Introduction to Webcam Astrophotography Ed Ting Lowbrow June

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Introduction to Webcam Astrophotography Ed Ting Lowbrow June 15, 2012

Astrophotography is… Expensive Time Consuming Frustrating Steep Learning Curve

Inexpensive (Relatively) easy Fun

Video is just a series of stills run together. If you take enough stills, some of them are bound to catch moments of good seeing. We have software (Registax) that will throw away the images in bad seeing, and keep the good ones. Stacking the good ones brings out detail in the images.

C 90 Image from 2011

The lowly computer webcam. Philips To. Ucam (L), SPC 900 NC (R)

Resolution is low (640 X 480) One shot color reduces this even further Some rows of pixels are masked off, reducing pixel count even more Jupiter will not even come close to filling the chip (200 pixels across is excellent) 1 Gb of video one image 7 K – 50 K

Some of the best planetary images EVER have been taken with this method.

A modified Philips To. Ucam $129 list, about $100 street Uses the Sony ICX 098 QB chip, 640 X 480, ¼”

$350 - $810 depending on model Uses the Sony ICX 098 QB chip, 640 X 480, ¼”

$800 - $1000 Flea uses the 4 X more sensitive Sony ICX 618 chip

Webcam (Nex. Image, To. Ucam, etc) Telescope with 1. 25” focuser Laptop running 1) Capture software, 2) Registax (both are FREE) LOTS of hard drive space

Centering of the image Focus Dust on sensor

4000 mm to 4500 mm is ideal 8” f/10 SCT with a 2 X barlow 4” f/8 refractor with a 5 X barlow 6” f/8 reflector with a 3 X barlow 80 mm f/6 refractor with 3 X and 2. 5 X barlow stacked Start collecting barlows!

(L to R) – 2400 mm, 3000 mm, 3600 mm, 4000 mm, 4700 mm

Tele. Vue Pronto, prime focus, unguided Alt-Az mount

Oct 19, 2010/ Nov 28, 2010

Dec 2, 2010/ Jan 2, 2011

January 2012

Both cameras use the same chip!

Step 1 – Sorting through individual frames

Step 2 – Align the good frames

Step 3 – Stack the images

Step 4 - Wavelets

Step 5 – Post Processing

C 6 w/ 2 X barlow, Nex. Image, Registax, 1/2/11

Start with the moon Venus is easy but not terribly interesting Jupiter is the next easiest Saturn is a little more difficult Mars is not easy Uranus is hard

Visual Priorities – Optical quality, steadiness of mount. Webcam Priorities – Steadiness of mount, Seeing, Image Scale (Emil Kraaikamp’s imaging rig pictured. )