- MARS 2003 by Orion 300mm f4 -

Mars 03/08/20

This one is the best shot of the Mars by E4500. Made up 1280x1024 to use this as wallpaper if you like. I could feel Mars is so close. Any geographical features shown clearly.

One Point Hint -You can take it, too!!
If you are using Nikon E4500, let you try to the tungsten bulb at the white balance. Also use the ISO100 to make sensitivity lower at color Blue. This way reduces the blue haze.
Do not use the fluorescent light mode because detail will be gone. Of course this way possibly works with other Digital Cameras but dependant on a tuning on each models of the cameras.

Mars 03/08/16

It was rain, rain and rain or cloudy day and day. The weather chart shows "it is still rain season" but weather service announced "it has been over". Can not forget to see the Mars at this chance even weather is not best condition. So, at this night, seeing was not good enough but anyway I bring telescope out and settled. F4 telescope is so bright then patterns are better to see to my eyes even looking Mars behind of the cloud.

At shoot the Mars, using tungsten mode for the color setting. This mean 3200digrees Kelvin. As the result, the pictures until August 6 was so red and now it looks near with the pictures which by ToUcam or any other Video cameras. I used 1.4X digital zoom for this one. Because if make the image more larger, the lens's polish traces comes up.

This picture composite at Stella Image 4 and used Richardson-Lucy Algorithm filter. It makes surface smooth. After the job on the Stella Image, bring image in to the Photoshop then adjust the each RGB image size and move each layer to fit the image. I'm very sure you can take the picture like this, too.

Mars 03/08/11

To composite the pictures on Stellaimage4, usually I was using the addition as average. At this one, I'm used addition because tungsten mode gives more contrast (detail has gone when used daylight). Result above looks good isn't it?

By the way, can you see the human face on the Mars picture above? (Shadow looks like face)

Mars 03/08/06

Why I'm keeping to use digital still camera when people like to use the video like ToUcam? Because ; 1. I am a still photographer 2. Small resolution does not satisfaction me for what I want to use (like printed out or use as wallpaper, background of 3D graphics etc..). So, at that night - 5th to 6th - was little bit better seeing and I could get enough material so I made it up larger as above. When you printed it out, maybe you will see them as pin-up on the wall but not try to see the fine detail right?

If I use the effect like unsharp on Photoshop, it is possible to pull out the detail like above left. But for larger resolution, it's too noisy. So the larger one's effect is more lighter. If you want to use this as wallpaper, please resize this.

At the other way around, if I reduce the resolution to the video size like VGA, digital camera has possibility to get the planet picture good enough. We can see Phillips ToUcam web cam's result anywhere on the W.W.W.. ToUcam needs 1000 material shots to composite. However, at digital camera, we need only 100 because each shot's quality is so high doesn't it??? The composite tool software Registax gives me the error then could not merged the pictures which took by digicam. However, if Regisitax accepts larger resolution materials by digicam?? Who knows the result.

Mars 03/08/04

Arranged with simulation picture made by Kasei-Kurukuru (by Astro Arts). My Nikon E5000 is not only for the space view pictures but also using to the daily job. 12bit RAW mode gives me enough quality to make up the pictures as by professional. (and Web pages are not necessary so large pixels format) However, at this moment, that camera has been broken because using too much. So, I sent E5000 to repair and now I have the E4500 as a spare. Why 4500? Because any accessories are exchangeable.

The picture above has taken by the E4500. Weather was not good (cloudy) then I could shoot only 37 shots to composite. As the counter operation to the atmosphere color aberration, moved each RGB layer  at Photoshop 8bit mode.

Boy, this surface of the Mars looks like bird's eye on the brier smoking pipe isn't it!?

Mars 03/07/28

Actually I was stacked on the tuning of the Newtonian to make it optically correct. Could not get good picture and weather was so bad because rain season (monsoon). So I wasted a month. Finally got a good tuning then made this one, finally. Not bad, right?

Mars are so big and bright, now. I putted in the Tele-Vue Power mate 2.5X with Radian 3mm. So no digital zoom with this one. I've changed focuser from original to the Dual Rate Crayford Focuser which made by MoonLite. Because original one was not good enough to support the weight of the camera as additional to the finder part even putted on the JMI Moto-focus unit.

Also changed the German Equalize Mount from GP to GPD-PC. However, Sky Sensor 2000PC's motor is easily stop after in use an hour and half. So, I've changed Sky Sensor to the current DD-1/MT-1 unit. The 300mm Newtonian working on the GPD (which one of the small mount)!! Mean Orion is so light weight as that size.

Mars 03/06/03

It is so far and small yet. Can't wait the big event then kept my eyes open until four a.m.. Large diameter telescope gives brightness then possible to shoot at high speed shutter. Mars looks so bad because low angle of elevation but the high speed shutter makes better view on picture.