Webcams
Solar System Imaging for less than $100
David Ratledge
Is it possible - a colour CCD Camera for under $100? Read on!
The advent of colour CCD webcams for well under £100 means that the answer is YES. They are now the imaging device of choice for the Planets! Forget expensive dedicated CCD cameras if your interest is the solar system. Their secret is the shooting of video sequences ie hundreds of images in quick succession. Free software is available to extract the best images and combine them together to produce stunning results.
Not only do they take colour images, they are brilliant at the live display of the telescope image to an audience. At last several people can "look" through a telescope simultaneously. They can also record videos - great for the planets! Unlike several commercial video-cameras on the market they have full manual control of exposure and gain - essential for proper image taking.
Saturn taken with the Philips Toucam - see below
I've split webcams into 3 sections:
Mounting a Webcam in a SLR Body
Imaging with SAC4
