Orion STAR SHOOT 52175 - Manual (Page 7)

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Flip Horizontal box to change the orientation of the image display in the
Live Video Window. The Output Size can be used to shrink the image size
if desired; the camera defaults to 640x480, but you should raise this to the
highest setting 1280 x 1024 (Windows) for the maximum possible resolution.
Try several different settings to get a feel of how the camera controls work
and affect the resultant image on the computer screen. The Brightness
and Exposure controls are the ones you will use the most. The telescope
being used, seeing conditions, and object being imaged will dictate how
these camera controls should be set. Usually Exposure will be set first, then
Brightness is adjusted as needed.
Mac OS X
For best images, you can adjust the camera controls though WebCam
Monitor to fine tune the image. You can see how the camera controls affect
an image in the Live Preview Video Window.
From the settings menu you can access the camera controls. Here you will
find the Brightness, Contrast, Gamma, Hue, Saturation (level of color),
Sharpness (keep this low as it can add noise), and Exposure controls
(Figure 7, 8). The Exposure control is a gain adjustment that allows
additional flexibility in adjusting image brightness. You can manually adjust
this by moving the slider. To return the camera controls to their default
settings, click the Default button.
The other camera controls are available by selecting Compression from
the Settings menu. Compression is normally set to NONE. The Frames
per Second, while generally should be left at Best setting for the sharpest
planetary images, can be toggled down for brightest exposures. Check the
Flip Horizontal box to change the orientation of the image display in the
Live Video Window. The Output Size (Format) can be used to shrink the
image size if desired but you should raise this to the highest setting 1280 x
960 (Mac OS X) for the maximum possible resolution.
Try several different settings to get a feel of how the camera controls work
and affect the resultant image on the computer screen. The Brightness
and Exposure controls are the ones you will use the most. The telescope
being used, seeing conditions, and object being imaged will dictate how
these camera controls should be set. Usually Exposure will be set first, then
Brightness is adjusted as needed.
Astronomical Imaging
Now that you’re familiar with basic camera and software operation, it’s
time to take the SSSSI-IV out at night under the stars to capture some
astronomical images. We recommend starting with the Moon, as it is easy
to acquire into the camera’s field of view, and typically does not require
stacking of multiple exposures as planetary images do.
Imaging the Moon
Imaging the Moon is much like imaging
terrestrial objects during the day. Since
the exposure is very short, it is not
critical that the telescope be precisely
polar aligned.
When the moon is past half full,
it is hard to get detail due to the
tremendous glare off of the lunar
surface. Most detail, even on a sliver of
a moon, will be at the terminator (that
tiny thin line between the shadow and
light, see Figure 12). To get more of
the moon in the image, a focal reducer
will need to be used. For close-ups of
craters use a Barlow lens (see “Using
Focal Reducers and Barlow Lenses”).
Imaging Planets
The best planetary images will be
obtained by stacking (combining) many
individual images in order to improve
image contrast, brightness, and detail
(Figure 13, 14).
A great way to obtain images for
stacking is to take several seconds
of video of the planet, then break
the video into individual frames for
stacking. Since the SSSSI-IV has a
maximum frame rate of 15 frames per
second at maximum resolution, you can
literally obtain hundreds of images for
stacking in seconds! You save time by
taking one video instead of dozens of
individual pictures!
Since you will be taking multiple images
over a period of time, it is important
you have a decent polar alignment
in order to keep the planet within the
field of view of the camera. To this end,
having a motor drive (at least single-axis) will also be helpful. Otherwise, you
will periodically need to rotate the R.A. slow-motion knob to keep the planet
within the camera’s field.
Figure 12. The moon’s surface
detail looks the best along the
terminator.
Figure 13. Jupiter with Ganymede
and shadow in transit. Left. Live image
Right.
500 frames Aligned, stacked
and enhanced using Registax Image
Processing Software (Windows).
Image taken with Orion 180mm Mak-
Cass telescope.
Figure 14. Saturn. Left. Live image
Right. 100 frames Aligned, stacked
and enhanced using Lynkeos Image
Processing Software (Mac OS X).
Image taken with Orion 180mm Mak-
Cass telescope.