hi all, i've been wondering for a while regarding the ccd cam and the auto guider. I thought that ccd cams come along with auto guiders? ( eg. SBIG)
things i need to know
1. aren't ccd cams used to track ?
2. aren't auto guiders built together with ccd cams ? or do they vary from
different companies (eg SBIG and SAC)
3. how do you track with the ccd cam ? do you attach it to the guidescope or the main scope itself ?
thanks again.
cheers,
wenyi
ccd camera and auto guider
ccd cams are built to record the objects only, just like film. sbig did make some ccd with built in autoguider, i have no idea how well they perform.
most people use the sbig st-4 autoguider, which is one of the best, but i think discontinued and replaced by the stv. the autoguider can be either connected to a guidescope, or a off-axis guider. it needs to be centered on a star, prolly not too dim or bright. the other end of the autoguider goes into the autoguider port of the mount, which most mount lacks.
vixen gp mounts need the sky sensor 2000 to fit the autoguider. most tak mounts have the port. losmandy mounts i have no idea. anything lesser than a gp mount, forget abt it.
the purpose of an autoguider is mainly to correct for the periodic error. u will still need perfect polar alignment to get proper long exposures.
~MooEy~
most people use the sbig st-4 autoguider, which is one of the best, but i think discontinued and replaced by the stv. the autoguider can be either connected to a guidescope, or a off-axis guider. it needs to be centered on a star, prolly not too dim or bright. the other end of the autoguider goes into the autoguider port of the mount, which most mount lacks.
vixen gp mounts need the sky sensor 2000 to fit the autoguider. most tak mounts have the port. losmandy mounts i have no idea. anything lesser than a gp mount, forget abt it.
the purpose of an autoguider is mainly to correct for the periodic error. u will still need perfect polar alignment to get proper long exposures.
~MooEy~
Wenyi:
1) Some models are designed to be just an autoguider for example SBIG ST-4 standalone guider. Most of CCD cams are too good to be used for just autoguiding. You can use a CCD webcam for autoguiding, as well. StarTrack and GuideDog can do the job.
2) Some models have dual chips which mean a guiding chip is piggyback on an imaging chip inside the camera for example: ST-8XME. It will have a problem if a bright star is not in FOV.
3) You need to use an off-axis guider or a guidescope with an autoguider. On the other end, it is connected to a computing unit or a PC computer and then wired to the autoguider port of a mount. If your mount has no autoguider port, you need to connect it to a handcontroller directly. http://www.technoplus.nl/astro/lx200.htm
Hope this helps.
Anat
1) Some models are designed to be just an autoguider for example SBIG ST-4 standalone guider. Most of CCD cams are too good to be used for just autoguiding. You can use a CCD webcam for autoguiding, as well. StarTrack and GuideDog can do the job.
2) Some models have dual chips which mean a guiding chip is piggyback on an imaging chip inside the camera for example: ST-8XME. It will have a problem if a bright star is not in FOV.
3) You need to use an off-axis guider or a guidescope with an autoguider. On the other end, it is connected to a computing unit or a PC computer and then wired to the autoguider port of a mount. If your mount has no autoguider port, you need to connect it to a handcontroller directly. http://www.technoplus.nl/astro/lx200.htm
Hope this helps.
Anat
