Sun FD in H-Alpha 25th of September 2021 – time-lapse and deflicker
- arnedanielsen
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Sun FD in H-Alpha 25th of September 2021 – time-lapse and deflicker
Dear friends,
As mentioned in an earlier post the weather forecast for the 25 was very good. Sunny all day without any clouds. My plan was therefore to make a long FD time-lapse in H-Alpha after I had done the usual FD H-Alpha and CaK images.
My laptop has only got about 250GB of free diskspace, which is a severe limitation when it comes to doing long time-lapse sequences. Thus, I decided to try to record directly to an external 5TB USB3.2 Gen 1 disk. Recording to an external disk like this is much slower than recording to the internal SSD-disk and trying to read fast from the camera at the same time as trying to store the data to an external disk could also cause speed issues. Thus, the night before I did some indoor testing and found that I could run 20 second recordings with the ASI ZWO 178mm camera @20fps back-to-back without any problems.
To avoid the field-rotation I put the scope on an Equatorial mount this time. I started the recording, but after a while some thin cirrus and small clouds appeared. Not what I wanted. I kept recording, but after about 2 hours I was clouded out for a longer period, and I decided to stop the recording. After another 45minutes the sky conditions improved and I started the recordings again, but like the first recording there where some small patches of clouds interfering every now and then. I was able to keep the second recording session going for just under 3 hours before that had to be cancelled also.
During the day I was able to record 944 x 20 seconds recordings for a total of 1,42TB of data, but instead of one long 5-6 hour continuously session I ended up with two separate sessions – one just over to hours and one just under 3 hours.
I knew that the clouds and the ever-changing conditions would create some challenges when processing the data, but I used at tool called GBDeflicker to try to even out the brightness changes (flicker) between the frames. This worked very well I think for the first session. For the second session it also reduced the flickering, but not as much as for the first.
Here’s the graph from the program illustrating the luminance variations between the frames (yellow) and how it will smooth it out (green).
And here’s a heavily downscaled comparison between the original and the deflickered version of the time-lapse. Sun in FD H-Alpha 25th of September 2021 - timelapse (not deflickered)
Sun in FD H-Alpha 25th of September 2021 - time-lapse
Click on the links to see the larger versions of these comparisons on AstroBin
The final results:
Time-lapse animation from 403 recordings each consisting of 400 frames (20 seconds at forced framerate of 20fps). The best 200 from each recording was then stacked in AutoStakkert!3, aligned, sharpened, normalized and contrast-stretched in ImPPG before deflickered in GBDeflicker. The final processing step was downsizing to 50% and creating the resulting animation in PIPP at 15 fps effectively compressing the 2h 14m down to 26 seconds.
Time-lapse animation from 512recordings each consisting of 400 frames (20 seconds at forced framerate of 20fps). The best 200 from each recording was then stacked in AutoStakkert!3, aligned, sharpened, normalized and contrast-stretched in ImPPG before deflickered in GBDeflicker. The final processing step was downsizing to 50% and creating the resulting animation in PIPP at 15 fps effectively compressing the 2h 50m down to 34 seconds.
The time-lapse was recorded using a Coronado 60mm/BF15 w/Beloptik ITF, stopped down to 50mm, Baader 35nm H-Alpha and ASI 178mm mounted on a SkyWatcher AZ EQ6 Pro in equatorial mode.
Thanks for looking and best regards,
Arne
As mentioned in an earlier post the weather forecast for the 25 was very good. Sunny all day without any clouds. My plan was therefore to make a long FD time-lapse in H-Alpha after I had done the usual FD H-Alpha and CaK images.
My laptop has only got about 250GB of free diskspace, which is a severe limitation when it comes to doing long time-lapse sequences. Thus, I decided to try to record directly to an external 5TB USB3.2 Gen 1 disk. Recording to an external disk like this is much slower than recording to the internal SSD-disk and trying to read fast from the camera at the same time as trying to store the data to an external disk could also cause speed issues. Thus, the night before I did some indoor testing and found that I could run 20 second recordings with the ASI ZWO 178mm camera @20fps back-to-back without any problems.
To avoid the field-rotation I put the scope on an Equatorial mount this time. I started the recording, but after a while some thin cirrus and small clouds appeared. Not what I wanted. I kept recording, but after about 2 hours I was clouded out for a longer period, and I decided to stop the recording. After another 45minutes the sky conditions improved and I started the recordings again, but like the first recording there where some small patches of clouds interfering every now and then. I was able to keep the second recording session going for just under 3 hours before that had to be cancelled also.
During the day I was able to record 944 x 20 seconds recordings for a total of 1,42TB of data, but instead of one long 5-6 hour continuously session I ended up with two separate sessions – one just over to hours and one just under 3 hours.
I knew that the clouds and the ever-changing conditions would create some challenges when processing the data, but I used at tool called GBDeflicker to try to even out the brightness changes (flicker) between the frames. This worked very well I think for the first session. For the second session it also reduced the flickering, but not as much as for the first.
Here’s the graph from the program illustrating the luminance variations between the frames (yellow) and how it will smooth it out (green).
And here’s a heavily downscaled comparison between the original and the deflickered version of the time-lapse. Sun in FD H-Alpha 25th of September 2021 - timelapse (not deflickered)
Sun in FD H-Alpha 25th of September 2021 - time-lapse
Click on the links to see the larger versions of these comparisons on AstroBin
The final results:
Time-lapse animation from 403 recordings each consisting of 400 frames (20 seconds at forced framerate of 20fps). The best 200 from each recording was then stacked in AutoStakkert!3, aligned, sharpened, normalized and contrast-stretched in ImPPG before deflickered in GBDeflicker. The final processing step was downsizing to 50% and creating the resulting animation in PIPP at 15 fps effectively compressing the 2h 14m down to 26 seconds.
Time-lapse animation from 512recordings each consisting of 400 frames (20 seconds at forced framerate of 20fps). The best 200 from each recording was then stacked in AutoStakkert!3, aligned, sharpened, normalized and contrast-stretched in ImPPG before deflickered in GBDeflicker. The final processing step was downsizing to 50% and creating the resulting animation in PIPP at 15 fps effectively compressing the 2h 50m down to 34 seconds.
The time-lapse was recorded using a Coronado 60mm/BF15 w/Beloptik ITF, stopped down to 50mm, Baader 35nm H-Alpha and ASI 178mm mounted on a SkyWatcher AZ EQ6 Pro in equatorial mode.
Thanks for looking and best regards,
Arne
- Radon86
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Re: Sun FD in H-Alpha 25th of September 2021 – time-lapse and deflicker
Superb imaging, thanks for sharing Arne.
I too, am looking to do animations, but only after I have improved my capturing, processing and other numerous skills.
However, with the sun getting lower each day, it gets harder to image.
Maybe have to leave more solar imaging until April and May next year ?
Thanks.
Magnus
I too, am looking to do animations, but only after I have improved my capturing, processing and other numerous skills.
However, with the sun getting lower each day, it gets harder to image.
Maybe have to leave more solar imaging until April and May next year ?
Thanks.
Magnus
Solar: H-alpha": Quark Chromosphere filter; Baader white light filters
Scopes: Altair Astro Travel ED70mm (F 420mm, D=70mm);; Skywatcher 90mm (F 910mm D=90mm); GSO focuser;;Altair Astro 60mm guidescope (D=60mm,F=225mm)
Cameras: ASI120mm-S,ASI174mm
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Scopes: Altair Astro Travel ED70mm (F 420mm, D=70mm);; Skywatcher 90mm (F 910mm D=90mm); GSO focuser;;Altair Astro 60mm guidescope (D=60mm,F=225mm)
Cameras: ASI120mm-S,ASI174mm
Mount: SW HEQ5 Pro, SW EQ3 Pro Synscan (SW = Skywatcher),Vixen Polarie tracker (portable setup)
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- arnedanielsen
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Re: Sun FD in H-Alpha 25th of September 2021 – time-lapse and deflicker
Thank you very much, Magnus!
The Sun is starting to get quite low in the sky, even at noon, and the available hours to solar imaging is shrinking rapidly.
Best regard,
Arne
The Sun is starting to get quite low in the sky, even at noon, and the available hours to solar imaging is shrinking rapidly.
Best regard,
Arne
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Re: Sun FD in H-Alpha 25th of September 2021 – time-lapse and deflicker
Arne,
These are really nice. The animations look excellent. They remind me of some of the helioseismology images I have seen.
You are in Norway so I know the sun can't be very high. I feel for you. I would love to visit Norway and Sweden. Beautiful countries they are!
James
These are really nice. The animations look excellent. They remind me of some of the helioseismology images I have seen.
You are in Norway so I know the sun can't be very high. I feel for you. I would love to visit Norway and Sweden. Beautiful countries they are!
James
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Re: Sun FD in H-Alpha 25th of September 2021 – time-lapse and deflicker
Fabulous work, Arne ! You are very talented at doing this.
Franco
Franco
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Re: Sun FD in H-Alpha 25th of September 2021 – time-lapse and deflicker
Thank you very much for your kind comments James and Franco! Much appreciated!
James: I'm at 60 degrees North, the days are rapidly getting shorter and the max solar altitude at Noon is currently 27 degrees.
Best regards,
Arne
James: I'm at 60 degrees North, the days are rapidly getting shorter and the max solar altitude at Noon is currently 27 degrees.
Best regards,
Arne
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Re: Sun FD in H-Alpha 25th of September 2021 – time-lapse and deflicker
Wow! the deflicker has worked a treat, I must try this out
Alexandra
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Re: Sun FD in H-Alpha 25th of September 2021 – time-lapse and deflicker
arnedanielsen wrote: ↑Thu Sep 30, 2021 1:07 pm Thank you very much for your kind comments James and Franco! Much appreciated!
James: I'm at 60 degrees North, the days are rapidly getting shorter and the max solar altitude at Noon is currently 27 degrees.
Best regards,
Arne
And to think that I dread the lower sun of winter and my latitude is 35 degrees north. I feel for you...
James
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Meade Coronado SolarMax II 60 DS
Meade Coronado SolarMax II 90 DS
Meade Coronado AZS Alt/Az Mount
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Celestron NexStar 102GT with Altair solar wedge
Losmandy AZ8 Alt/Az Mount
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Cameras: ZWO ASI178MM, PGR Grasshopper, PGR Flea
Lunt, Coronado, TeleVue, Orion and Meade eyepieces
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Meade Coronado AZS Alt/Az Mount
Astro-Tech AT72EDII with Altair solar wedge
Celestron NexStar 102GT with Altair solar wedge
Losmandy AZ8 Alt/Az Mount
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Re: Sun FD in H-Alpha 25th of September 2021 – time-lapse and deflicker
Very nice Arne, that de-flicker works really well...
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Re: Sun FD in H-Alpha 25th of September 2021 – time-lapse and deflicker
Thank you very much, Alexandra, James and Mark!
Alexandra: You can download and try a free fully functional version (with watermarking) from:
https://granitebaysoftware.com/Products/ProductGBD.aspx
I'm using the standalone windows application.
James: Thanks James. Just think of me the next time you dread over the low winter Sun at your latitude and it will make you feel better. :-)
Best regards,
Arne
Alexandra: You can download and try a free fully functional version (with watermarking) from:
https://granitebaysoftware.com/Products/ProductGBD.aspx
I'm using the standalone windows application.
James: Thanks James. Just think of me the next time you dread over the low winter Sun at your latitude and it will make you feel better. :-)
Best regards,
Arne
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Re: Sun FD in H-Alpha 25th of September 2021 – time-lapse and deflicker
Wonderful work!
Marios S.Ioannou
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Re: Sun FD in H-Alpha 25th of September 2021 – time-lapse and deflicker
Thank you very much Marios!
Arne
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Re: Sun FD in H-Alpha 25th of September 2021 – time-lapse and deflicker
These are really excellent results, Arne. It’s so interesting to watch the delicate movements across the disk.
GBDeflicker looks like it does a great job. I’ll check it out.
Stu.
GBDeflicker looks like it does a great job. I’ll check it out.
Stu.
H-alpha, WL and Ca II K imaging kit for various image scales.
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Fluxgate Magnetometers (1s and 150s Cadence).
Radio meteor detector.
More images at http://www.flickr.com/photos/solarcarbon60/
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Re: Sun FD in H-Alpha 25th of September 2021 – time-lapse and deflicker
Thanks Stu!
Best regards,
Arne
Best regards,
Arne
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Re: Sun FD in H-Alpha 25th of September 2021 – time-lapse and deflicker
A great session Arne...well done
Brian
Brian
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10'x15 Roll-off Roof Observatory
Takahashi EM400 Mount carrying:
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Planetary Work - SBIG CFW10, ASI462MM
2.2m Diameter Dome
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Orion EON 130ED, f7 OTA for Day & Night Use
Ha Setup: Lunt LS80PT/LS75FHa/B1200Ha + Home Brew Lunt Double Stack/B1800Ha on the Orion OTA + Daystar Quantum
WL, G-Band & CaK Setup: Lunt Wedge & Lunt B1800CaK, Baader K-Line and Altair 2nm G-Band filter
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Re: Sun FD in H-Alpha 25th of September 2021 – time-lapse and deflicker
Thank you very much Brian.
Best regards,
Arne
Best regards,
Arne