Hankmeister3 wrote: ↑Sat Oct 26, 2019 4:25 pm
Excellent Jupiter capture, Tareq.
Pursuit of perfection or excellence is what makes us all better at what we do. But don't let that pursuit rob you of the joy and sense of accomplishment that you should have for doing something that 99.99% of the people on planet Earth haven't done or can't do! AP itself isn't a competition, it's a work of joy and wonderment. BTW, there's no such thing as perfection in this terrestrial realm anyway so approach this wonderful hobby with that in mind.
I'm really blown away by the lunar and Jupiter images you've already posted here. Relax and enjoy the works of your hands because you're already top-tier when it comes to amateur AP. And remember there's a whole 'nother world of visual astronomy (in which I admit to being very deficit in myself) which is just as cool, important and satisfying as AP.
To play off your title for this Jupiter image, Tareq … "It's good to be King!" (That was a line from Mel Brooks' "History of the World, Part 1). Heh!
I don't know what is your name, is it Hank maybe?
Let me say that, i am enjoying
AP as much as i keep doing it, it is just sometimes with all of what i do in the past in photography wasn't much appreciated or let's say it always get lost because there are others always showing off with equipment and techniques and results, when i came here to Astronomy it was also the top high level/quality results what drove me into it, so i wanted to be also recognized or well appreciated of my work rather than i post so so many ok not bad results and few likes or comments and others are keep reaching out of world levels, and i still remember by end of 2017 and beginning of 2018 because i was so excited i kept asking so so many questions in Facebook groups that led some or maybe many to be annoyed by me, and they keep telling me to stop asking and just go out and do imaging and show them what i can do, i wasn't in rush that time, and i wasn't relying on so long time trials errors to learn from it, i know i have to do that no matter what because i started, but i want to get stuff and things right from beginning so i don't waste time on trial and errors, and i tried to benefit from others experiences, but sounds they didn't care about my approach or thinking so that built kind of anger and revenge inside me that i will show people and the world that i am capable of doing great myself, if i will have the right tools, and it boils me more when i see few persons such as big names of planetary imagers to be called as masters of planetary or even GODS of imaging and such i was thinking what is special about them, they just use high quality tools under great seeing conditions, so it is not something impossible, and thus i felt like i don't want to be left behind, i didn't want to spend 4-6 years just to find out that i almost started to have results, i wanted to shorten it with all that anger inside me and like a challenge for me, but then i found out that i just should calm down and do it for me and enjoy it but at the same time i push myself also, i know you can't understand, but my joy is when i get successful top quality images, it means i did right, rather than i keep calm and relax and enjoy it for 20 years and i didn't get anywhere.
For planetary i still don't like my results from my Mak, at first when i started first nights i thought any result i will be happy with, but to my surprise for several nights i was able to produce really nice images that as you said many couldn't produce even for years of imaging, that alone told me that if i have all the conditions here helping me to reach higher level then why not, so i started to compare my planets results to those larger scopes such as 12" or 14" or even 16"
Dob, and i always see my results as rubbish compared to them, and i looked at ALL 180mm Mak results of planets on the net by others, i didn't see any did any better than me anyway, few are really nice and i am in same level, but none of us really reached those larger scopes than 10" results, so that made me always feeling that my Mak isn't reaching my skills or it is not the goal i want to use forever, it did its job to its limit, then it is time if i want to go really much higher, it is no question about it, equipment do matters to a point really, and so is the skills, i kept pushing my Mak too much many times to reach that larger scopes level which helps, but it stopped at some points and can't do more, so either i accept it as it is and never look at higher images quality, or i also upgrade when i can, and again, my improvement with results is the fun or joy itself, and if you don't know i already started to order 20" Dobsonian that i want to use it for visual mainly but also for planetary imaging later once it is done and i can add
EQ platform, so until that is done in future i am still playing with my 7" Mak and 8" Newt, i think playing with them for 2-3 years is enough, many think i am rushing, actually they rush themselves as well, so it is not fair i have to wait very long years to upgrade something, and i will not get rid of them anyway, a Mak is still a lunar killer scope, and that 8" Newt was ordered mainly for
DSO imaging not planetary, but i will try it for both anyway until i get larger scopes such as upcoming 20" or maybe 12" next year.
Sorry for my long posts, if you watched me on AF when i started you will see why i keep pushing myself, i am enjoying for sure but people don't see it, but also my life sucks lately since 2 years, so astronomy [visual or imaging] isn't always the only thing i want to do, and i am in a group from Whatsapp that i see they go to desert dark skies so they always bring nice data and results, they always asking me to join to learn and enjoy, but i can't drive far for some reasons, and there is one person among them he doesn't go with them usually as i can see but he is always a show off guy with equipment, he bought C11 and C14 together maybe last year i think and he is already wanted to sell his C11 and already ordered a larger scope as 18", and his results of planets are amazing, so i felt like why people doesn't care about what he is buying or doing and when it comes to me they told me not to rush, so why he can buy that 11" and 14" or even 1 meter scopes but me i have to keep using my 7"? But i have to follow my heart or gut in that, maybe many don't know about me or my skills so they don't trust what i can do with newer larger more expensive gear, and it is kinda of jealousy here from me also, i don't think you believe i will watch you buying 5" or 6" refractor and 14" reflector and 16"
RC and i just watch and wait, and i shouldn't always look at those who are doing great with cheap affordable gear as well, it is not working that way, why don't you see cheap crap cars in racing cars then, because tools are tools, some can afford and some can't, and with all that i will keep buying stuff as i can and also i keep do imaging or visual, i don't like to be limited to anything really, many told me don't buy 16" or 26" scope because of poor seeing, HELL why i care, i will use even 10 meter scope under poor seeing if i want to, it is not about results always which is important, but also the joy of using something as high end in the hand.
Thanks!
Telescope: SkyWatcher: Skymax 180mm F15 Mak, StarTravel 80mm f/5 ---- Meade LX70 8" F5 Newt
Mount: SkyWatcher AZ-EQ6 GoTo
Cameras: QHY163M, QHY5L-II-M, ZWO [ASI174MM, ASI290MM, ASI385MC, ASI120MC(damaged)], Sony A7r + Canon DSLRs + lenses [Hasselbald, Canon, Sony, Sigma, Samyang], Hasselbald H4D-60
Filters: Astrodon Ha 5nm, Cyclops Optics LUX-Series RGB, Optolong NB, Baader filters [M&S Neodymium, Contrast Booster], Skywatcher UHC & OIII
Software: SGPro, PixInsight, APP, APT, DeepSkyStacker, Nebulosity, SharpCap, FireCapture, PHD2, CDC, Photoshop CC