Useful links

Boogert's Astro pages

General concepts

• Understand camera
• Understand telescope
• Understand flats
• Targets
  • Skygazer
  • Stellarium

Camera

• CCD model:- ST-8XM8
• • USB interfacing
  • Utlises Maxim DL Software for Hardware/Software integration
  • Area:- 1530x1020
  • Pixel Size:- 9 x 9 um
  • Chip Size:- 13.8 x 9.2 mm
  • Gain:- 2.39
  • Bits:- 16bit
  • Field of View:- 18.7' x 12.4'
  • Plate Scale:- 0.61 arcsec/px
• CCD Detector Image Generation Steps[1]
  1. Charge Generation (Photoelectric Effect)
  2. Charge Collection (Photoelectrons collected via collection sites, collections sites are defined by electrode arrays formed on the CCD these are called gates)
  3. Charge Transfer (Voltage manipulation of gates so that electrons move down vertical registers one pixel at a time)
  4. Charge Detection
• cooled camera - looking at effects of cooling for picture clairty (Semi conductor.. eletron.. fermi distribution)

1. Power on camera
2. Start maximDL
3. Select 'Camera' Icon

1. Light, bias, dark, flat shots

Data and logs

Dark log book

References

(1) CCD ST-8XME Manual June 2004, Retrieved(16/10/2013)

-- RyanCheale - 16 Oct 2013