User Guide

12 13
Camera Setup
Color / Mono
Select between color and mono.
12 Bit Image
When checked, FITS and SER formats
become available for image and movie
capture.
Files can be converted back into color
post capture within software such as
RegiStax or MaximDL.
High Speed Readout
This feature controls the USB trans-
fer speed. It is used to increase per-
formance but may not work on some
computers.
Camera Advanced setting
Not normally used but can aid in reducing USB problems.
USB traffic can be improved by modifying this value.
If live image seems to be dropping frames or not working at all then try setting
USB traffic to 30 to reduce the FPS.
Using the Camera for the First Time
We recommend using the camera for the first time in daylight to become familiar
with the software interface and camera settings.
1. Setup your telescope and use an eyepiece to locate an object outside that is
200 yards or more away.
2. Plug the SSAIO into your computer’s USB port.
3. Remove the eyepiece and insert the SSAIO into the 1.25" eyepiece holder
on your telescope (Figure 15).
4. Open Orion AstroCap and select a resolution to connect to camera.
5. If the image is white on the screen, it’s overexposed. Adjust the exposure
and gain as needed to reduce the brightness.
6. Focus telescope until you get a sharp image on your computer screen.
7. Select Global WB in order to set the white balance (Figure 7).
8. Experiment with the different camera settings. The exposure and gain will be
the most frequently used settings.
Planetary Imaging
Planetary imaging is also referred to
as Solar System imaging, and includes
the Moon, the Sun (with a proper full
aperture solar filter!), the planets,
and miscellaneous objects in Earth’s
orbit such as the International Space
Station (ISS). The SSAIO is capable of
capturing all these objects in real time.
Just about any telescope is suitable for
the SSAIO when imaging the planets.
The longer the focal length of the tele-
scope, the larger and more detailed the
images will appear. Unlike deep space
astro-imaging, you actually want to
have a long focal length and focal ratio
for planetary imaging. Adding a 2x, 3x
or higher Barlow to the telescope to increase magnification is not uncommon for
planetary imaging (Figure 16). The planets and other solar system objects are
relatively bright and can be imaged with a darker or “slower” focal ratio.
To help capture those brief moments of good seeing, planetary imagers can
select a smaller resolution to increase frame rates.
Select 640x480 2x2 binning mode for increased frame rate and sensitivity
(Figure 4).
Select 12bit mode to save in FITS and SER formats and to also improve capture
frame rates.
Larger resolutions are best for long exposure, wide field images whereas smaller
resolutions are generally better for short exposure, high magnification images.
High power planetary imaging often leaves the best focus up to your eyes when
monitoring the live image. Use the zoom tool to aid in focus.
Select the fastest exposure time possible so that images appear less blurred
and set the gain as high as possible without introducing too much graininess.
Experiment with your telescope and camera to find the optimum settings for your
particular setup.
The best planetary images will be obtained by aligning and stacking (combin-
ing) many individual 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 import the video into post processing software. Since the SSAIO
has a maximum frame rate of 30 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!
Figure 15. The SSAIO attached to
telescope for solar system imaging.
Figure 16. Top: 5x Barlow, Middle: 3X
Barlow, Bottom: No Barlow.