What can you achieve with your webcam

Webcam Astronomy

Please send me any images or links to your own work

I have the pleasure of getting to see a lot of what people are achieving with their webcams. So I thought I would add this page so that you could get an idea of what is possible and hopefully think of something new and wonderful that you could image.

This is my own attempt. More details

Linked from http://www.guidescope.net/solarsys/mars03.htm

Mars Rotating 2003

Tom Matheson has compiled a fantastic movie of Mars rotating during its 2003 approach. He used a Toucam Pro Webcam and UWAT-F adapter to capture the images on his 155mm Astro Physics Refractor. His article appeared in Feb 2004 Sky and Telescope. You can read all about how he did it on his web page. The S&T article is also on the web.

Linked with permission.

Peter Vasey -Amazing image of M51

Text from QCUIAG list:

After several days of milky/cloudy skies, the haze rained out this evening, and the skies cleared. The air was clean enough for light pollution to be reduced from its usual high level, so I had a go at M51, almost at the zenith. 16 (out of 24) frames using Astrovideo, 90 seconds with cooled Vesta Pro SC, amp off, LX90 with .63 reducer and Mogg reducer (effectively around f 4). Three sky darks combined and subtracted. Final processing in Photoshop. Thanks to Alan Leggett for suggesting I move my amp off transistor - much cleaner images now. The fainter section crossing towards the smaller galaxy is still washed out by the light pollution - next time from a dark site should get it.His web site is at: http://www.petevasey.btinternet.co.uk/

Bruce Hegerberg

Bruce has some great sun scope ideas.

Go here for his webcam sun scope:

http://www.america.net/~boo/html/cp.html

Or here for all his Sun Gun scope:

http://www.america.net/~boo/html/sun_gun.html

QCUIAG Best of Images

Suk Lee

Here's my setup:

- Questar 7

- Van Slyke Slider II

- TouCam Pro

Click image for larger image

Not strictly a webcam but.... nice shot Chris.

My images using your reducer to promote te reducer for non-webcams.

I used an MX5c and it worked well.

10" LX200 Equatorial using a Mogg Focal RI just ordered a HX916, i'm wondering what the reducer will do ...

Chris Everaert http://users.pandora.be/mx5c

Attached is the Jupiter image taken on 27 Feb, 2002 with C9.25, 2X barlow, ToUcam and Mogg's adaptor.

Eric (from Hong Kong)

Another image from Eric,

"After finished my 25" Dobsonian project. I started my ToUcam imaging again. I change to use a 10" Newtonian with RF Royce mirror. Attached is some image I took recently."

Click image for larger image with setup details

The F-0.66FR screws very snuggly into the internal 1.25" thread of the MX-716 nosepiece. With camera and FR secured to my Orion [uk] OMC-140 [140mm native F14 Mak-Cass] I slewed to M13. First problem obviously was focussing, so removed camera and replaced with 25mm eyepiece in star diagonal [more or less parfocal with camera - a bit of luck here] centered M13 and replaced camera. A quick focus run with a Hartman mask inplce and I seemed to have reasonable focus.

Loaded about 6 or so [didn't keep count as too excited!] of the 20 into Photoshop v 6. Performed histogram stretch, unsharp masking on each and progressively aligned and merged them by pasting each new Fit file in as a separate layer and aligned with pixel precision [might be some field rotation - didn't check].

I did have concerns initially about the suitability of this scope as an imaging platform because of it's smallish aperture and slow speed being a native F14! Your FR seems to suit it perfectly and allowed me to get up and imaging stars right away whereas I had anticipated a delay while I might have had to purchase other equipment. Not sure what effective FL I achieved on the night [F8.4?] - I will work this out later.

Terry Pullen Sussex UK

I have attached an image of the Sun. The detail is slightly lost due to jpg compression. However this was achieved using a ToUcam Pro through an 80mm f5 - "cheap" refractor. The IR filter made all the difference. Without it the images were quite fuzzy in comparison. The inset is the same equipment with addition of a 2x Barlow.

Processing was with registax.

James Hardy

I took some more images today. I think the image is fairly self explanatory (if a little large - sorry about the file size - click to see full size) If it is of any use please chop it up and use what you want (take note of the max quality difference between frames - 71.88 without a filter, only 6.25 with the filter). Equipment etc is as above

James Hardy

	This is my own attempt. More details
Linked from http://www.guidescope.net/solarsys/mars03.htm	Mars Rotating 2003 Tom Matheson has compiled a fantastic movie of Mars rotating during its 2003 approach. He used a Toucam Pro Webcam and UWAT-F adapter to capture the images on his 155mm Astro Physics Refractor. His article appeared in Feb 2004 Sky and Telescope. You can read all about how he did it on his web page. The S&T article is also on the web. Linked with permission.
	Peter Vasey -Amazing image of M51 Text from QCUIAG list: After several days of milky/cloudy skies, the haze rained out this evening, and the skies cleared. The air was clean enough for light pollution to be reduced from its usual high level, so I had a go at M51, almost at the zenith. 16 (out of 24) frames using Astrovideo, 90 seconds with cooled Vesta Pro SC, amp off, LX90 with .63 reducer and Mogg reducer (effectively around f 4). Three sky darks combined and subtracted. Final processing in Photoshop. Thanks to Alan Leggett for suggesting I move my amp off transistor - much cleaner images now. The fainter section crossing towards the smaller galaxy is still washed out by the light pollution - next time from a dark site should get it.His web site is at: http://www.petevasey.btinternet.co.uk/
	Bruce Hegerberg Bruce has some great sun scope ideas. Go here for his webcam sun scope: http://www.america.net/~boo/html/cp.html Or here for all his Sun Gun scope: http://www.america.net/~boo/html/sun_gun.html
	QCUIAG Best of Images
	Suk Lee Here's my setup: - Questar 7 - Van Slyke Slider II - TouCam Pro
Click image for larger image	Not strictly a webcam but.... nice shot Chris. My images using your reducer to promote te reducer for non-webcams. I used an MX5c and it worked well. 10" LX200 Equatorial using a Mogg Focal RI just ordered a HX916, i'm wondering what the reducer will do ... Chris Everaert http://users.pandora.be/mx5c
	Attached is the Jupiter image taken on 27 Feb, 2002 with C9.25, 2X barlow, ToUcam and Mogg's adaptor. Eric (from Hong Kong)
	Another image from Eric, "After finished my 25" Dobsonian project. I started my ToUcam imaging again. I change to use a 10" Newtonian with RF Royce mirror. Attached is some image I took recently." Click image for larger image with setup details
	The F-0.66FR screws very snuggly into the internal 1.25" thread of the MX-716 nosepiece. With camera and FR secured to my Orion [uk] OMC-140 [140mm native F14 Mak-Cass] I slewed to M13. First problem obviously was focussing, so removed camera and replaced with 25mm eyepiece in star diagonal [more or less parfocal with camera - a bit of luck here] centered M13 and replaced camera. A quick focus run with a Hartman mask inplce and I seemed to have reasonable focus. Loaded about 6 or so [didn't keep count as too excited!] of the 20 into Photoshop v 6. Performed histogram stretch, unsharp masking on each and progressively aligned and merged them by pasting each new Fit file in as a separate layer and aligned with pixel precision [might be some field rotation - didn't check]. I did have concerns initially about the suitability of this scope as an imaging platform because of it's smallish aperture and slow speed being a native F14! Your FR seems to suit it perfectly and allowed me to get up and imaging stars right away whereas I had anticipated a delay while I might have had to purchase other equipment. Not sure what effective FL I achieved on the night [F8.4?] - I will work this out later. Terry Pullen Sussex UK
	I have attached an image of the Sun. The detail is slightly lost due to jpg compression. However this was achieved using a ToUcam Pro through an 80mm f5 - "cheap" refractor. The IR filter made all the difference. Without it the images were quite fuzzy in comparison. The inset is the same equipment with addition of a 2x Barlow. Processing was with registax. James Hardy
	I took some more images today. I think the image is fairly self explanatory (if a little large - sorry about the file size - click to see full size) If it is of any use please chop it up and use what you want (take note of the max quality difference between frames - 71.88 without a filter, only 6.25 with the filter). Equipment etc is as above James Hardy