Our Beautiful Universe - Photos and Videos

[pinball1970]

I think each image can be as blue or yellow as one decides based on the camera/raw processing color temperature setting...

View attachment 246821

I hope to join you guys with some images, when I am back off holiday I am going to try out my (rather cheap) telescope.
So temp, do you mean CCT? Of your 'white/standard white?' or do you do this to add colour to your white light images? For aesthetics ?

 

[davenn]

I think each image can be as blue or yellow as one decides based on the camera/raw processing color temperature setting...

Yes, but straight out of camera and they will look bluish for a wide field of the moon.
Plus those image with a phone camera, so unlikely to be a RAW file, just a good ol xxx.jpg Dave

 

[metastable]

So temp, do you mean CCT? Of your 'white/standard white?' or do you do this to add colour to your white light images? For aesthetics ?

As far as I know every digital slr will choose a white balance / color temperature setting for you automatically unless you choose one manually, or by capturing the raw sensor data (RAW format, which has a much larger color space than the JPG format), and then choosing the setting before applying the conversion settings to the final presentation jpg format. doing the raw processing this way let's you decide all of the conversion settings, rather than the camera choosing what color data to "throw away" when downsizing/compressing to JPG.

 

[metastable]

here's a screen shot of the RAW file:

presentation JPG:

 

[pinball1970]

As far as I know every digital slr will choose a white balance / color temperature setting for you automatically unless you choose one manually, or by capturing the raw sensor data (RAW format, which has a much larger color space than the JPG format), and then choosing the setting before applying the conversion settings to the final presentation jpg format. doing the raw processing this way let's you decide all of the conversion settings, rather than the camera choosing what color data to "throw away" when downsizing/compressing to JPG.

Ok thanks, best way to learn is to get some images and have a go I think. I think I may have a few questions for you guys once I get started.

 

[metastable]

Here is a list I found of reasons to shoot in RAW mode instead of JPEG...

https://photographyconcentrate.com/10-reasons-why-you-should-be-shooting-raw/

I took a screenshot of the reason I personally view as most important...

^the reference to "levels of brightness" refers to "per channel" or "per color," so 256 "levels of brightness" with a JPEG means only 256 R, 256 G, 256 B, as opposed to 4096 or 16384 in RAW.

I personally find this means in practice the RAW file contains a lot of "hidden" information in the shadow areas of the image (compared to a JPG)... information which would ordinarily be lost if the RAW had been converted to a JPG with "standard" conversion settings.

 

[DennisN]

Plus those image with a phone camera, so unlikely to be a RAW file, just a good ol xxx.jpg

Yes, the photos were taken as .jpg, but I can actually take RAW photos too with my LG G4 phone (and the camera is pretty impressive for being on a phone). I will try RAW next time!

As far as I know every digital slr will choose a white balance / color temperature setting for you automatically unless you choose one manually, or by capturing the raw sensor data (RAW format, which has a much larger color space than the JPG format), and then choosing the setting before applying the conversion settings to the final presentation jpg format. doing the raw processing this way let's you decide all of the conversion settings, rather than the camera choosing what color data to "throw away" when downsizing/compressing to JPG.

Thanks for the inspiration, @metastable, I will try photographing in RAW next time!

 

[metastable]

By the way the RAW to JPG conversion in my photos was done with Adobe Lightroom.

 

[davenn]

Yes, the photos were taken as .jpg, but I can actually take RAW photos too with my LG G4 phone (and the camera is pretty impressive for being on a phone). I will try RAW next time!

The huge advantage with processing RAW over jpg is that there is no compression with RAW files.
This means that they will handle substantial processing without being further corrupted.
JPG's are already significantly compressed and full of those compression artifacts, so doing editing
on them only worsens the artifacts in the image.Dave

 

[bruha]

Hi I attach some Gimp processed image of the moon . On image nr.0007G2 is possible to see crater with middle peak (I suppose ) on right border of siluette in dark area. Yesterday I was trying catch saturn by my PC CAM Bresser Ful HD but without succes-maybe sensitivity (gain) is to low for Saturn. Lot of succes

 

[davenn]

On image nr.0007G2 is possible to see crater with middle peak (I suppose ) on right border of siluette in dark area

yup good imaging there ... good to see the improvements you are making

Yes, I can see several craters that have central peaks Dave

 

[DennisN]

A very nice timelapse video of the total solar eclipse in Argentina on July 2 2019:

 

[bruha]

Hi I attach just for interest my last attempt of Jupiter and Saturn by compact SONY automat (not suficient -there is recognizable just Jupiter moons but Saturn )

 

[bruha]

And rest...

 

[Andy Resnick]

Skies cleared up for a few days, giving a moonless night and views of the Veil nebula, which just barely fits within a 400mm lens field of view:

Some crops of the various parts:

400/2.8 lens, 13-second exposures @ ISO 1250.

 

[bruha]

Hi, it is absolutely amazing.. (you can get place without light pollution?)

 

[Andy Resnick]

Hi, it is absolutely amazing.. (you can get place without light pollution?)

Thanks! No, light pollution is very much present- unaided, I can only see stars down to about magnitude 4.

 

[bruha]

Aha, it is similar like here in Prague (little beter in countryside) . Which parameters has your telescope...?

thank you

 

[metastable]

Thanks! No, light pollution is very much present- unaided, I can only see stars down to about magnitude 4.

If I had to guess I'd say you achieved this result with some artfully chosen RAW->JPG conversion settings.

 

[Andy Resnick]

If I had to guess I'd say you achieved this result with some artfully chosen RAW->JPG conversion settings.

There was not a single RAW -> jpg conversion, but it implicitly occurred via 300+ RAW -> stacked TIFF -> jpg.

 

[Andy Resnick]

Aha, it is similar like here in Prague (little beter in countryside) . Which parameters has your telescope...?

thank you

The 'telescope' is a 400/2.8 lens:

https://www.mir.com.my/rb/photography/companies/nikon/nikkoresources/telephotos/400mm.htm

 

[metastable]

Did you use a motorized tripod to track the object?

 

[metastable]

@Andy Resnick & were the TIFF's 8 bit per channel (24 bit)? I ask because if the TIFFs were 8 bit per channel you potentially lost a lot of sensor data in the RAW->TIFF conversion. Would you ever consider sharing one of the RAW files so I could take a look at it with my image conversion software? A lot of Camera RAW files are 14bit or 16bit per channel.

 

[Andy Resnick]

Another field of view: North American Nebula. Same lens, same settings...

 

[Andy Resnick]

Did you use a motorized tripod to track the object?

Yes- a Losmandy G8.

 

[Andy Resnick]

@Andy Resnick & were the TIFF's 8 bit per channel (24 bit)? I ask because if the TIFFs were 8 bit per channel you potentially lost a lot of sensor data in the RAW->TIFF conversion. Would you ever consider sharing one of the RAW files so I could take a look at it with my image conversion software? A lot of Camera RAW files are 14bit or 16bit per channel.

Well... I ran a thread about this a while ago (https://www.physicsforums.com/threa...ss-image-stacking-and-post-processing.963947/). I'm happy to send you a RAW image to play with- PM me with details.

The 14-bit RAWs are most likely converted into a 16-bit/channel TIFF before stacking. The stacked TIFF has a 32-bits/channel format, but in reality there's about 23-bits/channel of information. The magic happens when compressing to a 16-bit/channel TIF for non-Deep Sky Stacker post processing, for example denoising. The final step is another compression to 8-bit/channel which I save as a jpg because filesize.

 

[bruha]

Thank you... can I ask yet. which method of photographing you use: Camera Body atached by bajonet to eyepiece or another ?
thanks and lot of succes

 

[davenn]

Thank you... can I ask yet. which method of photographing you use: Camera Body atached by bajonet to eyepiece or another ?
thanks and lot of succes

It's a Nikon camera and a Nikon 400mm telephoto lens

Nikkor Manual Focus 400mm Super-Telephoto Lensescheers
Dave

 

[metastable]

I took these this morning about 2:35a Pacific Time, along I-5 somewhere between Red Bluff and Corning, California, USA. A 14-24mm Nikon Lens @ 14mm was used with 2.8f, 10sec, 2000iso, all single frame RAW captures on nikon D800 body with approximately the following Adobe Lightroom RAW->JPG conversion settings:

Temp: 4637k
Tint: +2
Exposure: -0.97
Contrast: +87
Highlights: -100
Shadows: +100
Whites: +73
Blacks: +100
Clarity: +22
Dehaze: -1
Vibrance: -61
Saturation: -40

It was a moonless sky looking towards the southwest.

 

[metastable]

HD link: https://i.ibb.co/jknVD8v/IMG-4165.jpg

meteor entry:

HD Link: https://i.ibb.co/LxrM2Hg/IMG-4174.jpg

HD Link: https://i.ibb.co/RQ5SVvY/IMG-4179.jpg

brighter streak-> meteor & dimmer streak-> satellite

HD Link: https://i.ibb.co/HnzQx5F/IMG-4186.jpg

HD Link: https://i.ibb.co/tQV5DCw/IMG-4188.jpg

 

[metastable]

andromeda galaxy:

HD Link: https://i.ibb.co/4Rsm6qD/IMG-4194.jpg

 

[bruha]

Hi Dave and thank you for answer. How much cost approx. this Nikon 400mm telephoto lens?

Hi

 

[pinball1970]

View attachment 247444

HD link: https://i.ibb.co/jknVD8v/IMG-4165.jpg

meteor entry:

View attachment 247445

HD Link: https://i.ibb.co/LxrM2Hg/IMG-4174.jpg

View attachment 247446

HD Link: https://i.ibb.co/RQ5SVvY/IMG-4179.jpg

brighter streak-> meteor & dimmer streak-> satellite
View attachment 247447

HD Link: https://i.ibb.co/HnzQx5F/IMG-4186.jpg

View attachment 247448

HD Link: https://i.ibb.co/tQV5DCw/IMG-4188.jpg

Meteors images 2 and 4? Edit: oops yes you note it yourself.
Great images

 

[davenn]

Hi Dave and thank you for answer. How much cost approx. this Nikon 400mm telephoto lens?

Hi Bruha

not sure offhand, I'm a Canon user
Do a google search of/visit camera shops in your area

 

[metastable]

Meteors images 2 and 4? Edit: oops yes you note it yourself.
Great images

Thank you. In #2 I was looking up at the sky during the 10sec exposure so I saw it with my own eyes... quite bright and the light was bluish in color to my eye. Earlier on I had been driving and right through the windshield I saw a bright blue streak, then the whole sky lit up and afterwards there was a reddish streak across the sky... pretty impressive but I didn’t catch that one on film. I think there’s also at least one satellite in image #5 and a very faint satellite in image #3.

edit:

in image #3.

image #5

 

[Andy Resnick]

Hi Dave and thank you for answer. How much cost approx. this Nikon 400mm telephoto lens?

Hi

I got mine used for about $2500 US.

 

[bruha]

HI and thank you. (it is not my level )

 

[Andy Resnick]

Latest panorama using my 105mm lens, of the constellation Cygnus:

Each exposure was 30 s, ISO 200 @ f/2- that's about the maximum aperture I am still able to get reasonable flat correction- and each stack (there are 6) is about 1 hour total integration time. Color balancing is still uneven, but significant improvement compared to last year. Assuming you are viewing this at a comfortable distance, I could print this image 12 feet across and, at a comfortable viewing distance, you would see this level of detail at the little dark blob just to the left of the North American Nebula:

 

[bruha]

Hi it is really amazing, (how you can get this star density and these collors?) .

I attach sample of movie record of clouds passing over the sun... ó I see it is not allowed attach mp4...

 

[bruha]

Hi,
I attach my last attempt of Jupiter with Bresser HD (web) camera
I did not manage to capture Saturn by this camera up to now.


Lot of succes

 

[Andy Resnick]

Star trails using my 15mm lens:

and a close-up of Polaris, located 0.736 degrees off Earth's rotation axis:

The diagonal line was created by a passing plane.

 

[Andy Resnick]

Hi it is really amazing, (how you can get this star density and these collors?)

Thanks, but all credit for the colorful stars goes to the image's subject :)

 

[bruha]

Hi I attach my last atempt of Saturn with compact camera and 8 mm Hyperion

 

[DennisN]

Star trails using my 15mm lens

I haven't tried taking such a photo, but I will!

Edit: By the way, @Andy Resnick, how did you do it? Is it a composite of multiple long exposure photos, perhaps?

 

[Andy Resnick]

Latest panorama of Cygnus, taken @ 105/2, each frame @ 30s and ISO 250, total expsoure time per stack is about 1.5 hours: lots of interesting open clusters and nebulae are present...

 

[Andy Resnick]

When I put together the above panorama, I noticed a small interestingly-shaped dust cloud (located in the upper middle section); last night I had the chance to image that cloud with my 400mm lens:

The density of stars is amazing. Here's a 1:1 crop:

Total integration time was 43 minutes, ISO 500.

 

[Andy Resnick]

Veil nebula; 3 h total integration time @ 400/2.8, ISO 800:

Image scaling results in a lot of artifacts... here are some 1:1 crops:

 

[Andy Resnick]

ISS flyover last night- here's a single frame from a video I am currently assembling. The inset is 1:1 @ 800/5.6, 1/2000 second exposure, ISO 800.

 

[Andy Resnick]

Here's a link to the 'movie'; 1:1.8 enlargement. You may notice that I had to change the ISO a few times during the event. A few frames have both ISS and Jupiter (full frame, not these crops). Enjoy!



https://youtu.be/0cp9czFbK9c

 

[bruha]

Hello,
I attach last image of Saturn (with compact put front of eyepiece Hyperion 80 mm )
two mages corrected just by two click of magic wand and original image

have nice day