Capturing high-quality images of Mercury is a challenging task due to its proximity to the Sun and small angular diameter. The best viewing times are during spring elongations, when Mercury appears low in the west just after sunset, or autumn elongations, when it appears low in the east just before sunrise. However, capturing clear images also brings additional challenges.
To improve image quality, a mono digital video camera fitted with an infrared filter can capture faint markings on Mercury’s rocky surface, known as ‘albedo’ features. To enhance these details, increase magnification with a Barlow lens until your focal ratio is approximately 3x your camera’s pixel size in microns.
When capturing images of Mercury, it’s essential to adjust the gain and exposure time accordingly. A frame exposure time of ~1ms and adjusting the gain so Mercury is about 75% of maximum brightness can produce high-quality images. To verify the presence of genuine albedo features, compare your image with a simulation based on planetary probe data.
Post-processing is also crucial in capturing Mercury’s surface details. Use software like AutoStakkert!, RegiStax, and WinJUPOS to stack, sharpen, and enhance your images. In AutoStakkert!, select the best 1% to 4% of frames to stack, and adjust settings to draw out features on the planet. Use RegiStax’s wavelet sliders to refine the image without over-sharpening.
Finally, compare your stacked and processed image with a simulation based on Messenger planetary probe data using WinJUPOS. If you can match details between the two images, you’ve captured genuine albedo features on Mercury’s surface.
For those interested in capturing high-quality images of Mercury, here are three quick tips:
* Reduce bright diffraction edges by following tutorials at www.skyinspector.co.uk
* Set the Gaussian blur in Photoshop to 2-5 pixels for a more realistic image
* Stacking more data reduces noise, but keep the percentage low in AutoStakkert!
Source: https://www.skyatnightmagazine.com/astrophotography/photograph-mercury