Infra-Red Imaging?

[ENWOD]

Just a quick question from my inquisitive mind. If you modify a cheap webcam so it can 'see' the infra-red spectrum (many guides on how to do this on the internet) will you get any images of space etc? Or would it not work like that. I'd love an answer to this one please, also do any of the astro-photographers take images in Infra-Red on this forum?

Thanks, Josh.

[lunator]

Josh

I'm not certain about this but IR imaging would be very difficult as the wavelengths are obsorbed by the atmosphere.

Cheers

Ian

[blinky]

I thought that IR was quite popular, especially for images of the planets. Do some folks not use and IR Pass filter to get the L channel when imaging?

[Kaptain Klevtsov]

I bought an IR pass filter for the luminance thingy on the moon and planets, but I have yet to have a proper go with it. There always seems to be something more pressing like comet Holmes to point at. Loads of toys and not enough clear sky here to play with them all.

I don't imagine that its a lot of use on DSO stuff, but its on the To Do list anyway.

Kaptain Klevtsov

[mightymonoped]

I've taken a few lunar images with an IR Pass filter, examples on on my website www.garrity.plus.com

I believe IR Pass comes into it's owm with lunar and (some) planetary imaging when there is quite a bit of atmospheric turbulence. IR frequencies appear to be less prone to atmospheric disturbance and therefore can give you more useable frames when the seeing conditions are not particularly good. Well, that's what I heard and i'm sticking to it.

Tony