IR and UV and CCDs, oh my!

[Savo83]

My mak* this is a nightmare not being able to edit posts! Auto correct on mobiles is dreadful

Sent from my C6903 using Tapatalk

[badhex]

Haha read between the lines

[Astrosurf]

Joe, can you give me a link to the webcam you're using? It's not for me, I just want to know what good webcams there are out there to advise others!

[badhex]

Hi Alexxx

Webcam I used is a Microsoft Lifecam Cinema HD - as you can see the shape of the cam lends itself to being converted for astro imaging use!

http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/aw/d/B002I3IRY8/ref=mp_s_a_1_3?qid=1395647909&sr=8-3π=AC_SX110_SY165

We have these at work and it was the first thing I thought when I saw them, even before I'd found Gary Honis' excellent mod instructions. There is a link to the instructions earlier in this thread.

Hope that helps!

Joe

[Astrosurf]

Thanks Joe. It looks interesting. Although all the links I find to Gary's tutorial won't open.

[badhex]

Apols - was using the mobile version earlier and had issues posting the link - here it is

 http://dslrmodifications.com/lifecam/lifecam1.html

Joe

[Savo83]

So... this is the first time that I've had a chance to test the IR filter and it actually turned out pretty well.  Managed to get a few images of the moon and my first attempt at Mars.  Bit gutted though as every time I use my barlow the image looks awful and it will not focus (not even on the moon) so I think I might need to pick up a new one.

Anyway, here are the images I got. 

[badhex]

Wow!  They are fantastic well done mate. You reckon the IR filter is doing its job then? 

Are they with or without the Barlow? I'm using a revelation 2.5x and found it to be great. 

I actually managed to get an image of Mars during the opposition but I think maybe it's over exposed perhaps, detail is there but quite fuzzy unfortunately. 

[Savo83]

There was still a hint of reddish at the edges as you described but I managed to weed most of it out.  The images were all taken without a barlow using a Nexstar 127.

I think that image is great that you took but might be a tad over exposed.  It's a difficult blighter so you did well and the detail is clearly there.  Well done mate  Did you use a barlow with that?  Also, how did you find it to focus after changing from the eyepiece to the camera?  I'm getting nothing so I tested it on the moon and the colouring and focus was horrific.  Not sure what I can do to fix it to be honest.

[Savo83]

Ah just read that you're using the revelation.  If that's good I might pick one up since you're using the same mod as myself.

cheers,

Stuart

[badhex]

Yeah it's great. I managed to push my little SkyMax102 up to 325x using a combination of the rev. barlow and the bog standard SW 10mm eyepiece that came with it and still resolved and nice clear disc with hardly any boiling. For £30 odd you can't really go wrong - it's obviously not going to be a quite as good as the more pricey options but for day to day viewing on a smallish scope it does the job really well!

WRT focusing - I've tended to find the planet, then focus in, then move back and forth bit by bit to find the best focus, but this is isn't the best option with the planet boiling around in the view. I've heard of a trick using a clothes peg on the focuser to allow minute adjustment, but I forgot to take a peg with me to test it! I'm going to invest in a Bahtinov mask at some point which should help.

Might have another crack with the source material I have to see if I can get a better result. I should really do some moon stuff too. Will keep you posted!

[Savo83]

Please Joe, we'll keep this thread alive  

[badhex]

WRT your barlow - could it be an issue with the cam itself being too close/too far away? Maybe get set up on the moon they try to focus as best as possible - and then move the cam in and out of the barlow to see if that helps. although, for the sake of £20 it might not be worth the hassle

[Elm0]

I did 22gb of the moon to do a mosaic the other night. I forgot to put an IR filter on an got 22gb of pink.

I modded a lifecam too and then used a relatively cheap (£20) IR filter which worked out quite well. Just need to remember to put it on.