Electronic Eye Piece Help ( Newbie )

[GPZarquon]

Hi Everyone,

For a rather significant Birthday my Finance bought me a very nice

Bresser Messier AR-102/1000 Mon-2 Telescope

My first introduction to Astronomy...

After a couple of hours... it was all setup.. and i excitingly took it out to get the sighting scope aligned up...

Anyway... to cut a long story short... ( and after finding out where one of the nuts and clips went after installation ) I'm taking time learning how to operate it...

I am... ( quite obviously ) a complete Novice ! but looking forward to some good star gazing ( with Dinton Pastures a walkable distance from my house ).

So... I basically wanted to say.. HELLO... and ask the following question...

I'd love to get some of the images from the telescope to my laptop.. and i've been reading up on a variety of electronic eye pieces ( Bresser PC-Ocular and Orion Start Shoot )..

All seem to be out of stock and not compatible with Windows 7..

I also have an oldish Panasonic Lumix TZ3 camera, that might be a possibilty with the right mount...

So, tell me, for a limited Budget what are my best options... and can any electronic eye pieces / webcams work in conjunction with my existing eye pieces / lens ?

or am i looking at an eye piece replacement.. with at best.. using my 2X barlow lens ?

Many Many Thanks for anyone that wants to reply,

Cheers,

> Guy

[hemihaggis]

hi there ,im pretty sure you can get a didgi scope adapter thing for hooking up a compact camera to your scope , as for ep`s just get used to ones you have first , a barlow is a good is good a would probable go for decent x2 job

[lw24]

Hi,

Firstly, welcome to the hobby, and to SGL!

Getting images from your telescope can happen in different formats. Firstly, there's the simple way:

Buy a webcam; the Phillips SPC880 is recommended. This, will act as an eyepiece (it roughly translates to a 6mm 1.25" eyepiece), so is used without an eyepiece. You can, however, place the webcam inside of a barlow lens, to get a larger image (more magnification). This method works by recording an image, then stacking the frames in a program called Registax to get a sharper final image.

This technique is efficient and could be used with your setup, however it will only allow you to get images of Planets, the Moon, and the Sun (Only with an appropriate filter!!!!!).

To get images of things other than Planets, the Moon and the Sun, you have to buy all sorts of other bits and bobs. I have no experience in this field of astro-photography, but am aware of some of the things required.

Firstly, your mount would not be appropriate, the usual minimum for Deep Sky astro-photography is a HEQ5, and along with this, you'd need a decent camera, either a DSLR or a dedicated CCD.

Also involved are various other things, such as a guide telescope and a guide camera.

As you can see, this all amounts to a large amount of money, and if you were to spend this for Deep Sky imaging, you'd probably want to replace your telescope anyway.

So, make your own choice, however I feel that you would get great pleasure out of getting some nice images through a webcam (mentioned above), for about £40, especially with Jupiter coming back soon.

Sorry for the long windedness, just thought I better fully explain it all!

Clear Skies and have fun!

[GPZarquon]

Many Thanks lw24

[Dave-Ryan]

Are you just wanting to view the image from your telescope on your laptop screen or are you wanting to take astro photo's?

[GPZarquon]

Many Thanks lw24

Dave, just view images on my laptop to start

[GPZarquon]

Many Thanks lw24

Dave, just view images on my laptop to start

[Cunhaval]

Dave, just view images on my laptop to start

Ah.....that's how it always starts. And then, two years down the line, there you are - ten grand lighter and with enough imaging gear to open a shop

Seriously, the SPC900/880 route is indeed probably the cheapest and fastest route to acceptable results - and there is excellent guidance on SGL.

[todd8137]

hi and iw24 as hit the nail on the head

[lw24]

It's actually 'lw24'

[GPZarquon]

lol ! Thanks everyone for all your responses.. Now the question is.. where can i buy a modified / reflashed webcam... They seem to be out of stock at Morgan Computers ( happy to do it all myself if i can get the parts btw )

Thanks,

> Guy

[lw24]

Hmm, Morgans is the place where most people on this forum got theirs.

Some are on Ebay but they're more expensive - Phillips SPC880

I'd advise getting the pre-flashed version with all the components, as some people have found flashing theirs difficult, and only some 1.25" adaptors work with the SPC 880 webcam.

I'd recommend waiting until they come back in stock.

Clear Skies