Professional astrophotographers will typically capture their shots using an SLR camera with a special mount to attach a telescope. This setup can be expensive and complicated for a beginner to learn. With a simple, inexpensive webcam and some software, it is possible to build your own astrophotography camera that can produce images almost comparable to the more expensive setup. While your photos will not be as large or as colorful as the professionals' counterparts, they will be sharp and clear, and will be a great way to capture and remember what you spot in the sky.
Instructions
1. Break open your webcam by prying the two plastic halves apart. This may require a bit of force, as most cameras are glued together.
2. Release the circuit card from the inside of the camera. It will be attached to the USB cable, and you will see a small, square CCD array in the middle of the card. The rest of the webcam (including the lens) can be discarded or saved for another project.
3. Get a pill bottle, film canister or any plastic cylindrical container roughly the diameter of your T adapter and cut off the bottom inch.
4. Cut a hole in the bottom of your plastic container slightly larger than the square CCD array on your webcam's circuit board.
5. Attach the circuit card to the bottom outside area of the plastic container with the CCD array facing the hole you cut. If you have done this step correctly, you should be able to peer into the open top of the plastic container and see the CCD array through the hole on the bottom.
6. Cut a strip of card stock or poster board and sandwich the circuit card between the plastic container and the paper. Tape the entire assembly together with your electrical tape.
7. Slide the assembly T adapter into the focuser of your telescope. Plug the USB cord into your computer or laptop. A wireless USB hub is helpful if you cannot get the computer near your telescope.
8. Record the webcam's input using the recording software that came with your webcam. Even if your webcam is able to take single exposures, record two- to four-second videos instead. This will allow you to get higher-quality still images.
9. Import your webcam's video files into a piece of free image-stacking software such as RegiStax, or into a commercial graphics utility capable of stacking images, such as Photoshop. The software will average each of the frames of your video and produce a much sharper, clearer, and higher-quality still image.
Tags: your webcam, plastic container, circuit card, higher-quality still, hole bottom, square array
