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The G1-2000 camera with 1600 × 1200
pixels resolution and 16 bit digitization offers significantly
higher sensitivity, resolution and dynamics compared to any TV or Web
camera on the market. Exposure time can be set from 1/8000 of second,
so it is possible to take images of very bright objects, like is the
solar chromosphere imaged through narrow-band Hα filter. Small pixels of the G1-2000 camera can
utilize the capabilities of modern high-quality apochromatic
refractors.
Images of solar chromosphere taken on June 10th,
2008 (left), image of the Moon captured by G1-2000 camera through
Borg 77ED APO refractor (right) The CCD detector in the G1-2000 camera has dimensions
7.2 × 5.4 mm
(8.9 mm diagonal, class 1/1.8
of inch), so its area is 4× bigger
compared to typical 1/4 of inch detectors used in TV and Web
cameras. Bigger detector area is very useful especially when searching
for a star bright enough for reliable guiding. Relatively small pixels
(4.4 m) allow detection of quite
small mount irregularities even if the guiding telescope has short
focal length. Control computer (desktop PC or laptop) is required for
G1 camera operation, which on the other side brings the advantage of
high computational power available for calculation of guide star
centroid with sub-pixel precision. This also enhances guiding
precision.
Maximal exposure time of G1 cameras is limited only by detector
saturation. Compared to maximal exposure time of TV camera (1/50 or
even 1/60 of second), only 1 second
exposure, taken by sensitive CCD camera, allows detection of guiding
stars many magnitudes fainter. Depending on the mount type and
stability and the required autoguiding frequency the exposure time can
be tens of seconds.
G1-2000 on the Borg 77ED refractor with Hα solar filter (left), Martin Myslivec and his
telescopes (right) All images on this page are courtesy of Martin Myslivec (http://foto.astronomy.cz).
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