The larger cellphone and security camera markets, however, have directed sensor development towards more capable CMOS-based sensors, primarily because it's less expensive to produce a CMOS-based camera than one based on a CCD. The CCD's sensor architecture also makes them more amenable to customization for the EAA market. My experience is with the use of cameras built around focal plane array sensors based on either CCD (Charge Coupled Device) or CMOS (Complementary Metal Oxide Semiconductor) technology.įor a long time, CCD-based cameras have been the camera of choice for EAA due to their superior image quality and sensitivity. I cannot comment on the range of technologies available in light intensifiers as that is not my background.
REAL TIME TELESCOPE IMAGE STACKING SOFTWARE SOFTWARE
Within this grey area the user can employ a large variety of cameras and techniques, but in all cases will be observing via an integrated software package that is capable of stacking image frames in real-time and sending the image to a monitor.Ī. Then there is astrophotography, where image data is collected over the course of tens of minutes to hours, and then combined and processed to produce a final image after the fact.īetween video astronomy and astrophotography is a wide grey area where the quality of image the user observes is determined by the amount of time they want to invest. The camera refreshes the image in seconds to tens of seconds, and the output of the camera is visible on a video or computer monitor. Video astronomy cameras use a CCD or CMOS based camera to present a continually updated image of an astronomical object. Next comes what has been traditionally referred to as "video astronomy". These devices provide an immediate visual enhancement. At one end there are light (or image) intensifers which provide a view most similar to looking directly through an eyepiece. EAA is a broad term that's often divided into sub-categories based on the effort or time involved in generating an observable image. You can see more of Jim's work at the website of his Abbey Road Observatory.Ī. As he says in this article, if it weren't for EAA, he likely wouldn't be active in astronomy today. Jim lives with his family in Ottawa, Canada, and often employs the tools of EAA to pull dim objects out of badly light-polluted sky. He has authored several magazine articles, including pieces for Astronomy Technology Today and Astronomy magazine. Jim has long been a presence on astronomy forums and has leveraged his technical expertise as an aerospace engineer to make many detailed and useful reports related to filters for visual observing and astrophotography. As a long-time EAA aficionado with a decade of experience, Jim is the perfect guide for observers who are curious about EAA or who may wish to actively move into this rewarding branch of amateur astronomy. EAA is a relatively new and often misunderstood pastime, one that sits somewhere in the continuum between strictly visual observing and hard-core astrophotography. In this Q&A article, we speak with amateur astronomer Jim Thompson about the basics of electronically-Assisted Astronomy (EAA).
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