Orion 52083 manual

Orion ® StarShoot ™ Deep Space Monochr ome Imager II #52083 INSTRUCTION MANUAL Providi ng Exception al Consumer Optica l Products Since 1975 Customer Support (800) 676-1343 E-mail: support@telescope.com Corporate Offices (831) 763-7000 P .O. Box 1815, Santa Cruz, CA 95061 IN 320 Rev . A 1 0 /07[...]

2 Welcome to a new world of adventure. Y our new StarShoot Deep Space Monochrome Imaging camera II (SSDSMI-2) is capable of capturing detailed images of astronomical objects; galaxies, star clusters, and nebula, as well as the planets, Moon, and the Sun (with optional solar filter). These objects can be imaged to create spectacular views on your c[...]

Securing thumbscr ew 3 Figure 1. T o use the SSDSMI-2, a telescope, mount, and computer are r equired. Figure 2a. The SSDSMI-2 fits into 1.25" focuser , just like a standard 1.25" eyepiece. Firmly tighten the thumbscrew that secures the SSDSI in the focuser .[...]

Figure 2b. If your telescope has T -threads, r emove the nosepiece from the SSDSMI- 2 and thread the camera directly onto the telescope. This provides the most secure connection. T -threads 4 In order to reach focus, the telescope must have approximately 0.6" (15mm) of inward focus travel relative to where a standard eyepiece focuses. If your [...]

5 Computer A computer is needed. For astro-imaging in the field at night, a laptop com- puter is highly recommended. Maxim DL Essentials requir es Windows 2000, Windows XP , or Windows Vista. The following hardwar e is also r equired: • Pr ocessor – Pentium™ or equivalent, or higher • Recommended minimum memory size is 64 MB. • Disk Spac[...]

6 When the 3VDC power supply is plugged into the SSDSMI-2, the TEC is on (Figure 3). It takes about a minute for the TEC to provide maximum cooling, so wait a couple of minutes befor e you begin to capture images. When the power source is not plugged in, the TEC is of f. Remember to unplug the TEC when it is not in use, or you will drain the power [...]

7 Software Installation T o install Maxim DL Essentials Edition: 1. In ser t the CD -R OM in to th e dri v e. Th e Lau nch er wil l app ear . Fo r Win dow s Vi st a co mpu te rs, the Aut oPl ay win dow w i ll app ear . S el ect R un Lau nch er .e x e , th en th e La un che r wi ll a ppe ar . 2. Click Install . 3. The InstallShield Wizard will start[...]

8 7. Windows will note that the driver has not passed Windows Logo testing. This is normal. Click the Continue Anyway button. 8. Wh en the W iza r d h as co mp let ed , c li ck the Fi ni sh but t on . Th is com ple te s t he dr ive r i n st all at ion p r oce ss. Now , start the Maxim DL Essentials Edition software. The camera will now be recognize[...]

9 7. When the window appears telling you “The software for this device has been successfully installed”, click Close . This completes the driver instal- lation pr ocess. Now , start the MaxIm DL Essentials Edition software. The camera will now be recognized, and the Camera Control Window (Figure 6) will appear . Once the driver is installed, th[...]

10 Getting Started During Daylight We recommend using the SSDSMI-2 for the first time during the day . This way , you can become familiar with the camera and its functions without hav- ing to stumble ar ound in the dark. Setup your telescope and mount so the optical tube is pointing at an object that is at least a couple of hundr ed feet away . In[...]

11 Obtaining First Images T o obtain first images (in daylight) with the SSDSMI-2, follow these step-by- step instructions: 1. With an eyepiece inserted in the telescope, center and focus an object that is appr oximately 1⁄4 mile away . If you cannot focus your telescope this closely (due to lack of back-focus travel), then you will need to util[...]

12 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) 10mm focal length eyepiece. So make sure the object to be imaged is well centered in the telescope before connecting the SSDSMI-2, otherwise it may not appear in th[...]

13 When an image is displayed, you will notice a graph in the Screen Stretch Window . This is called the “histogram” of the currently displayed image (Figur e 10). A histogram is a simple bar graph that shows the range of brightness in an image. Each bar in the graph represents a level of brightness; the bar to the far left in the histogram rep[...]

14 Stretch Window . The r ed slider arrow corresponds to the Minimum value and the gr een arrow corresponds to the Maximum value. Simply left-click and then drag each arr ow to adjust it to the desired level. The best results are obtained by adjusting the arr ows (numbers) until the most pleasing display appears. There are also seven automatic sett[...]

15 Figure 12. The Moon’ s surface detail looks the best along the terminator . barlow lens between the SSDSMI-2 and telescope to extend the ef fective focal length of the system and increase image scale (see “Using Focal Reducers and Barlow Lenses”). Since you will be taking multiple images over a period of time, it is important the mount be [...]

16 5. Now , in the box beneath the Mode box, choose Autosave . Set the number of images you would like the camera to take under Autosave (start with 10 or so), select the file folder in which you would like to save the images with Folder , and enter in a Base filename for the captur ed images. T ypically the name of the object being imaged, such [...]

Figure 13. The Combine Images window allows “stacking” of individual images into one high-quality resultant image. 17 Imaging Deep Sky Objects T o capture br eathtaking images of deep sky objects, such as galaxies, nebu- lae, and star clusters, much longer exposures are needed. As with planetary imaging, you will take several individual images [...]

18 3. Precisely focus the camera by using the telescope’ s focus knob and the Focus setting in the Camera Control Window . Set the Mode to Light 1x1 , and try an exposur e time of a few seconds to start. Use the Medium setting in the Screen Stretch Window . The focus point for the SSDSMI-2 will be approximately 15mm inwards from the eyepiece’ s[...]

19 Note: In addition to Average mentioned above, 3 other different combining methods can be chosen: Sum , Median , and Sigma-Clip . T o learn more about these combine methods, see “Image Processing – Combine Tips”. 10. Now , find a well-shaped (circular) star in the first image displayed. Use the mouse to center the crosshairs on the select[...]

20 T o take dark frames for subtraction from “light” images: 1. In the Camera Contr ol Window , set the Mode to Dark 1x1 . 2. Set the exposure time to whatever you set it to (or will set it to) for taking actual (“light”) images. Note: When taking dark frames, do not change any of the settings in the Setup button from what they were (or wil[...]

21 T o automatically subtract the averaged dark frame from “light” images as they are captured: 1. Setup the averaged dark frame as outlined pr eviously . 2. Acquire the deep sky object into the field of view of your eyepiece, and center it in the eyepiece’ s field of view . Focus the eyepiece with the telescope’ s focuser . Make sure you[...]

22 Light and Dark 2x2 Modes For added convenience and versatility , the SSDSMI-2’ s individual pixels (light-detecting sites) can be “binned” into units of two-by-two pixels (i.e. four individual pixels create one binned 2x2 pixel). This creates larger and more sensitive pixels, but with decreased resolution. This can be useful for some types[...]

23 for Blue . The number of saved files will add up quickly , since four images are needed for one single color image. It is important to clearly label your folders when autosaving to ensure that you can easily follow which files belong to each image. Creating dedicated folder for each new deep sky image is highly recommended. Creating a folder c[...]

24 Narrowband Imaging The extra-high sensitivity of the SSDSMI-2 is also capable of capturing images through specialized narr ow band filters. Filers that isolate the Hydrogen-alpha, Figure 14. T o Combine Color , select which images will be designated as Luminance , Red , Green , and Blue . Figur e 15. Each LRGB image must be al igned so they ove[...]

25 Oxygen-III and Sulfur -II wavelengths are used individually , or in combination (similar to RGB) to deliver astounding detail and definition of certain types of nebula, such as emission nebula or planetary nebula. Additionally , narrow- band imaging remedies light pollution fr om interfering from the image quality , thus allowing you to take hi[...]

26 4. Sigma-Clip combines the best features of Average and Median . Sigma- Clip is the best choice for removing unwanted noise, hot pixels and satel- lite trails. It works like Average but also calculates the standar d deviation of the averaged pixel values. The Sigma Factor will determine how many pixels from the standard deviation are discarded. [...]

27 Note: Before any color balance adjustment can be made, you must first Combine Color to each individual LRGB or RGB images. Refer to “Combine Color”. Color images from CCD cameras typically requir e a background level adjust- ment. This is accomplished by bringing the background level (or bias) in each color plane down to zero. Each of the B[...]

28 than 1 will emphasize faint details, while a value greater than 1 will emphasize bright details. The Input Range can be set to Screen Stretch , which in Linear Mode pro- duces an output matching the current screen appearance. This is useful in producing final images for output to 8-bit image formats which have limited range. Note that the minim[...]

29 3. Combine 4. Filter 5. Combine Color 6. Color Balance 7. Stretch For convenience, you can Make Pixels Square after the combine, unless align- ment requires rotating the images (i.e. Manual 2 stars is used as the Align Mode in the Combine Images window). If you need to rotate the images by more than a small amount, then you should make them squa[...]

30 Batch Pr ocess Batch Process can be used to process multiple images simultaneously using the various commands available in MaxIm DL Essentials Edition. The first step is to select a set of images or files. Image files can be selected from disk using the Select Files button. Y ou can browse to a location on the disk where your image files are[...]

31 Using The SSDSMI-2 As An Autoguider A great feature of the SSDSMI-2 is its ability to be used as an autoguider for telescope mounts. Y ou can use the SSDSMI-2 to autoguide a mount while images ar e being taken with another camera, such as a DSLR or another SSDSMI-2. T racking errors are usually sufficiently small on short duration images (15 to[...]

32 Computer to Mount Connection In order for autoguiding with the SSDSMI-2 to work, you need a way to send commands fr om the computer to the telescope mount. This is generally done with a cable connecting the computer’ s serial (COM) port to the mount’ s auto- guider jack; this cable is generally mount specific, so contact the dealer you purc[...]

33 Other telescope mounts accept commands in the “LX200 Protocol”. For these mounts, it is not necessary to install the ASCOM platform to have the com- puter “talk” to the mount. T o setup the autoguider for mounts that use the LX200 Pr otocol: 1. Connect the SSDSMI-2 to your computer and open the Maxim DL Essentials softwar e. 2. In the Ca[...]

34 4. In the window that pops-up, select LX200 Protocol for the Autoguider Output Control Via . Select the COM Port of the computer you would like to use to send commands to the telescope 5. Click the Apply button, then click the Close button. Autoguider Calibration In order to properly control the mount, you must calibrate the system. The exact or[...]

35 4. Maxim DL Essentials needs to know how fast the telescope moves in right ascension (R.A.) and declination (Dec.) when the autoguider commands are issued. T o do this, the softwar e will Calibrate the mount by moving it back and forth on each axis. The Calibration Time determines how long it activates the motors each time. The usual value is 5-[...]

36 Y ou ar e now r eady to take a long-exposure image thr ough the main telescope and imaging camera. The SSDSMI-2 will continuously send small correction factors to the mount’ s motor drive to insure steady and accurate tracking throughout the duration of the exposure, however long that may be. Other Autoguiding Notes: • If you ar e using a Ge[...]

37 Other Features Of Maxim DL Essentials Edit Menu Flip - Flips image orientation. “Folds” image about vertical center . Mirr or – Cr eates mirror image of curr ent image orientation. Crop – Lets you select an area of the total image, and then discards the remainder of the image. Use your computer’ s mouse and left-click button to select [...]

38 Window Menu New Window – This creates a second view of the currently selected image. The new view can be independently panned and zoomed, but will have the same str etch as the original window . Fit to Image - This toggles the Fit to Image mode on and of f. The Fit to Image mode causes the window for the image to be adjusted to the same size a[...]

39 an extremely accurate polar alignment. Unfortunately it is very time consum- ing, since the drift of a star over time must be observed. The basic idea is to let the telescope mount track while watching a star to see which way the star drifts. Note the direction of the drift, and correct by moving the mount in the appropriate direction. T o perfo[...]

40 1. In the Camera Contr ol Window , select Light 1x1 mode. 2. Set the exposur e time to 1 to 5 Seconds , depending on how bright the star is. 3. T ur n off Dark Subtract . 4. Now beneath the Mode selector , pick Focus , and then click Expose . The camera will take r epeated exposures, until you click Stop . 5. Point the telescope at a bright star[...]

41 Loss of Camera Connection If the computer connection to the camera is interrupted, you will need to re-establish connection. This can happen due to several reasons; if a cable becomes unplugged, the computer “freezes”, or the softwar e/hardware other - wise temporarily loses the data coming from the camera. T o re-establish camera connection[...]

42 USB Extension Cable In many instances, it is likely a longer cable for the SSDSMI-2 will be needed in order to comfortably setup telescope, camera, and computer . W e recommend purchasing a 10' USB extension cable if you need more cord length (available through Orion, check the catalog and/or www .OrionT elescopes.com). Care and Maintenance[...]

43 This device complies with Part 15 of the FCC Rules. Operation is subject to the following two conditions: (1) this device nay not cause harmful interference, and (2) this device must accept any interference received, including interference that may cause undesired operation. Changes of modifications not expressly approved by the party responsib[...]

44 One-Y ear Limited W arranty This Orion StarShoot Deep Space Monochrome Imager II is warranted against defects in materials or workmanship for a period of one year from the date of pur chase. This warranty is for the benefit of the original retail purchaser only . During this warranty period Orion T elescopes & Binoculars will repair or r ep[...]