Re: (IAAC) Video Astronomy...

To: netastrocatalog-announce@latrade.com
Subject: Re: (IAAC) Video Astronomy...
From: NJ Martin <nmartin@bonnyton.u-net.com>
Date: Thu, 11 Sep 1997 23:33:04 +0100
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At 22:43 10/09/97 EDT, you wrote:
>Hi all,     
>Have anyone tried to hook up a video camera to their telescope and if you
>did how did the video turn out? Also, what was the object you taped?
>All feedback would be appreciated.
>
>Clear skies,
>Conrad W. Humphrey (Amateur Astronomer)

I have videod the sunspots, moon, Jupiter and Comet Hale Bopp nucleus.
Sunspots and Jupiter with an 8" and the moon with 8" and 20" and Hale Bopp
nucleus with 20". This was just by hand holding the camera (with the lens in
place) to the eyepiece and all these objects turned out to give nice
pictures. They would have been much better with some means for attaching the
camera but they were just for fun. The moon is very impressive for non
astronomers especially if you do a tour of the terminator. Sunspots are nice
too. The Hale Bopp images showed the bands very well. A better idea would be
to attach a bracket to the telescope. Fix a ball and socket head on the
bracket to support the camera at the eyepiece. You will need some means to
adjust the position of the camera so it is able to be postioned with its
lens just behind the eyepiece. It needs to be just about touching the
eyepiece to get enough of the field of view in the picture and lined up with
the optical axis too. Given a C mount adaptor if you have a camera with a
removable lens you could use the camera at the prime focus but I have no
experience of that.
Nick
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|   nmartin@bonnyton.u-net.com    |
|"There are more things in heaven and earth ... than are dreamt of in your
philosophy"   (Hamlet, Act 1, Sc. 5)  |

Bonnyton House, Ayrshire,Scotland, UK. lat 55 24'56" N long 4 26' 00" W
Altitude 150 m.
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