We are amateur astronomers in San Diego, California. The "VC" in VC Astro stands for the QuickCam VC webcam. Not too long ago, astronomers discovered that the CCD's in el-cheapo webcams can often produce images comparable to thousand-dollar dedicated astro CCD cameras.
The QuickCam VC is probably the easiest webcam to be adaptable for astrophotography use. These are no longer made, but can be found used on Ebay for $15 or so. Get the parallel port version, as it is more amenable to the long-exposure modifications found on astro sites such as the QuickCam and Unconventional Imaging Astronomy Group. People sometimes go crazy with the modifications. The astro potential of these little webcams is incredible.
Webcams give great magnification. Webcams can collect thousands of images a minute. They are the only way to get certain fast-moving subjects, such as artificial satellites. Even astro CCD's can't do that.
Our purpose is to do astronomy with commonly available devices. We use regular telescopes - not GPS or state of the art. Most are not motorized. Through them, we aim camcorders, webcams, night scopes and digital cameras at the sky. Lately, we have been getting good results with things such as long telephoto lenses -- not exactly common, but we feel it fits the definition as they are useful for things other than astrophotography. And even a Canon 400mm lens can be had for less than the cost of many specialty CCD cameras, and can be also used for subjects such as nature and sports photography. On top of that, they can be rented in most major cities, as opposed to astronomy gear.
We hope the images here inspire you to try it yourself - there is nothing mysterious about astrophotography and it doesn't have to be expensive. Feel free to contact us with any questions about technique or equipment.
Images are copyright ©2003 Paul C. Martinez & Philip Brents. They may be used for any educational or scientific use - however, please reference or link to this page if you do so.
