Hello all!
I managed to capture a few frames with the web cam last night. I'm pretty happy with this one considering I was shooting thru in and out clouds. I used a 5" Mak and the web cam at prime focus, a total of 900 frames out of 1500 stacked using Registax4. Now it's going to rain for the next two nights!

Hello, Larry!

That's a fine image. Can you identify any of the features besides Plato in the center of the image? I've looked over a few more of your images on your website, and I must say you're doing a really "bang-up" job! Some excellent images......you mention "webcam", are you using the Phillips toucam?{sp}

Let me turn you on to a website that has a free download that's really cool. The program is called "Virtual Moon Atlas", and I'll add the link to my story, "FREE Trips to the Moon!", which is probably buried back in about 20 pages of stories by now. In the article, you'll see the link to the website where you can download the program. You can choose from three (I think) different versions of it and I have the Expert version loaded in my computer. This one gives you some really cool capabilities, such as clicking on "Full Globe" where you can position the cursor over the edge of the moon's disk, and ROTATE it all the way around to the highly detailed FAR SIDE. Really neat stuff!

Check it out, and I hope you keep sending in more images as you progress in this area of amateur astronomy......and BTW, Welcome to our website, too!

Bob Moody
President, AOAS
Director and Caretaker,
Coleman Observatory

PS Heck, here's the link to my story so you don't have to look for it.....
Free Trips to the Moon

Hello Bob! I installed an older version of VMA around a year ago and just had problems with the freeware, it would error every time it launched, it just would'nt work...eventually I un-installed it. I dont know if the new version has a bug fix or what, but I downloaded and installed it again today and it works like a charm, what a great tool! THANKS! To answer your question about my web cam, it's the SPC 900NC, I believe it's a newer version of the Toucam. I purchased a nose piece via internet for prime focus capablity. The software that comes with the unit saves in MPEG, so I installed a AVI converter freeware program called QC Focus. It comes with good focus tool and it saves the images in AVI and that is what makes it stackable. The stacking freeware I installed is Registax4, its amazing, lots of fun to watch and can produce great results.

Thanks again,

Larry