🌕 #13: First Surface Images of the Moon

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🌔 A New Target: Lunar Close-Ups

After my first session with the modded Logitech webcam on Mars, one thing became very clear: focusing is hard. Getting a crisp image of a wobbly little disk on a turbulent atmosphere is a challenge — especially with budget gear.

That’s when a kind member of an astronomy forum (hi, Carole!) suggested I switch targets: try the Moon. With its sharp contrasts and steady presence, it’s a perfect subject to practice focus.

So I did.

đŸ“· Image Acquisition

Setup was simple and fast — the Moon is bright, obvious, and forgiving. Aligning the finder scope, setting a rough polar alignment, and pointing the telescope took only minutes.

Then came the real challenge: finding the right balance of exposure, gain, and “brightness” — using a very clunky interface.

The Logitech webcam relies on its original driver settings, which don’t play nicely with SharpCap. To change any parameters like gain (bizarrely labeled “sensitivity”), I had to tab out of SharpCap into the Logitech settings menu — over and over again. No live control. No integration. No logic, really. And don’t get me started on whatever “brightness” is supposed to mean


I shot a few video clips — some with a Barlow lens, some without. Many were too bright, some too dim. A few landed somewhere usable.

đŸ§Ș Processing

Each video clip ran around 30 seconds. I loaded them into AutoStakkert!2, then sharpened the resulting stacks in RegiStax6. Unfortunately, a good number of the clips turned out to be slightly out of focus — especially those taken with the Barlow. Focus, it turns out, is a fickle thing. One small nudge on the focuser, and the whole image is toast.

Still, a few sets came out well enough to continue processing.

Some of the webcam settings introduced weird color aberrations into the image — unnatural tints that were distracting and hard to fix. I don’t know exactly what caused them, but the best solution was simple: convert everything to black and white. It’s a bit of a cheat, but the alternative was a rainbow moon that didn’t look remotely real. BW felt more honest in this case.

Sharpening also required a light touch. Too much, and you get harsh artifacts. Just enough, and you bring out those beautiful crater shadows and surface textures.

📾

Moon captured with modded Logitech webcam (black & white version) & another lunar surface image from the same session.

🧠 Conclusion

My first attempt at lunar close-ups was a mixed bag — challenging, but undeniably rewarding. Seeing the shadows fall across crater rims, the jagged edges of lunar mountains, the texture of the surface — it all felt close. Real.

The biggest frustration? The Logitech webcam interface. Without better integration or manual control inside SharpCap, it slows down the workflow and makes repeatability difficult. Also, the Barlow setup introduced too many optical issues with this camera. That needs sorting before I return to planetary targets.

But the results? Worth it.
Crude, a bit rough — but unmistakably the Moon.
And just like that, a new chapter in my imaging journey opened.

Clear skies,
Chris