Create imaging system for Vespera Pro

[theskyhound]

Hello,

I am trying to create an imaging system on SkyTools Imaging for my new smart telescope Vespera Pro to get an idea of the SN ratios for exposures but I am getting very off results. The system is a 50mm f/5 quadruplet with a Sony IMX676 Color CMOS chip. The usual subexposure is 10 sec but can change up to 30 sec but is not recommended because causes tracking problems, the systems basically stacks subexposures and tracks on the fly, and the usual gain 20 even you can manually change it up to 27. I am trying to estimate the ADU for the gain and I think that is what I am doing wrong. I look for information on the chip online and I estimate a 2.3 e/ADU, reading noise of 4 and full well of 74000.

I will appreciate some help figuring out the sensor parameters or if someone else had success creating a imaging system for this or similar telescope let me know that they did.

Clear skies,

Carles

Hello Carles,

CMOS cameras have different stats for each gain setting (.e.g. 20 or 27) so its critical to individually set up each of the gain settings you actually use with the correct readout noise, internal gain value, and full well. I did some digging and was unable to find anything on this camera that was useful. We need the standard CMOS gain vs. read noise, etc. graphs. Perhaps someone on Cloudynights has the data? 

Also, its not a simple matter to estimate read noise. Better to compare signal. The best sources to use for signal comparisons are stars (if you can measure the total signal in a circular aperture) or the cores of galaxies. 

We are going to have to figure this out before I release the EAA version of SkyTools, which I am working on right now. Its that version that will be designed specifically for these smart cameras. SkyTools imaging is designed for planning long term for traditional long exposure imaging. Its not optimized for using a camera on the fly. Because the workflow is similar, the EAA support is being added to SkyTools Visual Pro, which will become SkyTools Pro (for Visual & EAA). 

I urge you to join the beta test when the time finally comes. Its been a larger challenge than I had hoped it would be.