Video astronomy

[bdmhenderson]

Has anyone ever played with video astronomy, it seems to be bigger in the US than here in the UK, however you can get inexpensive CCTV cameras that work at very very low lux. What would be the minimum scope you would get away with to do this? Preferably goto so it will track and move with the camera attached to the scope.

Thanks

Brian

[ringz]

Brian,

The trouble with the cheap CCTV cameras is that they offer very little in the way of controllability. For example the way they determine exposure is to average the image and this means that if you are looking at something, say Jupiter, that is bright in the middle of the picture it will be totally over exposed.

I gave up with products that I could afford and lust after the Mallincams an Watecs that I can't afford

http://www.modernastronomy.com/camerasAstroVideo.html

--

Martyn

[Tiny]

What a mallincam can do live and in colour is amazing.

[iancandler]

Your looking at fairly expensive camera's as they need to be able to integrate the frames to build up an image of feint objects.

[bdmhenderson]

but surely this can be done on a computer? stacking captured frames?

[iancandler]

Yes but that defeats the whole idea of a video camera and its live view, they integrate or stack the images within the camera so you get a more sensitive live view, if you are happy stacking the images then a webcam such as the toucam models is the way most go.

[bdmhenderson]

the idea of the cctv cam was the extra cable length from telescope to computerusb is only good in short runs 5-10m at the very most.

[iancandler]

You need active repeater cables for longer runs, but most use laptops or re site the main pc to keep the run under 10m.

I'm not saying a standard security cam wont work, but it will be a devil sorting out exposure and focus at that distance unless the whole set up is fully automated.(remember you are using your computer monitor to view the image for focus and adjusting the exposure)

[bdmhenderson]

I work with computers for a living and have a keeninterestin them so the thought of adding the 2 hobbies together is a big plus, hence why i'm looking for a goto scope. I can then interface this with a computer. As this is done with serial and cctv with coax i'm not too limited on cable runs unlike usb.