observing manual - Texas Tech University

ObservationalAstronomy
ASTR2401
TexasTechUniversity
OBSERVINGMANUAL
Thestepsoutlinedbelowareaguidetosettingupandshuttingdownattheobservatoryand
usingthecomputerizedcontrolsystemforrapidandeasylocationofcelestialobjects.This
system,knownasGOTO,isoftenmucheasiertousethanmanualpointing,or"star-hopping".
However,thereareanumberofproceduresthatmustbefollowedinordertoavoiddamageto
thetelescopes.Youshouldfullyfamiliarizeyourselfwiththesesetupandshutdownprocedures
BEFOREheadingouttotheobservatory.
ATNOTIMETRYTOMOVEANYOFTHETELESCOPESBYHAND.ONLYUSETHEHAND
CONTROLORTHECOMPUTER!
12”MeadeLX200GPSTelescopes
Startup
1. Whenyoufirstcomeintothebuilding,youwillneedtogetaredtorchfromtheboxon
thebenchintheclassroom.Whoeverisinchargeofthenight,makesurethatyouenter
intothelogbookthetimeofarrivalanddeparture,whichtelescopeswereused,andfor
whatpurpose,andthenumberofpersonsattending.
2. Onceyouhavedonethis,gointotheroll-offbuildingandremovetherooflock.Thisis
locatedinthesouth-westcornerofthebuildingatthebaseoftheroof.Removethe
metalbarandleaveitonthebenchinthecorner.
3. Gettheglovesfromthesmalldraweronthesouthendoftheeastbench.Youwillneed
thesetoprotectyourhandsfromthewirewhenopeningtheroof.Usingtheelectric
motor,rollbacktheroof.Youwillneedtoholdthewiretokeeptensiononthewirethat
isUNWINDING.Theroofcanrollbackabout6feetpasttheendofthebuilding.Be
carefulnottorollitallthewaytothestops!Sometimesthemotormaystalldueto
frictionintheroofrollers.Ifthishappens,QUICKLYusethehandwinchtowindtoroof
backuntilthemotorpicksupagain.
4. Oncetheroofisopen,takethedustcoveroffthetelescope.Becarefulnottodislodge
thetelescopecaps.Onceitisoff,putthecoverinsidethecupboardonthenorthsideof
thecomputer.
5. Takeoffthetelescopecoverandthecoveronthefinderscopeandputtheminthe
drawerabovecupboardwhereyouputthedustcover.
6. Turnonthetelescope.Theswitchisonthepanelatthebaseofthetelescope.
7. Whilethetelescopeisstarting,turnonthecomputermonitorandifthecomputerisoff,
turnitonaswell.
8. Oncethecomputerhasbootedup,starttheprogramthatcontrolsthetelescope.This
programiscalled“TheSky”.Ifthecomputerwasonwhenyouarrived,theprogram
shouldalreadyberunning.Checkforitonthetaskbaratthebottomofthescreen.Ifit
isnotrunning,startitup.Youwillfindashortcuttothisprogramonthedesktop,near
thetopright.Doubleclickonthisicontostarttheprogram.
9. Oncethetelescopehasfinishedstartingup,press“MODE”onthehandpaddletwice.
Youshouldnowsee“DaylightSaving:YES?”or“DaylightSaving:NO?”dependingon
whetherornotdaylightsavingtimeisinoperation.Ifthecorrectoneisdisplayed,press
“ENTER”.Ifitisnotdisplayed,calltheprofessor.
10. Nowthehandpaddleshouldbedisplayingatime.Usetheup/downbuttonsatthe
bottomofthehandpaddletoentertheCORRECTvalueforthetime.Thenpress
“ENTER”.
11. Nowthehandpaddleshouldbedisplayingadate.Usetheup/downbuttonsatthe
bottomofthehandpaddletoentertheCORRECTdate.Thenpress“ENTER”.
12. Oncethisisdone,thehandpaddleshoulddisplay“ALIGN”.Press“MODE”twice,and
thehandpaddleshouldnowdisplay“SETUP”.
13. Oncethisisdisplayed,youarereadytostartmovingthetelescope.
14. Ifyouareusingthetelescopeforvisualobserving,slewthetelescopetowardsthesouth
sothatthebackofthetelescopeisaccessible.IftheCCDisconnected,youwillneedto
removeitandplaceitinthecasewhichyouwillfindinthecupboard.Makesureyou
putthecapontheCCD.
15. OncetheCCDisremoved,getthevisualbackadapter,thestardiagonalandthe
eyepiecesfromthedrawer.Screwontheadapterandthenputinthestardiagonal.
Thenyoucanputwhichevereyepieceyouwantintothestardiagonal.
16. Onceyouhavedonethis,usethe4slewbuttonsonthetelescopehandcontroltoslew
thetelescopetoabrightstarthatyouknowthenameof.(NOTPolaris!)Usingthe
finderscopeandtheslewbuttons,movethetelescopeuntilthestariscenteredonthe
crosshairsofthefinder.Youcanvarythespeedatwhichthetelescopemovesby
pressingthe“SPEED”buttonandthenscrollingthroughtheslewratesusingthe
up/downbuttons.PressENTERafteryouhavechosenthespeedyouwant.Onceyou
havethestarcenteredonthecrosshairs,lookthroughthemaintelescopeandcenter
thestarintheviewofthemaintelescope.
17. Onceyouhavethestarcentered,pressthe“STAR”buttononthehandpaddleandthen
if“NAMED”isdisplayed,pressENTER”.Nowscrollthroughthenamesusingthe
up/downbuttonsuntilyoucometothenameofthestaryouhaveinview.
18. Onceyouhavethenameofthestardisplayed,press“ENTER”.Thehandpaddlewillnow
displaysomeinformationaboutthestar.
19. Nowpress“ENTER”again,andholdthebuttondownforseveralseconds.Whenyou
releaseit,thehandpaddleshoulddisplay“PRESSENTERISSYNC”.Press“ENTER”again
andthehandpaddleshouldread“SYNCHRONISED”.
EXTREMECAUTION!!!MAKESUREYOUHAVECENTREDONTHECORRECTSTAR
BEFORESYNCHRONISING!!!!!
20. Onceyouhavethetelescopesynchronized,itistimetomovetothecomputerand“The
Sky”.
21. In“TheSky”,gotothelistofmenusatthetopofthescreenandfind“Telescope”.
22. Clickonthismenuandthenfromthelistthatappears,highlight“Link”andthen
“Establish”.Thiswillconnectthetelescopetothecomputerandplaceditunderthe
controlof“TheSky”.
23. Oncethecomputeristalkingtothetelescope,gobacktothe“Telescope”menuand
highlight
“MotionControls”.
24. Nowlookalongthesecondrowoficons,andyouwillseenearthemiddlewhatlooks
likeapairofbinoculars.Thisisthe“Find”icon.Clickonthisicon,andamenuwindow
willopen.Fromthelistinthetoprighthandwindow(under“CommonNames”),choose
“CommonStarNames”.Fromthelistontheright,thenchoosethestarthatyoujust
pointedthetelescopeat.Onceyouhavehighlightedthisstar,itsnamewillappearinthe
boxatthebottomofthemenuwindow.Nowclickonthebuttonlabelled“Find”.This
willclosethat“Find”windowandopenanotherwindowlabelled“ObjectInformation”
whichhasdetailsofthestar.
25. Alongthetopofthiswindowisaseriesofmenus.Clickontheonelabelled“Telescope”.
Inthe
middleofthewindow,neartheleftedge,isabuttonlabelled“Sync”.Clickonthis
buttonandthen“Synchronizeinexistingmodel”inthewindowthatappears.The
programnowknowsthatthetelescopeispointingatthatstar.
26. Now(intheory)youcanfindanyobjectyouwishbyusingthe“Find”window,andthen
slewingthetelescopetothatobjectbyusingtheiconthatlookslikeatelescopeatthe
bottomofthe“ObjectInformation”window.Aftereachmove,ifyoumayhaveto
centertheobject,butitshouldbeclose.
Shutdown
1. In“TheSky”,clickonthe“Telescope”menuatthetopofthescreen.Thenhighlight
“Link”andthen“Terminate”.Thiswilldisconnectthecomputerfromthetelescope.
Thenshutdownthecomputerandthemonitor.
2. Ifyouhavebeendoingvisualobserving,removetheeyepiece,thestardiagonal,andthe
visualbackfromthetelescopeandscrewonthesilvercap.Putalloftheaccessories
awayintheirboxesandputthemawayinthedrawer.
3. Usingtheslewkeysatthetopofthetelescopehandcontrol,movethetelescopeuntil
theforksandhorizontalandthetelescopeispointingnorth,almostparalleltotheforks.
Nowyoucanswitchoffthetelescope.
4. Nowputthecapsonthefrontofthetelescopeandonthefinderscope.
5. Next,putthedustcoveroverthetelescope,makingsuretocompletelycoverthe
telescopeandthebase,andalsomakingsurenottoknockthecoveroffthe
finderscope.
6. Nowclosetheroofandreplacetherooflock.Whileclosingtheroof,youwillneedto
makesurethatthecableonthespoolthatiswindingupisverysymmetricandtight.
Otherwisetheroofwillnotfullyclosebeforethewirebecomestaut!
Makesureyouleavethetorchintheboxintheclassroomwhereitiseasyforthenextperson
tofindwhentheyenterthebuilding,andmakesurethatthedoorsarelocked.
20”PlanewaveCassegrainTelescopeStartup
1. Whenyoufirstcomeintothebuilding,youwillneedtogetaredtorchfromtheboxonthe
benchintheclassroom.Onceyouhavethisandcansee,climbtheladderintothedomeand
openthedomeshutter.Thisisdonebymovingtheleveronthefloorofthedomeatthe
northernside.(onyourrightfromthetopoftheladder.
2. Whiletheshutterisopening,turnonthetelescope.Therearethreeswitchesforthis,allat
thebase
ofthetelescope.Thefirstoneisattheendofthepowerstrip.Onceyouhaveturnedthat
on,therearetwotogglestitchesontheelectronicsboxfacingthepowerstrip.Turnonboth
ofthese.Thelightsontheboxshouldturnon.
3. Oncethedomeshutterisopen,makesuretheleverisintheneutralposition(middle)and
thenunplugthecableandattachittotheinsideofthedomewiththeVelcro.Thiswillstop
itdanglingwhenyourotatethedome.
4.Thecomputershouldalreadybeswitchedon,soallyouneedtodoisturnonthemonitor.
5. Nowuncoverthetelescope.Firsttakeoftheplasticcoveringandplaceitunderthetable
outoftheway.Thentakeoffthetwogreycoversandplacethemonthetable,thenthe
maincover,(beingcarefulnottohitthesecondarymirror!)andputthatonitssideagainst
thewallbesidethetable.
6. Onceyouhavedonethis,itistimetomovetothecomputer.Thesoftwarethatcontrolsthe
telescopeiscalled“TheSky”.Youwillfindashortcuttothisprogramonthedesktop,near
thetopright.Doubleclickonthisicontostarttheprogram.
7. Oncetheprogramisrunning,gotothelistofmenusatthetopofthescreenandfind
“Telescope”.
Clickonthismenuandthenfromthelistthatappears,highlight“Link”andthen
“Establish”.Thiswillconnectthetelescopetothecomputerandplaceditunderthecontrol
of“TheSky”.
8. Oncethecomputeristalkingtothetelescope,gobacktothe“Telescope”menuandclick
on
“MotionControls”.Thiswillgiveyouasmallwindowwhichwillallowyoutomovethe
telescopetocenterobjects.Thisisusuallymucheasierthanusingthehandpaddle,
especiallywhenyouareimagingwiththeCCD.
9. Nowlookalongthesecondrowoficons,andyouwillseenearthemiddlewhatlookslikea
pairofbinoculars.Thisisthe“Find”icon.Clickonthisicon,andamenuwindowwillopen.
Fromthelistinthetoprighthandwindow(under“CommonNames”),choose“Common
StarNames”.Fromthelist,chooseabrightstarthatyouknowandthatisabovethe
horizon.Onceyouhavehighlightedthisstar,itsnamewillappearintheboxatthebottom
ofthemenuwindow.Nowclickonthebuttonlabelled“Find”.Thiswillclosethat“Find”
windowandopenanotherwindowlabelled“ObjectInformation”whichhasdetailsofthe
star.
10. Atthebottomofthiswindowareanumberoficons.Towardstherightisonethatlookslike
a
telescope.Ifyouclickonthisicon,thecomputerwillmovethetelescopetothestar.DO
NOTtouchthetelescopewhileitismovingandDONOTtrytousethehandcontrolbefore
ithasstoppedmoving.
11. Nowlookthroughthetelescope(ortakeashortimageifyouareusingtheCCD)andseeif
thestarisvisible.It“should”bevisible,butisunlikelytobecentered.Inthiscaseuse
eitherthe“motioncontrols”windowonthecomputer(easiestifyouareimaging)orthe
handpaddle(easiestifyouareusingthetelescopevisually)tocenterthestar.(Ifyouare
usingthe“motioncontrols”window,makesurethatthe“slewrate”issetto“center”)
12. Boththe“motioncontrols”windowandthekeypadhave4buttonsformovingthe
telescopenorth,south,east,andwest.Usethesebuttonstocenterthestarintheview.Get
thestarasclosetothecenterasyoucan,butdonotspendtoomuchtimeonthis.
13. Ifthestarisnotintheview,thenyouwillhavetosearchforit.Usingeitherthehandpaddle
orthe“motioncontrols”window,movethetelescopeinaspiralpatternuntilyoufindthe
star.Ifyoucannotlocateitafteracoupleofminutes,thencomeandgetyourinstructor.
14. Assumingyouhavecenteredcorrectly(andonthecorrectstar!),youshouldnowbeableto
findanyobjectyouwishbyusingthe“Find”window,andthenpointingthetelescopeat
thatobjectbyusingtheiconthatlookslikeatelescopeatthebottomofthe“Object
Information”window.Aftereachmove,ifyouhavetocentertheobject,clickonthe“Sync”
buttontoupdatethetelescopepointing.
Shutdown
Whenyouhavefinishedobserving,youwillneedtoshutdownthetelescope.Ifyouhavebeen
imagingwiththeCCD,youcandothiswhileyouaretakingyourdarkframes.
1.In“TheSky”,clickonthe“Telescope”menuatthetopofthescreen.Thenhighlight“Link”
and
then“Terminate”.Thiswilldisconnectthecomputerfromthetelescope.Youwillgetan
messageatthispointaskingifyouwanttosendthetelescopetoits“park”position.Ifthis
appears,click“Yes”.Thiswillmovethetelescopetoitsparkposition.
2. Oncethetelescopeisparked,youcanswitchoffthetelescopeandputthecoversbackon.
Firstputonthemainmirrorcover,thenthe2capsandfinallytheplasticcover.
3. Nowpluginthehangingcablefortheslitcoverandclosetheslit.Whiletheshutteris
closing,gobacktothecomputerandclose“TheSky”andifyouhavefinishedtakingyour
darkframes,alsoclosedown“CCDSoft”.Youdonotneedtoshutdownthecomputer,just
turnoffthemonitor.
4. Oncetheslitisclosedandthetelescopeisswitchedoff,youcanleave.Makesureyouleave
thetorchintheboxintheclassroomwhereitiseasyforthenextpersontofindwhenthey
enterthebuilding,andmakesurethatthedoorislocked.
ImagingwiththeCCD’susingCCDSoft
SetupyourtelescopeandattachtheCCDtothetelescope.Whenusingthe20”telescope,the
plugsshouldbepointingtowardstherightwiththesidesoftheCCDascloseaspossibleto
beingatarightangletothedeclinationaxis.Whenusingthe12”telescopes,theplugsshould
bepointingupwardswiththesidesoftheCCDascloseaspossibletobeingparalleltothe
telescopeforks.
Powerupthetelescopeandthecomputerandstart“TheSky”and“CCDSoft”.PlugintheCCD
tothepowerandmakesureitisconnectedtothecomputerviatheUSBcable.In“CCDSoft”,
the“CameraControl”windowshouldbeopen.Ifitisnot,gotothe“Camera”menuandclick
on“Setup”.Thiswillbringupthe“CameraControl”window.
Clickthe“Setup”tabandcheckthesettings.“Camera”shouldbeeither“ST-9E/9XE”,“ST8E/8XE”or“SBIGSTLLargeFormatCameras”,dependingonwhichCCDyouareusing.“Filter
Wheel”shouldbe“CFW9”,“STLInternalfilterwheel”or“NoneSelected”dependingwhich
CCDyouareusingandiftheCCDhasafilterwheelattached.(Checkwiththecourseinstructor
ifyouarenotsure!)The“Settings”tabsshouldnotneedtobetouched.Nowclick“Connect”to
connectthecomputertotheCCD.Ifforsomereasonanerrormessageappears,getthecourse
instructor.
Oncethecameraisconnected,clickon“Temperature”andsetthetemperaturetoabout30ºC
belowthecurrentairtemperature.Ifyoudonotknowwhatthetemperatureis,thensetthe
temperaturefor-20ºC.Makesurethe“Fanon”boxischecked.
TakingCalibrationImages:
Asdiscussedinclass,rawimageswillbevery“noisy”,lotsofverybrightspotsandpossiblydark
“donuts”.ThebrightdotsarecausedbyelectronicnoisewithintheCCDchipandthedark
“donuts”arecausedbydustinthetelescopeoptics.Inordertoremovetheseyouneedtotake
calibrationframes.
Thefirstimagesyouneedtotakeareflatfields.Usuallythesearebesttakenintwilight,
howeversometimes,particularlylaterinthesemester,thiswillnotbepossiblesoyouwould
needtotakeimagesofaregionwithnobrightstarsornon-stellarobjects,movingthe
telescopealittlebetweenexposures.Underthosecircumstancesyouwoulduse“TheSky”,
movethetelescopetoaregionoftheskycontainingnobrightstars(nothingbrighterthan
magnitude8)andnonon-stellarobjects.Theareatowardsthesouthwestisasuitablearea.You
wouldthentake8–10imagesofabout1minuteexposure,usingeither“TheSky”orthehand
paddletomovethetelescopeashortdistanceinonedirectionandthentakeanotherimage.If
anyimagehasabrightstaroranon-stellarobjectsuchasagalaxyintheview,youwillneedto
movethetelescopeawayfromthatregionandretaketheimage.
Ifitisstilltwilightwhenyouarereadytogetyourflatfieldimages,lifeismuchsimpler!Simply
slewthetelescopetowardsthebrightskyinthewestusingthehandpaddle.Gotothe“Take
Image”menu,andsetthe“ImageFrame”to“Light”.Thengotothe“FocusTools”menuand
takeatestimageofabout0.1seconds.Oncetheimageisdisplayed,putthecursoronthe
centeroftheimageandreadthepixeldatavalueatthebottomleftofthescreen.Youwant
thisvaluetobebetweenabout10,000and35,000.Ifthevalueistoolow,increasethe
exposurealittle.Ifitistoohigh,waitabout1minuteandtryagain.
Onceyouhavetheexposureset,gobacktothe“TakeImage”menu,settheexposuretowhat
youfound,thenumberofimagesto10,and“ImageReduction”to“None”.However,Before
youtaketheimagesyouneedtosetthe“AutoSave”sothecomputerwillautomaticallysave
yourimages.
Todothis,gotothe“AutoSave”menuandcheckthe“AutoSaveOn”box.Inthe“Filename
prefix”window,enterthenameyouwanttocalltheimages,(inthiscaseIsuggest“flatfield”)
andthensetthestartingnumber.(usually1ifyouaretakingyourfirstimageofaset)Inthe
“ChooseFolder”window,alsosetthefoldertowhichyouwillsavetheimages.
Onceyouhavedoneallthis,youarereadytotakeyourflatfieldimages,soyoucangobackto
the“TakeImage”menuandtaketheimages.Remember“Sub-frame”boxMUSTbe
UNCHECKED.
Onceyouhaveyourflatfieldimages,youwillneedtotakedarkframesforyourflatfield
images.Foryourflatfieldimages,youshouldtake5-10darkframesandtheymustbethesame
exposuretimeastheflatfieldimages.Totakethese,setthe“ImageFrame”to“Dark”,setthe
numberofimagesyouwanttotaketo5or10,usingthe“Seriesof”box,andtheexposuretime
tothesameasforyourtargetimages.Thenunderthe“AutoSave”menunametheimages
“flatdark”.
Onceyouhavefinishedwithyourflatfieldimagesandflatdarkimages,youneedtotakethe
othercalibrationframes,darkframes.Thesewillremovetheelectronicnoisegeneratedwithin
theCCDchip.Foryourtargetimages,youshouldtake5darkframesandtheymustbethesame
exposuretimeastheimagesofyourtarget.Totakethese,setthe“ImageFrame”to“Dark”,set
thenumberofimagesyouwanttotakeofthatobjectusingthe“Seriesof”boxto5,andthe
exposuretimetothesameasforyourtargetimages.
Onceyouhaveyourcalibrationframes,youarealmostreadytostarttakingyourimages.
Howevertherearestillacoupleofstepsyouneedtotakebeforeyoucanstartthese.
Using“TheSky”,slewthetelescopetoyourfirstobject.Nowclickonthe“FocusTools”tab.
Heresetthe“Exposure”for3seconds,andthe“Bin”for1x1.Set“Image”to“Light”and
“Reduction”toNone”.Also,makesurethe“Continuous”boxisUNCHECKED.Nowyouareset
totakeatestimagetocheckifthestarisintheCCDfieldofview.
Oncetheimageisdownloaded,whatyouwillmostlikelyseeisaverylarge“donuts”andyour
objectmostlikelywillbesituatedoffcenter.The“donuts”areout-of-focusstars.
Focusing:
Focusingiscriticaltogettinggoodimages!Youshouldtakecaretogetthefocusassharpas
possible!
Usingthe"FocusTools"inthe"CameraControl"menu,Settheexposuretimetoabout1
second,dependingonthebrightnessofyourfocusingstar.Thenmakesurethe“Continuous”
boxisCHECKED.Nowclickthe“TakeImage”button.Thecomputerwillstarttakingimages
continuouslysoyoucanseewhatishappeningwhileyouareadjustingthefocus.
Ifyouareusingthe12”telescopes
Thesetelescopesdonothaveamotorizedfocuser,soyouwillneedtoadjustthefocusbyhand.
Thiscanbetricky,andwhenyouaregettingclosetofocus,youwillneedtoturnthefocusknob
byVERYsmallamounts.
Turnthefocuscontrolknobonthe
telescope,asmallamountinone
direction.Thentakeanimageandsee
whathashappenedtothestar.Ifthe
“blob”hasbecomesmaller,youturned
theknobinthecorrectdirection.Ifit
becamelarger,youneedtoturnitinthe
oppositedirection.
Keepturningtheknobandtakingimages
untilthestarisassharpasyoucanmake
it.Theamounttoturntheknobdependsonhowclosetoaccuratefocusyouare.Thecloser
youget,thesmallertheknobshouldbeturned.Ifthestarstartsgettinglarger,youwillhave
gonetoofarandyouwillneedtobackupalittle.Avoidgoingbackandforthpastfocusasmuch
aspossibleasthefocusingmechanismhassomeslack.Keepgoinguntilyougetthestarfocused
aswellasyoucan.
Onewaytohelpspeedupfocusingistouseasubframe.Thiswillmaketheimagedownloading
muchquicker.Todothis,pickaregionofthe
imagethatcontainsamoderatelybrightstarand
usethemousetodrawaboxaroundthisstar,but
makeitlargeenoughtohaveseveralstarsof
differingbrightnessinthebox.Thenstartimaging
andfocusingasdescribedabove.
Ifyouareusingthe20”telescope
Usingthekeypadonthebackofthetelescope,presseithertheupordownbuttonforafew
moments.Thentakeanimageandseewhathashappenedtothestar.Ifthe“donut”has
becomesmaller,youmovedthefocuserinthecorrectdirection.JIfitbecamelarger,you
needtotheotherbuttontomovethefocuserintheoppositedirection.L
Keeptakingimagesuntilthe“donut”becomesjustasmalldot.Whenthestars
becomesmalldotsitisoftenusefultozoominontheimageasitmakesiteasier
toseehowgoodthefocusis.Todothis,clickonthetoolbaratthetopofthe
screenthathasamagnifyingglassiconwitha“+”inside.Thenclickontheimage
tozoomin.Enlargetheimagewindowsothatyoucanseetheentireimage.
Continuetotakeimagesandpressingtheappropriatebuttononthekeypad.Theamountto
pressdependsonhowclosetoaccuratefocusyouare.Thecloseryouget,thesmallerthe
amountoftimeyoupressthebutton.Ifthestarstartsgettinglarger,youwillhavegonetoofar
andyouwillneedtobackupalittle.Keepgoinguntilyougetthestarfocusedaswellasyou
can.
Autoguiding:
Onceyouhavethetelescopefocused,UNCHECKthe“Continuous”boxandthe“Subframe”
box.Thentakeashort(~5sec)exposure.Ifyourtargetobjectisnotexactlyinthecenter,move
thetelescopeuntilitis,taking~5secondexposureseachtimeyoumovethetelescope.Once
youhavetheobjectcentered,synchronize“TheSky”withyourtargetobject.Onceyouhave
donethis,check“TheSky”toseeifthereisastarintheAutoguiderbox.Ifthereisnot,then
movethetelescopeuntilthereisone,makingsurethatyoudonotmovetheobjectyouare
afteroutoftheframe!
Beforeyoucanstarttakingimagesofyourtarget,youneedtosetuptheautoguider.No
telescopemounteverfollowsthestarsperfectly,soactivetrackingisrequiredtoavoidthe
starstrailingandruiningyourimages.Thisisthejoboftheautoguider.Gotothe“Autoguide”
menu.Settheexposuretimeto3secondsandmakesurethe“ShowAutoguider”boxis
checked.Nowclick“TakeImage”totakeanimage.Whentheimagefirstappears,itmaybe
hiddenbehindtheimagefromthemainCCDimage.Ifso,movetheautoguiderimagetoone
sidesothatyoucanseeitevenwithamainimageopen.
Mosttimestheautoguideriscalibrated,soonceyouhaveareasonablybrightstarinthe
autoguiderimage,youarereadytostartguiding.However,thefollowinginstructionsare
includedincaseyoueverhavetocalibratetheautoguider.
Movethetelescopeuntiltheimageshowsthebrighteststarclosetothecenter.Nowclickthe
“Calibrate”buttonandclick“Calibrate”onthewindowthatappears.
Thecomputerwillnowtakeaseriesofshortexposures,movingthetelescopeasmallamount
betweeneachimagetocalculatehowmuchthetelescopemovesineachdirection.Onceitis
completed,a“Calibrationsuccessful”messagewillappear.JJJ
TakingImages:
Check“TheSky”againtomakesurethatyourtargetisstillinthefieldofthemainCCD.Ifitis,
thenclickonthebrighteststarintheAutoguiderimageandthenclickonthe“Autoguide”
button.Nowthecomputerwillkeepthetelescopeaccuratelytrackingthestars.(Oratleast….it
should!!!!)
Nowclickonthe“TakeImage”tabtogettotheimagingwindow.Settheexposuretimeyou
want.Theexactexposurelengthwilldependonthebrightnessoftheobjectyouareimaging.
Anexposurethatistoolongwillresultinbrightstarsdisplayinguglybloomingstreaks.Even
withoutanybrightstars,donotexposeeachimageformorethan3-5minutes,otherwisethe
backgroundlightpollutionwillfogtheimage.AlsoMAKESUREthatyouhavethebinningsetto
1x1.The“Sub-frame”boxMUSTbeUNCHECKED,the“ImageFrame”shouldread“Light”,and
“Reduction”issetto“None”.Nowsetthenumberofimagesyouwanttotakeofthatobject
usingthe“Seriesof”box.
Nowgotothe“AutoSave”menuandcheckthe“AutoSaveOn”box.Inthe“Filenameprefix”
window,enterthenameyouwanttocalltheimages,andthensetthestartingnumber.(usually
1ifyouaretakingyourfirstimagesoftheobject)Inthe“ChooseFolder”window,setthefolder
towhichyouwillsavetheimages.
Nowyoucangobacktothe“TakeImage”menuandclickthe“TakeImage”button.CCDSoft
willnowstarttakingtheimages.
Onceyouhavefinishedtakingyourimagesofyourtarget,gotothe“Autoguide”menuand
clickthe“Abort”buttontostoptheautoguider.Youcanthenmovetoanothertargetifthereis
enoughtime,orstartpackingdownthetelescopeifyouarefinishedforthenight.
Onceyouhaveobtainedallofyourimages,includingcalibrationframes,gotothe“Setup”and
click“Disconnect”.Youcannowclose“CCDSoft”.Makeacopyofyourimagesontoyour
memorystick.
ImportantCCDSoftMenus
CameraControlWindow:
SetupMenu:
“Connect”:
“Temperature”:
“FileDefaults”:
Thiswillconnect/disconnecttheCCDfromthecomputer.
ThissetstheoperatingtemperatureoftheCCD.Itshouldbeabout30ºC
belowairtemperature.Asaguide,itshouldbesetbetween
-10ºCand-35ºC,dependingonhowwarm/coldthenightis.
Hereyoucanenteranyinformationyouwanttobestoredintheimage
header.Ingeneralyoushouldenteryourname(s),thelocation,andthe
telescopeinformation.Apartfromyournames,thisinformationshould
alreadybeentered.
TakeImageMenu:
“Exposure”:
“Subframe”:
“Binning”:
“Image”:
“TakeImage”:
Thiswillsetthelengthoftheexposure,anydelayinopeningtheshutter
andthenumberofexposurestobetaken.
Unlessyouaretakingplanetaryimages,leavethisboxunchecked.
Wheninitiallyfindinganobjectorcenteringsetthisto2x2.Setitto1x1
whentakingactualimagestobesaved.
Thiswillletyoutakeeitherimagesofthesky(Light)ordarkframes
(Dark).“Reduction”shouldbe“None”.
Thiswilltaketheimageasspecified.
FocusToolsMenu:
“Exposure”:
“Subframe”:
“Continuous”:
“ClearGraph”:
Thiswillsetthelengthoftheexposureandanydelayinopeningthe
shutter.
Onceyouhavechosenwhichstar(s)youwillusetofocuson,usethe
mousetodrawaboxaroundthestar(s).Acheckwillthenappearinthe
“subframe”box.
Thisboxshouldbeuncheckedunlessyouareactuallytryingtofocusthe
telescope.
Thiswillclearthegraphappearinginthewindow.Clickthisifyouchange
binning,exposure,orstars.
“TakeImage”:
AutoguideMenu:
Thiswilltaketheimageasspecified.
“Exposure”:
Thiswillsetthelengthoftheexposure.Generally,5secondsissufficient.
“ShowAutoguider”:Thisboxmustbechecked.
“TakeImage”:
Thiswilltaketheimageasspecified.Itisusedtofindasuitableguidestar,
whichisselectedbyclickingonthestaryouwishtousetoguidethe
telescope.
“Calibrate”:
Thiswillstartthecalibrationprocedure.Itshouldbedoneatthe
beginningoftheobservingsession.
“Autoguide”:
Thiswillstarttheautoguiding.
ColorMenu:
“EditL”:
“Seriesof”:
“TakeColor”:
AutoSaveMenu:
“AutoSaveOn”:
Thisisusedtosetthedetailsoftheluminanceimage.Likewisewiththe
other“Edit”buttonsfortheothercolors.
Thisspecifieshowmanysetsofimagesthatyouspecifiedusingthe“Edit”
buttonswillbetaken.
ThisstartstheCCDtakingthenumberofseriesyouspecified.
ThisboxMUSTbecheckedwhenyouarereadytotakeactualimages.It
shouldbeuncheckedwhencenteringanobjectortakingimagesfor
focusing.Itisveryeasytoforgettocheckthisboxwhenyoustart
imaging.Failuretodosowillresultinthelossofallyourimages!!!!
“StartingNumber”:Thisspecifieswhatnumberwillbegiventothefirstimageinaseries.
“AutoSaveFolder”: Thisisthenameofthedirectorywhereyourimageswillbesaved.Use
the“ChooseFolder”buttontosetthis.