Lunar and Planetary Webcam User's Guide

by Martin Mobberley

Overview

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 tools are revolutionizing imaging in amateur astronomy. Anyone with a modest telescope and a webcam can now obtain jaw-dropping lunar and planetary images to rival those taken with mid-range astronomical CCD 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 your telescope! Your scientific results will be sought by professional astronomers.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781846281976
Publisher:	Springer London
Publication date:	05/18/2006
Series:	The Patrick Moore Practical Astronomy Series
Edition description:	2006
Pages:	230
Product dimensions:	6.10(w) x 9.25(h) x 0.02(d)

Table of Contents

Webcam Technology The Solar System – a brief guide High-resolution basics – Telescope choices and Collimation The World’s leading amateur planetary imagers and their results Webcam choices – Webcams on the market from cheap to expensive Video cameras – an alternative for brighter objects A beginner’s guide to using a webcam and Registax/K3 CCD Tools software Understanding Colour: RGB, LRGB, noise and dynamic range Imaging the Moon – Lunar Techniques plus a concise guide to some of the best lunar features taken with webcams. Webcam Imaging Imaging Mercury & Venus (emphasis on UV & IR Venus work) Imaging Mars (includes the planet’s characteristics, dust storms and using filters) Imaging Jupiter (as well as imaging techniques…lots of information about its weather patterns etc and recent spots, storms, shadow transits etc…etc…..) Imaging Saturn (plus Saturn’s Great White Spots etc…edge-on ring appearances…) Imaging Uranus & Neptune (the CCD/webcam era now makes this possible!!) Imaging the Sun (the usual cautionary advice….) Visual techniques (in case the reader still wants to look though the eyepiece!)

Editorial Reviews

From the reviews:

[This book] is superb! I am still falling off webcam learning curves, so I found many good nuggets of information in the book. I especially liked the in-depth analyses of the Moon and planets—it provides good direction on what to image. —Don Parker

"Astronomers now recognize that webcams are the best thing to happen to planetary observing since Galileo first pointed a telescope at Jupiter nearly 400 years ago. … So it is timely that Martin Mobberley has added to Springer’s burgeoning Practical Astronomy Series with a comprehensive guide to exploit this exciting technology ... . this is a good book that contains information and hints that will benefit both the beginner and the more experienced imager. It’s written in a style that is clear … . Recommended." (Grant Privett, Astronomy Now, December, 2006)

"In the last few years … webcams have revolutionized amateur astronomy … . This book demystifies the jargon of webcams and computer processing, and provides detailed hints and tips for imaging the Sun, Moon, and planets with a webcam. The author looks at each observing target separately, describing and explaining all specialized 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." (Lunar and Planetary Information Bulletin, 2007)

"Martin Mobberley is a well known observer and imager. In this book he takes a hands on look at webcamming the Solar System. … is very well written and easy to understand. The step guides are clear and I would recommend this book to both experienced and novice imagers alike. In fact even if you’re not interested in hi resolution imaging the story of the rectal bung makes this a great read….Youl’ll have to buy the book though to find out more … ." (Dave Gradwell, Astronomy and Space, February, 2007)

From the Publisher