my first saturn

[toxic]

i have tried for 2 weeks to get an image of Saturn but it always seems to be to bright even when gain and exposure are set to 0 (microsoft lifecam 3000) on a 200pds.

but last night after focusing i did'nt realize i had left the end cap on the scope (the 1 with 2 small holes in that i use to focus) it was way better so leave the end cap on for planets 

[PhotoGav]

Nice image and I love the accidental nature of this capture! Well done.

[Knight of Clear Skies]

Nice image. I've heard that stopping down the scope can sometimes help with planetary imaging when the atmosphere is turbulent, as it is looking through less of it.

[tingting44]

nice, and lucky you left the end cap on

is it a mono webcam?

[Pete Presland]

congratulations on your 1st Saturn and very nice it is!

[toxic]

thanks guys it was a happy accident lol.

tingting44 no it is'nt a mono webcam just a normal one but i used pipp to sort out the good from the bad frames and set it to convert color to mono then stacked in autostakkert then wavelets in registax 6.

i got lucky for once every thing worked,touch wood its not a 1 off lol.

[Astral Enigma]

i have tried for 2 weeks to get an image of Saturn but it always seems to be to bright even when gain and exposure are set to 0 (microsoft lifecam 3000) on a 200pds.

but last night after focusing i did'nt realize i had left the end cap on the scope (the 1 with 2 small holes in that i use to focus) it was way better so leave the end cap on for planets 

Saturn large.jpg

That's for starters? I'd be happy with that after 6 months and it blows my efforts to date out of the sky! well done.

[toxic]

That's for starters? I'd be happy with that after 6 months and it blows my efforts to date out of the sky! well done.

thanks  more luck than anything ells 

[cockney]

bit late on my posting but that is a great image well done. i have a MS D3000,do you find when you hit record for video the settings change? i go to properties set it up so it looks ok then when i tap the record button it ends up over exposed.

[Astral Enigma]

As a matter of interest, what's the spec for the Lifecam 3000 - can't find anything other than 1280x720 resolution. Any idea what pixel size is, or chip size? I assume it's a CMOS.

Also, how do you connect it to the scope?

[toxic]

bit late on my posting but that is a great image well done. i have a MS D3000,do you find when you hit record for video the settings change? i go to properties set it up so it looks ok then when i tap the record button it ends up over exposed.

hi cockney i use sharp cap to record video and in cam dialog untick all but white balance then set gain and exposure to what you want,you will need to stop down you scope if it is larger than 5 inch aperture i had it on the skywatcher 200pds and left the cover on by accident with the 2 holes in for focusing each hole is 50mm so it looks like i stopped it down to 100mm which is somewhere near to 1/8th of the light.

As a matter of interest, what's the spec for the Lifecam 3000 - can't find anything other than 1280x720 resolution. Any idea what pixel size is, or chip size? I assume it's a CMOS.

Also, how do you connect it to the scope?

hi astral enigma i did something like this except i used a small plastic box instead of the lifecam case her is how to do it and some specifications as well http://astrophotovideo.wordpress.com/adapting-a-webcam-to-a-telescope/  allso if you use it as a guide cam once you have found a guide star then you can zoom in to it 10x for better guiding i live in a high LP zone and with this as a guide cam i sent the cope to Messier 13 and could just make it out on the monater from the life cam with phd.

hope this helps.

chris

[leelee970]

Well done, a great capture.

Usually when I have an "accident" the outcome isn't so good

Lee

[Digger1895]

Great image and angle. Is the lifecam 3000 the one with the rectangle body? I was looking at these a few months ago but was unsure, your image has just swayed me. Was it an easy mod?

[toxic]

hi leelee970 first time for a happy accident for me and probably the last lol.

hi digger1895 yes it is the square lifecamm 3000 hd and it was a very easy mod took out the lens and cut the bottom of a 35 mm film canister and glued it to the webcam case - done.

[cockney]

hi cockney i use sharp cap to record video and in cam dialog untick all but white balance then set gain and exposure to what you want,you will need to stop down you scope if it is larger than 5 inch aperture i had it on the skywatcher 200pds and left the cover on by accident with the 2 holes in for focusing each hole is 50mm so it looks like i stopped it down to 100mm which is somewhere near to 1/8th of the light.

oh i have that sharp cap downloaded but not used it yet mite give it a try, i have just been using the software it come with or the software that come with my capture card/plug n play for my ccd. kool i will be trying with the cap on with one of the 50mm holes left out next time to.