An Introduction to Deep Sky Video Astronomy

Video astronomy is no longer just for the planets, the moon and the sun. Today's astro-video cameras can easily reach down to 18th magnitude or lower and bring up dramatic color views of galaxies, nebulae, star clusters and many other deep sky objects. No longer do you need to stare at a faint fuzzy image of a distant galaxy in your eyepiece. With a video camera costing less than a good eyepiece, you can view dust lanes and globular clusters on the screen of your TV with ease.

I will show you images taken from my back yard in Livermore, as well as, images taken at CalStar and GSSP of a variety of DSOs using several different cameras and scopes. I will review and show you many of the available video cameras and their different features from a $35 DIY camera to a $1800 top of the line camera. I will discuss the advantages of video, show the equipment needed to get started and provide an in-door demonstration with a camera and small scope.

Hopefully, you will learn why so many are now turning to video to re-energize their interest in astronomy and you will see how video is a great tool for public outreach. You will even learn how to use video astronomy as an easy and inexpensive way to get started in astrophotography.

Speaker: Curtis Macchioni