Orion 52185 Telescope User Manual
Contents
1. color temperature from 3200 to 10000 Kelvin The color temperature is being moni tored continuously and the white bal SENSE UP ance is set automatically by internal controller Figure 7 ALC Shutter speed menu ATW is most suitable for viewing objects with changing color tempera ture and which can make the picture MAX color look more natural This mode is RETURN also helpful in light polluted skies Figure 8 Sense Up menu ALC AES ALC Auto Light Control SHUTTER OFF 1 100 1 250 1 500 1 1000 1 2000 1 4000 1 10000 Automatic Light Control ALC indicates the image sensor s ability to automati cally adjust in diverse lighting conditions to yield the most vivid video image pos sible Figure 7 Shutter speeds can be selected for Terrestrial Lunar Planetary and Solar with full aperture solar filter imaging For low light deep space objects SHUTTER should be turned OFF AES Auto Electronic Shutter AES is used when a manual or fixed iris lens is fitted and the shutter speed will respond to the amount of light to keep the signal output at optimum level AES allows changing the iris level automatically without using the auto iris lens Note The AES should be switched off when an Auto Iris Lens is fitted AES is not normally used for astronomy FLC Flickerless mode ON or OFF Flickerless mode is used for suppressing the flicker of light illuminating the cap tured scene produced depending upon th2. INSTRUCTION MANUAL Orion StarShoot Deep Space Video Camera 52185 NTSC 52186 PAL Welcome to a new world of adventure Your new StarShoot Deep Space Video Camera DSVC is capable of providing pleasing real time color views of the 110 Messier objects as well as many other bright galaxies star clusters and Nebulas The Planets Moon and Sun with full aperture solar filter can all be imaged Create spec tacular views on your display device which can be saved for emailing or printing later The DSVC can even be used during the day to take images of terrestrial subjects You ll find that this inexpensive yet capable and easy to use camera will enhance all of your journeys with your telescope Please read this instruction manual before attempting to use the camera or install the software em ORION TELESCOPES amp BINOCULARS Providing Exceptional Consumer Optical Products Since 1975 OrionTelescopes com Customer Support 800 676 1343 E mail support telescope com Corporate Offices 831 763 7000 89 Hangar Way Watsonville CA 95076 2011 Orion Telescopes amp Binoculars IN 411 Rev A 04 11 Parts List e StarShoot Deep Space Video Camera DSVC e C mount to 1 25 nosepiece adapter threaded for 1 25 filters e BNC RCA Adapter e RCA Cable 10 ft e Mains Power Adapter e Field Battery Power Adapter e Orion Video Capture device video adapter cables and Software CD Figure 1 Camera a
3. SE UP controls are the ones you will use the most The telescope being used seeing conditions and object being imaged will dic tate how these camera controls should be set Astronomical Imaging Now that you re familiar with basic camera and software operation it s time to take the DSVC out at night under the stars to capture some astronomical imag es We recommend starting with the Moon as it is easy to acquire into the cam era s field of view and typically does not require stacking of multiple exposures as planetary images do Lunar Imaging 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 first quarter it is hard to get detail due to the tremen dous glare off of the lunar surface Most detail even on a thin crescent will be at the terminator that tiny thin line between the shadow and light see Figure 14 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 Figure 15 Planetary imaging stacking Planetary Imaging The best planetary images will be obtained by stacking combining many individual images in order to reduce noise atmospheric effects and improve image contrast bright ness and detail Figure 15 This is accomplished using one of
4. e Internet Website links are provided in the launcher on the Video Capture Device CD to download popular astronomy software that is compatible with the DSVC and Orion Video Capture Device Figure 19 Figure 19 Orion Video Capture Device CD web links menu Software Installation Select each piece of software on the CD launcher to be directed to a web site to download the latest software For detailed information on each piece of software consult the websites of each software provider Tutorials and user groups can be found online also Tips Focusing One of the hardest things to do in planetary imaging is achieving good focus You can make this process easier by simply watching the Live Video window to focus Depending upon the viewing conditions you may notice that the image goes in and out of focus this is due to viewing conditions This is to be expected and one of the reasons why post processing software can bring out the best in your captured images Focus as best as possible with the average frame being at best focus to ensure more in focus frames than out of focus Image processing software can then be used to select the best frames to combine for best results and can also reject the poorest frames Refocus often throughout your imaging session This ensures at least some of your images will have an excellent focus It is also not uncommon for telescope movements to alter the focus slightly so be sure to refocus for a
5. e 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 You have now viewed your first images with the DSVC 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 DSVC Solar images can also be taken during the day with a full aperture solar filter over the front of the telescope Take some time to use the camera during the day to become familiar and comfortable with their basic operation For best results you can optimize your images with the camera controls Camera Field of View The camera s field of view is approxi mately equivalent to the field of view through the telescope when looking through a typical i e not wide field 6mm focal length eyepiece Figure 4 Camera Controls All camera features are controlled via the OSD menu ON SCREEN DISPLAY Selections are made using the navigational Menu buttons up down left right and select button cen ter Figure 5 Pressing the center button for a short period of time will bring up the OSD menu Figure 6 Different camera settings are required depending upon the targets observed Da
6. e frequency of the power source In 50Hz area the CCD exposure time is 1 50sec and if NTSC camera is used with working frequency of 60Hz there will be flicker on the screen Same will happen in using PAL camera in a 60Hz area The shutter speed is fixed to 1 100 sec for the 50 Hz area and 1 120 sec for the 60 Hz area to reduce the flicker of the fluo rescent light Note FLC is not normally used for astronomy AGC automatic GAIN Control ON or OFF The AGC function provides a clear image in low light condition This controls an amplifier that is used to boost the video signal when the light dims so as to increase the camera s sensitivity Normally AGC will be turned OFF for Lunar Planetary Solar with full aperture solar filter and Terrestrial imaging and turned ON for low light deep space objects SENSE UP OFF x2 x4 x8 x16 x82 x64 x128 x256 Sense Up An image processing technology which allows user selectable digital slow shutter speeds in order to allow extra light into a camera thereby providing higher sensitivity in low light conditions Figure 8 The minimum frame integra tion x2 is 1 32 of a second for NTSC 1 40 for PAL The maximum frame inte gration x256 is 4 seconds for NTSC 5 seconds for PAL Set SHUTTER SPEED ALC to OFF for frame integration For bright solar system objects such as moon planets sense up would be set at a minimum or off Low light objects such as galaxies and nebulae require a hi
7. ewing Devices The Camera outputs a standard composite video signal that can be displayed or recorded on any device with composite video input such as a TV Projector Camcorder DVR or VCR Figure 2 Optionally using the included Orion Video Capture Device camera output can also be viewed and captured on a PC Laptop Figure 3 Read the Orion StarShoot Video Capture Device manual for details Camera Feature List e Frame integration for up to 4 seconds exposure 256x Sense up e Automatic Gain control for deep space objects e Auto Light Control ALC shutter speeds from 1 10000 second to 1 100 second e Super Digital Noise Reduction virtually eliminates all hot pixels and the need for dark frames e Color Bar display for display calibration and testing of video signal e 2X digital zoom feature e Customizable Title text display e Light amp Dark Gamma modes e High and Mid sharpness enhancement modes e Horizontal and vertical mirror functions e Auto white balance mode e Wide and Narrow Auto Tracking White Balance ATW modes aid in light polluted skies e Auto Color and Black and White day night modes e Customizable cross hairs enable the Deep Space Video Camera to be used with a finder scope and aid in centering objects Getting Started During Daylight We recommend using the DSCV for the first time during the day This way you can become familiar with the camera and its functions without having to
8. gh value sense up setting such as x256 which gives a total exposure time of up to 4 seconds NTSC 5 seconds PAL BACK LIGHT Background Light Compensation Background Light Compensation is used when there is a very bright background with very dim front image Note BACK LIGHT is not normally used for astronomy Figure 9 Using MASK option for custom on screen crosshairs Up to 4 rectangular masks that can be resized and positioned anywhere on screen can be useful to make a cross hair to aid in centering objects on screen Figure 9 This feature enables the Deep Space Video Camera to be used as a finderscope camera OPTION The option menu contains features that will be modified less frequently than the main menu features Figure 10 TITLE Use UP DOWN LEFT RIGHT and CENTER buttons to select up to 20 characters to be used as an on screen title Figure 11 amp 12 H REV Horizontal Mirror Function Image is flipped in the Horizontal axis V REV Vertical Mirror Function Image is flipped in the Vertical axis COLOR BAR The Color Bar Figure 13 is a useful feature to test video output from cam era to your viewing device and can be used to test signal before and or after camera is attached to telescope GAMMA TYPE A 0 45 Gamma Lighter TYPE B 1 0 Gamma Darker ZOOM Digital zoom x2 ON or OFF ENHANCER MID Sharpness or HIGH Sharpness DAY NIGHT AUTO Automatically switches t
9. ng Similar to Lunar Solar and Planetary imaging terrestrial imaging requires short exposure times Figure 17 Using a full aperture solar filter to image sunspots Utility software such as HandyAVI can be used to detect motion and hence automatically record detected objects when user is not present Figure 18 Software The Orion Video Capture Device included with the DSVC is compatible with the following highly recommended software Image Processing Software Figure 18 Using motion detection m software to capture wildlife Image Processing Software such as RegiStax AviStack and MaximDL can Align and Stack combine hundreds of individual images contained within your AVI into a single resultant image to help reduce noise and atmospheric effects and also perform some additional image processing to bring out subtle details or to make the image appear more pleasing overall Utility Software Utility programs such as HandyAVI and UFO Capture can track and detect motion from meteors and atmospheric phenomena and automatically save email and FTP images and movie files to a website HandyAVI also has features to allow time lapse photography and stop motion animation 12 Broadcasting Services i Va Verto ael N TELESCOPES amp BINOCULARS Night Skies mo Video Capture Device The Night Skies Network Is a free service that allows astronomers with video cameras to broadcast their live views over th
10. ny new astro imaging targets Choosing a Site for Astro lImaging Once you have a focused image you may find your image shifting and washed out This can be caused by many environmental factors Poor seeing movement of molecules in the air such as heat rising and poor transparency moisture smoke or other sky contaminants will all serve to reduce image quality That is 13 why most major astronomical telescopes are on high mountains in thin air to get above much of the seeing and transparency problems Also wind will move your telescope and affect images Your eyes viewing through an eyepiece can change slightly to compensate for disturbances like these but the camera cannot Keep these factors in mind when choosing an observing site for astronomical imaging For the best astro images we recommend finding a location with dry air some altitude and away from city or streetlights Even a nearby hilltop in the countryside can provide better viewing conditions than many convenient backyard locations Using Focal Reducers and Barlow Lenses Focal reducers serve to decrease the focal length of your telescope This increases the field of view and image brightness seen by the camera decreases camera magnification This can be useful for obtaining images of wider objects such as the full Moon or a landscape vista Barlow lenses or other tele extenders increase the focal length of your tele scope which makes the camera field of vie
11. o COLOR for bright objects and BLACK amp WHITE for low light object DAY EXT COLOR mode always NIGHT BLACK amp WHITE mode always PRIORITY PRIORITY AGC SENSE controls the auto darkening on bright objects Set to AGC for low light deep space objects RETURN Select to return to main menu EXIT SAVE exit and save current settings PRESET exit and default to factory defined settings OPTION TITLE H REV V REV COLOR BAR GAMMA 200M ENHANCER DAY NIGHT PRIORITY RETURN Figure 10 OPTION sub menu TITLE BS POS END 0123456789 ABCDEFGHIJKLM NOPQRSTUVWXYZ abcdefghijklm noparstuvwxy t M42 ORION NEBULA4 x Figure 11 TITLE edit menu Figure 12 TITLE being used with live image OPTION TITLE H REV V REV yo gt COLOR BAR MON GAMMA 74010 ENHANCER DAY NIGHT PRIORITY RETURN Figure 13 Color Bar Test Typical Camera Settings Terrestrial Lunar Planetary and Solar WHITE BAL ATW ALC AES ALC SHUTTER 1 10000 to 1 100 Figure 14 The moon s surface detail AGC OFF looks the best along the terminator SENSE UP OFF Low Light Deep Space Objects WHITE BAL AWB ATW ALC AES ALC SHUTTER OFF AGC ON SENSE UP ON x2 to x256 Try several different settings to get a feel of how the camera controls work and affect the resultant image on the computer screen The SHUTTER speed ALC and SEN
12. purchase Such as a copy of the original invoice is required This warranty does not apply if in Orion s judgment the instrument has been abused mishandled or modified nor does it apply to normal wear and tear This warranty gives you specific legal rights and you may also have other rights which vary from state to state For further warranty service information contact Customer Service Department Orion Telescopes amp Binoculars 89 Hangar Way Watsonville CA 95076 800 676 1343 R ORION TELESCOPES amp BINOCULARS OrionTelescopes com 89 Hangar Way Watsonville CA 95076 Customer Support Help Line 800 676 1343 2011 Orion Telescopes amp Binoculars
13. stumble around in the dark Set up your telescope and mount so the optical tube is point ing 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 DSCV follow these step by step instructions 1 2 3 Remove the lens cap and unscrew black CS ring mount from camera Screw the 1 25 nosepiece adapter onto the gold camera lens threads Connect the BNC RCA adapter to the BNC Video Out plug on the back of the camera Connect one end of the RCA cable to the BNC RCA adapter Connect the other end of the RCA video cable directly to your viewing device such as TV RCA input 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 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 you are starting out in daylight as is recommended you may need to turn the exposure and or brightness control of the camera down before attempting to focus See Camera Controls Look at the Live Video Window on the viewing device screen and adjust the focus knob accordingly to determine best image focus Image orientation can be changed by rotating the camera within the focuser drawtube Simply loosen the thumbscrew on the drawtube and rotate th
14. the many post processing software tools such as Registax or AVIStack see SOFTWARE 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 stack ing Since the DSVC has a maximum frame rate of 30 frames per second for NTSC 25 frames per second for 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 Figure 16 Globular cluster M13 using 256x sense up AGC on and ALC shutter off 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 Deep Space Imaging Deep space imaging requires the longest exposure times and therefore having a good polar alignment and accurate tracking is critical to keep the target on screen Multiple Deep space images can also be stacked and or tuned via software in order to reduce noise atmospheric effects and improve image contrast bright ness and detail Solar Imaging Solar imaging requires short exposure times and the use of a solar filter or dedicated solar scope Figure 17 Terrestrial Imagi
15. ttached to telescope System Requirements refer to Figure 1 Telescope The DSVC can be used with virtually any telescope that is compatible with 1 25 format eyepieces The camera simply is inserted into a focuser in the same way as a standard eyepiece Figure 1 If you use a star diagonal you should remove it before installing the DSVC If your telescope does not have enough inward focus travel you will need to use an optional 1 25 Barlow lens to extend the telescope s focal plane to the camera s imaging plane Barlow sold separately Mount While using an equatorial EQ mount is recommended to achieve the best results one is not absolutely required for imaging with the DSVC For obtaining the best deep space and planetary images however we do rec ommend an equatorial mount Deep space imaging requires the longest expo sure and hence requires more accurate tracking Planetary imaging requires combining many individual images and having an equatorial mount will prevent the planet from drifting out of the field of view of the camera during the time it takes to acquire the large number of images nec essary A motor drive single axis is recommended too for convenient capture of sequential images without manual re adjustment of the telescope s position For the best results a GoTo mount is highly recommended Figure 2 TV as a displaying device Figure 3 Laptop as a displaying capture broadcasting device Vi
16. using with the CCD camera alone easier and quicker 14 Available through Orion check the catalog or www OrionTelescopes com for more information Things to Do Group Viewing e Show your live view to a group of astronomers at a star party with a TV projector or laptop PC Internet broadcasting e Broadcast your live views over the internet using the video capture device and the free Night Skies network service Deep Space e Try your own messier marathon to see how many of the messier objects you can see in one evening e Do you know your doubles image double stars Moon e Image and identify the craters and mares e Image the different phases from New moon to Full Moon e Image the detail at the terminator e Create a moon mosaic using multiple lower resolution images to create one high resolution image Solar System e Take a movie of the position of the great red spot of Jupiter during the Gas Giant s lt 10 hour day e Image Jupiters moons and their shadows as they transit across the Gas Giant e Follow in Galileo s footsteps by Imaging the different phases of Venus e Create a time lapse movie of a distant planet moving at a different rate than the background stars e Using a full aperture Solar Filter to image sunspots e Capture rare astronomical events such as Venus or Mercury transiting our nearest star e Create a movie of the International space station as it transits across the Sun e Automaticall
17. w narrower increases camera mag nification This is useful for high power planetary images Keep in mind that when the focal length is doubled the image will become four times dimmer so a longer exposure may be necessary Focal Reducers and Barlow lenses available through Orion check the catalog or www OrionTelescopes com for more information Filters For some types of imaging you may want to use color filters to bring out subtle details Any standard Orion 1 25 filter will thread into the front of the DSVC s barrel Try using different color filters on a planet to see which filters help best show planetary details Neutral density Moon filters and variable polarizer filters are useful to reduce the glare from the moon They can also be used to reduce the glare from Venus Solar Filter Warning Always use a full aperture solar filter when viewing the sun With a properly fitting full aperture solar filter attached to your telescope you can use the DSVC to take images of the Sun and the sunspots on its surface Filters available through Orion check the catalog or www OrionTelescopes com for more information Flip Mirror As easy as flipping a switch the Imaging Flip Mirror enables the astrophotogra pher to find center and focus a target visually with a 1 25 telescope eyepiece then photograph it with a CCD camera All without swapping out any equipment It s a real time saver making the normally tedious task of foc
18. y detect and capture a movie of a meteor and automatically send image s via email or a movie via FTP to a website e Create a time lapse movie of an asteroid or comet moving at a different rate than the background stars 15 Recommended Reading 8 Books available through Orion check the catalog or www OrionTelescopes com for more information Vio Specifications Sensor Mintron Color sensor 72S85HN EX R NTSC 72S85HP EX R PAL TV System NTSC PAL Composite Video out BNC RCA Sensor size 1 2 Number of pixels 0 4 megapixel resolution NTSC 768 x 494 effective 811 x 508 total PAL 752 x 582 effective 795 x 596 total Pixel size 8 4um x 9 8um Video frame rate NTSC 30 frames second PAL 25 frames second A D conversion 8 bit IR filter Yes Barrel 1 25 threaded for filters Operation Temperature 20 C to 50 C Power Supply DC12V 150mA One Year Limited Warranty This Orion StarShoot Deep Space Video Camera is warranted against defects in materials or workmanship for a period of one year from the date of purchase This warranty is for the benefit of the original retail purchaser only During this warranty period Orion Telescopes amp Binoculars will repair or replace at Orion s option any warranted instrument that proves to be defective provided it is returned postage paid to Orion Warranty Repair 89 Hangar Way Watsonville CA 95076 If the product is not registered proof of
19. ytime Terrestrial Lunar and plan etary imaging requires short expo sure times whilst deep space objects require much longer exposure times WHITE BAL white balance CCD security cameras feature this adjustment to compensate for ambient light color Since there s a color differ ence between standard light bulb light and sunlight white balance adjusts to ensure a more realistic picture There are two white balance control modes namely Auto tracking white p mm PLOSSL Fielthof View J Figure 4 Comparison field of view between DSVC rectangle and standard 6mm Plossl eyepiece circle MENU BUTTONS gt m 40o VIDEO OUT wo o 1 O ic OPO OUT aa Loh POWER INPUT Figure 5 Camera rear view MENU WHITE BAL ALC AES FLO AGC SENSE UP BACK LIGHT MASK OPTION EXIT Figure 6 Main OSD menu screen balance ATW and Auto White Balance AWB AWB Auto White Balance AWB is a preset type function whereby white color in the scene is detected and white balance is automatically adjusted then the setting status is stored It auto matically memorizes the adjusted white balance value every time the AWB but ton is turned on ATB is most suitable for environment with little change in light source ATW Auto Tracking Balance MODE NARROW darkness adjust ele SHUTTER 1718888 Pa WIDE Light adjustment RETURN ATW functions by detecting white color in the scene at a
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