(meteorobs) IR Camera is up. -Important notes....

[stange]

Understood Chris. Your and Dougs explanation  makes clear why (after a long 
period of time) why my digital & dial settings changed slightly but the 
astro-camera setttings didn't.
It was my eyes interreacting with their own very sensitive & critical focal 
length.

On a good note-  I obtained a VERY small detonating fireball last night 
which supports the direction I am investigating. I will post IR Camera 
blowup picture, Sentinel picture, and any useful pictures on the 2nd system 
as side-by-side inserts when I get it gathered together. It looks promising, 
but I wish it had been a bigger detonation.  -Larry (YCS)

----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Chris Peterson" <clp at alumni.caltech.edu>
To: "Global Meteor Observing Forum" <meteorobs at meteorobs.org>
Sent: 2008/12/11 07:29
Subject: Re: (meteorobs) IR Camera is up. -Important notes....


> Hi Larry-
>
> You can trust your eyesight when focusing a video camera on a monitor. 
> There
> is no ambiguity in the focus position resulting from your eye's own
> accommodation. Where you get into trouble using your eye is when using a
> telescope visually. In that case the correct focus (on your retina) is a
> combination of the telescope focus position and your eye's focus position.
> The two interact, which is why you often fiddle with focus when using a
> scope visually. I think that's the effect Doug is referring to.
>
> As a rule, the best method of focusing a video camera used for meteor work
> is to use a local monitor (that is, close enough to the camera that you 
> can
> focus without having to run back and forth between it and some other
> location) along with a distant, bright point source. I use Venus for my 
> own
> camera, but for our cameras in less rural areas we normally use
> streetlights. Point sources work best for most people because there is 
> less
> ambiguity in determining the point of best focus.
>
> The other point is that with an autoiris lens, you need to make sure you
> focus at night. Otherwise, the lens stops down and you get a large depth 
> of
> focus. What appears well focused in bright light usually isn't once it 
> gets
> dark and the iris opens up.
>
> Chris
>
> *****************************************
> Chris L Peterson
> Cloudbait Observatory
> http://www.cloudbait.com
>
>
> ----- Original Message ----- 
> From: "stange" <stange34 at sbcglobal.net>
> To: "Global Meteor Observing Forum" <meteorobs at meteorobs.org>
> Sent: Thursday, December 11, 2008 12:12 AM
> Subject: Re: (meteorobs) IR Camera is up. -Important notes....
>
>
>> Thanks Chris & Doug!
>>
>> I was not aware of my eyesight creating so much subtle error. This means
>> then that I must focus by finished picture images rather than judge by
>> Monitor or eyesight in any way.
>>
>> I wonder what other parts I have don't work well...........
>>
>> Larry
>
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