This book de-mystifies 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 technologies are revolutionizing imaging

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.

Enables anyone with a modest telescope and a webcam to obtain jaw-dropping lunar and planetary images to rival those taken with mid-range astronomical CCD cameras costing $1000 or more Enables you to contribute scientific results about the Solar Systemresults that professional astronomers want De-mystifies - in an easy-to-read way - the jargon of webcams and computer processing Filled with the experts' hints and tips on imaging (and understanding) the Moon and planets with a webcam Each observing target is dealt with separately, so specialised techniques are explained in context

Autorentext
Martin Mobberley has a BSc Honours degree in Electronic Engineering from Brunel University, and is a former British Astronomical Association President and Goodacre Medallist.

Klappentext
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. In the Lunar and Planetary Webcam User's Guide Martin Mobberley de-mystifies the jargon of webcams and computer processing, and provides detailed hints and tips for imaging the Sun, Moon and planets with a webcam. He looks at each observing target separately, describing and explaining all specialised techniques in context. Glance through the images in this book to see just how much you can easily achieve by using a webcam with your telescope!

Inhalt
The Solar System: A Brief Introduction.- Webcams, Plus a Quick Start Guide.- High-Resolution Essentials.- Planetary Imagers Worldwide.- Have Webcam, Will Travel.- Planetary Webcams and Their Alternatives.- A Beginner's Guide to Using a Webcam.- Detailed Image Processing, Colors and LRGB.- Advanced Stacking of Rippling AVI Frames.- Imaging the Moon.- Imaging Mercury and Venus.- Imaging Mars.- Imaging Jupiter.- Imaging Saturn.- Imaging Uranus and Neptune.- Imaging the Sun.