Image Links | |
Published image | Full resolution |
Annotated image | Full resolution |
Lunar Location | Full resolution |
Target Information | |
Main Target Designation(s) | Casatus, Klaproth |
Exposures | |
L-filtered monochrome | 205 x 7.610ms at 59% gain |
Video source | 3% of 212" video at 32 fps (avg) |
Capture resolution | 1280x960 |
Date(s) of acquisition | 07May2017 at 00:29 |
Location | Defiance, MO |
Equipment | |
Imager | ZWO ASI120MM |
Telescope/Lens | Celestron C14 XLT SCT |
Focal Length | 7820mm (f/22) |
Mount | Celestron CGE Pro |
Focuser | GSO Crayford |
Accessories | |
Focusing | Manual |
Magnifiers | Orion 2x "Shorty" Barlow |
Software | |
Acquisition | FireCapture 2.4 |
Guiding | None |
Processing | AutoStakkert 3, Registax 6, PixInsight 1.8 |
Though a high moon was in place, I was thrilled to have finally been graced with some clear skies! Â The combination made for a great opportunity to get acquainted with the Astronomical Society of Eastern Missouri's (ASEM) "new" C14 setup. Â After spending a little time getting familiar with the focal length against my planetary imaging setup, I landed on a pairing of the scope with my 2x barlow to take a look at a slice of the fascinating lunar southern highlands.
This image features Casatus and Klaproth, 2 smaller sized craters bending around the southern face of our lunar companion. Â Measuring 111km and 119km in diameter, respectively, the craters are separated by a thin crest, and each feature high surrounding walls and small craterlets littering their very flat floors.
On this test run of ASEM's C14 telescope, I'm fairly pleased with the current collimation/alignment, and had an interesting time battling the typical poor atmospheric seeing of the region. Â The resolving power of the huge 356mm aperture becomes apparent in this image, and leaves me hoping for a steadier night and a little tweak to the optics to really put it to work. Â But until then, we can enjoy this tiny neighboring field of view on one of the most interesting areas of the moon.