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Last Updated
03/31/2019
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Detailed entries for one subject from the INDEX TO HOW TO DO IT INFORMATION. |
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ASTRONOMICAL PHOTOGRAPHY -- DIGITAL IMAGING xx ASTRONOMICAL PHOTOGRAPHY xx DIGITAL IMAGING CCD cameras: Digital astrophotography is here. An introduction to the use of Charge-Coupled Device (CCD) electronic imagers in amateur astronomy. Evaluation test of two CCD cameras. A comparison of the Lynxx-PC and SBIG ST-4 digital imaging cameras designed for use with amateur telescopes. Celestial seeing. A look at the strengths and weaknesses of the three imaging technologies available to modern amateur astronomy (film, video, and CCD). Going digital with color. Getting started in creating digital images of celestial objects in color. The digital darkroom. "Developing" the image. Getting the best possible results from CCD cameras requires taking the images at the telescope and combining them later on your computer. The digital darkroom. "Printing" the image. Computers and image-processing programs are providing astrophotographers with powerful new tools for bringing the most out of astronomical images. Photo CD revolution. A look at a technology that promises to breathe new life into astronomical slides and negatives. Part 1. Computing equipment needed, selecting material to scan, having the images converted, and using image-processing software to view the images. Photo CD revolution. Part 2. Working in the digital darkroom. Using three powerful image enhancement routines that can improve your astroslides and negatives. Tune up your telescope for CCD picture taking. A nine-step checklist. Beyond the visible with CCDs. Adding a near-infrared filter to a CCD camera lets you see through nebulae and spot hidden details deep within galaxies. Piece-by-piece astrophotography. How small CCD images can be combined into larger images using digital mosaicking techniques. Tips on using a QuickCam video camera (a small, inexpensive electronic camera designed for video conferencing) to make astrophotos. Capturing the sky on a CCD. Digital imaging with a CCD camera is revolutionizing the way amateur astronomers record planets and galaxies. Inside the CCD chip, five available cameras, reasons to go digital, etc. How to record the digital sky. Run through these tricks of the CCD trade and you'll be capturing digital sky images in no time. Installing a CCD camera, how to find objects for digital imaging, lunar and planetary imaging, etc. In cyber color. With a monochromatic CCD camera and a little ingenuity you can capture the colors of the sky. How to make a tricolor image by taking three separate filtered images and then composite them into a single color image using computer software. Exploring the digital darkroom. The final steps in digital imaging reveal tricks of the computer processing trade. Astro imaging workshop. Catching the light. Tips on digitally enchancing your astrophotos. Trichannel astrophotography. Advice on film, development, scanning and digital registering. Basic CCD techniques. A step-by-step guide to get started in CCD astrophotography. A do-it-yourself CCD observing cart. Rolling cart holds the computer, video monitor, keyboard, and accessories required for using a CCD camera on a telescope. A single power switch facilitates use. Built from plywood. The signal to noise (S/N) connection. Understanding these limits and how to control them for better images. Part 1. An explanation of factors that control S/N in a raw CCD image. Tip on repairing a frost problem in a SpectraSource Lynxx PC CCD camera. Image-processing basics. Stretching. Manipulating brightness is the most fundamental image-processing technique. The signal to noise (S/N) connection. Understanding these limits and how to control them for better images. Part 2. How image processing affects the final S/N ratio. CCD on the rocks. How to use ordinary ice cubes in a plastic bag to help cool a CCD camera. Optimizing a CCD imaging system. Important facts to consider when creating the best system for your astronomical imaging needs. A diffraction focuser for CCD cameras. Using diffraction spikes to focus an optical telescope that has been equipped with a CCD camera. Tips on reducing electronic interference in CCD cameras. Dark frames. Removing dark current from a CCD image is a basic calibration step. A look at the process. Starting out right. Each component of a successful CCD astronomical imaging system must work in harmony with the others. Advice on selecting the camera, telescope, mounting, etc. Formula to calculate the pixel's sky coverage in arc seconds for a given CCD and telescope combination. CCD spectroscopy. How to transform a CCD into a powerful spectrograph that can reveal secrets hidden in starlight. Discovering variable stars. A straightforward method for analyzing CCD data to pick out the stars that vary. Pursuing the ideal flat field to obtain the best CCD astronomical images. Exploring the near-infrared sky by taking advantage of the extended red sensitivity of CCD cameras. What can you really get from your CCD camera? How to evaluate their performance in measuring star brightness. Part 1. Short exposures. Build a "scancam". How to turn an inexpensive hand scanner into a high-resolution CCD camera for the Sun, Moon and planets. Using a linear CCD to assemble the image of an object drifting across the focal plane of a telescope. Est. cost: $100. Tip on eliminating faux vignetting when your CCD system is "too good"., Tip on eliminating interference fringing when using light-pollution filters on CCD cameras. What can you really get from your CCD camera? How to evaluate their performance in measuring star brightness. Part 2. Long exposures. Special considerations for flat fielding. As the size of CCDs increase, so does the effort needed to ensure that flat fielding is done properly. Includes information on building an inexpensive light box that works by placing a uniformly illuminated target at the entrance of a telescope. Pixel size. Is bigger better? Advice on correctly matching a CCD's pixel size to a telescope's focal length for good imaging. User test of the ST-4 Star Tracker and Imaging Camera. Includes tips on attaching this CCD device to both Celestron and Meade telescopes, basic operation, interfacing to a computer, etc. How CCD imaging is reviving urban astronomy. Equipment and techniques used by one amateur astronomer. The limiting magnitude of a CCD camera. Computer program to compute the signal-to-noise ratio for a stellar image in a CCD camera. The universe in color. An introduction to the techniques required to create color images from the black-and-white CCD cameras suitable for long-exposure astronomical imaging. Novel procedure for checking the focus of a CCD mounted on a telescope. Image processing in astronomy. An introduction to the use of modern personal computers to process and enhance astrophotos taken with CCD cameras. Ideas from a vision-impaired amateur astronomer who uses a CCD camera, computer and a 10" reflector to continue observing deep-space objects. A do-it-yourselfer's primer for digital deep-sky imaging. Tips on building and using a CCD camera. Also includes tips on building a simple backyard observatory with a slide-off roof. Of pixel size and focal reducers. How to match a telescope, focal reducer, and CCD camera to achieve wide-field imaging ability. Digitally enhance your astrophotos. Advice on equipment and techniques for improving your conventional photos. A CCD camera buzzword primer. CCDs, small scopes, and the urban amateur. Tips on using modern technology to improve the seeing under light-polluted skies. A computer program (written in BASIC) calculates the limiting magnitudes for CCDs using known or tabulated quantities. This program enables you to select appropriate exposure times, optimize filters, and calculate the signal-to-noise ratio for given images. QuickCam astronomy. How to adapt an inexpensive video/still camera (designed for use with personal computers) to explore CCD imaging of the moon and brighter planets. Est. cost: $60. Sharper images through video. A novel video technique gives observers a chance to study astronomical phenomena at exceptionally high time and spatial resolutions. All this method requires is a telescope with excellent optics, some off-the-shelf video and computer equipment, and patience. Astrophotography with a twist. Using digital image processing techniques to combine multiple negatives of the same celestial object to reveal greater detail. A general look at the equipment, film, and computer software. True-color CCD imaging. Amateurs develop new approaches for creating CCD images of deep-sky objects. Expanding the view. Using Adobe Photoshop computer software to create impressive CCD mosaics by joining together many smaller fields of view. Improve your astrophotos by combining several film negatives (images) using digital imaging software. An introduction to the process. Thoughts on high-resolution imaging. Attention to detail will produce high-quality lunar and planetary images using a CCD camera. Combining exposures with layer masks. Reveal details across a nebula's full range of brightness using digital processing. High-resolution composite color imaging with films. Using a pair of color and black-and-white photographs, this digital-processing technique can produce crisp images in vivid color. Color CCD imaging with luminance layering. This technique combines the sharpness and contrast of high-resolution black-and-white images with color information from a low-resolution image. Astro imaging with digital cameras. How to take decent astronomical images through a telescope. Fix vignetting in astrophotos using digital imaging software. Imaging the sky from the suburbs. How to use CCD technology to make astro photos from a light-polluted location. Wide-field imaging with CCD cameras. A quick and easy way to capture large sections of the sky digitally using ordinary 35mm camera lenses. Improving astrophotos using the "curves" command found in Photoshop graphic software. Focusing a CCD camera, Understanding the fundamentals. Deep-sky imaging with digital cameras. CCD imaging with hydrogen-alpha filters. A method to obtain stunning high-resolution images of deep-sky objects. Scanning deep-sky astrophotos. Digitizing your astro negatives or slides is the crucial first step in image processing. How to do it right. Getting star and nebula colors right in CCD imaging. Creating highly detailed, wide-field, colored mosaics of deep-sky objects from CCD images using "Photoshop" software. How to build a basic CCD camera which incorporates the Texas Instruments TC211 image sensor. | |||||||||
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