Jupiter through xbox webcam

[twelly27]

Hi All

Tonight 24/02/2013 ive been out and used my xbox webcam for the first time, i gt it set u easy to see the moon. I am wondering why i could see jupiter, do i need a certain set of settings on sharp cam to see it? if people can see it using their webcam can you give me some tips or suggest some settings to change, below is the first still image of the moon i took.

Any help would be greatly appreciated

Regards

Chris

[inedible_hulk]

If it helps, these were the settings I used last for Jupiter:

[Video Camera ]

Frame Divisor=1

Resolution=640x480

Frame Rate (fps)=20.00

Colour Space / Compression=YUY2

Exposure=-7

Brightness=93

Contrast=33

Hue=180

Saturation=56

Sharpness=52

Gamma=241

WhiteBalance=2770

BacklightCompensation=0

Gain=0

[twelly27]

If it helps, these were the settings I used last for Jupiter:

[Video Camera ]

Frame Divisor=1

Resolution=640x480

Frame Rate (fps)=20.00

Colour Space / Compression=YUY2

Exposure=-7

Brightness=93

Contrast=33

Hue=180

Saturation=56

Sharpness=52

Gamma=241

WhiteBalance=2770

BacklightCompensation=0

Gain=0

Thanks! ill note them down and give it a shot next time im out

Regards

Chris

[watersblue]

Make sure you uncheck the 'auto' option for the exposure. Otherwise, you won't see Jupiter no matter what.

[JamesF]

It may be a settings issue or a focus issue. However the first thing to be aware of is that there's also the possibility that it's just not on the sensor. To get an image of Jupiter on the camera sensor you need to get the image sufficiently accurately aligned to hit it. That's a rectangle with a diagonal of less than 4.5mm. That combined with the long focal length of the 127 Mak means that small inaccuracies can take the planet's image right off the sensor. I use an illuminated reticle eyepiece for positioning, but if you can get a view in an eyepiece where you can clearly see the field stop you may be able to judge it by eye.

If it's a focus issue (you've probably already discovered that the focal point for eyepieces is not anywhere near close to where the camera is when you imaged the Moon) the best thing you can do is push the brightness and gain full up. You may then be able to see (part of) bright ring with a dark centre. That's how Jupiter will look when it's out of focus. Once you've got it focused then you can get your settings back to where they should be.

It is quite tricky to get the alignment using a long focal length scope such as the 127 Mak. Far more so than with a short focal length refractor or newt. That's the price you pay for larger images, really.

James