Jump to content

Telescope + Computer


Crash

Recommended Posts

I have a telescope, a Meade, D= 60mm, F = 700mm, f/11.

In my astronomy class the other day my lecturer was explaining how to get a CCD chip out of a cheap camera and that this could be fixed on my telescope and then i could hook it into my computer and get alot more from my telescope (like colours of planets, as theyre too bright normally) so i was wondering if someone could tell me how and where on my telescope to fix this, also what are the specs of the camera that has a CCD chip in it should i get? BTW im a student, cant afford anything to expensive.

Thanxs

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Probably the most common (and cheapest, easiest, etc) is the Phillips ToUCam2 Pro (or some similar name). It's a webcam that a lot of amateur astronomers use. Just google for webcam astrophotography. The general idea is to get some adapter (T ring I think) and attach the webcam to the eyepiece, get everything focussed and all, and then you're off. You might also want to get a program such as Registax (it's free) for some useful image processing such as stacking. All in all, the cost should never be more than £100 (I believe that's around $100), with the webcam being the most expensive part. The pro webcam is £55 from Amazon, while the regular version is £20. I have no idea what the differences are.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

if it`s of any help, I managed to do the same thing on my microscope using a simple web-cam over the eye piece, it was trial and error untill I found the focal length, then it was simply a case of putty blobs to fix the position, then a glue gun between the blobs, let it set, them remove the blobs and fill in the gaps with the glue gun again.

I see no reason the same can`t be done for a telescope either :)

 

edit: btw, even cheap web-cams will pick up near infra-red (test it with a TV remote control, should look like a white/blue light) so you MAY get to see more than you bargained for on a telescope :))

Link to comment
Share on other sites

edit: btw, even cheap web-cams will pick up near infra-red (test it with a TV remote control, should look like a white/blue light) so you MAY get to see more than you bargained for on a telescope :))

 

I've modded my webcam to pick up *only* near IR (fully-developed photographic film blocks visible light, but lets near-IR thorugh, just replace the IR-filter in your webcam with a couple of pieces of film and hey presto, IR-webcam). Only problem is it's not that good. I can find my bedroom window on a sunny day, and my bedsite lamp uses a very bright halogen bulb that gets very hot after a while, that shows up sometimes. Still, it killed an afternoon for about £5 :)

 

But it's not just cheap webcams. There was a movie-camera a couple of years ago that (through some sleight of hand) allowed you to take pictures of people in IR, but with a little bit of visible light, producing "naked" pictures (most clothes transmit IR quite well). Unfortunatley, these "X-ray cameras" got taken off the shelves and fixed :(

 

The T-ring is just a fancier version of YT's putty and glue.

 

Ollie

Link to comment
Share on other sites

But it's not just cheap webcams. There was a movie-camera a couple of years ago that (through some sleight of hand) allowed you to take pictures of people in IR' date=' but with a little bit of visible light, producing "naked" pictures (most clothes transmit IR quite well). Unfortunatley, these "X-ray cameras" got taken off the shelves and fixed :(

 

Ollie[/quote']

 

*cough* Ehem...I can neither confirm or deny that either, on grounds that it maybe used to incriminate me at a later date :)))

Link to comment
Share on other sites

very good question, and I`ve no idea. it must be some sort of perculiarity with the CCD just picking it up as "raw energy" rather than a propper color, perhaps some sort of secondary emission of the photons?

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now
×
×
  • Create New...

Important Information

We have placed cookies on your device to help make this website better. You can adjust your cookie settings, otherwise we'll assume you're okay to continue.