OK. I spent all Friday night doing my first planet CCD images [Jupiter and
Saturn]. My equipment is a Meade LX50-10" with a Meade Pictor 416XT. The
following is a summary of exposure times and results.

I set the CCD camera to the fastest exposure and both planets over exposed.
I then put a Kendrick Mask on the scope with 2" aperture. Saturn came out
with detail but very grainy Jupiter was still over exposing.

I then did hat-trick over the 2" cutting it to a 1/4" aperture. At 1/100 sec
exposure, Jupiter under exposed. At 1/50 sec Jupiter over exposed.

In short, both planets were either over or under exposed at the lowest
settings. After processing and stacking, many of the images either were too
grainy or overly blurred from unsharp masking.

It seems that planets are much harder to do with CCD than deep space.
Interesting to me is that it is the opposite with film..planets are easier
than deep space !!

What is the secret to shooting the planets using a CCD and processing where
one can achieve a sharp chrisp image with great detail ? Is it the 416XT or
me or what ??

Thanks !

Bill

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