My first attempt!

[Shera]

I am a complete newbie to Astrophotography and telescopes and yesterday some of you were kind enough to help me with my .mov file issues. I have installed PIPP and today I was messing about with Registax and had a few learning experiences! The first was that Registax struggles with my shaky hand holding my new webcam so those videos were a no go but I tried using a video of Jupiter I filmed with my phone and got the attached image after playing with Registax. It's much better than the original but you can't see the bands I could see through the telescope; is this because my lens isn't good enough? Or is it the phone? I filmed it through a Super 25 Wide Angle Long Eye Relief lense on a x2 Barlow. Both came with my Skywatcher telescope. I have no idea if this is the right combination! What are people's thoughts on the brightness of it? Is it too bright or is this as good as it gets with the equipment I used?

[Bizibilder]

You certainly have captured Jupiter - Well done!  It is quite over-exposed - ie too bright.  I don't know if you have enough control with a phone to reduce the exposure time?  If you can then go for it!

[Shera]

Thanks! Is there any exposure control on webcams as I'd rather use that than my phone. I'm just trying to modify the webcam so it can sit against the lense properly. If anyone knows of exposure control on a phone please let me know as I'm happy to use whatever works best!

[LightBucket]

Your best option would be to try and get hold of a Philips SPC900 webcam, these are the best for planetary imaging, I use one now myself, they come up on eBay or Astro Buy and sell sites quite regular....would be much better than a phone, as it replaces both the phone and the eyepiece....

[Bill S]

Hello Shera

Well, it's actually a picture that has got a lot going for it. It's quite sharp. The over exposure of the planet itself has meant that two of the moons have come out well. If you use a planetarium program such as Cartes du Ciel or Stellarium set for the time you took the picture you should be able to say which ones they are. If you had managed to expose for the planet then the moons would probably not have shown up.

You may be able to get the exposure you want with your phone camera by setting the metering to spot metering if that facility is available on your phone's camera app. Alternatively there are some apps you can download that are intended to give you more control of the camera (manual rather than automatic). I don't speak from experience - just from looking on Google.

Regarding a webcam (or a dedicated planetary camera) it is normal to use these without an eyepiece or the webcam's lens. A Barlow lens can be used to increase the size of the image but otherwise the camera is used at the prime focus. That's to say the objective lens or mirror of the telescope projects the image directly onto the camera's sensor. The alternative approach where the image is produced through the eyepiece together with the camera's lens is called the afocal method and is what you are doing when you use your mobile phone together with the eyepiece.

The main thing is to give it a go. I've managed to get some tolerable images in the past with a point and shoot camera hand held to the eyepiece so it may well be possible with your phone.

[Shera]

10 hours ago, Bill S said:

Hello Shera

Well, it's actually a picture that has got a lot going for it. It's quite sharp. The over exposure of the planet itself has meant that two of the moons have come out well. If you use a planetarium program such as Cartes du Ciel or Stellarium set for the time you took the picture you should be able to say which ones they are. If you had managed to expose for the planet then the moons would probably not have shown up.

You may be able to get the exposure you want with your phone camera by setting the metering to spot metering if that facility is available on your phone's camera app. Alternatively there are some apps you can download that are intended to give you more control of the camera (manual rather than automatic). I don't speak from experience - just from looking on Google.

Regarding a webcam (or a dedicated planetary camera) it is normal to use these without an eyepiece or the webcam's lens. A Barlow lens can be used to increase the size of the image but otherwise the camera is used at the prime focus. That's to say the objective lens or mirror of the telescope projects the image directly onto the camera's sensor. The alternative approach where the image is produced through the eyepiece together with the camera's lens is called the afocal method and is what you are doing when you use your mobile phone together with the eyepiece.

The main thing is to give it a go. I've managed to get some tolerable images in the past with a point and shoot camera hand held to the eyepiece so it may well be possible with your phone.

Thanks! I do have a question about the Barlow lens...I have seen many people on YouTube and in books putting a webcam into the Barlow lens. When I look through my Barlow lens all I see is a reflection with the crosshairs (?) of the end of the telescope breaking up the image...has my telescope been set up wrong or does the camera work in the same way as the lens you would put into the Barlow? Is a x2 Barlow any good or should I be getting something stronger?

[Bruce Leeroy]

On 22/05/2017 at 19:12, Shera said:

Is there any exposure control

On my iphone if i tap and hold the screen it sets the auto focus and auto exposure to manual then I swipe up and down the screen to adjust exposure. Below are 2 iphone images, the moon picture is actually a panorama letting the moon drift across the screen.

[Shera]

Nice pictures Bruce! Are the ones of Jupiter photographs or video that you have stacked?  On another note to everybody, can a nosepiece attached to a webcam and put into a Barlow lens work with a reflector telescope? I've ordered one but I was messing around last night and tried putting the webcam right up against the Barlow lens and once again all it picked up was the light but without any magnification. I'm wondering whether that's because it's the wrong telescope or whether the nosepiece will now be a waste of money.

[CraigT82]

18 minutes ago, Shera said:

Nice pictures Bruce! Are the ones of Jupiter photographs or video that you have stacked?  On another note to everybody, can a nosepiece attached to a webcam and put into a Barlow lens work with a reflector telescope? I've ordered one but I was messing around last night and tried putting the webcam right up against the Barlow lens and once again all it picked up was the light but without any magnification. I'm wondering whether that's because it's the wrong telescope or whether the nosepiece will now be a waste of money.

Certainly yes... if the webcam has a 1.25" nosepiece, and is inserted into the barlow and then both inserted into the reflector focuser you should be able to get a good image.  The scope will act as a lens and will focus light onto the webcam sensor, via the barlow.  All the barlow does is magnify the image by 2x (or more, depending on the barlow).

[Stub Mandrel]

Yes, a webcam with a scope adaptor will work well for planetary.

The SPC900 can be modified for long exposures, and this means they fetch a premium price. But there are more modern (and cheaper & easier to get) webcams that will work just as well for planetary imaging - any low noise webcam should work well. The free version of the program Sharpcap will get you started in capturing video.

I used to use a Microsoft Lifecam HD - these work well for planets but need to be opened up to remove a lens and an LED and fitted inside a tube and also need an IR cut filter for planets. Many ordinary webcams will work more easily just by screwing in an adaptor with a fitted IR filter.

[Shera]

1 hour ago, Stub Mandrel said:

Yes, a webcam with a scope adaptor will work well for planetary.

The SPC900 can be modified for long exposures, and this means they fetch a premium price. But there are more modern (and cheaper & easier to get) webcams that will work just as well for planetary imaging - any low noise webcam should work well. The free version of the program Sharpcap will get you started in capturing video.

I used to use a Microsoft Lifecam HD - these work well for planets but need to be opened up to remove a lens and an LED and fitted inside a tube and also need an IR cut filter for planets. Many ordinary webcams will work more easily just by screwing in an adaptor with a fitted IR filter.

Hi, 

I have also bought a Microsoft Lifecam! This is mine https://www.microsoft.com/accessories/en-gb/products/webcams/lifecam-hd-3000/t3h-00012 It take it the LED is the irritating blue light (can that just be cut off?) where is the lens? Thanks.

[Stub Mandrel]

Here's a guide to converting a lifecam:

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

And here's the sort of thing you may be able to get, depending on your scope and practising with the processing (lots of good free software available).

I should add that the above was achieved with a 'passive cooling fan' and is probably the peak of my planetary imaging a month ago before I got a ZWO camera.