What do I need for planetary imaging?

A run through my planetary imaging equipment necessities and nice-to-haves! Together with the following two videos on setting up, and imaging and processing, these pretty much show my entire process beginning to end. If you're hoping to get started with planetary imaging, these may provide some starting points and inspiration. Good luck!

[@jeffreybeck5906]

One of the best and most complete tutorials I've seen on planetary astrophotography. I really liked that you took your time and related your direct experience, which is always more helpful than reciting rules of thumb. Thanks for a really excellent video, I learned a lot.

[@CellistOnTheRoof]

Thanks for the kind words, really glad it was helpful!

[@petesastrophotography]

Excellent video with some great information. I have finally dusted off my CPC1100 to start planetary imaging again. I wasn't aware of the dew heater ring so have order one of those. It's fairly reasonably priced compared to the controller as you say, luckily I have plenty of controllers at hand so no problem there. Really looking forward to the Mars opposition in January, it's been such a long time since I've imaged the planets, or even looked at one through a telescope for that matter as I've just concentrated on dso's for so long.

[@CellistOnTheRoof]

Thanks, and I’m sure you’ll love the dew heater ring! I’m also super excited for Mars.

[@CampMacduff]

Thank you for making the video. I am a newbie with a 8" SCT in Seattle trying to level up my planet skills :)

[@CellistOnTheRoof]

Hope it’s helpful, good luck!

[@jrwestimate6953]

Thank you!! I very much appreciate this video. It came at a great time for me, as I am in the process of accruing the necessary gear for planetary imaging. I recently had the good fortune to acquired CPC HD and I'm still very much in the learning curve for using it. I have spent several months researching what I need without having any real insight on exactly what I needed or why. You have simplified it greatly for me. This is why I love your channel. It's down to earth, to the point and given in a way that helps less experienced astrophotographers 'like myself" understand what they need and why. I also like that you are budget minded. .

[@CellistOnTheRoof]

Oh that is just so kind, thanks for such a lovely comment and I’m really pleased the videos are helpful!!

[@HollomanUFOLanding]

I have a CPC11 and agree that the dew heater ring is an absolute must have. You can actually run the heater ring from a much cheaper dew control box like the Thousand Oaks or Astro Zap controllers. I have used both of those (as well as the Celesteron unit). You have variable heat settings with those and can run several heaters at once IE if you were doing visual and want to heat an eyepiece or Telrad at the same time.

[@CellistOnTheRoof]

Thanks! Yes I looked into them, but I’m just not sure I really need them that much - I’ve only got that one corrector plate to heat and so far it’s worked just fine. Good to point out there are other, cheaper option - thanks for the comment!

[@HollomanUFOLanding]

@@CellistOnTheRoof Thanks for your reply :) The only one issue I can think of with having the heater ring on full blast is power usage. However, if you're only running it for a few hours each time then it's probably only drawing ~3 amps / 36watts over that period so no big deal. I like having the Celestron Dew controller on mine because it means I can run everything remotely, including the focus motor, through CPWI and then through a remote laptop. But I think you set up each time you observe so it may not as big of benefit to you. I still have my Celestron Neximage 10 camera that I've managed to get a few nice snaps of the planets with. Although I am mainly a visual astronomer. Clear minds & happy skies :)

[@ianjeffery3762]

I look forward to your videos so it's always a nice surprise when one drops

[@CellistOnTheRoof]

That’s really kind, thanks!

[@WSS_the_OG]

You're a much better cellist on the roof than I am fiddler (violinist) in my backyard! Love your videos. FWIW, one of my biggest challenges is atmospheric turbulence where I live, particularly in the summer (I live in Alberta). I had the amazing fortune to visit Lowell observatory recently, and the skies those extremely lucky high altitude people experience is incredible. For sure, my 8" CST requires adequate cooldown, but honestly, as much as I prepare, I pray for calm air! Even with a wider lens, the inherent magnification ... magnifies what that pesky air is doing! :) Flagstaff, Arizona, is really a marvel. Combined with the very high altitude, that entire city has a mandate to limit light pollution, which is truly game-changer. It's quite difficult to drive around there at night, but to folks like us, it is incredible. From one bow sawer to another, very best wishes, and clearest of skies.

[@CellistOnTheRoof]

Thanks so much! We sure know how to pick a difficult, expensive thing to do, don’t we 😊 I’ve been lucky to drive near Flagstaff on my way to Tusayan and experience the skies around there - absolutely gorgeous! We do struggle with conditions more than others but I think it’s still worth it when the times get good!

[@elvisvelez6609]

I appreciate your input, it's helped me get going immensely.

[@CellistOnTheRoof]

That’s really great to hear!!

[@drobin333]

Very technical and very informative. Your presentation is engaging, information and thoughts are clear The charm of your personality makes your videos what they are, interesting. Wish you made more!

[@CellistOnTheRoof]

Very kind, thank you!

[@Jcorban08]

Thank you for the very helpful video. I especially like the clothespin focuser hack. Brilliant!! I’m going to try that on my SCT focuser knob next time the skies clear up in the Pacific Northwest. Looking forward to the next series of videos.

[@CellistOnTheRoof]

Thanks so much!! I really hope the clothes pin helps, it’s my low budget astro tool 😄 Good luck!

[@astroskyman]

As always Ivana a great video full of helpful information.

[@CellistOnTheRoof]

Thanks so much!

[@ohwell2790]

Appreciate your advice about dimming the captured image and using RAW8 and a area of 536x540. Just started taking with a ZWO ASI224mc and a Celestron 120mmx1000 achromat telescope. 80yrs of age and thought this would keep me busy. Not a lot yet due to very poor seeing because of smoke from a wild fire. Glad found your channel. Just ordered a UV/IR filter. Only have a Meade XL70 mount with a motor on RA. Hope to decent seeing soon, can't even see stars at the moment.

[@crispinward8424]

Great video

[@MikeLikesChannel]

Awesome video Ivana! Cheers from Cincinnati!

[@bofblog]

Nice overview I what's needed, I'm mainly Solar and Lunar and may branch into Planetary

[@arkstarastronomy2113]

Absolutely incredible video! Thank you❤

[@craiglowery4427]

I enjoyed your video Cellist. Planetary imaging is my passion too. I use a Celestron 14" SCT Edge HD. I use color cameras but this year I'm going to try my mono camera on the Moon. I refuse to try an RGB filter wheel. Have you tried RGB imaging? I switched to an electronic focuser two years ago and its a game changer. We live next to the Rocky Mountains In Colorado and struggle with atmospheric turbulence so a focuser helps with rapidly changing seeing conditions. Lastly I ordered a NASA sweatshirt. Thanks again.

[@CellistOnTheRoof]

Hi! I haven’t tried RGB, I just never felt like it would be worth the cost. The mono camera is really great though. Thanks so much for your support, and enjoy the NASA sweatshirt 😊

[@dumpydalekobservatory]

I started out doing planetary using a 200P & modified Philips webcam (remember those?) I got some decent-ish results before moving onto a planetary camera which was far superior. Good tip about the clothes peg as I've used one on my 5" Mak before but the dew ring is definitely a must just a shame none are made for other brands like Meade of Skywatcher as I think they're definitely missing a trick there.

[@AstroFarsography]

How much I've wanted to get into planetary also. This video's been very interesting and your insights into your choices. Would you say you would've picked a long Newtonion over the Cassegrain style if you had space? That multiply pixels by 5 for focal ratio is a golden nugget of information!

[@CellistOnTheRoof]

Ruzeen! Thanks! And you should absolutely get into planetary. Didn’t I see a classical Cassegrain and a 180 Mak on your Instagram? Personally, if space was no issue, yes I’d probably go for a large GoTo dobsonian, they are relatively cheaper when larger, much brighter, easier to bring to a good focal ratio, and less bothered by temperature change. But I do love my SCT 😊

[@AstroFarsography]

@CellistOnTheRoof thanks for the reply! Thanks for following me on IG! You're correct on both counts. Both were review kit. The classical cassegrain were nice scopes and open front so they would cool faster I love an SCT purely because of the front element is crazy. I love the look of an SCT. I've always had a consideration for them but I feel I can't really see the planets from my garden unfortunately. North facing garden, house to the south 😅

[@CellistOnTheRoof]

Ah that’s a shame! Yes anything but north would be better. If you do feel like you can go somewhere, at least SCTs and Maks are more easily portable and the imaging doesn’t take too long. Thanks for watching 😊

[@renepirolt]

Thank you for this video. This was super informative. Would you mind explaining why a flattener is not needed for planetary imaging? Is it because a planet is small enough for the curvature to be negligible, or is there a different reason?

[@CellistOnTheRoof]

That’s pretty much it, as you said - the planet takes a tiny portion of the mirror, and it’s against a black background, so there really isn’t a field to worry about!

[@renepirolt]

Thank you@@CellistOnTheRoof !

[@bbroastro]

I am ridiculously excited to see the Amazon filter special images haha. On the heater controller, it's absolutely mad to me the pricing of Celestron's accessories - all of them are ridiculously overpriced simply because they lean into people wanting to kit their stuff out with 1st party things. The new starsense is £750!!! wtf haha. I do love the heater ring though, it is absolutely essential where I am which is basically wetlands at this time of the year.

[@CellistOnTheRoof]

Oh I can’t wait to try the Amazon filters! The IR doesn’t even say which bandpass it is, just “IR filter” 😂 I could rant for days about Celestron & others charging a fortune for plastic and gears, but I better not start!

[@ENKI7477]

Continue your channel.

[@ABCMO-bl5pi]

This is a very helpful video. I just bought a used Celestron 8se as an upgrade to my C6 for planetary and some DSO astrophotography. I’m going to check the collimation first, then mount it on my ZWO AM5 and operate it with my ASIAir Plus. I’ve got the Celestron single-arm mount and tripod, but I really dislike the mount and hope the AM5 with the ASIAir Plus will be a big improvement. I do have a filter question. I’ve been using the Baader Neodimium Skyglow filter, which filters out IR and UV. It also address some light pollution. So my question: Is there any reason to get a UV/IR cut filter that solely does that, or should the Neodimium Skyglow filter be fine? And I should say that the clothespin for focusing is ingenious. I’ve been intending to install the ZWO EAF on the 8se (I bought the EAF a year ago for my William Optics Redcat 61, but found that I really liked focusing with the Bahtinov mask built into its lens cap, so I never installed it.) but I I get the sense you don’t think that would be necessary. Any thoughts about EAF versus manual?

[@CellistOnTheRoof]

Thanks! The Baader Neodymium is already an UV/IR cut with some added light pollution blocking, so it will be perfect - as a matter of fact, it’s the one I use often! My thoughts about the EAF are simply that it’s too expensive to use just for planetary. I use it on my deep space setup but can’t justify another one - that’s about it! If you can get one, I’m sure it will be a nice addition to the setup. What I don’t rate much is ASIAIR for planetary imaging - it’s wonderful for deep sky, but just doesn’t have the speed and bandwidth for planetary.

[@ABCMO-bl5pi]

@@CellistOnTheRoof Thank you. I think I’ll still try the ASIAIR for planetary, but you may well be right about it.

[@rdilley1]

Great video! Thanks!

[@andyrawlins]

9.25" is small medium! You must have some rich friends :) I consider my 8" Newtonian 'biggish' though I also use it for deep sky and on an equatorial mount. Being 1200mm focal length, so physically quite long, if you go any bigger you need a serious mount. That's Newtonians though. I've never really considered an alt az but I guess they are fine for planetary (which is what I do most of). More videos please - would love to see some 'in the field' imaging - the planets should be back soon. Also some more on the software. I tend to use ASI studio as its simple and seems to do the job. Does Sharpcap/Firecap offer practical advantages? Plus how about some cello music to accompany? I grew up listening to my brother practising cello :)

[@CellistOnTheRoof]

Yes isn’t it crazy how 8” and 9.25” can be considered small or medium when they’re so physically large - but you should see what people out there are using! Almost every amazing planetary image I see is done with 12” and upwards. ASIAIR does indeed do the job, but not as well as a laptop/PC with dedicated capture software. 32GB can fill up very quickly with planetary, it only captures AVI, and you won’t get the same framerates unfortunately!

[@andyrawlins]

@@CellistOnTheRoof ASI Studio is the PC/Mac software that comes with their cameras. It does .ser. It's very easy to use and also does a good job with stacking if you have good data. With dodgy data I use Autostakkert 4 and Wavesharp which is the 'successor' to Registax. I should try out some of the extra features in Sharpcap/Firecap though, if it ever stops raining.

[@chamithathukorala1985]

❤ thanx you rally know what you doing Keep it up ❤

[@raypace6981]

Excellent walk through Cellist! You have very good presentation skills. Keep your videos coming!

[@_BhagavadGita]

Ecellent. Thank you!

[@bricktyrol]

What and awesome video. Love the way you explained all the equipment. Keep going and clear skies! Greets from Italy

[@CellistOnTheRoof]

Thanks very much!!

[@bricktyrol]

@@CellistOnTheRoof Youre welcome. Im coming from a lot of deep sky and building my first light entry level planetary rig with a skybox 127 :)

[@davidletz9123]

Hi and thanks for an informative video, although as a beginner most of what you said was "over my head." Anyway, I'll eventually catch up. What length of USB 3 cable do comfortably use while imaging? I am new to this and have lots to learn. FWIW, I live in a Bortle 7-8 area. 😒

[@CellistOnTheRoof]

Hi, glad the video could be helpful! It’s a steep learning curve for sure. I didn’t have any issues downloading ZWO drivers for any of my cameras. I do use Chrome browser, maybe try a different one, or even saving the zipped file to cloud or something like Dropbox!

[@davidletz9123]

@@CellistOnTheRoof I apologize, I was able to get the drivers installed, so I edited my question above. Please see my question concerning USB 3.0 cables.

[@CellistOnTheRoof]

Glad you got it sorted. I use the standard cables that came with the cameras, one or two meters I believe. Planetary is perfect for us in high Bortle areas, as planets and moon don’t care about light pollution!

[@davidletz9123]

@@CellistOnTheRoof Thanks for the reply. I am just considering everything I need, and how close to my "rig" I need to be during capture. I see most folks a meter or two away, using a utility table for computer.

[@Nottsboy24]

I like your telescope 🔭 i have the Celestron Nexstar Evolution 9.25 👌🌌

[@dweedum731]

Did you get to see the total solar eclipse on Apr 8th? You had mentioned some time back that you might travel to see it.

[@CellistOnTheRoof]

I didn’t unfortunately - it all got too expensive in the end. I saw the most amazing Aurora right at home so I do feel lucky regardless!

[@dweedum731]

Right, everything was crazy expensive. I got a chance to visit Dallas to photography it with my Lunt-40. Lucky you, you got to see the lights. We got to see some colors too, in California, but probably not as bright as what you saw. But not bad at all, considering the probability was so low! Love your channel, keep it going!

[@vladimirschmidt1037]

Wonderful video, Ivana! Thank you so much for sharing with us 😍

[@CellistOnTheRoof]

Thanks so much Vlado!!

[@PadroPadro22]

Im wanting the sharpest live footage of specifically Saturn. Do I need 16 inch Dob? What set up would you recommend?

[@jrwestimate6953]

What is your opinion of a light pollution filter. I'm near a large city and light pollution is a real factor in my seeing conditions. Can this filter be used in conjunction with an UV and infrared cut filter.

[@CellistOnTheRoof]

It’s not needed at all. Planets are bright enough and exposures are so quick that light pollution doesn’t affect imaging. If you’re using an IR pass with it, it could ruin the IR by cutting the wavelengths you’re after!

[@jrwestimate6953]

@@CellistOnTheRoof Thank you for taking the time to answer my question, definitely helpful to me.

[@k.h.1587]

You are any astro nerds dream girl. Not trying to be creepy, you are just a rare breed.

[@kellyjeanj1848]

can you link everything you mentioned?

[@CellistOnTheRoof]

Oh that’s a great idea, yes, I’ll put the links in the description soon.

[@AndyStrappazzon]

clothes peg => Brilliant idea why do you want 3D print a lever when you can do simple stuff...

[@AsKyOdA]

Small is 8 and below, 9.25 is medium on my scale, large are the 10 and 11, and 12,14& 16 are very large 😂

[@oberherten]

Do you play cello? I ask because your name...

[@CellistOnTheRoof]

Yes! Three years ago I thought it was a clever wordplay 😄 and stuck with it!

[@oberherten]

thurgau.astronomie.ch/oberherten/Medien/cellospiel.jpg 😀 thurgau.astronomie.ch/oberherten/