FireCapture for Planetary Imaging

FireCapture is a popular program for Planetary Imaging. If your are new to Planetary Imaging, you may find this video useful.

[@ffff-pw1mg]

thank you im just starting all of this and this video helped me understand more than i thought

[@TimTools99]

Great! Thanks for watching.

[@brianreynolds1098]

Thank you for this video! I'm just getting underway and this was a perfect intro to what I'm going to pursue. Just what I needed!

[@TimTools99]

I'm glad you found my video helpful. I watched a lot of videos when I started out. It's great that we can help one another this way.

[@brianreynolds1098]

@@TimTools99, Yes, it is. Thanks again!

[@astrophotonics9470]

Try using Atmospheric Dispersion Corrector it can make a big difference with Planetary Imaging.

[@richardthibault7473]

Helpful video. Thanks for sharing your experience.

[@TimTools99]

You are welcome.

[@StevenParrisWard]

This was great Tim many thanks.

[@TimTools99]

You are welcome. Thanks for watching.

[@bcvlogs7658]

Really nice video, my first time imaging Jupiter on firecapture was a complete fail but after a few more tries I managed to capture a nice clean image.

[@AstroB7]

did you stack the image ? Maybe stacking the image would have increased the quality.

[@thefellasmusic]

Great video, Tim. Nice tutorial on FireCapture. I have the same camera with the IR cut filter. It does make a difference in the clarity of your images, on some planets more than others. I always use it since these cameras are so sensitive to the infrared.

[@TimTools99]

Thanks for the tip. I have found planetary imaging to be quite a challenge. If this helps ...great!

[@SkyShedPODTeam]

Cool Tim! Thanks! CS! Wayne

[@trebor2850]

Thanks for the video very helpful.

[@TimTools99]

I'm glad the video was helpful. I have learned a lot by watching other videos and talking to other like-minded people. It's good we can help each other out.

[@tullyfisher]

very interesting. Great results. thanks :)

[@saeidkarimim6532]

thanks veeery much :D

[@stevehanson5556]

Thanks for a great video I just purchased qhy 163c Camera and I was wondering what software to get you answered a lot of questions For me.

[@zirconzircon8861]

How about back focus? Did you have to manage that somehow?

[@michaelhassall6821]

how do you rate sharpcap as this is what I use but I have never used firecapture

[@MatHelm]

DSLR's are indeed nice. But just like having a manual telescope, you really had to know your camera back then. I remember a trip to NYC in 95 where I had a nice 35mm SLR, which in most cases would snap a great pic in full auto. But during a midnight visit to the observation deck of the Empire State building, the gay pride people had a fireworks show which was spectacular. So in the dark and with 200 ISO film, I quickly guesstamated the Aperture setting, and played with the exposure time while pressing the camera in my hands on the ledge to hold it perfectly still. Ended up with some fantastically perfect 1-2 second exposures of that massive fireworks show, from the unique angle of looking down on them.

[@TimTools99]

GREAT STORY! I really cool memory. You are so right. I remember when I got my first 35 SLR. Nothing auto about it. Well, it did have a light meter to help get a good exposure but like you said, playing around with shutter speed, aperture, ISO etc taught me how to take good pictures. Now that I have the DSLR, I would never go back. I don’t miss waiting for the film to be developed. 😊 But the lessons learned back then help me now to manipulate the DSLR.

[@akacagen]

I know this video was done some time ago. But do you remember if you you used a guide scope for this session? How did you get the image to stay still? Many thanks for the video. It has enlightened me a little about stacking using AVI instead of using seperate DSLR light frames.

[@the_astro_garden]

For planetary, you only need a decent tracking mount, no need for guiding. You can even use an Alt-Az mount, no need to Equatorial setups.

[@NormanMcCall]

I have a C11 EdgeHD and what to know what fitting on the scope you used to connect a Barlow securely with your camera? I have mine hard screwed together using M42 threads.

[@TimTools99]

I believe you are referring to the Baader clicklock

[@joneslu1377]

Thanks for the great video. Just what was the focal length without barlow of the system you were using?

[@TimTools99]

I believe its 2150

[@tjn5845]

Really enjoyed the video. Can you use the video capability in your DSLR to accomplish the same thing? Thanks

[@TimTools99]

The idea is to capture in the avi format. There's a program called virtual dub that I use sometimes to translate a video to the old avi format. A little knowledge is a dangerous thing and I am just learning. Sometimes i don't question the process ... it works so I just use FireCapture.

[@dustinfleming7083]

Great video Tim! At the 8:55 mark, what is between the scope and the ZWO? I am rigging my edge hd to match yours. Is that just the 2” to 1.25 adapter?

[@TimTools99]

That is called a "Baader Clicklock Eyepiece Holder. It's a 2" adapter that comes with a 1.25 adapter. www.highpointscientific.com/baader-planetarium-2-clicklock-clamp-for-sct-clsc-2

[@denodan]

How do you get colour? Its defaulted to black and white and assumes your using a filter wheel, yet have the zwo asi 120cm-s

[@rodken314]

Great instructional video. Just wondering if you should add an IR block filter. These cameras are quite sensitive to IR.

[@TimTools99]

I have never used one. It would be interesting to see if the filter would improve the image. I will have to take a look at those. Thanks for the heads-up.

[@rodken314]

I just just checked the internet and for Jupiter it seems not to make much difference but for Mars the difference is noticeable: search "Why you should use an IR-cut filter with the ASI224MC". Seems that the ZWO IR cut filter is inexpensive. I'm putting together a similar setup in the next few months so I'll discover for myself.

[@TimTools99]

Okay. Thanks for the information. I'm going to check into it.

[@juancarbarcenas]

Does FireCapture switch automatically from color to W/B when you click REC?

[@myidahohomestead.7123]

I can't get it to recognize my camera.

[@markm75]

What edge scope is that, is that an 11? What mount are you using, ie: cgem II?

[@TimTools99]

This is a 9.25 on a CGEM mount.

[@joneslu1377]

Very useful! Thank you! Can a DSLR be connected to PC and do the job with Firecapture?

[@TimTools99]

I got the Firecapture program to use with my ZWO camera. There is a list of cameras that the program supports. I do NOT belive that you can use it with a DSLR. Go to the Firecapture site and take a look at the cameras that it supports.

[@marioptera]

For Canon there is a paid program called BackYardEOS (and the Nikon equivalent is called BackYardNikon, same developer). It captures what is on the Liveview (in order to magnify the tiny sensor image). I have the BYN version (since i have a Nikon crop sensor). The program is quite interesting but i think it does have some major bugs (for example it won't let me capture more than 100 frames per sec). But even a crop sensor (a full frame sensor is worse) is quite suboptimal for planetary captures since there is A LOT of empty space around the planet. That's why dedicated planetary astro cameras are the best for planetary captures (it has to do with sensor size, pixel density, image resolution and so forth). To be honest, dSLRs are best suited for deep sky objects (nebulas, galaxies, globular clusters and so on), not really for tiny objects like the Solar System planets.

[@joneslu1377]

@@marioptera Thanks a lot! Can't agree with you more. I have got a ZWO webcam for planetary imaging now, and I am using my DSLR only for DSOs and stellar imaging just as you have suggested. Thanks again!

[@mikegordonbrasov161]

Excelent tutorial. May i ask please: ¿I use firecapture 2.7.10. In the filter menu, ¿should i choose RGB filter, or L, or wich one? ¿does it depends on what planet i want to record? ¿In image menu, should i use ROI or MAX? I am new in astrophoto I use a color camera, asi zwo 462 and a refractor 120/1000 and barlow x2. Only planetary for now. Thank you verry much

[@TimTools99]

Hello Mike. I'm not experienced with using filters. Just learning myself. I have found that planetary imaging is pretty difficult compared to deep sky imaging. It helps if you learn how to use a good computer program to process your image. Lots to learn in this hobby.

[@newbee1016]

Could you please tell me how to get the Fire Capture logo onto my desk top. At the moment I have to go into my down load file select it and open Fire Capture that way. I have left comments on other videos but no one want's to give me an answer. Cheers Robert Aust,

[@TimTools99]

Hello Robert. I just drag the icon over to my desktop and it makes an alias

[@newbee1016]

@@TimTools99 Okay, thanks for that.

[@RcWorld1977]

Can you get all of the moon in frame?

[@TimTools99]

Yes if I use my 80mm telescope

[@IAMDRREMULAKK]

Those are gray tree-frogs making that noise in the background.

[@TimTools99]

Tree-frogs eh? I don't know my frogs.

[@muhammadfadzilgoh6241]

Still more to be improve😅

[@anotherdamnyankee3805]

You should call yourself 'Deep Pockets Tim' that stuff cost way too much for me!

[@TimTools99]

Yea, I know! I worked all my life ...two and three jobs and now I am enjoying spending my money on what I enjoy.

[@anotherdamnyankee3805]

@@TimTools99 Enjoy!