I decided to find out more about astronomy about a year ago. After reading several astronomy books and websites, I bought a pair of 10x50 binoculars. I could see craters on the Moon, the Orion Nebula, and, with the appropriate filter, the disc (and limb darkening) of the sun. It was solar minimum, so I didn't see spots. But binoculars were unsteady in my hands. I tried several methods of stabilization, which helped some, but celestial images still traced small, distracting circles. Binocular tripods are expensive, so I bought a 76 mm Newtonian that came with a tripod. That was much better.
I wanted to experiment with webcam photography, so I bought a Logitech C270 and a webcam adapter. Apparently, the design had changed, because the ID of the female threads around the sensor was greater than the OD of the male threads on the adapter. I found a workaround on Youtube: Drill out the lens hole in the cover to fit the adapter. That worked well enough until I tried to focus an image on the sensor. The adapter kept the sensor beyond the focal plane, even when the focus knob was turned all the way in. With a 2X Barlow, I was able to focus. I shot my first astro video about a week ago. I focused on the limb of the Moon, and let the Moon drift across the field of view, which took about 2 minutes. It's not great (or even mediocre) video, but it's my first attempt.
I wanted to experiment with webcam photography, so I bought a Logitech C270 and a webcam adapter. Apparently, the design had changed, because the ID of the female threads around the sensor was greater than the OD of the male threads on the adapter. I found a workaround on Youtube: Drill out the lens hole in the cover to fit the adapter. That worked well enough until I tried to focus an image on the sensor. The adapter kept the sensor beyond the focal plane, even when the focus knob was turned all the way in. With a 2X Barlow, I was able to focus. I shot my first astro video about a week ago. I focused on the limb of the Moon, and let the Moon drift across the field of view, which took about 2 minutes. It's not great (or even mediocre) video, but it's my first attempt.
