Lunar and Planetary Webcam User's Guide - Paperback

by Martin Mobberley (Author)

This book aims to de-mystify the jargon of webcams and computer processing and provides detailed hints and tips for imaging the Sun, Moon and planets with a webcam. It demonstrates how inexpensive technology is revolutionizing imaging in amateur astronomy. These advances have enabled anyone with a modest telescope and a webcam to obtain jaw-dropping lunar and planetary images to rival those taken with cameras costing thousands of dollars. A glance through the images in this book shows just what spectacular results can be achieved by using a webcam with a telescope. Each observing target is dealt with separately, so specialized techniques are explained in context. The book further explains how webcams can be connected direct to a PC so that software can be used to "stack" multiple images, providing a stunning increase in image quality.

Back Jacket

Inexpensive webcams are revolutionizing imaging in amateur astronomy by providing an affordable alternative to cooled-chip astronomical CCD cameras, for photographing the brighter astronomical objects.

Webcams - costing only a few tens of dollars - are capable of more advanced high resolution work than "normal" digital cameras because their rapid image download speed can freeze fine planetary details, even through the Earth's turbulent atmosphere. Also, their simple construction makes it easy to remove the lens, allowing them to be used at high power at the projected focus of an astronomical telescope. Webcams also connect direct to a PC, so that software can be used to "stack" multiple images, providing a stunning increase in image quality.

Glance through the images in this book to see just how much you can - easily - achieve by using a webcam with your telescope!