Helicon's First Ever Astrophoto: Subject the Moon

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Helicon's First Ever Astrophoto: Subject the Moon

#1

Post by helicon »


I snapped this last night at 10:07 PM Pacific utilizing my Z10 at 40x coupled with a Google Pixel XL Phone held over the path of light from the eyepiece, hence a poor man's version of eyepiece projection. It was a dewy night so there was a slight bit of condensation on the eyepiece glass, considering the moon was full and not very detailed here is the pic. (Well, at least you can tell it's the moon)
moon_image.jpg
-Michael
Refractors: ES AR152 f/6.5 Achromat on Twilight II, Celestron 102mm XLT f/9.8 on Celestron Heavy Duty Alt Az mount, KOWA 90mm spotting scope
Binoculars: Celestron SkyMaster 15x70, Bushnell 10x50
Eyepieces: Various, GSO Superview, 9mm Plossl, Celestron 25mm Plossl
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Re: Helicon's First Ever Astrophoto: Subject the Moon

#2

Post by UlteriorModem »


Pretty cool! Yea you can see the condensation!

And so it begins :D
Tom

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Re: Helicon's First Ever Astrophoto: Subject the Moon

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Post by jerrysykes »


Looks good, Michael. Way better than the first picture I tried years ago.

Welcome to the dark side.
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Re: Helicon's First Ever Astrophoto: Subject the Moon

#4

Post by helicon »


Thank You...it is a humble effort to be sure but hopefully I will improve, currently evaluating what gear to get as I transition into AP.
-Michael
Refractors: ES AR152 f/6.5 Achromat on Twilight II, Celestron 102mm XLT f/9.8 on Celestron Heavy Duty Alt Az mount, KOWA 90mm spotting scope
Binoculars: Celestron SkyMaster 15x70, Bushnell 10x50
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Re: Helicon's First Ever Astrophoto: Subject the Moon

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Post by Thefatkitty »


Nicely done Michael! A full Moon is always a challenge (at least for me), especially afocal. I think ya done good :D

The dark side seems to get us all, one way or another... ;)

All the best,
Mark

"The Hankmeister" Celestron 8SE, orange tube Vixen made C80, CG4 & AZ-EQ5 mounts.
Too much Towa glass/mirrors.

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Re: Helicon's First Ever Astrophoto: Subject the Moon

#6

Post by UlteriorModem »


helicon wrote: Sat Feb 08, 2020 4:56 pm Thank You...it is a humble effort to be sure but hopefully I will improve, currently evaluating what gear to get as I transition into AP.
Put your money where your mount is :D
Tom

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Re: Helicon's First Ever Astrophoto: Subject the Moon

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Post by notFritzArgelander »


helicon wrote: Sat Feb 08, 2020 4:56 pm Thank You...it is a humble effort to be sure but hopefully I will improve, currently evaluating what gear to get as I transition into AP.
Nice.

While UlteriorModem is correct about "put your money where the mount is" I'm considering putting a nearly pristine, barely used Canon 60Da kit on the market.
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Re: Helicon's First Ever Astrophoto: Subject the Moon

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Post by Mac »


And so it begins. Keep track of your coins now...
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Re: Helicon's First Ever Astrophoto: Subject the Moon

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Post by JimMinCT »


Nice Evil Orb, Michael...
Be careful..... That first step is a doooooozy! :)
Looking forward to your complete transformation to the dark side like Bryan. (The forum software wants to change the "like" before Bryan, to "Luke".... ) :D :D
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Re: Helicon's First Ever Astrophoto: Subject the Moon

#10

Post by Don Quixote »


Without reference to any rabbit holes, I say you have captured a beautiful image Michael.
Rich man or poor man notwithstanding. 👍
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Re: Helicon's First Ever Astrophoto: Subject the Moon

#11

Post by Ylem »


Kinda cool looking, very surreal :)
Clear Skies,
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Re: Helicon's First Ever Astrophoto: Subject the Moon

#12

Post by Makuser »


Hi Michael. A very nice afocal image of the moon with your Google Pixel XL Phone. This is a very good first astrophoto, and any capture that you can post is great work!
Thanks for sharing this with us on here Michael, and now on to your next astrophotography adventure. :clap:
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Re: Helicon's First Ever Astrophoto: Subject the Moon

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Post by Juno16 »


helicon wrote: Sat Feb 08, 2020 3:16 pm I snapped this last night at 10:07 PM Pacific utilizing my Z10 at 40x coupled with a Google Pixel XL Phone held over the path of light from the eyepiece, hence a poor man's version of eyepiece projection. It was a dewy night so there was a slight bit of condensation on the eyepiece glass, considering the moon was full and not very detailed here is the pic. (Well, at least you can tell it's the moon)

moon_image.jpg
Really nice job Michael!

Despite the condensation, your image looks really good! Maybe a little less exposure might bring out more detail.

It is really fun "capturing" stuff!
Jim

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Re: Helicon's First Ever Astrophoto: Subject the Moon

#14

Post by helicon »


I'll try again tonight and see if I can do any better...
-Michael
Refractors: ES AR152 f/6.5 Achromat on Twilight II, Celestron 102mm XLT f/9.8 on Celestron Heavy Duty Alt Az mount, KOWA 90mm spotting scope
Binoculars: Celestron SkyMaster 15x70, Bushnell 10x50
Eyepieces: Various, GSO Superview, 9mm Plossl, Celestron 25mm Plossl
Camera: ZWO ASI 120
Naked Eye: Two Eyeballs
Latitude: 48.7229° N
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Re: Helicon's First Ever Astrophoto: Subject the Moon

#15

Post by helicon »


Hi folks. I decided to play around with another of the photos I took which I think offers more detail. I expanded and cropped the image a bit.
moon_image2.jpg
-Michael
Refractors: ES AR152 f/6.5 Achromat on Twilight II, Celestron 102mm XLT f/9.8 on Celestron Heavy Duty Alt Az mount, KOWA 90mm spotting scope
Binoculars: Celestron SkyMaster 15x70, Bushnell 10x50
Eyepieces: Various, GSO Superview, 9mm Plossl, Celestron 25mm Plossl
Camera: ZWO ASI 120
Naked Eye: Two Eyeballs
Latitude: 48.7229° N
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Re: Helicon's First Ever Astrophoto: Subject the Moon

#16

Post by UlteriorModem »


Not bad. It's a little cooked. I don't know if you can adjust the iso on that camera or not but if you can might want to back it off a little :D
Tom

Current Equipment:
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Re: Helicon's First Ever Astrophoto: Subject the Moon

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Post by helicon »


Yeah Tom. I've been spending some time this afternoon googling about Pixels and AP. Apparently the Pixel 3 has a low-light level AP mode you can turn on. Can't find anything for the Pixel 1 (which I have) but I am trying to see if I can reduce exposure time slightly to avoid the image washout.
-Michael
Refractors: ES AR152 f/6.5 Achromat on Twilight II, Celestron 102mm XLT f/9.8 on Celestron Heavy Duty Alt Az mount, KOWA 90mm spotting scope
Binoculars: Celestron SkyMaster 15x70, Bushnell 10x50
Eyepieces: Various, GSO Superview, 9mm Plossl, Celestron 25mm Plossl
Camera: ZWO ASI 120
Naked Eye: Two Eyeballs
Latitude: 48.7229° N
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Re: Helicon's First Ever Astrophoto: Subject the Moon

#18

Post by Thefatkitty »


Just a thought Michael, I used to use a digital point and shoot for afocal with good results. If you happen to have one laying about it might be the way to go...
Mark

"The Hankmeister" Celestron 8SE, orange tube Vixen made C80, CG4 & AZ-EQ5 mounts.
Too much Towa glass/mirrors.

H/A - PST stage 2 mod with a Baader 90mm ERF on a Celestron XLT 102 (thanks Mike!)
Ca-K - W/O 61mm, Antares 1.6 barlow, Baader 3.8 OD and Ca-K filters with a ZWO ASI174mm.
W/L - C80-HD with Baader 5.0 & 3.8 Solar film, Solar Continuum 7.5nm and UV/IR filters with a Canon EOS 550D.

Oh yeah, and Solar Cycle 25 :D
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Re: Helicon's First Ever Astrophoto: Subject the Moon

#19

Post by Bigzmey »


Cool shot Michael!
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Re: Helicon's First Ever Astrophoto: Subject the Moon

#20

Post by SkyHiker »


helicon wrote: Sat Feb 08, 2020 10:39 pm Yeah Tom. I've been spending some time this afternoon googling about Pixels and AP. Apparently the Pixel 3 has a low-light level AP mode you can turn on. Can't find anything for the Pixel 1 (which I have) but I am trying to see if I can reduce exposure time slightly to avoid the image washout.
Pixel 3? Those cameras have their limitations. I recommend getting an equatorial motorized tracking mount then let's talk about pixels. Welcome to the club!
Last edited by SkyHiker on Sun Feb 09, 2020 12:35 am, edited 1 time in total.
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