Planetary Imaging for Amateur Astronomers
Larry Owens
Astrophotography
•What is Astrophotography?
Astrophotography
•What is Astrophotography?
•Kinds of Astrophotography
•Lunar/Planetary
•Deep Sky
History of Astrophotography
•The first photograph
•1826
Joseph Nicephore Niepce
An 8-hour exposure using a “camera obscura”
History of Astrophotography
•The first photograph
•1829
•The first Astrophotographs
•1840
•John William Draper
History of Astrophotography
•The first photograph
•1829
•The first Astrophotographs
•1840
•John William Draper
•1880
•Henry Draper
•Important milestone reached!
History of Planetary Astrophotography
•Mars Fever
•1880’s - 1907
•Giovanni Schiaparelli
•“Canali” 1877
Mars 2007 (Green Light)
History of Planetary Astrophotography
•Mars Fever
•1880’s - 1907
•Giovanni Schiaparelli
•“Canali” 1877
•Percival Lowell
•William Pickering & others
•1907 Expedition to the Andes
•Human eye view unmatched by photography
•Amazingly true through much of the 20th century!
Lowell Observatory, 1971-1973
Backyard Telescope, 2005
Mt. Wilson
1956
How is it Possible?
How is it done?
Lowell Observatory Sequence,1971
The Problem with Planetary Imaging
•Planets are very far away
•Requiring high magnification
The Problem with Planetary Imaging
•Planets are very far away
•Requiring high magnification
•Atmosphere is very turbulent
•High magnification also magnifies air turbulence
•Like looking at a planet under water (watch the movie)
The Problem with Planetary Imaging
•Planets are very far away
•Requiring high magnification
•Atmosphere is very turbulent
•High magnification also magnifies air turbulence
•Like looking at a planet under water
•Why is the human eye better than photographic film?
The Problem with Planetary Imaging
•Planets are very far away
•Requiring high magnification
•Atmosphere is very turbulent
•High magnification also magnifies air turbulence
•Like looking at a planet under water
•Why is the human eye better than photographic film?
•Human eye follows the changes in the image
•The brain does some processing to help see details
The Problem with Planetary Imaging
•Planets are very far away
•Requiring high magnification
•Atmosphere is very turbulent
•High magnification also magnifies air turbulence
•Like looking at a planet under water
•Why is the human eye better than photographic film?
•Human eye follows the changes in the image
•The brain does some processing to help see details
•What type of camera is more like the human eye?
Technology & Today’s Amateur Astronomer
•What do we have now that they didn’t?
Technology & Today’s Amateur Astronomer
•What do we have now that they didn’t?
•Computers and the Internet
Technology & Today’s Amateur Astronomer
•What do we have now that they didn’t?
•Computers and the Internet
•The “CCD” chip (digital photography)
Technology & Today’s Amateur Astronomer
•What do we have now that they didn’t?
•Computers and the Internet
•The “CCD” chip (digital photography)
•Software designed specifically for astronomy
Technology & Today’s Amateur Astronomer
•What do we have now that they didn’t?
•Computers and the Internet
•The “CCD” chip (digital photography)
•Software designed specifically for astronomy
•Telescopes, cameras and
computers anyone can afford
How is it Done?
How is it Done?
Take a Movie!
Use a Webcam attached to a telescope
Take a few 5 minute movies
Process the result with special software
How is it Done?
Take a Movie!
Use a Webcam attached to a telescope
Take a few 5 minute movies
Process the result with special software
“Stack” the Frames
Software looks at each frame of movie
Sorts by quality to eliminate bad frames
Creates a single low noise photo
Tools to sharpen and adjust final image
How is it Done?
•The transformation
How is it Done?
•The transformation
How is it Done?
•The transformation
How is it Done?
•The transformation
Cameras & Telescopes
•Telescopes
•Just about any telescope will do
•Long focal length best
•Schmidt Cassegrain
•Reflectors with barlow
•Needs to have a tracking mount
•Equatorial is best
•Cameras
•Philips ToUcam (webcam) ~$100
•Lumenera Skynyx ~$1000
•Imaging Source ~$400
•Atik ~$400
•CCD Cameras ~$1200 to the cost of a house
•Approximate Investment
•Casual interest $1500 (plus laptop)
•Serious $10000
Software & Processing
•Registax
•FREE software available to anyone
•PhotoShop or PhotoShop Elements
•To do additional cleanup and processing
•Add captions and information to your image
Software & Processing
•Image Enhancement in Registax
•Performs stacking
•Offers enhancement tools such as “wavelet”
Questions…