by Craig and Tammy Temple
This was our first image of Saturn taken in LRGB and resampled to 150%. We
managed to capture the data in between clouds. We were not expecting much, given
the conditions, but were pleasantly surprised with the results. We still have
lots to learn and plenty of room for improvement, but are really enjoying
planetary imaging so far.
Saturn is the sixth planet from the sun and the
second largest planet in the Solar System and is classified as a gas giant.
Saturn, Jupiter, Uranus, & Neptune are sometimes referred to as the Jovian
("Jupiter-like) planets. Saturn has a radius that is about nine times larger
than Earth's. It has nine rings, composed of mostly ice with a little rocky
debris and dust, and sixty-two known moons, of which fifty-three are officially
named. Saturn rotates on its axis once every 10 hours, 32 minutes, 35 seconds
and takes 10,579 Earth days (about 29 & 1/2 years) to complete one
revolution around the Sun.
Telescope: Celestron C8 @ f/25
Accessories: TeleVue 2.5x
Powermate; Atik EFW2 filter wheel; Dew control by Dew Buster
Filter(s):
Baader 1.25" LRGB
Mount: Orion Atlas EQ-G controlled by EQMOD performance
tuned by Astrotroniks
Camera: Imaging Source DMK31
Exposure Data:
Luminance: E:1/8s G:647 F:1561; Red & Green: E:1/6s G:748 F:735; Blue:
E:1/5s G:826 F:647
Acquisition: IC Capture.AS (Uncompressed
AVI)
Processing: Registax 6, ImagesPlus v4.0, PSCS5
Capture time: May 8,
2011, 9:30pm CDST
Capture conditions: 72.5°F; calm with scattered clouds
Location: Hendersonville, TN, USA