1. Planetary Imaging for Amateur Astronomers Larry Owens

2. Astrophotography What is Astrophotography?

3. Astrophotography What is Astrophotography? Kinds of Astrophotography Lunar/Planetary Deep Sky

4. History of Astrophotography The first photograph 1826 Joseph Nicephore Niepce An 8-hour exposure using a “camera obscura”

5. History of Astrophotography The first photograph 1829 The first Astrophotographs 1840 John William Draper

6. History of Astrophotography The first photograph 1829 The first Astrophotographs 1840 John William Draper 1880 Henry Draper Important milestone reached!

7. History of Planetary Astrophotography Mars Fever 1880’s - 1907 Giovanni Schiaparelli “Canali” 1877 Mars 2007 (Green Light)

8. 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 20 th century!

10. Lowell Observatory, 1971-1973

11. Backyard Telescope, 2005 Mt. Wilson 1956

12. Lowell Observatory Sequence,1971 How is it Possible? How is it done?

13. The Problem with Planetary Imaging Planets are very far away Requiring high magnification

14. 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)

15. 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?

16. 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

17. 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?

18. Technology & Today’s Amateur Astronomer What do we have now that they didn’t?

19. Technology & Today’s Amateur Astronomer What do we have now that they didn’t? Computers and the Internet

20. Technology & Today’s Amateur Astronomer What do we have now that they didn’t? Computers and the Internet The “CCD” chip (digital photography)

21. 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

22. 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

23. How is it Done?

24. Take a Movie! Use a Webcam attached to a telescope Take a few 5 minute movies Process the result with special software

25. How is it Done? “Stack” the Frames Take a Movie! Use a Webcam attached to a telescope Take a few 5 minute movies Process the result with special software 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

26. The transformation How is it Done?

27. The transformation How is it Done?

28. The transformation How is it Done?

29. The transformation How is it Done?

30. 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 Cameras & Telescopes

31. 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

32. Software & Processing Image Enhancement in Registax Performs stacking Offers enhancement tools such as “wavelet”

33. Questions…