This book clearly examines how to create the best astronomical images possible with a digital camera. It reveals the astonishing images that can be obtained with simple equipment, the right software, and knowledge of how to use it.

Digital electronic imaging devices, like the CCD, and more recently inexpensive webcams, allow the wonders of the universe to be seen in detail never before possible from an amateur astronomer's backyard. As a result, more amateur astronomers becoming involved in digital imaging. This book clearly examines how to create the best astronomical images possible with a digital camera. It reveals the astonishing images that can be obtained with simple equipment, the right software, and knowledge of how to use it. Completely jargon-free, the book describes how to extract results from the raw-and-dirty original imagery and then transform them into high-quality pictures suitable for framing, posting online, or sharing with friends and colleagues.

Written by one of the world's professional experts in image processing Explanations that clarify the jargon (with box-outs where necessary) Non-mathematical approach Illustrated examples of an image processing session Illustrated examples (in colour and monochrome) State-of-the-art techniques with various software packages Includes supplementary material: sn.pub/extras

Autorentext

Grant Privett works for the Ministry of Defence in the UK, heading up the Advanced Image Processing Team.

Inhalt

Acknowledgements.-The myriad advantages of image processing (introduction).- Choosing a camera.- Acquiring images (and choosing software).- Displaying images.- Image reduction.- Flat fields.- Dark subtraction.- Image transformations.- Image stacking.- Image mosaicing.- Image scaling and histograms.- Background gradients.- Image enhancement.- Image sharpening.- Image unsharp masking.- Image deconvolution.- Handling colour images.- Achieving colour balance.- CMY or RGB?- Other problems.- Handling image sequences and webcams.- Image acquisition.- Image quality techniques.- Automated image processing.- What is best for.- Planets.- Deep Sky.- Widefield imaging.- The pitfalls.- Postscript.- Notes on image contributors.- Appendices .- Software.- Hardware + Software Suppliers.- References.- Further reading.- Index.