1. Ed Ting Lowbrow June 15, 2012

9. Astrophotography is… Expensive Time Consuming Frustrating Steep Learning Curve

10. Inexpensive (Relatively) easy Fun

11. 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.

12. C90 Image from 2011

13. The lowly computer webcam. Philips ToUcam (L), SPC900NC (R)

14. 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 7K – 50K

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

16. A modified Philips ToUcam $129 list, about $100 street Uses the Sony ICX098QB chip, 640X480, ¼”

17. $350 - $810 depending on model Uses the Sony ICX098QB chip, 640X480, ¼”

18. $800 - $1000 Flea uses the 4X more sensitive Sony ICX618 chip

20. Webcam (NexImage, ToUcam, etc) Telescope with 1.25” focuser Laptop running 1) Capture software, 2) Registax (both are FREE) LOTS of hard drive space

21. Centering of the image Focus Dust on sensor

22. 4000 mm to 4500 mm is ideal 8” f/10 SCT with a 2X barlow 4” f/8 refractor with a 5 X barlow 6” f/8 reflector with a 3X barlow 80 mm f/6 refractor with 3X and 2.5X barlow stacked Start collecting barlows!

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

24. TeleVue Pronto, prime focus, unguided Alt-Az mount

25. Oct 19, 2010/ Nov 28, 2010

26. Dec 2, 2010/ Jan 2, 2011

27. January 2012

28. Both cameras use the same chip!

29. Step 1 – Sorting through individual frames

30. Step 2 – Align the good frames

31. Step 3 – Stack the images

32. Step 4 - Wavelets

33. Step 5 – Post Processing

34. C6 w/ 2X barlow, NexImage, Registax, 1/2/11

35. 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

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

37. Celestron C9.25, 1.8X barlow, Imaging Source DBK

38. Concord NH, C6, 1.8X, DBK camera 6:31 PM6:53 PM6:58 PM7:01 PM

39. Clavius (143 miles) Plato (62 miles)

40. Archimedes and the Alpine Mountains (L), Copernicus (R)

41. Ptolemaeus (90m) Alphonsus (72m) Arzachel (60 m), Straight Wall (72m). Right: Aristarchus (24 m)

42. C90, DBK @ Prime Focus

43. Gardner Gerry, Orion XT8, G11

44. Herb Bubert, C9.25

45. Herb Bubert

46. Pat Adams, C8 – First attempt (L), Much Better (R)

47. Rich Schueller, C14

48. Emil Kraaikamp Christopher Go Damian Peach Zac Pujic Eric Ng

49. Netherlands

51. Philippines, DMK and Flea 3 cameras

53. Selsey, West Sussex, UK – Point Grey Flea3 Webcam

56. Plato

57. Aristarchus

58. The Alpine Valley

59. Singapore – These are ToUcam images

60. 10” f/6 reflector, Vixen Atlux, shared with friend Dennis

61. Lowbrow Astronomers – Let’s see your images!