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Yidoboy

By Yidoboy
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Yidoboy

Yidoboy

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Hi everyone. I've just invested in a 6" Skywatcher Explorer and am desperate to get to know what is where and when! I have managed some half decent shots with my mobile and video camera but trying to hold these still against the eyepiece is something of an art!

If anyone has any advice (software, skycharts etc) please do let me know. One question I have is what would be good for planetary shots? I have heard a lot about webcams but am unsure....

Thanks very much

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JamesM

JamesM

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Hi Yidoboy and welcome to the forum.

I would most definitely recommend that you purchase "Making Every Photon Count" by the forum's own Steve Richards before making any further purchases. It will provide you with all the knowledge you need starting from the ground up and will also give you an overview of what you need to get the quality of pictures that you're after. There are no short cuts in producing good images and like everything else - you get what you pay for and imaging isn't cheap.

Clear skies

James

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Black Knight

Black Knight

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Hi Yidoboy. Yeah, many people use webcams to take lunar and planetary images. It might seem counter-intuitive, but it works. The basic process is to take a short AVI, perhaps a few minutes, then stack each individual frame using software like the freely available Registax (just Google it).

Some people have achieved amazing results using nothing more than the aforementioned setup (not me, I hasten to add :) ). Have a trundle around the lunar and planetary imaging sections to get blown away :(.

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SeedyF

SeedyF

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Hello and welcome from me too :(

Firstly - does Yidoboy mean you're a spurs fan? That might influence how helpful I am :)

I too have a Skywatcher Explorer 150 (6"). I got the connector to attach a canon DSL to it direct which is good for moon shots. As others have suggested a webcam is excellent for moon and planetary shots. Many of us have the Philips SPC880/900. They are excellent for the money, you can get them for £10 here Cheap Philips SPC880 webcam - 49269 - discounts & offers. You will need an eyepiece adapter as well - there is a link on the morgan computers webpage. And I put a two or three times barlow in between to get a decent size image. If you take a 30-60 second AVI through the webcam then process it using Registax. This website provides some useful introductions to the technique Webcam Astrophotography Tutorial for Planets.

To capture the AVI lots of us use a piece of software called SharpCap which is developed by one of the forum, it's really easy to use. Just search the forum imaging section for it.

Finally being able to track the motion of the stars is a must for a 30 second exposure. Not sure if you have a motorised mount but keeping a planet in view without one might prove pretty tricky.

Good luck and clear skies!

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