The 'B' side views of Jupiter and Mars
Posted: Sun Feb 09, 2025 3:11 pm
Final? installment of an enjoyable journey to get to grips with planetary imaging via Sharpcap. New learning was that - as calibrated for my particular set up - it is only really worth capturing snapshots of the stack or .ser files when the contrast score is above 5. Short ~ 5 min windows of better seeing only coincided with 'B side' but nevertheless interesting views of the two planets (i.e. Jupiter GRS and Mars Syrtis Major not being visible).
Set up was again a VX12 300 mm Newtonian F 4 on a CEM70 mount with a ZWO ASI 715 MC camera (which has tiny 1.45 uM pixels), Baader UV/IR cut off filter and including a 2X Barlow in the light train. The image scale was therefore 0.125 arcsec/ pixel giving a sampling of > 3X versus a Dawes limit of ~ 0.4 arcsec
PHD2 guiding with an f = 400mm and ASI 120 MM camera was used to minimise background drift
The ROI was set to 640 x 480 pixels within Sharpcap at gains 110-170 (adjusted according to SC text warnings of under or overexposure) using fast mode at RAW 8 with the ADC set at 10 bit depth to maximise FPS.
The two planets were tracked using the Sharpcap ROI as well as feature/ multipoint alignment option (was this really the best choice?) - within the live-stacking menu and - whenever the quality contrast of the continuously updating stack exceeded a score of 5 - with snap shots taken at stack sizes (700 to 1500) of the best quality 50-80% over 35-55s (Jupiter) or 60-75s (Mars). At the same time .ser files of a similar duration were captured either manually or using the auto-time travel option in the livestack menu.
This resulted in a set of images at defined times (using the mid-times for the ser files which were post processed in Sharpcap) which were derotated and stacked in Winjupos, slightly sharpened in Registax and then adjusted for colour and contrast in Affinity Photo.
I was very impressed with the power of these techniques to achieve high resolution under briefly good conditions. Considering that the martian disc was only 13 arcsec across (05/02/25) I think that there are at least hints of details down to a resolution of not much above half an arcsec and close to the theoretical limit -- that do seem to correspond to real features on maps and in images from bigger telescopes. Even perhaps Olympus Mons surrounds. However there is a 'ring' artifact near the disc edge and the sharpening may have been overdone
I have also appended some typical data information files with the pictures since these best define the actual parameters and Sharpcap settings for ser capture and livestacking --and - of course -more than likely I have have misused or not properly understood the impact of all of the settings and so would be grateful for any comment.
----------------------------------------------------
Jupiter .SER file capture. 05/02/25
[ZWO ASI715MC]
CameraSerialNumber=1D1D0C0B16020900
FrameType=Light
Debayer Preview=On
Pan=1806
Tilt=1104
Output Format=SER file (*.ser)(Auto)
Binning=1
Capture Area=640x480
Colour Space=RAW8
Exposure/Gain Shift=0
Temperature=12.5
Hardware Binning=Off
High Speed Mode=On
Turbo USB=80(Auto)
Flip=None
Frame Rate Limit=Maximum
Gain=162
Exposure=28.0150ms
Timestamp Frames=Off
White Bal (B)=75
White Bal (R)=55
Brightness=15
Auto Exp Max Gain=300
Auto Exp Max Exp MS=30000
Auto Exp Target Brightness=100
Mono Bin=Off
CA Reduction/Synthetic Blue=Off
Mask over exposed pixels=Off
Flip (after dark/flat)=None
Trail Width=3
Minimum Trail Length=100
Trail Detection Sensitivity=9
Remove Satellite Trails=Off
Background Subtraction=Off
Planet/Disk Stabilization=Off
Banding Threshold=10
Banding Suppression=0
Apply Flat=None
Dark Scaling (Experimental)=Off
Hot Pixel Sensitivity=5
Subtract Dark=None
DisplayStretchEnable=1
NegativeDisplay=0
Display Black Point=0.003460207612456547
Display MidTone Point=0.4973552862274413
Display White Point=1
Notes=
PegasusAstro Focuser 1=83425
Focuser Temperature=3.25
iOptron CEM120,70,40,26, GEM, HEM, HAE, HAZ series and SkyHunter Mount=RA=04:39:17.0,Dec=+21:41:00 (JNOW)
TimeStamp=2025-02-05T21:53:23.2261000Z
SharpCapVersion=4.1.13043.0
StartCapture=2025-02-05T21:53:23.1951506Z
MidCapture=2025-02-05T21:53:40.7252949Z
EndCapture=2025-02-05T21:53:58.2554392Z
JDStartCapture=2460712.412074
JDMidCapture=2460712.412277
JDEndCapture=2460712.412480
Duration=35.060s
FrameCount=1241
ActualFrameRate=35.3962fps
TimeZone=+0.00
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Jupiter LIVEstack settings
[ZWO ASI715MC]
CameraSerialNumber=1D1D0C0B16020900
FrameType=Light
Debayer Preview=On
Pan=1808
Tilt=1110
Output Format=SER file (*.ser)(Auto)
Binning=1
Capture Area=640x480
Colour Space=RAW8
Exposure/Gain Shift=0
Temperature=12.5
Hardware Binning=Off
High Speed Mode=On
Turbo USB=80(Auto)
Flip=None
Frame Rate Limit=Maximum
Gain=162
Exposure=28.0150ms
Timestamp Frames=Off
White Bal (B)=75
White Bal (R)=55
Brightness=15
Auto Exp Max Gain=300
Auto Exp Max Exp MS=30000
Auto Exp Target Brightness=100
Mono Bin=Off
CA Reduction/Synthetic Blue=Off
Mask over exposed pixels=Off
Flip (after dark/flat)=None
Trail Width=3
Minimum Trail Length=100
Trail Detection Sensitivity=9
Remove Satellite Trails=Off
Background Subtraction=Off
Planet/Disk Stabilization=Off
Banding Threshold=10
Banding Suppression=0
Apply Flat=None
Dark Scaling (Experimental)=Off
Hot Pixel Sensitivity=5
Subtract Dark=None
DisplayStretchEnable=1
NegativeDisplay=0
Display Black Point=0.003460207612456547
Display MidTone Point=0.4973552862274413
Display White Point=1
Notes=
PegasusAstro Focuser 1=83425
Focuser Temperature=3.25
iOptron CEM120,70,40,26, GEM, HEM, HAE, HAZ series and SkyHunter Mount=RA=04:39:16.8,Dec=+21:40:56 (JNOW)
TimeStamp=2025-02-05T21:52:36.7560001Z
SharpCapVersion=4.1.13043.0
Level 1=73.786
Level 2=22.302
Level 3=4.455
Level 4=1.000
Fine=0.000
Saturation=2.552
Red=1.033
Blue=1.135
Green=0.869
Brightness=1.223
Denoise=0.000
Gamma=1.306
Corona
Boost=2.500
Radius
Offset=0.000
De-ring=18.840
WaveletsOn=True
AdjustmentsOn=True
CurrentFrameCount=700
TargetStackLength=700
HistoryLength=350
QualityFilterPercent=80
FilterFrames=True
AlignChannels=True
StabilizeCenter=True
TrackWithROI=True
TrackWithSelection=True
SurfaceStabilization=True
SolarColorization=False
InvertColorize=False
MultiPointAlign=True
AlignPointSpacing=192
AlignBinning=4
ContrastThreshold=1.5
OverlayOutline=False
------------------------------------------------------------------
Mars .SER capture settings
[ZWO ASI715MC]
CameraSerialNumber=1D1D0C0B16020900
FrameType=Light
Debayer Preview=On
Pan=1566
Tilt=820
Output Format=SER file (*.ser)(Auto)
Binning=1
Capture Area=640x480
Colour Space=RAW8
Exposure/Gain Shift=0
Temperature=13
Hardware Binning=Off
High Speed Mode=On
Turbo USB=80(Auto)
Flip=None
Frame Rate Limit=Maximum
Gain=136
Exposure=11.9650ms
Timestamp Frames=Off
White Bal (B)=75
White Bal (R)=55
Brightness=15
Auto Exp Max Gain=300
Auto Exp Max Exp MS=30000
Auto Exp Target Brightness=100
Mono Bin=Off
CA Reduction/Synthetic Blue=Off
Mask over exposed pixels=Off
Flip (after dark/flat)=None
Trail Width=3
Minimum Trail Length=100
Trail Detection Sensitivity=9
Remove Satellite Trails=Off
Background Subtraction=Off
Planet/Disk Stabilization=Off
Banding Threshold=10
Banding Suppression=0
Apply Flat=None
Dark Scaling (Experimental)=Off
Hot Pixel Sensitivity=5
Subtract Dark=None
DisplayStretchEnable=1
NegativeDisplay=0
Display Black Point=0.003460207612456547
Display MidTone Point=0.5316606035516266
Display White Point=1
Notes=
PegasusAstro Focuser 1=83425
Focuser Temperature=2.25
iOptron CEM120,70,40,26, GEM, HEM, HAE, HAZ series and SkyHunter Mount=RA=07:25:37.0,Dec=+26:13:39 (JNOW)
TimeStamp=2025-02-05T22:39:26.2115926Z
SharpCapVersion=4.1.13043.0
StartCapture=2025-02-05T22:38:19.4952031Z
MidCapture=2025-02-05T22:38:48.2390687Z
EndCapture=2025-02-05T22:39:16.9829343Z
JDStartCapture=2460712.443281
JDMidCapture=2460712.443614
JDEndCapture=2460712.443947
Duration=57.488s
FrameCount=4762
ActualFrameRate=82.8351fps
TimeZone=+0.00
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
Mars live stack settings
[ZWO ASI715MC]
CameraSerialNumber=1D1D0C0B16020900
FrameType=Light
Debayer Preview=On
Pan=1570
Tilt=814
Output Format=SER file (*.ser)(Auto)
Binning=1
Capture Area=640x480
Colour Space=RAW8
Exposure/Gain Shift=0
Temperature=13.3
Hardware Binning=Off
High Speed Mode=On
Turbo USB=80(Auto)
Flip=None
Frame Rate Limit=Maximum
Gain=118
Exposure=10.3870ms
Timestamp Frames=Off
White Bal (B)=75
White Bal (R)=55
Brightness=15
Auto Exp Max Gain=300
Auto Exp Max Exp MS=30000
Auto Exp Target Brightness=100
Mono Bin=Off
CA Reduction/Synthetic Blue=Off
Mask over exposed pixels=Off
Flip (after dark/flat)=None
Trail Width=3
Minimum Trail Length=100
Trail Detection Sensitivity=9
Remove Satellite Trails=Off
Background Subtraction=Off
Planet/Disk Stabilization=Off
Banding Threshold=10
Banding Suppression=0
Apply Flat=None
Dark Scaling (Experimental)=Off
Hot Pixel Sensitivity=5
Subtract Dark=None
DisplayStretchEnable=1
NegativeDisplay=0
Display Black Point=0.003460207612456547
Display MidTone Point=0.5316606035516266
Display White Point=1
Notes=
PegasusAstro Focuser 1=83425
Focuser Temperature=2.25
iOptron CEM120,70,40,26, GEM, HEM, HAE, HAZ series and SkyHunter Mount=RA=07:25:39.2,Dec=+26:13:48 (JNOW)
TimeStamp=2025-02-05T22:46:44.6630453Z
SharpCapVersion=4.1.13043.0
Level 1=196.483
Level 2=21.147
Level 3=4.264
Level 4=1.000
Fine=0.000
Saturation=2.559
Red=0.807
Blue=1.483
Green=0.920
Brightness=1.181
Denoise=0.000
Gamma=1.306
Corona
Boost=2.500
Radius
Offset=0.000
De-ring=18.840
WaveletsOn=True
AdjustmentsOn=True
CurrentFrameCount=1400
TargetStackLength=1400
HistoryLength=600
QualityFilterPercent=50
FilterFrames=True
AlignChannels=True
StabilizeCenter=True
TrackWithROI=True
TrackWithSelection=True
SurfaceStabilization=True
SolarColorization=False
InvertColorize=False
MultiPointAlign=True
AlignPointSpacing=192
AlignBinning=4
ContrastThreshold=1.5
OverlayOutline=False
Set up was again a VX12 300 mm Newtonian F 4 on a CEM70 mount with a ZWO ASI 715 MC camera (which has tiny 1.45 uM pixels), Baader UV/IR cut off filter and including a 2X Barlow in the light train. The image scale was therefore 0.125 arcsec/ pixel giving a sampling of > 3X versus a Dawes limit of ~ 0.4 arcsec
PHD2 guiding with an f = 400mm and ASI 120 MM camera was used to minimise background drift
The ROI was set to 640 x 480 pixels within Sharpcap at gains 110-170 (adjusted according to SC text warnings of under or overexposure) using fast mode at RAW 8 with the ADC set at 10 bit depth to maximise FPS.
The two planets were tracked using the Sharpcap ROI as well as feature/ multipoint alignment option (was this really the best choice?) - within the live-stacking menu and - whenever the quality contrast of the continuously updating stack exceeded a score of 5 - with snap shots taken at stack sizes (700 to 1500) of the best quality 50-80% over 35-55s (Jupiter) or 60-75s (Mars). At the same time .ser files of a similar duration were captured either manually or using the auto-time travel option in the livestack menu.
This resulted in a set of images at defined times (using the mid-times for the ser files which were post processed in Sharpcap) which were derotated and stacked in Winjupos, slightly sharpened in Registax and then adjusted for colour and contrast in Affinity Photo.
I was very impressed with the power of these techniques to achieve high resolution under briefly good conditions. Considering that the martian disc was only 13 arcsec across (05/02/25) I think that there are at least hints of details down to a resolution of not much above half an arcsec and close to the theoretical limit -- that do seem to correspond to real features on maps and in images from bigger telescopes. Even perhaps Olympus Mons surrounds. However there is a 'ring' artifact near the disc edge and the sharpening may have been overdone
I have also appended some typical data information files with the pictures since these best define the actual parameters and Sharpcap settings for ser capture and livestacking --and - of course -more than likely I have have misused or not properly understood the impact of all of the settings and so would be grateful for any comment.
----------------------------------------------------
Jupiter .SER file capture. 05/02/25
[ZWO ASI715MC]
CameraSerialNumber=1D1D0C0B16020900
FrameType=Light
Debayer Preview=On
Pan=1806
Tilt=1104
Output Format=SER file (*.ser)(Auto)
Binning=1
Capture Area=640x480
Colour Space=RAW8
Exposure/Gain Shift=0
Temperature=12.5
Hardware Binning=Off
High Speed Mode=On
Turbo USB=80(Auto)
Flip=None
Frame Rate Limit=Maximum
Gain=162
Exposure=28.0150ms
Timestamp Frames=Off
White Bal (B)=75
White Bal (R)=55
Brightness=15
Auto Exp Max Gain=300
Auto Exp Max Exp MS=30000
Auto Exp Target Brightness=100
Mono Bin=Off
CA Reduction/Synthetic Blue=Off
Mask over exposed pixels=Off
Flip (after dark/flat)=None
Trail Width=3
Minimum Trail Length=100
Trail Detection Sensitivity=9
Remove Satellite Trails=Off
Background Subtraction=Off
Planet/Disk Stabilization=Off
Banding Threshold=10
Banding Suppression=0
Apply Flat=None
Dark Scaling (Experimental)=Off
Hot Pixel Sensitivity=5
Subtract Dark=None
DisplayStretchEnable=1
NegativeDisplay=0
Display Black Point=0.003460207612456547
Display MidTone Point=0.4973552862274413
Display White Point=1
Notes=
PegasusAstro Focuser 1=83425
Focuser Temperature=3.25
iOptron CEM120,70,40,26, GEM, HEM, HAE, HAZ series and SkyHunter Mount=RA=04:39:17.0,Dec=+21:41:00 (JNOW)
TimeStamp=2025-02-05T21:53:23.2261000Z
SharpCapVersion=4.1.13043.0
StartCapture=2025-02-05T21:53:23.1951506Z
MidCapture=2025-02-05T21:53:40.7252949Z
EndCapture=2025-02-05T21:53:58.2554392Z
JDStartCapture=2460712.412074
JDMidCapture=2460712.412277
JDEndCapture=2460712.412480
Duration=35.060s
FrameCount=1241
ActualFrameRate=35.3962fps
TimeZone=+0.00
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Jupiter LIVEstack settings
[ZWO ASI715MC]
CameraSerialNumber=1D1D0C0B16020900
FrameType=Light
Debayer Preview=On
Pan=1808
Tilt=1110
Output Format=SER file (*.ser)(Auto)
Binning=1
Capture Area=640x480
Colour Space=RAW8
Exposure/Gain Shift=0
Temperature=12.5
Hardware Binning=Off
High Speed Mode=On
Turbo USB=80(Auto)
Flip=None
Frame Rate Limit=Maximum
Gain=162
Exposure=28.0150ms
Timestamp Frames=Off
White Bal (B)=75
White Bal (R)=55
Brightness=15
Auto Exp Max Gain=300
Auto Exp Max Exp MS=30000
Auto Exp Target Brightness=100
Mono Bin=Off
CA Reduction/Synthetic Blue=Off
Mask over exposed pixels=Off
Flip (after dark/flat)=None
Trail Width=3
Minimum Trail Length=100
Trail Detection Sensitivity=9
Remove Satellite Trails=Off
Background Subtraction=Off
Planet/Disk Stabilization=Off
Banding Threshold=10
Banding Suppression=0
Apply Flat=None
Dark Scaling (Experimental)=Off
Hot Pixel Sensitivity=5
Subtract Dark=None
DisplayStretchEnable=1
NegativeDisplay=0
Display Black Point=0.003460207612456547
Display MidTone Point=0.4973552862274413
Display White Point=1
Notes=
PegasusAstro Focuser 1=83425
Focuser Temperature=3.25
iOptron CEM120,70,40,26, GEM, HEM, HAE, HAZ series and SkyHunter Mount=RA=04:39:16.8,Dec=+21:40:56 (JNOW)
TimeStamp=2025-02-05T21:52:36.7560001Z
SharpCapVersion=4.1.13043.0
Level 1=73.786
Level 2=22.302
Level 3=4.455
Level 4=1.000
Fine=0.000
Saturation=2.552
Red=1.033
Blue=1.135
Green=0.869
Brightness=1.223
Denoise=0.000
Gamma=1.306
Corona
Boost=2.500
Radius
Offset=0.000
De-ring=18.840
WaveletsOn=True
AdjustmentsOn=True
CurrentFrameCount=700
TargetStackLength=700
HistoryLength=350
QualityFilterPercent=80
FilterFrames=True
AlignChannels=True
StabilizeCenter=True
TrackWithROI=True
TrackWithSelection=True
SurfaceStabilization=True
SolarColorization=False
InvertColorize=False
MultiPointAlign=True
AlignPointSpacing=192
AlignBinning=4
ContrastThreshold=1.5
OverlayOutline=False
------------------------------------------------------------------
Mars .SER capture settings
[ZWO ASI715MC]
CameraSerialNumber=1D1D0C0B16020900
FrameType=Light
Debayer Preview=On
Pan=1566
Tilt=820
Output Format=SER file (*.ser)(Auto)
Binning=1
Capture Area=640x480
Colour Space=RAW8
Exposure/Gain Shift=0
Temperature=13
Hardware Binning=Off
High Speed Mode=On
Turbo USB=80(Auto)
Flip=None
Frame Rate Limit=Maximum
Gain=136
Exposure=11.9650ms
Timestamp Frames=Off
White Bal (B)=75
White Bal (R)=55
Brightness=15
Auto Exp Max Gain=300
Auto Exp Max Exp MS=30000
Auto Exp Target Brightness=100
Mono Bin=Off
CA Reduction/Synthetic Blue=Off
Mask over exposed pixels=Off
Flip (after dark/flat)=None
Trail Width=3
Minimum Trail Length=100
Trail Detection Sensitivity=9
Remove Satellite Trails=Off
Background Subtraction=Off
Planet/Disk Stabilization=Off
Banding Threshold=10
Banding Suppression=0
Apply Flat=None
Dark Scaling (Experimental)=Off
Hot Pixel Sensitivity=5
Subtract Dark=None
DisplayStretchEnable=1
NegativeDisplay=0
Display Black Point=0.003460207612456547
Display MidTone Point=0.5316606035516266
Display White Point=1
Notes=
PegasusAstro Focuser 1=83425
Focuser Temperature=2.25
iOptron CEM120,70,40,26, GEM, HEM, HAE, HAZ series and SkyHunter Mount=RA=07:25:37.0,Dec=+26:13:39 (JNOW)
TimeStamp=2025-02-05T22:39:26.2115926Z
SharpCapVersion=4.1.13043.0
StartCapture=2025-02-05T22:38:19.4952031Z
MidCapture=2025-02-05T22:38:48.2390687Z
EndCapture=2025-02-05T22:39:16.9829343Z
JDStartCapture=2460712.443281
JDMidCapture=2460712.443614
JDEndCapture=2460712.443947
Duration=57.488s
FrameCount=4762
ActualFrameRate=82.8351fps
TimeZone=+0.00
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
Mars live stack settings
[ZWO ASI715MC]
CameraSerialNumber=1D1D0C0B16020900
FrameType=Light
Debayer Preview=On
Pan=1570
Tilt=814
Output Format=SER file (*.ser)(Auto)
Binning=1
Capture Area=640x480
Colour Space=RAW8
Exposure/Gain Shift=0
Temperature=13.3
Hardware Binning=Off
High Speed Mode=On
Turbo USB=80(Auto)
Flip=None
Frame Rate Limit=Maximum
Gain=118
Exposure=10.3870ms
Timestamp Frames=Off
White Bal (B)=75
White Bal (R)=55
Brightness=15
Auto Exp Max Gain=300
Auto Exp Max Exp MS=30000
Auto Exp Target Brightness=100
Mono Bin=Off
CA Reduction/Synthetic Blue=Off
Mask over exposed pixels=Off
Flip (after dark/flat)=None
Trail Width=3
Minimum Trail Length=100
Trail Detection Sensitivity=9
Remove Satellite Trails=Off
Background Subtraction=Off
Planet/Disk Stabilization=Off
Banding Threshold=10
Banding Suppression=0
Apply Flat=None
Dark Scaling (Experimental)=Off
Hot Pixel Sensitivity=5
Subtract Dark=None
DisplayStretchEnable=1
NegativeDisplay=0
Display Black Point=0.003460207612456547
Display MidTone Point=0.5316606035516266
Display White Point=1
Notes=
PegasusAstro Focuser 1=83425
Focuser Temperature=2.25
iOptron CEM120,70,40,26, GEM, HEM, HAE, HAZ series and SkyHunter Mount=RA=07:25:39.2,Dec=+26:13:48 (JNOW)
TimeStamp=2025-02-05T22:46:44.6630453Z
SharpCapVersion=4.1.13043.0
Level 1=196.483
Level 2=21.147
Level 3=4.264
Level 4=1.000
Fine=0.000
Saturation=2.559
Red=0.807
Blue=1.483
Green=0.920
Brightness=1.181
Denoise=0.000
Gamma=1.306
Corona
Boost=2.500
Radius
Offset=0.000
De-ring=18.840
WaveletsOn=True
AdjustmentsOn=True
CurrentFrameCount=1400
TargetStackLength=1400
HistoryLength=600
QualityFilterPercent=50
FilterFrames=True
AlignChannels=True
StabilizeCenter=True
TrackWithROI=True
TrackWithSelection=True
SurfaceStabilization=True
SolarColorization=False
InvertColorize=False
MultiPointAlign=True
AlignPointSpacing=192
AlignBinning=4
ContrastThreshold=1.5
OverlayOutline=False