BYEOS mentioned in Sky News magazine

[Jerry_K]

I have just finished reading tutorial on DSLR planetary imaging in Sky News Magazine (http://www.skynews.ca/). Very detailed and interesting but it is a Canadian based magazine so I don't know if it is available else ware over the counter. BYEOS is mentioned as a best program to use for planetary imaging with DSLR. Guylain, is there a comprehensive tutorial for this or do I have to sacrifice rare clear night to poke around how it works? Looks like there are a lot of variables.

Jerry

[astroman133]

Jerry,

 

There are 3 pages in the manual that describe what the various controls do for Planetary mode.

 

Depending on what your scope is, you will probably want to use at least a 2x barlow or Powermate.  And you will want to use the 5X Zoom mode in BYE. Adjust the ISO and shutter speed to set the LiveView brightness. Then take about 60-70 seconds worth of frames.  If you are unsure about the exposure (it should be somewhat dark) vary the exposure and shoot more frames. 

 

Then use RegiStax or AutoStakkert to pick the best frames from the video and stack them.

[s3igell]

Sky News is often available in the same Barnes&Noble magazine rack as Astronomy and Sky&Telescope. So are the high quality British magazines "Sky At Night" and "Astronomy Now"".

 

[Jerry_K]

Jerry,

 

There are 3 pages in the manual that describe what the various controls do for Planetary mode.

 

Depending on what your scope is, you will probably want to use at least a 2x barlow or Powermate.  And you will want to use the 5X Zoom mode in BYE. Adjust the ISO and shutter speed to set the LiveView brightness. Then take about 60-70 seconds worth of frames.  If you are unsure about the exposure (it should be somewhat dark) vary the exposure and shoot more frames. 

 

Then use RegiStax or AutoStakkert to pick the best frames from the video and stack them.

 

Thanks, Rick, I am glad that you have chimed in. The reason I have    asked the question is that right now I am using Orion's SSSIV camera that has 1/3 chip and 3.6 micron pixel size so I was wondering if using my 500D in eyepiece projection will have a better and larger image. I can't find anywhere on the net how to calculate FOV for combo of SC scope, EP, Barlow and DSLR. With all the glass between sensor and mirror makes me think twice, the Orion camera has no glass, just CMOS chip clearly visible through 1.25" nose piece.

Here is link to camera:

http://www.telescope.com/Astrophotography/Astrophotography-Cameras/Orion-StarShoot-Solar-System-Color-Imaging-Camera-IV/pc/-1/c/4/sc/58/p/52175.uts

 

and how I use it:

http://jerry-k-photography.blogspot.ca/2013/10/sunspots-photography-using-telescope.html

Jerry

Can 500D take better picture?

[astroman133]

Jerry,

 

I have never done any eyepiece projection calculations, but according to a book that I have.

 

In order for Jupiter to take up half the frame you need a field of view about 80 arcseconds (the angular diameter of Jupiter is ~40 arcseconds). In order to achieve this with a 10" f/10 SCT, using eyepiece projection, you need to achieve a focal ratio of around f/66. Lets round this to about a 7x increase in focal ratio. This does not address how much detail you will see, just how to get the FOV.

 

How much magnification you will get with eyepiece projection depends on the distance between the camera and the eyepiece.  The formula is P = (E + 1) * FE, where P is the projection distance, E is the desired enlargement, and FE is the focal length of the eyepiece.

 

So in order to get a 7X enlargement using a 12 mm eyepiece, you would need to set the distance to about (7 + 1) * 12 = 96 mm, or around 3.75 inches.

 

My reference for these calculations is "The Handbook of Astronomical Image Processing", 2nd edition, by Richard Berry & James Burnell, pages 79-82 and 146-147.

 

That said, I would try your 500D at prime focus with a 2" 2X barlow and use 5X zoom in BYE's Planetary Capture mode. It is a simpler setup, with less glass, and it has given me satisfying results on nights of good seeing. All you need is the 2" barlow.

 

 

[jimwc6491]

Rick

 

Do I have this right. Using the 12 mm eyepiece in the before mentioned formula. What the formula implies is that if I have a Eyepiece mounted at the front of my camera and I take a image, and I then add a 36mm spacer between my eyepiece and my camera and take another image, the second image would be roughly double the size?

   

[admin]

I have just finished reading tutorial on DSLR planetary imaging in Sky News Magazine (http://www.skynews.ca/). Very detailed and interesting but it is a Canadian based magazine so I don't know if it is available else ware over the counter. BYEOS is mentioned as a best program to use for planetary imaging with DSLR. Guylain, is there a comprehensive tutorial for this or do I have to sacrifice rare clear night to poke around how it works? Looks like there are a lot of variables.

Jerry

 

Which issue?  I had a booth at the AstroCATS trade show this past May and the guys from SkyNews did spend a good 2 hours around my booth listening me talking about BackyardEOS with customers and lurkers.  Nice to see it led somewhere   

 

 

[astroman133]

Jim,

 

Just to be clear, you have the eyepiece on the back of the telescope like for visual observing and you are shooting at the eyepiece with a camera and its lens.

 

I think that the enlargement would increase by a factor of 3 (36 / 12).

 

 

[jimwc6491]

Rick

 

thanks

 

that's what I got. I just subtracted the 1 which was added before.

[Jerry_K]

Jerry,

 

I have never done any eyepiece projection calculations, but according to a book that I have.

 

In order for Jupiter to take up half the frame you need a field of view about 80 arcseconds (the angular diameter of Jupiter is ~40 arcseconds). In order to achieve this with a 10" f/10 SCT, using eyepiece projection, you need to achieve a focal ratio of around f/66. Lets round this to about a 7x increase in focal ratio. This does not address how much detail you will see, just how to get the FOV.

 

How much magnification you will get with eyepiece projection depends on the distance between the camera and the eyepiece.  The formula is P = (E + 1) * FE, where P is the projection distance, E is the desired enlargement, and FE is the focal length of the eyepiece.

 

So in order to get a 7X enlargement using a 12 mm eyepiece, you would need to set the distance to about (7 + 1) * 12 = 96 mm, or around 3.75 inches.

 

My reference for these calculations is "The Handbook of Astronomical Image Processing", 2nd edition, by Richard Berry & James Burnell, pages 79-82 and 146-147.

 

That said, I would try your 500D at prime focus with a 2" 2X barlow and use 5X zoom in BYE's Planetary Capture mode. It is a simpler setup, with less glass, and it has given me satisfying results on nights of good seeing. All you need is the 2" barlow.

 

Thanks Rick, you always have an answer to my questions. I think that I will experiment with EP projection using Moon as a target. That should give me quite accurate FOV.

One thing still puzzles me, though. The Orion camera has 1/3 chip and no lens so what I am shooting is a primary focus just like using DSLR. Camera has 4/5 chip but I get whole width of the Moon/Sun plus some space on sides. In order to get same image size with Orion as with DSLR I would have to shoot 9 images mosaic. I have to chew on this one for a while.

I have to re-read BYE manual to fully understand the Planetary mode. I have installed Virtual Dub so I am ready to roll.

Jerry

[Jerry_K]

I have just finished reading tutorial on DSLR planetary imaging in Sky News Magazine (http://www.skynews.ca/). Very detailed and interesting but it is a Canadian based magazine so I don't know if it is available else ware over the counter. BYEOS is mentioned as a best program to use for planetary imaging with DSLR. Guylain, is there a comprehensive tutorial for this or do I have to sacrifice rare clear night to poke around how it works? Looks like there are a lot of variables.

Jerry

 

Which issue?  I had a booth at the AstroCATS trade show this past May and the guys from SkyNews did spend a good 2 hours around my booth listening me talking about BackyardEOS with customers and lurkers.  Nice to see it led somewhere   

 

Guylain, you were at AstroCATS? I live about an hour drive from Mohawk College but I couldn't make it. Maybe net year.

The issue is the latest one July/August and the BYE mention is on page 14, last paragraph. I have to read that article again to fully understand the workings of planetary imaging. The author, Art Cole from Nova Scotia, has some very interesting ideas.

Jerry

[Jerry_K]

Jerry,

 

I have never done any eyepiece projection calculations, but according to a book that I have.

 

In order for Jupiter to take up half the frame you need a field of view about 80 arcseconds (the angular diameter of Jupiter is ~40 arcseconds). In order to achieve this with a 10" f/10 SCT, using eyepiece projection, you need to achieve a focal ratio of around f/66. Lets round this to about a 7x increase in focal ratio. This does not address how much detail you will see, just how to get the FOV.

 

How much magnification you will get with eyepiece projection depends on the distance between the camera and the eyepiece.  The formula is P = (E + 1) * FE, where P is the projection distance, E is the desired enlargement, and FE is the focal length of the eyepiece.

 

So in order to get a 7X enlargement using a 12 mm eyepiece, you would need to set the distance to about (7 + 1) * 12 = 96 mm, or around 3.75 inches.

 

My reference for these calculations is "The Handbook of Astronomical Image Processing", 2nd edition, by Richard Berry & James Burnell, pages 79-82 and 146-147.

 

That said, I would try your 500D at prime focus with a 2" 2X barlow and use 5X zoom in BYE's Planetary Capture mode. It is a simpler setup, with less glass, and it has given me satisfying results on nights of good seeing. All you need is the 2" barlow.

 

Rick, since I have few more questions to ask about planetary I will start new thread "Planetary setup" in BYE forum.

Jerry