8
3.2 Capture
(
Figure 6)
The
Capture tab sets your exposure
time, exposure type, save path,
subframing, and other options.
Exposure
Set the exposure time in seconds. You
can also specify fractions of seconds,
like 0.5 seconds or 1.75 seconds, for
example.
Type
Choose from
Light, Dark, Flat, and
Bias. Most of the time you will only
need to choose from
Light and
Dark frames, but for the best results,
you can also take
Flat frames. See
“Astronomical Imaging – Dark Frames,
Flat Fields”. To start imaging or
focusing, take
Light frames.
Bin
You can bin
1x1, or 2x2. For most
imaging, you should always keep the
setting at
1x1, which provides the full
resolution of the camera. Binning
2x2
will group 2 horizontal and 2 vertical
pixels, and is most commonly used
to quickly find and frame a celestial
object. Binning in these modes
provides faster download times and
greater sensitivity.
Subframe
You can selectively download a segment of the whole field of view to provide
extremely fast download times. This is useful for focusing since you typically just
concentrate on one star. Click and drag the mouse across part of the image to
form a square (
Figure 7), then check the Subframe box. The subframe size and
coordinates will also be displayed in the
Subframe dialog.
Note: Make sure the Subframe box is unchecked when you start capturing your
astrophotos, or you could unintentionally subframe your images into a small
square!
Capture – Single
Takes a single exposure only. The exposure length will be determined by the
Exposure value in seconds you entered.
Figure 7.
Subframing a small area
speeds up the download time and allows
you to concentrate on one area of the chip;
ideal for focusing.
Figure 6.
Capture window.
