Orion 52084 manual

Orion ® StarShoot ™ Pro Deep Space Color Imager #52084 INSTRUCTION MANUAL Providing Exceptional Consumer Optical Products Since 1975 Customer Support (800 ) 676-1343 E-mail: support@telescope.com Orio n T elescopes.com Corporate Offices (831) 763-7000 89 Hangar W ay , Watsonville, CA 95076 IN 336 Rev . B 02/09[...]

2 Welcome to the exciting world of astro-imaging. Y our new StarShoot ™ Pro Deep Space Color Imaging camera is capable of capturing impressive celestial objects like galaxies, star clusters, and nebulae, as well as the planets, Moon, and the Sun (with an optional solar filter). Y ou can showcase spectacular images on your computer , share them o[...]

3 Filter .......................................... 26 Color Balance .................................. 27 Stretch ........................................ 28 Recommended Pr ocessing Sequence ............... 29 Note on File Format .............................. 30 Batch Pr ocess .................................. 30 4. Using the StarShoot Pro as an[...]

4 1. Getting Started Parts List • StarShoot Pro Deep Space Color Imager • 10' USB cable • 12' DC power cable with lighter plug • CD-ROM • Har d carrying case System Requir ements (refer to Figur e 1) T elescope The StarShoot Pro can be used with most telescopes compatible with 2" for - mat eyepieces. The camera is simply in[...]

5 If your telescope has T -threads for direct camera attachment, a more secure connection can be made. First, unthr ead the nosepiece from the SS Pro. This exposes the camera’ s T -threads. Then, simply thread the camera onto your telescope (Figur e 2b). The cam era req uir es app ro xima tel y 0. 7" (18mm ) of inw ar d fo cus trav el rel at[...]

6 Mount Deep sky imaging with the StarShoot Pro requires an equatorial mount with a right ascension (R.A.) motor drive. The goal for your mount is to seamlessly track the apparent movement of the sky as the Earth rotates. The tracking must be very accurate, or the object you want to image will drift and blur across the camera’ s field of view wh[...]

7 • Video Display: 1024 X 768 or higher , 16-bit color or higher • Mouse • Internet Explorer 4 or higher required to display on-line help • High-speed USB 2.0 port Power The StarShoot Pro requir es 12 volts DC (12VDC) with approximately 1 ampere of current. Power to the entire camera, including the thermo-electric cooler (TEC), and fan is s[...]

8 2. Click Install . 3. The InstallShield Wizard will start. Click Next . 4. Read the Maxim DL License Agreement. If you agree with the terms, then select I accept the terms in this license agr eement and click Next . 5. Click Install . The installation will proceed. 6. The installation is now complete. Click the Finish button. Y ou can start Maxim[...]

9 Note: The StarShoot Pro will not work with USB 1.1. Y our computer must have a high-speed USB 2.0 port available. 4. Select No, not this time when Windows asks to automatically search for drivers online and click Next . 5. Sel ect Install from a list or specific location (Advanced) and click Next . 6. Select Search r emovable media (floppy , CD[...]

10 7. A Windows Security window will appear and mention that “Windows can’t verify the publisher of this driver software”. Choose Install this driver software anyway . 8. 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. 9. S[...]

11 4. Open Maxim DL Essentials by clicking on the icon installed on your com- puter’ s desktop. Once open, Essentials should automatically connect to your camera and display the Camera Control W indow . 5. Remove the eyepiece fr om your telescope. 6. Connect the camera to your telescope. Make sur e the securing thumbscrew(s) on the focuser drawtu[...]

12 screen, you may need to stop-down the apertur e of your telescope further . T ry making another aperture mask with a diameter of only 1⁄4". 10. T urn the t el es cop e’ s focu s knob so the foc use r dra wtu be mov es slo wl y inward. The drawtube needs to go approximately 18mm inward from where the eyepiece focuses (for most eyepieces)[...]

13 Screen Stretch Window The function of the Scr een Str etch Window (Figure 8) is to properly map the image brightness levels captured by the camera into corresponding image brightness levels on the computer scr een. A typical camera image has each pixel (light detecting site, over six million pixels form a single StarShoot Pr o image) repr esente[...]

14 of the mouse. T o do this, hold down the Shift key , then left-click and drag the mouse on the image. Y ou’ll find this feature to be a great convenience when fine adjusting the scr een stretch to get an image to look its best. Instead of using the Screen Stretch Window , it is faster to use the Q uick Stretch facility . This allows you to m[...]

15 Focusing Focusing the CCD camera is one of the most critical parts of imaging. It can be challenging, but MaxIm DL Essentials has some helpful featur es which will assist you when focusing your StarShoot Pro. Before focusing, make sur e your mount is polar aligned and tracking. For best r esults, we r ecommend focusing on a star at least 30º ab[...]

16 8. In the Camera Control Window , in the box below the Mode box, select Focus . Click Expose . The camera will only download the area you previ- ously selected, which makes each image download significantly faster than the whole frame. Note: If the StarShoot Pro is grossly out of focus, no object will appear in the image, not even a blur . Incr[...]

17 Caution: Once you have achieved focus, be sure to click the Reset button at the bottom of the camera control window , otherwise the camera will crop all your images into a small square! Imaging Deep Sky Objects Capturing impressive images of deep sky objects, such as galaxies, nebu - lae, and star clusters, requir e long exposures. Y ou will tak[...]

18 5. Select Single in the box under the Mode box and take a 10-20 Second exposure of the deep sky object to ensur e it is centered well in your cam- era. Adjust the camera orientation if needed, keeping in mind that you may have to r efocus the camera after making the adjustment. Reposition the telescope if needed to center the deep sky object. 6.[...]

19 3. Choose Autosave in the box beneath the Mode box. 4. Set the number of dark fr ames you would like the camera to take un der Autosave (3 to 10 will generally suffice, as these will be averaged together) 5. Select the file folder in which you would like to save the dark frames with Folder , and enter in a Basefilename for the captured dark f[...]

20 Vignetting Vignetting (Figure 14a) in a telescope reveals edge-darkening in the astro- image. The large CCD chip in the StarShoot Pro can easily detect vignetting through almost any telescope, even specialized astrographs. Vignetting is more apparent when the telescope’ s illuminated field is not large enough to illuminate the full area of th[...]

21 4. Select Single in the box beneath Mode . 5. Set the Seconds to 0.1 for now and click Expose . Y ou want the Max Pixel to read somewhere around 20000. Adjust the exposure time as needed until the Max Pixel is close to 20000. 6. Select Autosave (5-10 images) in the box beneath Mode . 7. Choose a file name to save your flat fields. Y ou should[...]

22 3. Click Add under the Dark Frames box in the Setup Calibration window (Figure 15) and select the file folder location for the dark frames taken. Select the dark frames and click Open . The selected dark frames will now appear in the pop-up window . 4. Cl ick OK . The dark frames have now been averaged and stor ed into memory . Calibration T ip[...]

23 This pr ocess can be automated for all of your light images, see “Batch Processing”. Flat Field Calibration Calibrating your flat field images is done in the same way as calibrating your dark fra mes, but you also need to subt rac t dar k frame s for you r flat fiel d imag es. T o flat field calibrate: 1. Select Setup Calibrate in t he[...]

24 Combining Deep Sky Images Each individual deep sky image is faint and has a noticeable amount of noise. Combining the individual deep sky images eliminates the noise and enhances the detail in the deep sky object by impr oving the signal to noise ratio. The more images you combine, the better the resulting image will look. (Figur e 17a and Figur[...]

25 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 Methods”. The pr ogram automatically moves to the next image. 6 Center the crosshairs on the same star in this new image, and left-click ag[...]

26 Set the Screen Stretch Window to Medium (or otherwise manually adjust for best image appearance), and use Save under the File menu to save your image. Y ou can now perform any wanted imaging pr ocessing. Combine Methods We previously mentioned in “Imaging Deep Sky Objects” that Average is one of the methods to combine your images. There are [...]

27 the amount of blurring applied to the image. Increasing the radius increases the amount of blur applied. For best results, tur n on the Auto Full Screen preview button, and adjust the settings. This allows you to rapidly adjust the settings until you are satis- fied with the results. Then, click OK to actually apply the filter settings to the [...]

28 necessary to equalize the image background in all three color planes. The Reset button resets the background level subtraction to zer o on all planes. Scaling adjustment (entered as a percentage) allows you to compensate for transmittance differences between the filters used to acquir e the thr ee color planes. V alues of 100% result in no chan[...]

29 There are three elements which must be set: the Permanent Str etch T ype , the Input Range , and the Output Range . Y ou can use the Pr eview Image to see how changing these parameters will affect the r esultant image (or click the Full Screen button to see the changes applied to your actual image). Y ou can also open the Screen Stretch Window t[...]

30 beginning and stack individual images again! Note on File Format When saving images (using Save or Save As in the File menu), you have a choice of file formats. The default produces .fit files, but .tif, .jpg, .png, and .bmp file formats can also be selected. Having a choice of output file formats is useful, especially if images will be exp[...]

31 1. Select the image file you want to process fr om your computer using the Select Files button. Use CTRL-click to select individual files, and SHIFT - click to select a range of files. Y ou can see the path for the selected files by turning on the Show Path check box. Or you can select images already open in MaxIm DL Essentials Edition by cl[...]

32 superior due to the elimination of extra r eadout noise and the residual blurring caused in realigning the images. When taking long exposures with astr onomical telescopes, motorized tracking is requir ed to compensate for the Earth’ s r otation. Most telescope mounts do not track accurately enough for long-exposure imaging without some form o[...]

33 can be very tiresome and tedious, however , especially if taking many long exposures throughout the night. The StarShoot Pro can be used as an “autoguider” to take the place of the observer so that no manual guiding corrections are needed during long expo- sure imaging. Keep in mind, however , that when the StarShoot Pro is used in this way [...]

34 7. The ASCOM T elescope Chooser (Figure 24) will appear . Select your telescope model from the provided choices. If your model does not appear , it is not supported by the ASCOM platform. 8. After you have selected your tele - scope model, click the Properties button. 9. In the window that pops-up, choose your specific Scope T ype and desired S[...]

35 Autoguider Calibration In order to properly control the mount, you must calibrate the system. The exact orientation of the StarShoot Pro, the focal length of the guide telescope optics, and the speed of the motor drive all affect the calibration. T o perform autoguider calibration: 1. Switch to the Guide tab. 2. Set the X and Y Aggr (aggr essive[...]

36 telescope does not move, check the Settings . Remember , you have to set up a method for sending the autoguider commands to the telescope! 11. The star should move in an L shape. If it does not move enough, a warning message will appear . The r ecorded positions will be displayed in the scr oll- ing log, along with any err or messages. Note: If [...]

37 • On most telescopes, the Right Ascension drive likes to have some load pushing against sidereal tracking. If the mount is balanced such that it is pulling the mount forwards slightly , the gear teeth may bounce back and forth resulting in terrible guiding that cannot be corr ected by an autoguider . Be sure to always balance the telescope suc[...]

38 View Menu Zoom – Increases or decreases level of image magnification on computer screen. When you zoom in too much, you will start to see the squares of indi- vidual pixels. When zoomed in, you can use Quick Pan ; simply hold down the Ctrl key , then left-click and drag the mouse on the image. Night Vision – T oggles Night V ision mode. The[...]

39 Arrange Icons – Image windows can be minimized, at which point they become small bars (icons). If these have become scattered about the main application window , the Arrange Icons command will stack them neatly at the bottom of the window . Help Menu Help T opics – Click on this if you have any questions. This is an extensive resour ce, and [...]

40 5. If the star drifts north, the telescope mount is pointing too far west. If the star drifts south, the telescope mount is pointing too far east. Determine which way the star drifted and make the appropriate corr ection to the azi- muth position of the mount. Rotate the entire mount (and tripod) slightly east or west as needed or use the azimut[...]

41 objects, such as the Andromeda Galaxy or the Pleadies star cluster . Focal reducers will usually thread onto the nosepiece of the StarShoot Pr o. Barlow lenses increase the focal length of your telescope, which makes the camera’ s field of view narr ower (incr eases camera magnification). This is use- ful for planetary imaging. Keep in mind [...]

42 7. Specifications CCD Sensor: Sony ® SuperHAD ™ ICX413AQ Color Sensor format: 1.8" Pixel array: 3032x2016 (6,112,512 total) Pixel size: 7.8µm x 7.8µm Exposure range: 0.002 seconds to 9.3 hours A/D conversion: 16 bit Binning optional 2x2 Thermoelectric cooling: 30°C (54° F) below ambient temperature, sealed dry air chamber to prevent[...]

43 Connect the equipment into an output on a circuit different from that to which the receiver in connected. Consult the dealer or an experienced radio/TV technician for help. A shielded cable must be used when connecting a peripheral to the serial ports. Appendix A. T r oubleshooting Camera is not recognized when plugged into the computer’ s USB[...]

44 The “Found New Hardware Wizard” appears again when the camera is plugged into a dif ferent USB port for the first time. This is normal. Most USB controllers behave this way . Every time the camera is plugged into a different USB port for the first time, the drivers will have to be r ein- stalled. Since the drivers were previously installed[...]

45 Check your USB connection for anything that could potentially introduce interference. Large power supplies or even a cellular phone near the camera or USB cable could interfer e with the data as it is uploaded from the camera to the computer . If you ar e using a USB extension cable, keep the total length between the camera and computer to 20’[...]

46 Appendix B. Field of V iew Quick Reference Guide For your convenience, refer to the list of common telescope focal lengths and their corresponding fields of view provided by the StarShoot Pro. The angular field of view is shown in arc-minutes. The image scale shows the relative size of two refer ence objects; the Moon and the Orion Nebula. T e[...]

47 600mm 138.8’ X 90.6’ 750mm 111’ X 72.5’ 900mm 92.5’ X 60.4’[...]

48 T elescope Focal Length Angular Field of View Image Scale of the Moon Image Scale of M42 1000mm 83.3’ X 54.4’ 1250mm 66.6’ X 43.5’ 1800mm 46.3’ X 30.2’[...]

49 2032mm 41’ X 26.8’ 2540mm 32.8’ X 21.4’ 2800mm 29.7’ X 19.4’[...]

50 T elescope Focal Length Angular Field of View Image Scale of the Moon Image Scale of M42 3000mm 27.8’ X 18.1 3910mm 21.3’ X 13.9’[...]

51 Appendix C. Summarized Procedur e to Imaging Deep Sky Objects Action Process T ree Image Capture 1. Focus on a moderately bright star at least 30º (or more above the horizon). Camera Control Window , Mode � Light Color 1x1 , Single � Expose (approx 1 second) Draw a subframe around the star to focus on Camera Control Window , Mode � Light [...]

52 Action Process T ree 4. T ake a flat field image by pointing the telescope at a uniform and featureless light source, like the sky at dawn or a white sheet of paper . Find the right exposure time that creates a Max Pixel value of approximately 20000, then proceed to Autosave your flats. Y ou do not have to take your flat fields before you s[...]

53 3. Combine the images Process � Combine � Select all of the open images you want to combine � OK Combine Images window , Align Mode � Manual 1 star – shift only/Manual 2 stars Use the mouse cursor to select the alignment star(s) in each image Combine Images window , Output � Average � OK 4. Make other adjustments if needed, such as[...]

54 Notes ________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________ ________________[...]

55 ________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________ ______________________[...]

56 One-Y ear Limited W arranty This Orion StarShoot Pro is warranted against defects in materials or workmanship for a period of one year fr om 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 eplace, at Orion’ s option,[...]