Lunar and Planetary Webcam User's Guide (Patrick Moore's Practical Astronomy Series) [Paperback]

Martin Mobberley (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 1846281970 | ISBN-13: 978-1846281976 | Publication Date: May 18, 2006 | Edition: 1st Edition.

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.

Editorial Reviews

Review

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 Back Cover

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!

Product Details

• Paperback: 234 pages
• Publisher: Springer; 1st Edition. edition (May 18, 2006)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1846281970
• ISBN-13: 978-1846281976
• Product Dimensions: 9.3 x 6.3 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,307,866 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Romp Through the Solar System!, July 3, 2007

By 

Dale N. Nosko (Canada) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Lunar and Planetary Webcam User's Guide (Patrick Moore's Practical Astronomy Series) (Paperback)

I was lucky enough to find out about imaging with a webcam when hardly anyone outside QCUIAG(Quickcam and Unconventional Imaging Astronomy Group)had given it a second thought. There were individuals in that group that were, even then, turning out images of the Solar System that rivaled professional observatories with these inexpensive devices that were never intended to be turned skyward. But because of the forward-thinking of some of their members and people's unceasing drive to tinker
(and discover!), major monthly publications like Sky and Telescope and Astronomy quickly understood the power these little cams wielded and began to pay considerable attention to the images that were beginning to fill their reader gallery pages.
As with any technology, the quality of the cameras, their chips, and ultimately the software that was being written to drive them, resulted in amateur images that were making everyone take notice and want to get in on this versatile and simple method of capturing exciting images of our nearest neighbours. Until I discovered this gem on Amazon, I was pretty much limited to whatever knowledge I could acquire about imaging with a webcam to what was posted on the net.
This book in the "Patrick Moore's Practical Astronomy Series" has changed all that. It is a wonderfully concise and richly illustrated guidebook for both beginner and advanced amateur alike. It introduces in the most basic way how anyone with a modest telescope and simple webcam can turn out world-class images. Now to put this new knowledge to work in improving my own imaging techniques!

10 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Not much of a guide for beginning webcam users, April 11, 2008

By 

DavidS (Mint Hill, NC USA) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Lunar and Planetary Webcam User's Guide (Patrick Moore's Practical Astronomy Series) (Paperback)

As a very novice astronomer, and knowing absolutely nothing about webcams, I purchased this book based on the reviews and the title. While the planetary and lunar photos were nice, the first portions of the book was basically worthless, unless you wanted an introduction to individuals world wide who have been at this for a long time and have great equipment. Damian Peach takes terrific photos, but that sure doesn't help a beginner know how to use the equipment. The installation of the camera is probably a no-brainer. But getting the initial images loaded is really glossed over. The chapter entitled "Beginner's Guide to using a Webcam" has a superficial procedure to get the camera installed and focused. The final step, #13, says "Call up the webcam's Capture menu and choose a time and frame rate and a filename, e.g., 120 seconds, 10 frames per second, Jupiter1. Hit return!" That's it, nothing more. Then he jumps into using Registax to stack images. Well guess what, my new webcam, a Philips SPC900NC, has software which doesn't have these options, let alone saving the files in an .avi file. So where do I turn now? How do I convert any saved video into an .avi file for use by Registax? If you are counting on this book to help you are out of luck. And assuming you could figure out how to import .avi files into Registax, the explanations of Registax for image processing and stacking is also very lightly touched upon. This is NOT a beginner's guide book to answer your every question. It will give you a brief exposure to webcams, their usage, and photos possible.

2 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Lunar and Planetary Webcam User's Guide review, September 11, 2007

By 

C. W. Lail "Chas" (Statesville, NC) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Lunar and Planetary Webcam User's Guide (Patrick Moore's Practical Astronomy Series) (Paperback)

I have been using a webcam for years to image the planets. This book helped me go to the next level.