The New
Astronomy: Chapter 5
Cover photo: © Tony Hallas
Taking Guided Exposures
As you become more proficient with CCD imaging, the need to take longer exposures becomes obvious. Longer exposures improve image quality, show fainter details, and provide richer color images. Long exposures require some kind of guiding, preferrably using some kind of CCD-based guider. Some cameras integrate guiding features, while for other cameras you need some kind of external guider. This chapter explains the options available, the plusses and minuses of each option, and shows you how to get the most out of whatever option you choose.
What
Does Guiding Do?
- How Guiding Works
- Alternatives to Guiding
Auto-Guiding Cameras
- SBIG
- Starlight XPress
- Apogee
Non-Integrated Guiders
- What's Available
- Off-Axis Guiding
- Using a Guidescope
- On-Axis Guiders (LISAA)
Guidelines for Guiding
- Calibration Tips
- Load Balancing: Myth vs. Reality
- Adjusting Parameters for Guide Interval
- Adjusting Aggressiveness
Finding and Using Guide Stars
- Using The Sky
- Dead Reckoning vs. Pot Luck
Galactic detail is elusive - you need long exposures to capture details like you see here.
Guided exposures allow you to take very long exposures. In a guided exposure, the changing
position of a guide star tells the software how to move the mount in small
amounts to maintain perfect alignment for long exposures.
Image Copyright 2000 by Ron Wodaski