the videos with the Canon T3i controlled with Backyard EOS and then switched to the QHY-5L-II-M Planetary Imager in an effort to see which gave better results.  I processed the images roughly the same through Registax and Photoshop.  The results are as follows:

Canon T3i Images: 

Image 1-Prime Focus 2-in (1/2500s, 400-ISO, 1000 frames)

Image 2 - Prime Focus 2-in BYE 5x (1/2500s, 400-ISO, 1000 frames)

Crator: Plato - center top
Maria; Sea of Rains - center

Image 3 - Prime Focus 1.25-in 3x Barlow (1/640s, 400-ISO, 1000 frames)

Crator: Tycho - center bottom with striations radiating outward

Image 4 - Prime Focus 1.25-in 3x Barlow BYE 5x (1/800s, 400-ISO, 1000 frames)

Crator: Plato - center left

QHY-5L_II_M Images:

Image 1 - Prime Focus 1.25-in (500 frames)

Crators: Copernicus - center, Plato - center right, Grimaldi - top left

Image 2 - Prime Focus 1.25-in 3x Barlow (500 frames)

Image 3 - Prime Focus 1.25-in 3x Barlow (500 frames)

Image 4 - Prime Focus 1.25-in 3x Barlow (500 frames)

Crator: Plato - center 

Both cameras did well and they are close.  However, I think the QHY-5L-II-M gave slightly better results especially with the closeup views.  None of these images were cropped, only the brightness, contrast, exposure was adjusted in Photoshop. The QHY-5L-II-M Image 4 showing the crater Plato was rotated so it matched T3i Image 3.

Image 5 - Prime Focus 1.25-in (1000 frames)

Image 5 was taken on April 16, the night of the ISS Transit through the Orion 80 mm Short Tube refractor.  I had this recording but it shut off right before the transit occurred. Fortunately I got with the Canon T3i mounted on the Orion ED80.  For a comparison of ED80 vs. the ST80 look at Image 1.

The Moon and Jupiter

The moon and Jupiter on the morning of January 28, 2016 from the Seymour High School parking lot. The image is a composite of two images. A long exposure (3 s) to get Jupiter, its moon Ganymede, and some stars and a short (1/500 s) exposure to get detail on the Moon. The images were then combined in Photoshop.

The Moon and Jupiter
Location: Seymour High School, CT
Date/Time: 1/28/16 6:24 am
Camera: Canon EOS Rebel T3i
Mount: Fixed Tripod
Focal Length: 55 mm
f/5.6
Exposure: 3 s Jupiter, 1/500 s Moon
ISO: 400
Post Processing: Photoshop

The Moon and Jupiter
Location: Seymour High School, CT
Date/Time: 1/28/16 6:24 am
Camera: Canon EOS Rebel T3i
Mount: Fixed Tripod
Focal Length: 55 mm
f/5.6
Exposure: 3 s Jupiter, 1/500 s Moon
ISO: 400
Post Processing: Photoshop, Picasa3 - Label

Astronomy Night at Boothe Park

The newly refurbished 16'' f/15 telescope at the Boothe Memorial Astronomical Society (BMAS) Observatory in Boothe Memorial Park is operational (thanks George).  At our regular meeting on Friday November 20, 2015 we finally had a good first light with all the equipment working as planned.  Meetings are open to the public and are from 8:00 - 10:00 pm the 1st and 3rd Friday's of each month.

Below are some images of the moon through the scope that I took and a link to a video survey that Elliott Severn shot.  The images of the Orion Nebula were taken through my Orion ED80.  There was nothing fancy about it I just had few minutes and decided to take a 30 second unguided image.

Link to the video survey by Elliott: video survey

Moon Images

Location: BMAS Observatory, Stratford, CT

Date/Time: 11/20/15 10:53 pm
Camera: Canon EOS Rebel T3i

Telescope: 16 inch Reflector Telescope

Mount: Huge Sturdy Dinosaur (Unk)

Autoguiding: none
Focal Length: 6000mm

f/15

Exposure: 250s 

ISO: 800

Post Processing: none

M42 - Orion Nebula

Location:  BMAS Observatory, Stratford, CT

Date/Time: 11/20/15 10:44 pm
Camera: Canon EOS Rebel T3i

Telescope: Orion ED80 80mm f/7.5 Apochromatic Refractor Telescope

Mount: Orion Sirius EQ-G GoTo Telescope Mount

Autoguiding: none
Focal Length: 600mm

f/7.5

Exposure: 30s 

ISO: 800

Post Processing: PS

Lunar Eclipse Composite

Below is my composite of the Lunar Eclipse from Sunday 9-27-15.  The photos were taken with the Boothe Memorial Astronomy Society at the Observatory in Stratford, CT.  I used Photoshop to combine the images and Picasa3 to label the times.  I am new to Photoshop which is why it took so long to process the images.  Also, the my scope had some dew on the objective lens but they still came out OK.  I was happy to get anything at all.  Next time I will connect the anti-dew heating straps earlier to avoid this problem.

Eclipse

Location: Boothe Memorial Park Observatory, Stratford, CT
Date/Time: 9/27/15 08:43 PM
Camera: Canon EOS Rebel T3i, Backyard EOS

Telescope: Orion ED80 80mm f/7.5 Apochromatic Refractor Telescope

Mount: Orion Sirius EQ-G GoTo Telescope Mount

Autoguiding: None
Focal Length: 600mm

f/7.5

Exposure: 1/400s
ISO: 100

Post Processing: DSS, PS, Picasa3 (crop, label)

Eclipse

Location: Boothe Memorial Park Observatory, Stratford, CT
Date/Time: 9/27/15 09:50 PM
Camera: Canon EOS Rebel T3i, Backyard EOS

Telescope: Orion ED80 80mm f/7.5 Apochromatic Refractor Telescope

Mount: Orion Sirius EQ-G GoTo Telescope Mount

Autoguiding: None
Focal Length: 600mm

f/7.5

Exposure: 1/60s
ISO: 200

Post Processing: DSS, PS, Picasa3 (crop, label)

Eclipse

Location: Boothe Memorial Park Observatory, Stratford, CT
Date/Time: 9/27/15 10:41 PM
Camera: Canon EOS Rebel T3i, Backyard EOS

Telescope: Orion ED80 80mm f/7.5 Apochromatic Refractor Telescope

Mount: Orion Sirius EQ-G GoTo Telescope Mount

Autoguiding: None
Focal Length: 600mm

f/7.5

Exposure: 2s
ISO: 1600

Post Processing: DSS, PS, Picasa3 (crop, label)

Eclipse

Location: Boothe Memorial Park Observatory, Stratford, CT
Date/Time: 9/27/15 11:03 PM
Camera: Canon EOS Rebel T3i, Backyard EOS

Telescope: Orion ED80 80mm f/7.5 Apochromatic Refractor Telescope

Mount: Orion Sirius EQ-G GoTo Telescope Mount

Autoguiding: None
Focal Length: 600mm

f/7.5

Exposure: 2s
ISO: 1600

Post Processing: DSS, PS, Picasa3 (crop, label)

Eclipse

Location: Boothe Memorial Park Observatory, Stratford, CT
Date/Time: 9/27/15 11:27 PM
Camera: Canon EOS Rebel T3i, Backyard EOS

Telescope: Orion ED80 80mm f/7.5 Apochromatic Refractor Telescope

Mount: Orion Sirius EQ-G GoTo Telescope Mount

Autoguiding: None
Focal Length: 600mm

f/7.5

Exposure: 1.6s
ISO: 1600

Post Processing: DSS, PS, Picasa3 (crop, label)

Eclipse

Location: Boothe Memorial Park Observatory, Stratford, CT
Date/Time: 9/27/15 11:51 PM
Camera: Canon EOS Rebel T3i, Backyard EOS

Telescope: Orion ED80 80mm f/7.5 Apochromatic Refractor Telescope

Mount: Orion Sirius EQ-G GoTo Telescope Mount

Autoguiding: None
Focal Length: 600mm

f/7.5

Exposure: 1/160s
ISO: 400

Post Processing: DSS, PS, Picasa3 (crop, label)

Prelude to the Lunar Eclipse

See this object turn color during the Eclipse on September 27th with Boothe Memorial Astronomical Society at Boothe Memorial Park in Stratford.

Enjoy an evening viewing an eclipse and other astronomical objects.SEPTEMBER 27, 2015 8:00-11:00 pm 

This event also marks “First Light” of our newly redesigned 16” telescope.  
The scope has too much magnification to enjoy an eclipse, but we'll have other scopes on the field for the eclipse and other astronomical objects.

Directions:

The Boothe Memorial Astronomical Society (BMAS) Observatory is in Boothe Memorial Park at 5800 Main St, Stratford, CT.  Our building is located on the hill between the RR museum and the cemetery.

From Merritt Parkway, use Exit 53. Proceed south on Route 110 to Main St. Putney which branches off to the right. Ride south on Main St. Putney six-tenths of a mile to the park.

NOTE: Bathrooms not available.

Image Details:

The Moon

Location: Monroe, CT
Date/Time: 9/20/15 20:20
Camera: Canon EOS Rebel T3i (Controlled by Backyard EOS)

Telescope: Orion ED80 80mm f/7.5 Apochromatic Refractor Telescope

Mount: Explore Scientific Twilight 1 altazimuth mount

Autoguiding: None
Focal Length: 600mm

f/7.5

Exposure: 1/160s
ISO: 100

Post Processing: PS (crop)

The Waxing Crescent Moon

The Waxing Crescent Moon (19.17%) from my front lawn.

9/17/2015 19:51am
Nikon D3000
VR 70-300mm
300mm
ISO 200
1/100s
F/5.6

9/17/2015 19:52am
Nikon D3000
VR 70-300mm
300mm
ISO 200
1/30s
F/5.6

Good Night After All

The start of the observing session (Part One) with Boothe Memorial Astronomy Society on Friday (6/19/15) evening.  The crescent moon is not completely dark because of the phenomena of earthshine, light reflected from earth on to the moon.

Moon, Venus, and Jupiter

Location: Boothe Memorial Observatory, Stratford, CT
Date/Time: 6/19/15 21:22 PM
Camera: Canon EOS Rebel T3i

Telescope/Lens: 18-55 mm IS II

Mount: Fixed Tripod

Autoguiding: None

Focal Length: 47.0 mm

f/5.6

Exposure: 2s
ISO: 200

Post Processing: None

Moon, Venus, and Jupiter

Location: Boothe Memorial Observatory, Stratford, CT
Date/Time: 6/19/15 21:22 PM
Camera: Canon EOS Rebel T3i

Telescope/Lens: 18-55 mm IS II

Mount: Fixed Tripod

Autoguiding: None

Focal Length: 47.0 mm

f/5.6

Exposure: 2s
ISO: 200

Post Processing: Picasa3 - labelling

Moon, Venus, and Jupiter

Location: Boothe Memorial Observatory, Stratford, CT
Date/Time: 6/19/15 21:35 PM
Camera: Canon EOS Rebel T3i

Telescope/Lens: 18-55 mm IS II

Mount: Fixed Tripod

Autoguiding: None

Focal Length: 40.0 mm

f/5.6

Exposure: 10s
ISO: 200

Post Processing: None

Moon, Venus, and Jupiter

Location: Boothe Memorial Observatory, Stratford, CT
Date/Time: 6/19/15 21:35 PM
Camera: Canon EOS Rebel T3i

Telescope/Lens: 18-55 mm IS II

Mount: Fixed Tripod

Autoguiding: None

Focal Length: 40.0 mm

f/5.6

Exposure: 10s
ISO: 200

Post Processing: Picasa3 - labelling

Moon, Venus, and Jupiter

Location: Boothe Memorial Observatory, Stratford, CT
Date/Time: 6/19/15 21:51 PM
Camera: Canon EOS Rebel T3i

Telescope/Lens: 18-55 mm IS II

Mount: Fixed Tripod

Autoguiding: None

Focal Length: 34.0 mm

f/5.6

Exposure: 6s
ISO: 200

Post Processing: None

Saturday Night with the Stars

Went stargazing with the Boothe Memorial Astronomy Society open observation on Friday and saw some great views of Venus and Jupiter.  Unfortunately we were invaded by some clouds.  I went out again on Saturday alone with a more cooperative sky.

Venus, Jupiter, and Regulus in alignment 

Location: Open Field, Monroe, CT
Date/Time: 6/6/15 21:38 PM
Camera: Canon EOS Rebel T3i

Telescope/Lens: 18-55 mm IS II

Mount: Fixed Tripod

Autoguiding: None

Focal Length: 18.0 mm

f/7.1

Exposure: 20s
ISO: 1600

Post Processing: Photoshop (Crop Image, Set Black Point)

Venus, Jupiter, and Regulus in alignment 

Location: Open Field, Monroe, CT
Date/Time: 6/6/15 21:38 PM
Camera: Canon EOS Rebel T3i

Telescope/Lens: 18-55 mm IS II

Mount: Fixed Tripod

Autoguiding: None

Focal Length: 18.0 mm

f/7.1

Exposure: 20s
ISO: 1600

Post Processing: Photoshop (Crop Image, Set Black Point), Photo Editor App

Waning Gibbous Moon 

Location: Open Field, Monroe, CT
Date/Time: 6/7/15 12:51 AM
Camera: Canon EOS Rebel T3i

Telescope/Lens: ED80 80mm f/7.5 Apochromatic Refractor Telescope

Mount: Orion Sirius EQ-G GoTo Telescope Mount

Autoguiding: None

Focal Length:  600mm (Scope)

f/7.5 (Scope)

Exposure: 1/40s
ISO: 100

Post Processing: Photoshop (Crop Image)

Saturn 

Location: Open Field, Monroe, CT
Date/Time: 6/6/15 23:27 PM
Camera: Canon EOS Rebel T3i

Telescope/Lens: ED80 80mm f/7.5 Apochromatic Refractor Telescope

Mount: Orion Sirius EQ-G GoTo Telescope Mount

Autoguiding: None

Focal Length:  600mm (Scope)

f/7.5 (Scope)

Exposure: 1/8s
ISO: 400

Post Processing: Photoshop (Crop Image, Adjust Contrast/Brightness)

Alignment of Venus, Jupiter, and the Moon.

Venus and Jupiter hiding behind the trees but I still got them in alignment with the moon... 

Moon, Jupiter, and Venus

Location: Front Lawn, Monroe, CT
Date/Time: 5/25/15 20:49 PM
Camera: Canon EOS Rebel T3i

Telescope/Lens: 18-55 mm IS II

Mount: Fixed Tripod

Autoguiding: None

Focal Length: 23 mm

f/5.6

Exposure: 1s
ISO: 200

Post Processing: ViewNX (Resize Image)