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[RobbW]

I'm broadcasting on www.nightskiesnetwork.com right now if anyone is interested. Look for RobbW's channel. Not much to see other than the moon. Just finding out how crappy my camera is!

[Chicago Astronomer - Astro Joe]

I'm digging Robb's broadcast right now.

The vid is good...showing fluid motion. It's a bit dim, showing the limb of the Moon.

Very cool.

I'm anxious to try this as well.

Perhaps over the weekend.

[RobbW]

Meh, I wasn't too happy with the performance of my camera. First, I can only get it to work properly if I use my 2x barlow. Otherwise, the camera "sees" the corrector plate and secondary obstruction. It's like it is looking out through the clear glass between the secondary and the OTA wall instead of into the secondary mirror. I think that is most likely due to the camera not being aligned with the optical path of the scope. I did have to jimmy rig a setup to even get my vidcam to attach to the telescope. I don't have an adapter that attaches to the cam and the scope that would properly align it.

Unfortunately, when I use the barlow with the cam, it magnifies so much that you can only see a small portion of the limb of the moon. And focusing is a bear! My camera is very touchy. Another issue I had was the video quality. In regular daytime use, my camera has an excellent picture. It is a miniDV and the video signal is usually excellent. But through the scope and trained on the moon, it didn't look all that impressive.

I think the next time I try video astronomy I am going to try using my Canon 40D DSLR. It has the Live View function which allows you to see what the sensor sees in real time, like a video camera. I've tried it out before when I was doing some imaging of M31 and Comet Hartley. The only issue I have with using the DSLR is that there is no zoom capability. I am stuck with whatever magnification my scope's focal length provides and that's it. With my DSLR, Jupiter is merely a small disc with no detail. Oh well, but at least the Live View simulates whatever exposure I have set on my camera. So, if it's at 30 seconds, it shows what the target will look like at that exposure. It's kind of like the longer integration times other guys get on their Mallincams or other astro-specific video cams. But at least I have the T-rings and T-adapters to properly attach my DSLR to the scope and have it optically aligned!

[neilo]

Definitly gonna be on that sight sometime to check it out!

[Chicago Astronomer - Astro Joe]

You know...It's pretty cool and I'm glad that Robb tried it out.

It's encouraging that I should give it a try as well.

[RobbW]

Joe, I definitely think you should give it a try. As for me, the next time I try broadcasting, I'm going to use my DSLR and its Live View function. I've seen someone else on NSN use a DSLR that way. I hope to have a bit more success with that method. We'll see. I just wish I had the time to get out there more often. I love the idea of video astronomy. With the right camera, it allows you to see so much more than you ever could by putting your eye to the EP. Plus, it's really cool to broadcast and share with people all over the world. Unfortunately, with the weather turning colder, my sessions will most likely become fewer and far between. I just can't image myself trying to sett up all my equipment and staying outside for a few hours in 23 degree weather. Although, the fact that winter skies are usually the clearest, crispest, most transparent skies may prove too tempting for me to ignore.