by Craig and Tammy Temple
This was our first image of Saturn taken in LRGB. We managed to capture the data inbetween 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