Saturn -- Two weeks after Opposition.

saturn20050202_0002b.jpg

saturn20050202_0003.jpg

saturn20050202_0002c.jpg

2/3/2005 06:00 UTC -- Attempts to image Saturn around the 2005 opposition have continued to be tough. The weather in Seattle has offered up few clear skies and fewer still ones. This night started out extremely clear and still, but the breeze and haze picked up before Saturn reached the zenith. These pictures were taken before the clouds came in. The second image is not very good due to the turning weather. The third image is from the same AVI as the first, but sampled at 2x when stacking. (Click on the images for full sizes)

Taken with a Philips Vesta Pro 690K webcam. I unscrewed the lens and mounted a The Universal WebCam Adapter so that it fits into a 1.25" eyepiece socket. The telescope used was a Meade LX-90 (8" SCT, f/10). Pictures were captured with K3CCDTools and stacked using Registax 3. Further processing done with Paint Shop Pro 8