That $100 planetary camera from a random brand was a gamble I won

I picked up a no-name planetary camera for 100 bucks on Amazon to try imaging Jupiter, and it actually pulled through with decent detail. Anyone else had luck with cheap gear or did I just get lucky?

3 comments

3 Comments

nancythomas14d ago

I got a 60 dollar ASI120MC clone off AliExpress a couple years back and it does fine on Jupiter and Saturn. The sensor is a knockoff of the old ZWO design but the electronics work. You can see the main cloud bands and the Great Red Spot if conditions are good. The trick is taking lots of video frames and stacking them with software like AutoStakkert. A cheap camera forces you to learn the processing side more. I think a lot of the price difference is just brand reputation and not actual performance.

charles44214d agoTop Commenter

Nah, you definitely got lucky.

mary_foster9214d ago

Yeah that sensor is actually the same one ZWO uses in their older models so youre not missing much.