What is the best camera to use for planetary imaging

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What camera should you use to photograph the planets? In this video, I will show you why certain cameras are better for deep space while others are preferable for planetary photography. The cameras that I used are:
Altair Astro 183c
ZWO-ASI 071mc
ZWO-ASI 585mc
I also make reference to the Canon T2i and 7Ti EOS
Background music is from the KZbin Music Library: "Inspiration"
My weather and nature website: www.savannahpat.name
My Astronomy website: heavenlybackyardastro.com/
My Astronomy Facebook page: / heavenly-backyard-3393...
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My Twitter Page: / patofsavannah
Chapters:
0:00 Intro
0:34 Types of Cameras
5:05 Imaging Saturn & Jupiter
13:34 Processing in Autostakkert!
15:32 Using RegiStax
18:35 Summary of Coming Attractions
22:44 Finished Views of Jupiter and Saturn
#astrophotography,#TBAIC,#backyardastronomy,#imageprocessing

[@inquisitivesoul8978]

Love it!😊

[@rs1107]

🔭Thanks 4 Your Heavenly Wisdom🔭 🌌Just Starting Ast W/ C-11 XLT🌌 😎Your An Inspiration 4 My Journey😎

[@HeavenlyBackyardAstronomy]

So glad you found my channel. I hope to continue to inspire you on your quest of the heavens above.

[@georges3799]

Just my luck, the weather forecast for Jupiter opposition is rain for 5 days.

[@user-pr8er1gm8v]

Absolutely incredible work

[@HeavenlyBackyardAstronomy]

Thank you very much

[@simonpepper5053]

Incredible images Pat makes me wanna jump into a bit of planetary

[@HeavenlyBackyardAstronomy]

Hi SImon, Ha ... that's what I was going for! Thank you for watching my video.

[@AstroRef68]

Just for a video by itself is enough It’s excellent camera

[@galengloetzel1441]

Good job! Thank you!

[@HeavenlyBackyardAstronomy]

Thank you for watching my video, Galen

[@njcck]

Pat, you are amazing finding a clear spot in this weather. I haven't been able to shoot in a couple of months! If we ever do get clear skies I'm going to try for Jupiter with the 585 I just received.

[@HeavenlyBackyardAstronomy]

Thank you. Yes, just a few 'windows' of oppertunity poppep up. We should have many more this week though. I and finding out that you will need to use a IR/UV filter over the 585 else you will get subdude (and strange) colors.

[@martinmccrum5003]

Great content, keep up the good work !!

[@HeavenlyBackyardAstronomy]

Thank you, Martin. I plan to. Thank you for your support

[@LogansAstro]

Super images of the planets Pat. Lots of nice bands of colour across both planets. I also noticed a hint of surface detail on one of the moons! (furthest out, I'm guessing is Ganymede) And cheers for the shoutout - and yes the weather is still not great but I have had a couple of partially clear nights to squeeze in some planetary imaging also.

[@HeavenlyBackyardAstronomy]

Hi Logan, Ha, I love to name drop when ever possible. I am getting better at planetary, but all those nights were not under the best seeing conditions. There was still some thin clouds and the humidity was atrocious. Hopefully soon the sky will clear and humidity drop. And now, the moon is moving away. Thanks for watching my video, Logan.

[@woody5109]

Just found your channel, subscribed, love your images, love your backyard. Because we are socked in (winter sky’s here) Looking forward to future videos.

[@HeavenlyBackyardAstronomy]

Hi Woody, Thank you for watching my video(s) and thank you for subscribing. The garden is quite at the moment but my Camelias are now beginning to bloom, which takes me through the winter with blossems of color

[@azrayastrophotography2260]

Hi Pat, just watched this video. Great images of Saturn and Jupiter. We are going through our Monsoon season currently so once it is over I will plan on doing some planetary imaging. as well. Cs

[@HeavenlyBackyardAstronomy]

Hi Ray, Ugh, I feel your pain. At least the moon is now starting to move away. I got more rain and clouds coming in for tonight ... AGAIN

[@nxu5107]

Setting up the rig with however many cameras, doing the post processing and then sharing the video with us takes some doing. Thanks for sharing your experiences.

[@HeavenlyBackyardAstronomy]

Thank you. Yes, but it is a labor of love.

[@siegfriednoet]

Great images Pat, looks like the new ZWO planetary camera is a perfect match for your 11" Edge, looking forward to the next videos Ow and also her in Belgium its a struggle with lots of clouds, rain and thunderstorms, normally september is a great month to capture but not this year

[@HeavenlyBackyardAstronomy]

Hi Siegfried, Thanks. I just might ... might ... get a couple of clear nights coming up. So you too? Seems it has been cloudy more than usual around the world!

[@shusiman]

Well, I shoot planets with a mug like yours, with some photo-sensitive dust in it :D it works perfectly for me ;0)

[@peterkudzinowski1274]

Nice video Pat. Great images. Just ordered a player one Neptune C II. Interested to see how this performs on planets.

[@HeavenlyBackyardAstronomy]

HI Peter, I hear the Neptune C is very similar to the 585. Thank you for watching my video.

[@gerardford1116]

Great video. I'm starting to get into planetary photography and am enjoying it. Software learning curve is a bit different than DSO's (using SGP) with Sharpcap but am finding great tips from videos like yours. My rig for planetary is a 10" Meade LX200R, ZWO 224 MC Pro, and a TV 2X Powermate. Looking forward to the upcoming months for Neptune and Uranus. Appreciate the work you do for the astrophotography community! Keep the videos coming!

[@gerardford1116]

Correction, camera is a ZWO 224 MC Cool. My other cameras are ZWO 533 and 294, both are MC Pro versions. Guess I'm just used to that nomenclature!

[@HeavenlyBackyardAstronomy]

Hi Gerald, I started to play with SGP but then came along NINA, and I got hooked on that. SharpCap is very good too and now the 4.0 version has many new routines making it compete with SGP, APT, and NINA, however, I haven't gotten into that SharpCap learning curve yet. That 10" Meade is perfect for planetary with that long focal length. The 2X Powermate is a good accessory too. Thank you for watching my video and for that compliment.

[@AstroRef68]

again very helpful video

[@HeavenlyBackyardAstronomy]

Thank you for watching my video, AstroRef and you are welcomed

[@lukomatico]

Just wonderful to see these captures Pat, you always make such a great presentation! :-) The seeing at times on Jupiter looked very steady, it was really cool to see it so calm on your screen like that! - The weather here has been very poor too for the past few weeks, thunderstorms, rain, howling winds.. you name it, haha, hopefully we get a break soon as it'd be nice to shoot Jupiter at opposition! Can't wait to see more from the 585 by the way, I think they are a superb sensor! All the best my friend, Clear skies!

[@HeavenlyBackyardAstronomy]

Hi Luke, Well, as I type this, it is raining and thundering again. Ugh! The planets are certainly a major challange for your location as they are sooo low in the sky. Your new camera, (Uranus c?) should be perfect for the challange. You might want to consider an Atmospheric Dispersion Corrector. I have one, but it is a bit of effort to align it with the camera, plus, well, being here at 32N latitude, the planets are somewhat higher in the sky. We are watching here about the Queen and new King. She was greatly loved here in the States.

[@lukomatico]

@@HeavenlyBackyardAstronomy Thank you so much for your time to reply Pat, I do appreciate it 🙂(I'll definitely need to look into an ADC!) Re: the Queen, it's been a strange few days in the UK! Seemingly no matter if someone is a monarchist or not, everyone has been touched in some way or another as she's been a big part of life in the United Kingdom for as long as almost anyone can remember! Clear skies my friend!

[@craiglowery4427]

Outstanding video Pat. I'm currently using the ASI485MC with 5.9 micrometer pixels. It pairs nicely with my C14 with our turbulent skies alongside the Rocky Mountains in Colorado

[@HeavenlyBackyardAstronomy]

Thanks Craig. The C14 is certainly a beast of a scope. What mount do you have it sitting on? Also, are you getting smoke from the western wildfires?

[@craiglowery4427]

@@HeavenlyBackyardAstronomy I have my rig on the JMI Wheeley Bar (from Far Point) with six huge tires. It's easy to move it out to pre-surveyed points in the yard. Yes we have gotten some smoke for a few days. I did not image the past few weeks because of our daughter's wedding this Sunday. I will be up on Jupiter later this month

[@AmatureAstronomer]

I take pictures with an SvBony SV705c, which uses an ASI585 chip. Good chip!

[@HeavenlyBackyardAstronomy]

SvBony is coming out with some really good products lately. That 705c looks like a great planetary camera. Of course, using the IMX 585 chip dosen't hurt.

[@martinmccrum5003]

Thanks

[@HeavenlyBackyardAstronomy]

Thhank you very much, Martin

[@oscarcasanova9150]

Thanks so much for the Informative videos. I just ordered a 9.25 Celestron SCT. I also ordered the focal reducer for it to bring my f/10 down to a f/6.3. I ordered a Televue 2x Barlo. Based on this information, what would you suggest for a planetary camera. This is me taking my very first steps into Astrophotography. Very excited and am also grateful fir youtubers such as yourself leading the way with info and advice

[@HeavenlyBackyardAstronomy]

Hi Oscar, That appears to be a good planetary setup. What mount do you have the telescope on? As per your camera question, for planetary, you should look for a sensor with a small pixel size of less than 3 microns. Two excellent ones would be the ZWO ASI 585 color and the other is the Player One Uranus-C (which uses the same IMX 585 chip). The pixel size in both is 2.9 microns. For space objects, a larger pixel size would be better.

[@Astrofrank]

Sorry, but the ASI585MC has 12 bit ADC.

[@vampolascott36]

Your planetary images are the best I've ever seen from a backyard astronomer. The colors looked natural (not oversaturated) and the wavelet detail was just right, not like a lot that I've seen on KZbin.

[@HeavenlyBackyardAstronomy]

TThanks House RN. I just went out last night and had another session on the planets and they came out even better. I am making a new video about that and will produce and post soon.

[@vampolascott36]

@@HeavenlyBackyardAstronomy I look forward to it. Mars will be at opposition soon.

[@JonnyBravo0311]

Always fun to get new gear, Pat! I just picked up the 662MC, and in a strange twist of the universe, had 2 nights of clear skies on delivery. I also picked up a ZWO ADC and a Tele-Vue 2x Barlow. I just posted my first light of Jupiter on Instagram (and AstroBin). I am definitely happy with the results. I noticed you have a guide scope and camera mounted on the top of your Edge 11. Do you use that to plate solve and slew to your target? I use the manual 9x50 finder scope that came with my 8" EdgeHD... and boy do I end up contorting myself into strange positions to try to line it up to get the planet on the camera's sensor LOL!

[@HeavenlyBackyardAstronomy]

Hi Jonny, Thank you for watching my video. When everthing is working fine, I use the main camera to plate solve. All was working well until a 'glich' developed in the camerra, so I did plate solve with the guide scope ... it worked but NINA complained ... but still, it worked. The 662 looks very similar to the 585

[@Astronurd]

The best pixel size is dependent on whichever focal length you are shooting at. Smaller isn't always better.

[@HeavenlyBackyardAstronomy]

True, For long focal lengths, that small pixel size seems to enhance planetary imagings.

[@JoesAstrophoto]

Fantastic video Pat and perfect timing as I'm trying to get setup to do some planetary tonight if all goes well. Any tips for finding the planets. They seems very difficult to find with a 2x Barlow at 4000mm and a tiny camera sensor. I saw your reply to Jonny below and had the same idea of using a guiding scope to plate solve on, but I'll need to order a little saddle for my Edge to mount one.

[@HeavenlyBackyardAstronomy]

HHi Joe, Thanks for watching my video. One thing you can do is first put on a larager pixel size camera and then use NINA to plate slove. Once you're centered on the planet, replace the camera with the planetary one. Or you could plate solve without the Barlow with the planetary camera. It's very difficult to plate solve with the Barlow on as it cuts down on the incoming light and view. Just don't forget to set the proper focal length in NINA before plate solving.

[@skywatcherca]

Sir, if you have the time, would you please consider a (new) video on which/what CCD VIDEO camera is best for planets. My preference is for a color CCD video camera, as there is a color on some of the planets, but a B&W CCD video camera is also of interest. Thank you: great, extremely informative video.

[@HeavenlyBackyardAstronomy]

Hi Jonathan, I don't own any CCD cameras. Most of today's cameras are now CMOS and they have come a long way in just the past few years and supposively have surpassed CCD cameras in production. Thank you for watching my video on the CMOS cameras

[@GaryPClark]

I have an old Celestron 11 gps. It seems to track best when I let it auto align but it still drifts enough that I have to nudge it quite a bit. It has the fork mount. Pretty sure it needs some tinkering. I thought I was going nuts getting almost the results you have, yellow and a bit fuzzy. Getting a sharp focus is a bear. I keep trying. I guess I should go back to the wavelet method, sort of quit as I never knew what each did very well. I like knowing you get those results with a similar setup. My camera is ASI 183, I thought it would be really great, not quite living up to my expectations. Nice informative videos.

[@HeavenlyBackyardAstronomy]

Thank you, Gary. For planetary observation/imaging, an Az/El fork mount will work for the short exposures. For longer exposures for longer movie files and for deep space objects, it's hard to beat an equatorial mount. Yes, getting that focus looking through all that atmosphere is a challange. It's harad to beaat "Good Seeing". RegaaiStax 6 is well worth learning as it really cleans up that blurring.

[@GaryPClark]

@@HeavenlyBackyardAstronomy I am going to borrow your presets, zoom in on the video and repeat them. Saves me from a no go starting point. Thank you for the video and your expertise and reply. The fork mount is over and up, over and up, over and down. Steps not smooth like your mount.

[@frosthastrophotography]

Great video! I really want to get into planetary and solar imaging but I would need new scopes and cameras. Some other year :)

[@HeavenlyBackyardAstronomy]

Hi Martin, Well, right now, you got your NEW observatory to play with. I'm looking forward in seeing FIRST LIGHT from it.

[@frosthastrophotography]

@@HeavenlyBackyardAstronomy Oh yes! Thought I'd get to test it today but just clouds.

[@captaintoad-ef6zt]

would love to see your photoshop process

[@HeavenlyBackyardAstronomy]

Hi Captain, I am working on a new video that will be showing just that. Thank you for asking.

[@rickmoore4776]

we might get five semi clear nights a month, in NW Illinois. 40 miles west of Chicago. :(

[@HeavenlyBackyardAstronomy]

So sad, but I feel your pain ... I grew up in Detroit and Nov -May seemed like it was forever cloudy. I did remember more clear nights in the summer, but then again, it was summer and there wasn't as much astronomical dark to play with. None-the-less, clear skies, Rick

[@timschulerii57]

I mean, if you wanted to test anymore cameras and it's cloudy and/or raining, going to Nebraska would be a great place for now. We haven't got any rain all this week and there's mostly clear skies in areas. It sure isn't fun to wait for clear skies. We're just so eager to go outside and look up at the stars or taking pictures of Nebulae, Galaxies, and planets or looking at them through a telescope. And then there's books about space and Stellarium to make up the time.

[@HeavenlyBackyardAstronomy]

Ha, thanks for the offer, Tim. It is FINALLY clearing up around here so I think I'll stay put.

[@gclaytony]

Great video. I've done a good amount of DSO (Esprit 100ED/2600MM), but no planetary imaging as my setup really isn't optimum for that type of imaging. Consequently I've got no real knowledge of what it takes to setup/capture planetary other than it is a lot different than what I do now. What li ttle research I've done points me toward Firecapture as the preferred sequence manager and the need for a camera with a much better frame rate than the DSO setup I use now. Excluding the OTA, what are the issues/requirements for setting up with a barlow/teleextender? Software preferred (Firecapture, ????). This is an area where I definitely don't know what I don't know...

[@HeavenlyBackyardAstronomy]

The longer the focal length the better for planetary capture. Anything over 2,000mm will be good. (My Celestron Edge HD has a FL of 2,800mm). A 2x Barlow would help but not necessary. For a camera, the smaller the pixel size, the better ... under 3.5-micron pixel size. Most OSC dedicated astronomy cameras have suitable frame rates. I prefer SharpCap, but I do hear of good things about Firecapture, but I could never get it to work as well as SharCcap. SharpCap isn't free, but it's only about $10 per year (I think). For Post processing, you will greatly benefit by getting Autostakkert! and RegiStax6. Both are free.

[@ryanmichaelhaley]

I thought those summer clouds were never going to go away!

[@HeavenlyBackyardAstronomy]

Mine finally did. I hope you are have the same luck

[@roymixon]

Great content! Enjoy your videos. Question, I'm new at this stuff, I purchased the ZWOASI120mc-s. Using Celestron Nexstar 130 XLT. Would you say this is a good starter camera for planetary imaging?

[@HeavenlyBackyardAstronomy]

Hi Roy, Thank you for watching my video(s). That should be a great starter camera and particularly for planetary capturing. You can use it for deep space as well to get the 'feel' of your surroundings. Once you are comfortable, you will be ready for a better grade camera. Currently, Venus is a good target (but very bright). Saturn is rising around 3 am now.

[@roymixon]

@@HeavenlyBackyardAstronomy Appreciate the feedback sir ! Yes, Venus is the first star I see on a clear night just before dark fall. Hope to see Venus here in Houston 3am, first we need clear skies. It's been cloudy for the past 2 weeks! Driving me nuts, I am very anxious to experiment with my new camera. Like a kid in a candy store! Cheers!

[@anata5127]

ASI432. Then, x4 Barlow can be used with f10 scope.

[@HeavenlyBackyardAstronomy]

Thanks, Ana, I do have the ASI 532, so I guess I could use that.

[@anata5127]

@@HeavenlyBackyardAstronomy ASI 532? I know ASI533MC and ASI585MC planetary camera. F ratio for planetary imaging is 6*size of pixel (in um) for very good seeing or 4-5*pixel size for usual seeing. 533 and 585 pixel sizes are 3.7 and 2.9um, respectively. So, your system limit is 5*3.7 about f20 at the best; you need x2 Barlow. Limit for my asi482 is 6*6=f36 (seeing here is very good). I use x3 Barlow. As a result, I get compatible resolution to c11 edge with c8 (non-HD). Now, if you use asi432, which is mono, then you will get capability to use whooping 5*9=f45, x4 Powermate; and use near infrared filters (Sloan i and j). Then, you will be real “king” of planetary imaging. Obviously, you will need 1K+ investment.

[@refetastro]

585 looks to me the best for video or imaging

[@HeavenlyBackyardAstronomy]

That 585 is good for DSO too. Now, Player One has come out with a cooled 585. That might be soemthing to think about during the summer hot months.

[@astrotherapist]

How can you do the planets with a 2x Balow or 3X Barlow like the kind you showed without having problems with backfocus. I tried to use my Barlow lens and it would not focus no matter what I did.

[@HeavenlyBackyardAstronomy]

Hi Paulette, First of all, thank you for watching my video. I had no trouble focusing. I inserted the camera all the way into the slot of the Barlow and locked it down, then I just inserted the Barlow/camera combo into the scope.

[@lightsout3127]

Great images Wich software you use?

[@HeavenlyBackyardAstronomy]

Thank you for watching my video. TO capture the planets, I use SharpCap Pro. The process the images, I use AutoStakkert! and Registax6. Then I buff up the images in PhotoShop.

[@douglasfleming1]

Thanks Pat Can I ask: how much do you have to worry about getting an accurate focus for the guide scope?

[@HeavenlyBackyardAstronomy]

Hi Doug, Oh that guied scope ... I can never get one with a good sharp focus, but then again, I've read and seen on other videos that PHD2 works well with the guide stars slightly out of focus. Still, I would like to improve opon my guiding. On the Orion EON 130mm on the EQ6-R pro mount, I can cleanly capture up to 7 minute exposure now, that's up from less than 3 minutes from about 2 year ago. On the big C11 on the CGX mount, I'm lucky to get 3 minutes at f/10 ... 2800 mm focal length.

[@douglasfleming1]

@@HeavenlyBackyardAstronomy thanks Pat. I'm having trouble with the focus on the guide scope. Glad to know pinpoint focus might not be necessary. Mind you, I'm going to try with an off axis guider next. Clear skies in ottawa this last week, but the clouds have come back. Hope your skies have now cleared!

[@humandroid53]

It's not 3 ex. It's 3 times. It's a multiplies the focal length by 3. Focal length Times 3.

[@HeavenlyBackyardAstronomy]

Yep, you are correct. Thanks for the heads up

[@xenify_]

Can these work on non tracking telescopes

[@HeavenlyBackyardAstronomy]

The cameras will work on non-tracking systems, but you would only get about 10 seconds of usable recording time as the target will slide out of view.

[@user-ri2od7cf7s]

​​@@HeavenlyBackyardAstronomywould you recommend Zwo asi 585 for skywatcher dobsonian 10 inch with manual tracking?