Meteor monitoring software.

[Vermin (Tom)]

Interesting sky monitoring software (don't be put off by the title):

UFOCapture is a Windows application that helps you videotape meteors and other fast-moving stuff in space. You hook up a sensitive video camera to your computer, point it out your window, and while you slumber, the software saves all the good bits.

http://www.boingboing.net/2008/07/19...-video-me.html

There's a whole heap of impressive fireball footage on the software page (and one possible cosmic ray too).

http://sonotaco.com/e_index.html

Anyone have any recommendations regarding a low light USB camera?

[Karls48 (Karl)]

Hi Tom, I have been playing with UFO capture for some time now and in my experience it does not work satisfactory with “low light cameras”. Only cameras that produce satisfactory images are starlight type cameras with high sensitivity and low S/N ration. Such as Mintron (sold here as GStar) and Watec. You will also need very fast lens - F1 or better. Be wared that English manual for UFOCapture is incomplete and most of the settings for this software you will have to find out by experimenting. Have also look on free accompanying software “UFO Analyser”.. It will analyse clips captured by UFOCapture and give you lots of details about captured meteor.
This software does not only capture meteors but can be used to capture cosmic rays, iridium flares, satellites and can be possibly used to monitor variable stars. Well and also UFO, but after four years of monitoring Sydney night sky and thousands of video clips I have not come across anything that could be called UFO yet.
Included is image of bright fireball magnitude -7 seen in Sydney few weeks ago.