Since I dont own a tracking scope, focusing is rather difficult as the image is moving in the field of view. With a webcam, it should be possible to have some kind of electronic tracking feature that shows a smaller region of the total ccd image area and follows the object as it moves. That would also help reduce the effect of vibrations when adjusting the focusser. As long as the object is on the detector, it ought to be able to display a stationary image without telescope tracking. The software can raise warnings as the object approaches the edge of the field of view. No doubt some of you have seen Registax do this when processing AVI's, but I want something that does this live, while the camera is imaging.

Does anyone know of software that does this? I could possibly program it myself, but would like to know what other options there are. I checked the Meade Autostar suite, as I'm curious about using their LPI imager camera, but its not clear if this feature exists in the program. Thanks for any info.

Some CCD's, LPI's or DSI's do have image capturing software that will lock onto the object or a star to try and keep the image centered during the capture within the capture frame on your computer, however, there is only a small amount of tolerance for tracking errors, you still require a telescope with tracking and good polar alignment. The only thing that software does it correct for minor tracking errors such as PE(Periodic Error), if the telescope is stationary and the object drifts too much and or too fast it will loose its lock almost immediately. 
Even Image stacking software only has so much tolerance of movement before it rejects a frame or you have to move it manually to try and align it.  With the amount of movement an objects moves through the FOV you would have to manually align each frame. 

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Remember also that a standard webcam can only show you bright objects. In order to track like you suggest, the camera would need a high frame rate and sensitivity, and these usually run counter to one another until you get to very expensive hardware.

I have an SBIG STV (about $1,500) that can provide several updates per second for objects down to about Mag 6 or 7. However, that still is not rapid enough to accumulate enough light to see these objects well, much less track them, until it's accumulated about a dozen such images. By that time, with any reasonable focal length (and the corresponding smaller field of view) the target will have left the field of view.

I've also used a Stellacam EX in situations where I needed to get an image in minimal time. Like the STV, it can provide an image of objects like M4 or M13 -- even M57 -- within just a few seconds. However, without a tracking mount the image is either blurred due to motion or gone from the FoV.

If you have the electronics and software skills, you could probably build a camera based on a chip like the Sony HAD CCD and write software to do what you want. Even so, unless you had very large aperture (minimum of about 14") you would not be able to gather enough light to make this practical.

Hmmm ... I wonder what the STV could do if I used it with an 18" or larger Obsession ...

Thanks for your generous replies. Too bad that it may not work or be entirely useful, but it does seem to work well within Registax. Bright objects should be electronically trackable over a limited range, I think.

I do have the programming skills to do it, and maybe would using a TWAIN driver interface, since many different cameras provide such a thing. Problem is, the time it will take and I'm too busy. So put it on my "To Do" list... "Someday"

TeleNoob:

I do have the programming skills to do it, and maybe would using a TWAIN driver interface, since many different cameras provide such a thing. Problem is, the time it will take and I'm too busy. So put it on my "To Do" list... "Someday"

I don't doubt you have the programming skill to develop such software, however, the software is not really the issue here.  As Jeff indicated above, you would also require a CCD or CMOS chip that is sensitive enough even at a high frame rate. 
At the frame rate that would be required for what you want, your typical WebCam, LPI, or DSI camera is not nearly sensitive enough to keep up.

   
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