Help! Webcam astrophotography!

[Nikolai De Silva]

Hello everyone!

I got a 720×1280 webcam yesterday and thinking how to fix it and also I have a SW Starquest 130p. I've heard about prime focus and afocal astrophotography. 

My questions are,

• What would be good for me, prime focused or afocal?
• Can I get DSOs with prime focused?
• Can I get high magnifications with prime focused?

Hoping for responses!

Nikolai.

Edited December 9, 2023 by Nikolai De Silva

[bosun21]

All you will be able to really do with a webcam is to take short videos of the planets and moon and stack them in Autostakkert. You can then process them in Registax 6 for your final images. 

[michael8554]

Hi Nikolai

Way back before budget astro cams were available, it was popular to modify a particular Philips webcam that happened to have a CCD imaging chip.

That enabled the long exposures that imaging dim DS Objects requires.

Most current webcams will only expose up to about 1 second, so are best used for Planetary imaging.

As bosun suggests, record video files that can be Stacked in Autostakkert.

You will need a long focal length to "magnify" the tiny target that is a planet.

Either by a long focal length telescope, or afocal imaging using an eyepiece to magnify the image from the telescope.

Michael

 

[Nikolai De Silva]

Thanks @michael8554! 

Do prime focused webcams show B&W?

[happy-kat]

Afocal you use the webcam to capture what is showing in the eyepiece

Prime focus you use the webcam where you've removed the webcam lens and fabricate the webcam too fit in the telescope focus tube where you would normally fit an eyepiece, in this way the telescope works like a large lens.

What webcam have you got?

[Nikolai De Silva]

@happy-kat 

This is my webcam, sorry not 1080, but 1280😁

[RT65CB-SWL]

Apologies in advance, but how are you going to attach it to the telescope?

The type of Phillips webcam that @michael8554 refers to is/was the ToUcam series. Note that early ToUcam series webcams will need to be flashed and firmware upgraded for use with MS-Windows 10 [32bit & 64bit] and above.

[Cosmic Geoff]

Converting webcams into astro cameras was a 'thing' some years ago, but nowadays one can buy dedicated astro cameras (e.g. the ZWO range) which on the whole perform better and come ready to use.  There are also some extremely cheap astro cameras on ebay, but they may not be very good...

To image DSOs you will probably need more sophisticated equipment in the form of a mount that tracks, a suitable telescope and software that (at minimum) performs live-stacking.  All this is potentially very expensive.   Imaging planets or the Moon might be a more achievable goal.

BTW, the first planetary astro camera I bought was a budget one. It was awful, and now I can't even give it away.

[Nikolai De Silva]

30 minutes ago, RT65CB-SWL said:

how are you going to attach it to the telescope?

I found a 1.25" plastic tube, heated and made it right to fit into the focuser tube.

[Nikolai De Silva]

@Cosmic Geoff I got that webcam (720×1280) and budget is limited. As I went through the internet, I felt prime focus is good. Now looking to do it.

[bosun21]

27 minutes ago, Nikolai De Silva said:

@Cosmic Geoff I got that webcam (720×1280) and budget is limited. As I went through the internet, I felt prime focus is good. Now looking to do it.

For the planets you should consider using a barlow lens as 650mm focal length isn't really enough for the planets. Just place the barlow in your focuser and the webcam into the barlow.

[happy-kat]

the budget webcam I bought a few years back I had to disassemble it to get to the inside board and knock out the LEDs that came on and remove the lens

[Nikolai De Silva]

16 minutes ago, bosun21 said:

For the planets you should consider using a barlow lens as 650mm focal length isn't really enough for the planets. Just place the barlow in your focuser and the webcam into the barlow.

Yes, we have a 5x Barlow! That is good (not branded) and reasonable in views. Ok I'll do it.

Thanks!

[Nikolai De Silva]

3 minutes ago, happy-kat said:

the budget webcam I bought a few years back I had to disassemble it to get to the inside board and knock out the LEDs that came on and remove the lens

May I remove it?

[happy-kat]

you could try covering it with black insulating tape instead

[happy-kat]

Have you checked your webcam can be controlled with say sharpcap or fire capture?