Orion 52174, 52176 Getting Started During Daylight, Astronomical Imaging, Imaging the Moon

Figure 2. The moon’s surface detail looks the best along the terminator.

Figure 3. (left) Jupiter live image. (right) 500 frames Aligned, stacked and enhanced using Registax Image Processing Software. Image taken with Orion 180mm Mak-Cass telescope.

form some additional image processing to bring out subtle details or to make the image appear more pleasing overall.

Both software applications are a recommended addition to any astro-imagers arsenal of image processing software.

Getting Started During Daylight

We recommend using the SSVE for the first time during the day. This way, you can become familiar with the camera and its functions without having to stumble around in the dark. Set up your telescope and mount so the optical tube is pointing at an object at least a couple of hundred feet away. Insert an eyepiece and focus as you normally would.

To obtain first images with the SSVE, follow these step-by-step instructions:

1.Plug the 9v Power adapter into the SSVE.

2.Plug the RCA composite output from the SSVE into your viewing device (TV, DVR, VCR, Camcorder).

3.To connect the camera to the telescope, simply replace the telescope’s 1.25" eyepiece with the camera. Make sure the securing thumbscrew on the focuser drawtube is tightened after the camera is inserted.

4.You will now need to refocus the camera for the centered object. Focusing will be the hardest thing to learn in the initial stages. If the daytime image brightness is still too bright to produce an acceptable image on your computer screen, you may need to stop-down the aperture of your tele- scope.

5.Look at the Live Video Window on the screen and adjust the focus knob accordingly to determine best image focus.

Note: The camera’s field of view is fairly small. It is approximately equivalent to the field of view through the telescope when looking through a typical (i.e. not wide-field) 5mm Ultrascopic eyepiece.

6.Image orientation can be changed by rotating the camera within the focuser drawtube. Simply loosen the thumbscrew on the drawtube and rotate the camera until the desired image orientation is achieved. Retighten the thumbscrew on the focuser drawtube when done. You may need to slightly refocus (using the telescope’s focus knob) if the focuser drawtube has moved a bit inward or outward when the camera was rotated.

7.If you have attached a VCR, DVR or Camcorder you can now record a video of the live view.

You have now taken your first images with the SSVE! This simple method of imaging is exactly how the camera is used to capture terrestrial subjects during daylight hours. Close-up images of birds and other wildlife or faraway vistas can all be obtained in this way with the SSVE. Solar images can also

be taken during the day with an optional full-aperture solar filter over the front of the telescope.

Take some time to use the camera dur- ing the day to become familiar and com- fortable with its basic operation.

Astronomical

Imaging

Now that you’re familiar with basic cam- era operation, it’s time to take the SSVE out at night under the stars to capture some astronomical images. We recom- mend 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 plan- etary 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 criti-

cal 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 2). 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 indi- vidual images in order to improve image contrast, brightness, and detail.

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 SSVE has a frame rate of 30 frames per second (NTSC) or 25 frames per second (PAL), 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

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