Framlinghamian 2023-2024 Single page - web 144dpi - Flipbook - Page 14
SPIRIT OF INQUIRY
tracking mount on Bertie’s new Celestron
temperatures for January, it only took the
NexStar 6SE telescope (given to him
duo two attempts to capture their 昀椀nal
for Christmas), the pair’s spontaneous
image.
decision to take the telescope outside and
experiment with the tracking mount not
“The only small challenge we faced was
only resulted in them spotting the largest
trying to get the telescope properly in
planet in our solar system but also seizing
focus before we could start capturing
the opportunity to capture the moment for
the video,” says Harry. “The larger the
ever.
telescope the more issues you encounter
when trying to focus due to weight and
“I own a telescope myself, however when
stability. Temperature can also a昀昀ect the
Bertie received his NexStar – which is
focus, especially in cold weather as dew
optimised for viewing planets – I came up
can start to condense on the telescope.”
with the idea of attaching my ZWO ASI
astronomy camera to the eyepiece to see
Dr Richard Higgins, Head of Science
what we could capture,” explains Harry.
at Framlingham College, said: “I was
absolutely blown away when I saw
Heading outside on a cold January
what Harry and Bertie had managed
evening, the pair spent an hour
to capture. To see the colours and the
conducting visual astronomy, setting
detail of the planet was fantastic. I have
their sights on the 昀椀fth planet from the Sun
never seen a better image produced by
which sits approximately between 400
two aspiring novice astronomists, and
million and 600 million miles away from
it demonstrates immense patience and
Earth, depending on orbit.
perseverance. It’s a brilliant example of
how accessible planetary technology has
“Using the tracking abilities of the
become for young people, and what two
telescope we were able to identify and
dedicated and passionate amateurs can
focus in on Jupiter,” Harry said. “We 昀椀tted
do with the modern equipment available
the camera into the eyepiece, plugged the
today.”
camera into my laptop (which runs image
processing software) and captured a
In addition to their aim of capturing Saturn
two-and-a-half-minute video of Jupiter.
when it comes back into view from behind
Using the processing software, we were
the Sun in a couple of months’ time, the
able to analyse each frame of high-
boys next challenge is to delve into deep
resolution footage and then stacked them
sky photography and capture pictures of
together. I stacked approximately 75%
what is lurking outside the solar system,
of the best frames and after some noise
such as the Orion Nebula, galaxies and
reduction editing, we ended up with the
star-clusters.
昀椀nal image.”
As part of the extensive science curriculum
at Framlingham College, our in-house
Thanks to a clear night and relatively mild
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