Astrophoto during the FULL MOON is... actually FUN!! And liberating :) Ft. ZWO AM5 & a Jellyfish

[@CuivTheLazyGeek]

Thanks for watching! What have you been imaging during the full moon? Support me on Patreon!: www.patreon.com/cuivlazygeek

[@ColeRees]

Wow, cuiv! You’ve really been stepping it up since your return to KZbin. It’s inspiring me to be better every time!

[@CuivTheLazyGeek]

I'm so happy to hear that, inspiring people is what I strive to do!

[@lampyman101]

I love your attitude to this stuff. I live in a small city so have somewhat less challenging, though still heavily light polluted skies, and I just enjoy taking every chance to get out there and take my best shot. It's always a little disheartening to see how some astrophotographers simply tell beginners to just not bother if you can't find a dark sky, though it's amazing how many times this channel is brought up in response. Great work.

[@CuivTheLazyGeek]

Yesssss, if I can do it in Tokyo... Although I do agree that it is harder

[@uschi414]

I can't tell you how much I love this video and your positive attitude in general! I just got done taking an image of the Leo Triplet on March 3 & 4 - 86% and 92% moon respectively. I was playing with guiding and figured out something very important with PHD2 - make sure your Search Region pixel amount is greater than your dithering amount to maintain multi-star guiding after dithering. But it was fun because, like you said, there was no pressure. If I got something then that was just a bonus! And if I didn't get anything that was OK too because the full moon isn't going to allow me to do my best work anyway. As it turned out I rather liked the way my Leo Triplet image turned out so it was a win all around.

[@CuivTheLazyGeek]

Win win win! Well done!

[@Apagadorable]

Full moon is great time to learn exoplanet hunting. It feels magical to see the light curve that shows a planet orbiting a star hundreds of lightyears away.

[@CuivTheLazyGeek]

Ooh that's a great idea!

[@brandonrunyon]

I too share your philosophy of imaging (and observing) during full moon. As for observing, if there's a hole in the clouds, it's worth at least getting the binoculars out. I spent too much money to not use the equipment

[@CuivTheLazyGeek]

Agree!

[@danielgunther8987]

I love the full moon for two reasons. 1. Whenever there is a long stretch of clouds it feels like I can bet on a clear night at full moon :) 2. I often use nights those nights for target scouting. Trying out how targets on my list really frame up and to get a feel for how the data might turn out. And those 3-6 images of short integration time are great to practice processing.

[@allenbaylus3378]

it seems like a pattern - full moons are not always cloud free but if there is a cloudless night coming up the moon seems to be over 75% full. Scouting is the perfect use for a night where it is bright enough to see what is visible when and what obstructions you may need to avoid. I generally shoot from the same location, in my Bortle 4-5 zone front yard. Lots of trees around so I have some targets that I can not get (mainly to the south) - but I try to focus on what I can an improve my art. Curious as to what types of locations you look for - parks or open lots...

[@natem7440]

That is a fantastic way to view the full moon, as a time to have fun with no expectations. That's positive attitude!!!

[@lukomatico]

Huge congratulations on 30k my friend, wow!!! :-D I'm so darn happy for you mate 😀 Great job on the video, and man I'm a fan of that AM5 - looks superb with the hyperstar rig on it! Clear skies!

[@CuivTheLazyGeek]

Woohoo Luke, thank you!! The AM5 really does look beautiful

[@enriqueboeneker]

I can’t be more grateful with you, Cuiv. Your videos are really useful for me (and for many others) that have to take their astrophotos from cities like yours and mine. Thanks for sharing!

[@CuivTheLazyGeek]

Glad to help!

[@timtrentadue-jw5pn]

Great video and a good reminder that this is a hobby and should be enjoyed. Very nice job showing how to process less than ideal data something we can all relate to.

[@CuivTheLazyGeek]

Glad you enjoyed it!

[@fabienr4517]

La pleine lune, un moment parfait pour faire des essais et des réglages 🤙. Merci pour tes vidéos 👍😉

[@CuivTheLazyGeek]

Exactement!

[@perry3928]

Hi Cuiv. I can't agree more. When socked in by clouds (seems most of the time) image all you can, full moon, haze,whatever, it gives you a chance to hone your skills. I'm impressed with the payload you have on the am5, with no counter weight.

[@CuivTheLazyGeek]

For now it's a good little mount :-)

[@siegfriednoet]

Surprisingly good result you have here Quiv, I didn't expect that with this target, it's not an easy target, not so bright. So well done !

[@CuivTheLazyGeek]

Thank you!!

[@SKYST0RY]

On a serious note, Cuiv, I love how you are working with less than ideal times and lighting conditions. I've always enjoyed finding the beauty in the imperfect, and there is good science there, too. Wabi sabi et salut!

[@jamesbonser9667]

Another great video, Cuiv. I usually image open clusters or use H-alpha filter to get the detail for my OSC camera. You're right, it can be a lot of fun.

[@astromike6521]

Much thanks Cuiv. You‘re really a gamechanger. It’s incredible what result you get under a full moon night. I can so much learn about your practise. You simply the best! Best wishes and clear skies!✨👋🏼

[@CuivTheLazyGeek]

Thanks Mike :)

[@leedavies9158]

Thanks for a great video. That’s just the inspiration I needed. Keep up the great work

[@CuivTheLazyGeek]

Glad I could help :)

[@caronmj]

Great video! I too have been imagining the Jellyfish Nebula over the last few nights. Still collecting more data before processing. This video came at a perfect time.

[@CuivTheLazyGeek]

Enjoy the capture and processing!

[@adventuresofshadowdog]

I love your videos and have learned a lot from you! Thank You! I am an amateur astrophotographer and I live in Southern Utah where I have access to remote area with dark skies - Bortle 2-3. When I was younger I worked for a Japanese company and spent a great deal of time in Tokyo. I can’t imagine how you do what you do from Tokyo! Incredible! Again, thank you for your excellent content.

[@CuivTheLazyGeek]

That is awesome! I wish I had access to such skies!

[@adventuresofshadowdog]

@@CuivTheLazyGeek You are always welcome! If you ever come this way, my home is open to you and I'll personally take you to some incredible dark sky areas. In exchange, I will learn from just watching you!

[@josephfoster6110]

Thanks Man!!! I have a stack of pics that look like yours… looking forward to following your process!!! Peace J

[@CuivTheLazyGeek]

Have fun!

[@pompeymonkey3271]

From Tokyo? Wooooo! Excluding calibration and integration time, Pixinsight and the paid-for add-ons get you to 90% of your final image in mere minutes! Fantastic :)

[@rural_astro]

Great video! I just wrapped up my image on the Jellyfish nebula as well during the full moon. It was my 1st time guiding too. Imaged over 3 separate nights. My 3rd night was much like yours; however, I didn’t toss the data and stacked using weighted FWHM…

[@CuivTheLazyGeek]

Sounds great!

[@redabdab]

Another great video Cuiv. Interesting that you do both ABE and DBE. I have only ever done one or the other, but you got a great extraction. By the way, GHS is really great, so do give it a try. You’ll get far more out of your data than with EZ soft stretch.

[@christinebirgy-mg2pe]

Heureux homme ! Who makes us happy. Merci Cuiv.

[@CuivTheLazyGeek]

Merci!

[@AndyofAstro]

It always has to be fun. Nothing ventured, nothing gained. It doesn't matter if it's full moon, bortle 9 and misty - if it gives fulfilment, enjoyment and fun learning, then we should go for it. It is so important, it must be fun.

[@CuivTheLazyGeek]

That's exactly right Andy!

[@pascalnelson9034]

Cuiv, this was a fun one. I'm also glad to see that the ZWO AM5 seems to be performing well. I have had mine for a month, and I'm loving it. I predict that you will be keeping this mount.

[@CuivTheLazyGeek]

Don't tempt me!

[@deep_space_dave]

That is a beautiful Jelly fish image! Luke would love those halos 😀I don't know if you looked at my Astrobin lately but I imaged M81 and M82 using the Antlia Triband RGB Ultra filter during the full moon and it turned out well. Thank you so much for those PI hotkeys! BTW the rig looks gorgeous now! You should start thinking about how you will convince wifey to let you buy this mount (if you didn't already). Tell her it is easier on you back as it will lighten your wallet 😀 Clear Skies!

[@CuivTheLazyGeek]

Thanks so much Dave!! I saw your image, it is impressive!! That filter seems very close to the IDAS GNB, or their new DTD (dusk to dawn) filter! Now I'm my own CFO as my wife is very permissive - so I have to be very disciplined, especially since I'm seriously thinking out going full time in the longer term (thanks to your help!) which would be a very high risk and I need to accumulate some capital as a risk hedge measure :) buying mounts willy nilly doesn't quite vibe with this haha - I'll have to see if I can negotiate with ZWO!

[@gregorybchapman]

Wow, just wow! Beautiful results!

[@CuivTheLazyGeek]

Thank you! Cheers!

[@jasonpatterson8091]

Loved the video; that's really an amazing shot considering the conditions under which the data was gathered. My "problem" is that I live right on the edge of a bortle 2 to 1 zone. If I get a clear moonless night it's amazing even though I am pretty terrible at this stuff still. I have tried shooting with the moon in the sky and it's just terrible in comparison (I don't use narrowband filters because I'm new to the game and light pollution isn't an issue). I guess I'm saying that I'm spoiled by good conditions, pity me! Last night (2 days after new moon) was crystal clear and I was swearing because the aurora acted up and prevented good imaging. I had to remind myself that 99% of the world doesn't get to see this ever and to just enjoy it.

[@KeithFeickert]

I would love to see your process for this in Siril, that was an incredible result! Well done! 🎉

[@CDigata]

100% with you, i did the same but just one night at full moon on Elephant Nebula and its good to end up with something usable also worth trying remove magenta stars script (lukomatico style) - clear skies my friend

[@CuivTheLazyGeek]

Thank you!

[@N4GW]

I imaged the Elephant Trubk during a hazing full moon night. I had to do some extra processing but still got a descent image. Thanks for the video

[@CuivTheLazyGeek]

Well done! :)

[@enqueir]

Cuiv, thanks so much for your time! , i learnt a lot particularly in the second part .. during the process ... really really useful .. i have a simple requests to you if possible ... could you process a galaxy in luminance in the same stile ? a bn image .... thanks so much!!!

[@CuivTheLazyGeek]

Glad it helped! Probably next time I image a galaxy :-)

[@ronlouie830]

Wonderful enthusiasm! Doing the best with what you have, that's it, man! Another step for ingenuity, brains and guts like your Tokyo nebula images. Dumb questions: you're such a filter geek, is there a filter that will mitigate "moonshine" (or is moonshine, the American slang for homemade illegal whiskey, the secret sauce)? For that matter, with your great mount and guiding, is there a filter for the wavelengths of sunlight that would allow 24 hr data collection? Since you asked, visual imaging of the full moon itself is a treat, with a 114mm Newtonian, Bortle 7 mainly cloudy nights, Pacific NW. Aside from the "neutral" moon filters, are there filters you use for imaging the moon? Thanks

[@sking3571]

Imagine a Full Moon & being surrounded by fields of white snow! You can read a book .. Ok Ok but this year the only clear skies here have been on Full Moon Nights Ugh!!!! Thanks Cuiv for giving me something to do!

[@CuivTheLazyGeek]

Hehehe I love giving people things to do!

[@jackbernstein3029]

I had good weather during this full moon cycle. I also imaged the Jellyfish (with a L-extreme) and got good images. I also imaged M51 and M81/82 for h-α to complement broadband images. Happy with my results.

[@Jonasastrophotos]

Another fantastic video Cuiv!

[@CuivTheLazyGeek]

Glad you enjoyed it!

[@michael.a.covington]

Full moon is when we familiarize ourselves with software and new equipment, calibrate PEC and guiders, etc. Full moon is useful!

[@nuforuk]

Excellent as always

[@allenbaylus3378]

Cuiv - curious - do you think that you may have gained anything by pushing the saturation up on the star only image before recombining it back with the nebula image? Also - the MD lottery had a similar saying - "you gotta play to win". Similar concept

[@CuivTheLazyGeek]

Possible! But I really should just be taking an non filtered star image (no narrowband) and putting the stars back ... Too lazy!

[@mrkutube]

It is fun to watch your videos too, as always. Always learning few things and at the same time getting motivated. I myself experimented capturing Rosette nebula with L-Ultimate filter from bortle 7 sky, results were not too bad. I wonder if you could do a video of NINA as a beginners guide to follow while setting up for a imaging session. How about sharing your own custom sequence in a file to download if it is not too much to ask. Thank you very much Cuiv. Keep imaging.👍

[@CuivTheLazyGeek]

Definitely looking into it!

[@daviestar]

The 'head' of a Jellyfish is called the bell 😂. Thanks for another great video

[@CuivTheLazyGeek]

Learning new stuff every day :)

[@ctyragdoll]

Where I live, clear skies are so rare that I can only image maybe once a month. If that falls on or around the full moon, so be it.

[@CuivTheLazyGeek]

Makes sense :)

[@TomDenbo]

Did you figure out what caused the oscillations in guiding in your previous AM5 video?

[@RazorChrist]

Yeah I try to image every chance I get, full moon or not. I do try to be pointed away from the moon if I can help it. But the gradients still show up no matter what. But I have gotten some pretty good results even under 98% full moon. They're obviously not going to be anywhere near as good as new moon images. But for me, it's more than just getting a pretty picture. Just being under the stars any chance I get is worth it, especially right now when I've had 3 weeks of clouds and rain, and I'm getting a little cabin fever...lol.

[@gdineyt]

Hello Cuiv, Thanks for your videos. Your challenge made me think to an other more crazy one. You know that according to Chinese texts, Crab nebulae was visible by day in 1054. What is the minimum magnitude for an object to be seen by day? Maybe this a silly question/idea, do you think it could be possible to image bright stars by day with filter, short acquisition time, image stacking and image processing? I guess my question is equivalent to, would it be possible to extract bright star signal from a noisy blue sky with those tools?

[@CuivTheLazyGeek]

That is a good question! I've seen people image planets during the daytime, but nothing more

[@BillyVerden]

Full-On Cuiv Enthusiasm!! Lol.. Great Video as Always!

[@CuivTheLazyGeek]

Thanks! 😁

[@larrydrum1842]

Good video Cuiv. I wanted to try imaging the 2 days before the FM cuz the skies were clear but here in Georgia pollen season is in full bloom and there was no way I wanted to get the telescope covered in sticky yellow tree powder. As always I learned something new in fast processing in Pixinsight. Thanks.

[@CuivTheLazyGeek]

Pollen season is in full bloom here too :( the lens hood does help keep the telescope corrector plate more or less protected for now

[@urtziodriozola7766]

Wow!! the file loader is going to be very handy! Thanks Cuiv!! Every time I learn something new with you! I would like to learn how to combine multi session data (2-3 nights) taken with a DSLR in Siril. Do you know how to do it?

[@CuivTheLazyGeek]

Use script to stack each night separately, then get the calibrated frames from all the nights, download the no calibration stacking script, and run that on your calibrated frames!

[@urtziodriozola7766]

@@CuivTheLazyGeek I will do so, thanks! 🤩

[@y2ukr87]

New video, new information. Man, I need to learn advanced sequencing in NINA, it even looks cool

[@CuivTheLazyGeek]

Advanced Sequencing is awesome!

[@TevisC]

I think he's so happy because he's got an AM5 mount :) with that mount, I think he should do a road trip!

[@CuivTheLazyGeek]

I really want to do so!!

[@sknarberg]

Now it's Cuiv, the Hazy Geek 😀

[@CuivTheLazyGeek]

Ha, that works too!

[@jackbernstein3029]

Nice video. I also imaged this near the full moon. Not h as pot with my OSC image yet. BTW, in the video, your audio and video do not appear synched.

[@CuivTheLazyGeek]

Great! My audio and video appear in sync to me, are you using Bluetooth headphones by any chance?

[@jackbernstein3029]

@@CuivTheLazyGeek No. I was watching on my TV, AirPlaying from my iPad. I just tried it on my iPhone and your lips and voice are synched. Weird. Will keep that in mind in the future - it must have to do with how AirPlay works.

[@SKYST0RY]

I hate doing astrophotography during the full moon! All night fighting off werewolves.

[@CuivTheLazyGeek]

Those pesky werewolves 😂

[@MrSubaruoutback]

Cuiv, I’ve been enjoying Siril per your recommendation but do you know if there will ever be an open source version of ‘blur exterminator’? Thanks!

[@CuivTheLazyGeek]

That I have no idea... I hope there will be but I don't know!

[@ferenc-x7p]

Gearheads like me, like to mess with our rig as much as imaging. Even if there is no image made at the end. I do my PEC training and collimation of the RC scope during full moon.

[@StantonSpaceGamir]

My guy you are insane. I only shoot under full moons when I'm desperate.

[@CuivTheLazyGeek]

But it's so much fun!

[@Chriscraft50]

Cuiv, I use the new celestron aluminum dew sheild on my hyperstar C6 setup. It clips on straight every time and offers a bit of protection. Great for flat frames, too. How on earth are 10 minute subs possible with hyperstar without over exposure?

[@CuivTheLazyGeek]

I saw that new dew shield, I'll see if it's available locally! I'm very interested in it. With the very narrowband filter I have, it's actually fine to have 10 minutes!

[@delphys75]

Cuiv, I thought I saw 300s poses at first, but then I saw 600s on your images in Pix... What was your exposure time, then? (désolé, tu l'as peut-être dit, mais mon anglais est "moyen", donc...) And, how many images in three nights, for "only" 41 at the end? Thank you for all your videos, it's great!! ;-)

[@CuivTheLazyGeek]

All 41 600s frames across the three nights, including something like just 2 frames from the third night - et oui j'ai changé mon défaut de 300s à 600s dans la vidéo!

[@Spaced_Out_Bill]

I can't wait for this weekend. I don't care if it's a full moon or not. I've been working on both of my rigs and need to dial them in. Full moon be damned, let it shine! 🌕

[@CuivTheLazyGeek]

Have fun!

[@AndreH3d]

Holly crap we are doing the same target all the time, in my case I tried the Jellyfish a couple nights ago and my image is not color calibrating at all it’s very overexposed in the green channel and my red and blue is completely non existent, that’s the very first time I get a result like that…

[@AndreH3d]

It’s crazy that the green channel show the target fairly well, I’m using SVBONY 7nm duo band with a 6” f4 newt and asi183 mc pro stacking in DSS and processing in Siril

[@CuivTheLazyGeek]

Yes for me the green was overpowering as well - at worst just do a histogram stretch based on the unlinked autostretch

[@davidsimard1522]

Could we arrive ro this resalt with a dslr canon ????

[@CuivTheLazyGeek]

You could, but it will take longer - also ideally it's better to mod it to remove the built in IR filter so you can get more H alpha signal

[@davidsimard1522]

@@CuivTheLazyGeek thk you jais écouter ton emision et tu avais repondu mes jais poser la question avant la fin merci beaucoup

[@komr323]

unscreen stars… anyone can explain?

[@Oxizee]

I have only Evolux 62ED.

[@CuivTheLazyGeek]

And that's a fine scope!

[@gregerianne3880]

Not to mention the practice, practice, practice you get when imaging anytime! Always something to learn, even under the worst conditions. On the only clear night (a whopping 2 hours!) we had lately, I imaged NGC 2403 (C7) with an Antlia RGB Triband filter. Fun and great practice trying to pull something out of that data with PixInsight!

[@CuivTheLazyGeek]

That's the spirit! Exactly!

[@anthonyexmouth]

In Adam Block we trust. Lol. Why did you choose PCC over SPCC?

[@CuivTheLazyGeek]

Because I haven't spent the time getting used to SPCC yet!

[@anthonyexmouth]

@@CuivTheLazyGeek ah, fair enough. Seems to work a lot faster and colours do seem better. If you do use it it's worth selecting a small preview box somewhere in the image at the edge with clean background. It also doesn't plate solve so if coordinate info isn't embedded you have to use plate solve first in the image inspection category then run SPCC.

[@teslar1]

10 min subs with a Hyperstar ? What’s the rational for that please

[@CuivTheLazyGeek]

With very narrowband filter, it's doable - but yeah kind of overdoing it!

[@capturethephotons2078]

I abandon. Until I start shooting monochrome. Then I will give DSOS a shoot with a moon out. I have enough moon data currently for every full moon till I go to the dark side of the moon. See you on the darkside of the moon🌑 I would like to build a newtonian moon rig though.....

[@sergekolesov3971]

Thank you, that was awesome! The moon and fog are our friends, not our enemies! Hard in training, easy in battle. 🌌🌔

[@normanhey8555]

You miss 100% of the shots you don't take : Wayne Gretzky, the greatest goal scorer of all time in the NHL. Same applies to astrophotography! They may not be great, but they're more fun than not shooting at all!

[@CuivTheLazyGeek]

Exactly!

[@jensunger6560]

Super cool Video! Small Tip: For the Order of the Lazy Geeks: Use Graxpert instead of DBE as you can remove gradients faster and with fewer clicks (and partially better than DBE) as also Shawn showed. Its so good, that the PI guys felt threatened by it :)

[@EugeneRu777]

👍👍👍👍👍👍👍

[@nolho]

J'image tellement rarement que Lune ou pas, quand je peux shooter, je shoote 😀

[@CuivTheLazyGeek]

Autant en profiter !

[@nolho]

Merci !

[@CuivTheLazyGeek]

Woohoo, merci beaucoup !!

[@nolho]

@@CuivTheLazyGeek Avec plaisir, merci à toi surtout.

[@luboinchina3013]

Too foggy here, already third foggy night

[@CuivTheLazyGeek]

Always waiting for the weather... :)

[@urtziodriozola7766]

I'm the first one! 😄

[@CuivTheLazyGeek]

🎉

[@davidletz9123]

I'm 25th!!!!

[@CuivTheLazyGeek]

Now THAT is an accomplishment!

[@southbronxny5727]

Stop being Lazy and check out the new Antlia 2.8nm filters if you can.

[@CuivTheLazyGeek]

I would need a slow scope to test them :(

[@luboinchina3013]

Second😂

[@CuivTheLazyGeek]

Hehehe

[@davidpreneta3805]

DSO are fun and challenging...but during a full moon I'll do planet imaging. I like to mix up my targets and I enjoy it for what it is. I do astrophotography for me and nobody else. I'll never have an astrophoto of the day because thats not what I'm looking for.

[@mykol68]

I did not know NINA did that. Thank you

[@CuivTheLazyGeek]

You're quite welcome :)