Orion 52018 StarShoot Solar System User manual

Orion®StarShoot™Solar System
Color Imaging Camera III
#52018
INSTRUCTION MANUAL
Providing Exceptional Consumer Optical Products Since 1975
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E-mail: [email protected]
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89 Hangar Way, Watsonville, CA 95076
© 2008-2010 Orion Telescopes & Binoculars
IN 349 Rev. C 06/10

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Welcome to a new world of adventure. Your new StarShoot
Solar System Color Imaging Camera III (SSSSI-III) is capa-
ble of capturing detailed, full-color images of astronomical
objects in our solar system. The planets, Moon, and Sun
(with optional solar filter) can all be imaged to create spec-
tacular views on your computer which can be saved for
emailing or printing later. The SSSSI-IIII can even be used
during the day to take images of terrestrial subjects. You’ll
find that this inexpensive, yet easy to use, camera will
enhance all of your journeys with your telescope.
Please read this instruction manual before attempting to
use the camera or install the needed software. For the
most detailed information on specific camera and software
functions, consult the MaxIm DL Essentials Help menu.
Parts List
• StarShootSolarSystemColorImagingCameraIII
•USBCable
• Parfocalring
• CD-ROM
System Requirements (refer to Figure 1)
Telescope
The SSSSI-III can be used with virtually any telescope that is compatible with
1.25" format eyepieces. The camera simply is inserted into a focuser in the
same way as a standard eyepiece (Figure 2). If you use a star diagonal, you
should remove it. In order to reach focus, the telescope must have approxi-
mately 0.2" (6mm) of inward focus travel relative to where a standard eyepiece
focuses. If your telescope does not have enough inward focus travel, you will
need to use and optional 1.25" barlow lens to extend the telescope’s focal
plane to the camera’s imaging plane.
For most types of astro-imaging with the SSSSI-III, using a telescope with a
focal length of at least 1000mm is recommended. Otherwise, the image scale
may be too small. To increase the effective focal length of your system, use a
barlow lens or other type of tele-extender lens.
Figure 1. To use the SSSSI-III, a
telescope, mount, and computer are
required.
Figure 2. The SSSSI-III fits into 1.25" focusers, just like a standard 1.25" eyepiece.

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Mount
An equatorial mount is not absolutely required for imaging with the SSSSI-III,
as the maximum exposure time is a fraction of a second, too short for astro-
nomicalobjectstodriftsignicantlyduringtheexposure.Useasturdymount
that is appropriately sized for the telescope tube being used.
For obtaining the best planetary images, however, we do recommend an equa-
torial mount. Planetary imaging requires combining many individual images,
and having an equatorial mount will prevent the planet from drifting out of the
field of view of the camera during the time it takes to acquire the large number
of images necessary. A motor drive (single-axis) is recommended too.
Computer
A computer is also needed. For astro-imaging in the field at night, a laptop
computer is highly recommended. MaxIm DL Essentials requires Windows XP
or Vista.
The following hardware is required:
• Processor–PentiumIII™orequivalent,orhigher
• Recommendedminimummemorysizeis256MB.
• DiskSpace–100MBminimum,500MBormorerecommendedfor
saving images.
• VideoDisplay–800X600,16-bitcolororhigher.1024x768orhigheris
recommended.
• Mouse
• InternetExplorer4orhigherrequiredtodisplayon-linehelp
• HighSpeedUSB2.0port
Software and Driver Installation
Before the camera can be used, software and a camera driver must be
installed onto your computer. Turn on your computer and allow the Windows
operating system to load as normal. Insert the included CD-ROM into your
computer’s CD-ROM drive, and the Launcher will appear (Figure 3). This allows
you to install the MaxIm DL Essentials software, and the Orion StarShoot Solar
System Imager camera driver.
Software Installation
1. Insert the CD-ROM into the drive. The Launcher will appear. If you
are using Windows Vista, the AutoPlay window will appear first. Select
Run Launcher.exe.
2. Click Install.
3. The InstallShield Wizard will start. Click Next.
4. Read the MaxIm DL License Agreement. If you agree with the terms, then
select I accept the terms in this license agreement and click Next.
5. You are now ready to install. Click Install. The installation will proceed.
6. Microsoft DirectX 9 or higher is required. Click Yes to install the update.
7. The installation is now complete. Click the Finish button.
Camera Driver Installation
Now that the software is installed, the camera driver must also be installed. Do
not connect the SSSSI-III to your computer yet.
1. Return to the Launcher and click Install SS Camera.
2. The InstallShield Wizard appears. Click Next.
3. The installation will commence.
Figure 3. The Launcher provides an
easy menu for software installation.
Figure 4. When initially
connecting the SSSSI-III to a
computer, a Found New Hardware
notification will appear and
automatically install the camera to
your computer.

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4. When the wizard is complete, click Finish. This has installed the driver
software; next we must install the camera itself.
5. Pluginthecameraintoyourcomputer’sUSBport.
6. A Found New Hardware notification will appear in your Windows task bar
(Figure 4).
7. Wait a few moments and the camera will automatically install on your com-
puter. When Device Installed Successfully notification appears you will
be ready to use the camera.
8. Open MaxIm DL Essentials from the icon on your desktop. The Live Video
and Camera Control Window should appear.
Once the driver is installed, the computer will recognize the SSSSI-III whenever
it is plugged in.
Getting Started During Daylight
We recommend using the SSSSI-III for the first time during the day. This way,
you can become familiar with the camera and its functions without having to
stumble around in the dark. Setup your telescope and mount so the optical
tube is pointing at an object at least a couple of hundred feet away. Insert an
eyepiece and focus as you normally would.
To obtain first images with the SSSSI-III, follow these step-by-step instructions:
1. Plugthecameraintoyourcomputer’sUSBport.NoticetheblueLEDshin-
ing on the camera; this LED light indicates the camera is connected and
receiving power from the computer.
2. Open the MaxIm DL Essentials icon now installed on your computer’s
desktop.
3. Essentials should automatically connect directly to your camera with a
Live Video Window and Camera Control Window. Your Live Video
Window will only show light and dark before the camera is coupled to your
telescope.
4. When the camera is connected to the computer for the first time, the Live
Video Window (and subsequent images captured with the camera) will dis-
play at 640x480 resolution. To change to full resolution mode, click the Setup
button in the Camera Control Window and select Video Capture Pin. In
the Properties window that pops-up, select 1280x1024 under the Output
Size heading, then click OK. The Live Video Window will now display at
full resolution, and will occupy most of the computer monitor’s screen. Any
images captured with the camera will now also be at full resolution. To move
the Live Video Window out of the way, click on the top bar of the window
and drag it to the desired location on the computer screen. Upon subse-
quent start-ups, the camera will automatically operate at full resolution.
5. To connect the camera to the telescope, simply replace the telescope’s
1.25" eyepiece with the camera. Make sure the securing thumbscrew on
the focuser drawtube is tightened after the camera is inserted.
6. You will now need to refocus the camera for the centered object. Focusing
will be the hardest thing to learn in the initial stages. If you are starting out in
daylight, as is recommended, you may need to turn the brightness control
of the camera down before attempting to focus. This is done by clicking on
the Setup button in the Camera Control Window. Select Video Capture
Filter, and to the right of Exposure make sure the Auto box is checked.
Then adjust Contrast and Brightness. If the daytime image brightness is
still too bright to produce an acceptable image on your computer screen,
you may need to stop-down the aperture of your telescope.
7. Turn the telescope’s focus knob so the focuser drawtube moves slowly
inward. The drawtube needs to go approximately 6mm inward from
where the eyepiece focuses (for most eyepieces). Look at the Live Video
Window on the computer screen and adjust the focus knob accordingly to
determine best image focus.
Note: The camera’s field of view is fairly small. It is approximately equivalent to
the field of view through the telescope when looking through a typical (i.e. not
wide-field) 10mm focal length eyepiece.
8. Image orientation can be changed by rotating the camera within the
focuser drawtube. Simply loosen the thumbscrew on the drawtube and
rotate the camera until the desired image orientation is achieved. Retighten
the thumbscrew on the focuser drawtube when done. You may need to
slightly refocus (using the telescope’s focus knob) if the focuser drawtube
has moved a bit inward or outward when the camera was rotated.
9. Select Light Color 1x1 mode in the Camera Control Window.
10. Set Frames to 1 in the Camera Control Window. You can increase this
number to automatically add successive frames into the resultant image
for higher image quality. If the object is moving due to poor atmospheric
Figure 5. The Live Video
Window and Camera Control
Window both automatically
appear when the SSSSI-II is
connected to the computer
and the MaxIm DL Essentials
program is opened.

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seeing conditions, wind, or a shaky mount, however, increasing the Frames
to more than 1 will generally decrease image quality. You can take many
individual frames and add them together (“stacking” or “combining”) later,
this will be discussed in detail in the “Astronomical Imaging” section.
11. Select the Single beneath the Mode box in the Camera Control
Window.
12. Keep the Calibrate box unchecked in the Camera Control Window.
13. Click the Expose button in the Camera Control Window. An image will
appear in a window.
14. You can save the image for processing later, if you wish. This is done by
selecting Save from the File menu.
You have now taken your first picture with the SSSSI-III! This simple method
of imaging is exactly how the camera is used to capture terrestrial subjects
during daylight hours. Close-up images of birds and other wildlife or faraway
vistas can all be obtained in this way with the SSSSI-III. Solar images can also
be taken during the day with an optional full-aperture solar filter over the front
of the telescope.
Take some time to use the camera and MaxIm DL Essential software during the
day to become familiar and comfortable with their basic operation. For best
results, you can optimize your images with the camera controls.
Camera Controls
For best images, you can adjust the camera controls though MaxIm DL
Essentials to fine tune the image. You can see how the camera controls affect
an image in the Live Video Window.
In the Camera Control Window, click the Setup button, then choose Video
Capture Filter and you can access the camera controls. Here you will find
the Brightness, Contrast (best at 50% or higher), Hue, Saturation (level of
color), Sharpness (keep this low as it can add noise), and Exposure controls.
The Exposure control is a gain adjustment that allows additional flexibility in
adjusting image brightness. You can either manually adjust this by unselecting
the Auto box and manually moving the slider, or have automatic adjustment
by leaving the Auto box selected. For usual operation, the ColorEnable box
should remain checked. For black and white camera operation, uncheck this
box. The Cancel Flicker button enables and disables the flicker function. The
default has the flicker function disabled, and there should be no reason to use
this function with normal usage of the camera. If the image in the Live Video
Window begins to flicker on and off, the flicker function has been mistakenly
enabled; click the Cancel Flicker button to cancel this function. To return the
camera controls to their default settings, click the Default button.
The other camera controls are available by clicking the Setup button, and
selecting Video Capture Pin. This accesses the Stream Format property
sheet, which allows you to set additional parameters. The Frame Rate, while
generally should be left at 15 frames/second for the sharpest planetary images,
can be toggled down to 7.5 frames/second for brightest exposures. (You can
also use the Video Capture Filter selection described previously to adjust
image brightness.) Check the Flip Horizontal box to change the orientation of
the image display in the Live Video Window. Color Space / Compression
selects the codec used by the camera; in this case it is RGB 24. The Output
Size can be used to shrink the image size if desired; the camera defaults to
640x480, but you should raise this to the highest setting (1280 x 1024) for the
maximum possible resolution. The other parameters shown with the Video
Capture Pin selection cannot be adjusted.
Try several different settings to get a feel of how the camera controls work
and affect the resultant image on the computer screen. The Brightness and
Exposure controls are the ones you will use the most. The telescope being
used, seeing conditions, and object being imaged will dictate how these cam-
eracontrolsshouldbeset.UsuallyExposurewillbesetrst,thenBrightness
is adjusted as needed.
Screen Stretch Window
The function of the Screen Stretch Window (Figure 6) is to properly map the
image brightness levels captured by the camera into corresponding image
brightness levels on the computer screen. A typical camera image has each
pixel (light detecting site, over 1,300,000 pixels form a single SSSSI-III image)
represented as a number depending on brightness. This has to be mapped
into the video monitor’s brightness range. It is important to set the screen
stretch appropriately, or a great image may look terrible!
Figure 6. The settings in
the Screen Stretch Window
greatly determine how an
image will appear on your
computer screen.

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Note: The Screen Stretch Window does not work for the Live Video Window,
only for open images captured by the camera.
In the Screen Stretch Window, you will notice a graph. This is called the
“histogram” of the currently displayed image (Figure 7).
A histogram is a simple bar graph that shows the range of brightness in an
image. Each bar in the graph represents a level of brightness; the bar to the
far left in the histogram represents the dimmest pixels, and the bar to the far
right is for the brightest pixels. The height of the bar is the total number of
pixels at that brightness level in the image. Every image has a different histo-
gram depending on how much of the image is bright or dark. Directly viewing
the histogram of your image in the Screen Stretch Window provides an easy
interface for making decisions on how the screen stretch should be set.
In MaxIm DL Essentials, the two parameters entered in the Screen Stretch
Window are Minimum and Maximum. A pixel that is at the Minimum value
is set to zero (black), and a pixel at the Maximum value is set to 255 (white).
An easy way to adjust the Maximum and Minimum values is to move the
slider arrows located directly under the histogram of the image in the Screen
Stretch Window. The red slider arrow corresponds to the Minimum value and
the green arrow corresponds to the Maximum value. Simply left-click and then
drag each arrow to adjust it to the desired level. The best results are obtained
by tweaking the arrows (numbers) until the most pleasing display appears.
There are also seven automatic settings in the Screen Stretch Window.
Typically, Moon and Planet will give the best results. The default screen stretch
setting is Moon.
Instead of using the Screen Stretch Window, it is faster to use the Quick
Stretch facility. This allows you to modify the image appearance instantly with
small up/down and left/right movements of the mouse. To do this, hold down
the Shift key, then left-click and drag the mouse on the image. You’ll find this
feature to be a great convenience when fine adjusting the screen stretch to get
an image to look its best.
The problem with stretching is determining exactly how to stretch the image for
best effect. Often there are several different possibilities for the same image.
Trial-and-error will be the best way to judge what the best screen stretch set-
ting is. Try several different settings until you find one you think looks best.
When the image is subsequently saved, the screen stretch setting information
will be kept when the image is next opened.
Use of the Parfocal Ring
A parfocal ring is included with your camera to help with focusing. The ring is
intended to be used with a 1.25" eyepiece (not included), preferably one with a
focal length of at least 10mm to provide high enough magnification for precise
focusing. The ring goes on the barrel of the eyepiece. When the ring is properly
positioned on the barrel, you can use the eyepiece to focus, replace the eye-
piece with the camera, and the camera should be close to focused.
Figure 8a-d. (8a.) To properly set the position of the parfocal ring on an eyepiece,
first focus the camera in the telescope. If you have a focus lock thumbscrew on your
telescope’s focuser, tighten it. (8b.) Place the parfocal ring on the eyepiece’s barrel
and slide it all the way up. Tighten the thumbscrew on the ring. (8c.) Remove the
camera, and focus the eyepiece by sliding it in-and-out of the focuser drawtube. When
eyepiece focus is achieved, tighten the thumbscrew on the focuser drawtube to secure
the eyepiece in that position. (8d.) Now, loosen the thumbscrew on the parfocal ring,
slide the ring all the way forward, and retighten the thumbscrew on the ring.
8a
8c
8b
8d
Focus lock
thumbscrew
Parfocal ring
Figure 7.
A histogram is a visual
representation of the
range and level of
brightness in an image.
Brightness level
Brightness range

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To properly position the parfocal ring on the eyepiece barrel, first insert the
camera into the telescope’s focuser drawtube. Set MaxIm DL Essentials so
the camera displays on the computer’s screen in Live Video mode. Focus
the camera as precisely as possible by visual inspection of the image on your
computer screen. You do not need to actually capture an image, just look at
the live preview on the computer. If you have a focus lock thumbscrew on
your telescope’s focuser, tighten it firmly once sharp camera focus is achieved
(Figure 8a). Place the parfocal ring on the eyepiece barrel, and slide it up the
barrel as far as it will go and loosely tighten the thumbscrew on the ring (Figure
8b). Now, replace the camera with the eyepiece, being careful not to change
the position of the focuser drawtube. Bring the eyepiece into focus by sliding
it in and out of the focuser drawtube (Figure 8c). Do not use the focus knob of
your telescope to focus at this time.
Note: If you cannot obtain a focus with the eyepiece by pulling it out of the
focuser drawtube, you will need to try another eyepiece.
When the eyepiece is in focus, tighten the securing thumbscrew on the focuser
drawtube to secure the eyepiece in that position. A significant portion of the
eyepiece’s barrel should be extending out from the focuser drawtube. Now,
slide the parfocal ring down the eyepiece barrel, and seat it against the focuser
drawtube (Figure 8d). Securely tighten the thumbscrew on the ring. The parfo-
cal ring is now properly positioned on the eyepiece’s barrel.
Now that the parfocal ring is properly positioned, focus the camera by first
focusing with the eyepiece. Simply insert the eyepiece as far as it will go
into the focuser drawtube, and focus with the telescope’s focusing knob.
Then, replace the eyepiece with the camera, and the images on the computer
screenshouldbeveryclosetofocused.Usethelivepreviewmodetoachieve
a precise focus with the camera. You’ll find that using the parfocal ring on an
eyepiece will serve to focus the camera much more quickly.
Astronomical Imaging
Now that you’re familiar with basic camera and software operation, it’s time to
take the SSSSI-III out at night under the stars to capture some astronomical
images. We recommend starting with the Moon, as it is easy to acquire into
the camera’s field of view, and typically does not require stacking of multiple
exposures as planetary images do.
Imaging the Moon
Imaging the Moon is much like imaging terrestrial objects during the day. Since
the exposure is very short, it is not critical that the telescope be precisely polar
aligned. Best focusing will be achieved by first focusing on a bright star near
the Moon.
When the moon is past half full, it is hard to get detail due to the tremendous
glare off of the lunar surface. Most detail, even on a sliver of a moon, will be
at the terminator (that tiny thin line between the shadow and light, see Figure
9). To get more of the moon in the image, a focal reducer will need to be used.
For close-ups of craters use a barlow lens (see “Using Focal Reducers and
Barlow Lenses”).
Imaging Planets
The best planetary images will be obtained by stacking (combining) many indi-
vidual images in order to improve image contrast, brightness, and detail.
Since you will be taking multiple images over a period of time, it is important
you have a decent polar alignment in order to keep the planet within the field of
view of the camera. To this end, having a motor drive (at least single-axis) will
also be helpful. Otherwise, you will periodically need to rotate the R.A. slow-
motion knob to keep the planet within the camera’s field.
To take multiple images of a planet for stacking:
1. Acquire the planet into the field of view of your eyepiece that has the parfo-
cal ring attached to it, and center it in the eyepiece’s field of view. Focus
the eyepiece with the telescope’s focuser. If you are using an equatorial
mount with a motor drive, make sure the motor drive is on and engaged.
2. Remove the eyepiece and replace it with the SSSSI-III. If the parfocal
ring was set properly on the eyepiece, the camera should be close to
focused.
3. Focus the camera using the telescope’s focus knob. If you are having trou-
ble determining best focus, try focusing on a bright star near the planet.
You can also use the histogram functions for most accurate focus, this will
be explained later.
4. In the Camera Control Window, set the Mode to Light Color 1x1.
5. Set Frames to somewhere between 1 and 10 to start. This number indi-
cates the number of frames MaxIm DL Essentials will actually put into
each individual captured image. Be careful not to set this number too high,
especially if seeing conditions are poor. Otherwise, the captured images
will be blurry.
Figure 9. The Moon’s surface detail looks
the best along the terminator.

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Note: The Frames setting is not meant to replace stacking of resultant images.
It simply puts more data into each image by overlaying subsequent frames on
top of each other. These images are then stacked as described later.
6. In the box beneath the Mode box, choose Autosave. Now set the number
of images you would like the camera to take under Autosave, select the file
folder in which you would like to save the images with Folder, and enter in
a Base filename for the captured images. Typically the name of the object
being imaged, such as “Mars1”, will be entered here. If “Mars1” is the Base
filename, and you choose to Autosave five images, then the images will
appear in the selected file folder as “Mars1_0001.fit”, “Mars1_0002.fit”,
“Mars1_0003.fit”, “Mars1_0004.fit”, and “Mars1_0005.fit”.
7. Click Expose, and the camera will commence taking the images.
Now that we have multiple images of the planet, we will combine the images
to form one high-quality resultant image. To do this:
8. Select Open from the File menu. Find the folder you indicated with Folder,
open it, and select all images for stacking using the mouse left-click and
the Shift key. All of the individual images selected will open in MaxIm DL
Essentials.
9. Select Combine from the Process menu. In the pop-up window, you will
see all of the images currently open in MaxIm DL Essentials. Choose the
individual images you want to stack and press the >> button, or simply
click Add All. Click the OK button when done.
10. The Combine Images window will appear (Figure 10). For Align Mode,
choose Planetary. In the Output box, select Average.
11. Use the Next and Previous Image buttons to see how each individual
image looks. If you see an image that looks poor, you can reject it from the
stack by clicking the Reject Image button.
Note: At least one image must be used as the reference image for the stacked
images to be overlaid upon. The default uses the first image for the reference
image. If you reject the first image or otherwise want to use another image as
the reference, click the Set As Reference button when the desired reference
image is actively displayed. If the image currently chosen as the reference is
rejected from the stack, and another reference image is not selected, you will
not be able to Overlay All Images.
12. Click the Overlay All Images button. All of the selected images will stack
on top of each other to form one resultant image. Click OK. You have now
composed your rst planetary image. Use Save under the File menu to
save your image at this time. To make it look its best, you will want to adjust
the Screen Stretch Window to Planet. You may also want to do some
image processing, see the section entitled “Image Processing” for more
information.
Imaging Planets: Recording Video
In the prior section, individual images of a planet were auto-saved for subse-
quent stacking later. Another way to obtain images for stacking is to take sev-
eral seconds of video of the planet, then break the video into individual frames
for stacking. Since the SSSSI-III has a maximum frame rate of 15 frames per
second at maximum resolution, you can literally obtain hundreds of images for
stacking in seconds! You save time by taking one video instead of dozens of
individual pictures!
To record a video of the planet:
1. Acquire the planet into the field of view of your eyepiece that has the parfo-
cal ring attached to it, and center it in the eyepiece’s field of view. Focus
the eyepiece with the telescope’s focuser. If you are using an equatorial
mount with a motor drive, make sure the motor drive is on and engaged.
2. Remove the eyepiece and replace it with the SSSSI-III. If the parfocal
ring was set properly on the eyepiece, the camera should be close to
focused.
3. Focus the camera using the telescope’s focus knob. If you are having trou-
ble determining best focus, try focusing on a bright star near the planet.
4. In the Camera Control Window, set the Mode to Video. Set Seconds to
correspond with the video length. Remember, the camera takes 30 frames
per second. So if you want 150 individual frames for stacking, set Seconds
to 5.0.
5. Click the Setup button in the Camera Control Window. Choose Output
File from the pop-up menu and select the file location where you want the
.avi video saved to. Type in a name for the file in File name. Click Save.
6. Click Expose, and the SSSSI-III will commence taking the video. The image
as it appears in the Live Video window is exactly what will be recorded. If
you wish to play back the video, click on the .avi file from its recorded file
location. Now that we have a video of the planet, we will break the video
up into its component images for stacking. To do this:
Figure 10. The Combine
Images window allows
“stacking” of individual images
into one high-quality resultant
image.

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7. Choose Open or Convert AVI File from the File menu. The Open or
Convert AVI File window will appear (Figure 11).
8. Select the file location of the .avi video saved prior. At the bottom left of
the Open or Convert AVI File window, in the Action box, select Open
as individual images. (Alternatively, the Convert to BMP files selection in
the Action box breaks the video into individual frames and saves them for
opening and processing later.) At the bottom right of the Open or Convert
AVI File window you can select the video frame number to start with (usu-
ally will be 0) and the number of frames to break out into individual images.
Use caution, however; opening many hundreds of frames at once can
be confusing and burdensome. Click Open. Now that we have multiple
images of the planet, we will combine the images into a single image. To
do this:
9. Select Combine from the Process menu.
10. In the Select Images window, click Add All. Then click OK.
11. The Combine Images window will appear. For Align Mode, choose
Planetary. In the Output box, select Average.
12. You can see how each individual image looks by using the Next Image
and Previous Image buttons. If you see an image that looks poor, you can
reject it from the stack by clicking the Reject Image button.
Note: At least one image must be used as the reference image for the stacked
images to be overlaid upon. The default uses the first image for the reference
image. If you reject the first image or otherwise want to use another image as
the reference, click the Set As Reference button. If the image currently cho-
sen as the reference is rejected from the stack, you will not be able to Overlay
All Images.
13. Click the Overlay All Images button. All of the selected images will stack
on top of each other to form one resultant image. Click OK. Adjust the
Screen Stretch Window to Planet, and use Save under the File menu to
save your image. You can now perform any wanted imaging processing.
Dark Frames
A way to coax additional image quality out of the SSSSI-III is to eliminate
unwanted camera “noise” from captured images. While this will generally not
be needed for most types of imaging with the SSSSI-III, it may help to improve
image contrast in some cases.
To do this, “dark frames” must first be captured and averaged. Dark frames are
taken with no external light entering the camera. The image produced is a map
of the actual noise in the frame being produced by the camera. When a dark
frame is subtracted from a regular (“light”) image, the noise in the resultant
image is reduced. You will find, however, that the short exposures that can be
taken with the SSSSI-III will not contain much camera noise to begin with. So,
subtracting dark frames from images (prior to combining) will not have a great
effect on resultant images.
Note: To most effectively use dark frames to subtract noise out of resultant
SSSSI-III images, it is important to take dark frames close to the actual time of
taking the “light” images. This is because temperature changes will cause the
noise pattern in the SSSSI-III to change over time. So, it is best to take some
dark frames immediately before or after the “light” images are taken.
To take dark frames for subtraction from “light” images:
1. In the Camera Control Window, set the Mode to Dark Color 1x1.
2. Set Frames to whatever you set it to for taking actual (“light”) images.
Note: When taking dark frames, do not change any of the settings in the Setup
button from what they were (or will be) when “light” images are taken.
3. In the box beneath the Mode box, choose Autosave. Now set the number
of dark frames you would like the camera to take under Autosave (three
to ten will generally suffice, these will be averaged together), select the
file folder in which you would like to save the dark frames with Folder,
and enter in a Base filename for the captured dark frames. Typically the
name of the object being imaged with the word “dark” added, such as
“Mars1dark”, will be entered here. If “Mars1dark” is the Base filename,
and you choose to Autosave five images, then the images will appear
in the selected file folder as “Mars1dark_0001.fit”, “Mars1dark_0002.fit”,
“Mars1dark_0003.fit”, “Mars1dark_0004.fit”, and “Mars1dark_0005. fit”.
Using the word “dark” in the Base filename will help you distinguish
between light and dark frames when combining later.
4. Click Expose, and MaxIm DL Essentials will indicate that the camera
needs to be covered to take a dark frame. Cover the front of the lens you
are imaging through, and then click OK. The camera will commence tak-
ing and saving the dark frames. Now that you have acquired several dark
Figure 11. The Open or
Convert AVI File window breaks
video into individual images for
subsequent stacking.

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frames, you will combine them into a single averaged dark frame for sub-
traction from subsequent “light” images.
5. In the Process menu, select Setup Dark Subtract.
6. In the window that pops-up, click Remove All if any filenames appear in
the window.
7. Click Add, and select the file folder location for the dark frames taken.
Select the dark frames and click Open.
8. The selected dark frames will now appear in the pop-up window. Click OK.
We are now ready to subtract the averaged dark frame from “light” images.
This should be done to individual light images BEFORE combining them
together. There are two ways to do this. If you take dark frames first, before
taking “light” images, then you can automatically subtract the averaged
dark frame from each individual “light” image as it is captured. If you take
dark frames after you have already taken the “light” images, then you can
subtract the averaged dark frame from each individual image before you
combine them into a single, final resultant image.
To automatically subtract the averaged dark frame from images as they are
captured, first setup the averaged dark frame as outlined previously. Now, in
the Camera Control Window, simply click the Dark Subtract square so it is
checked. Once this box is checked, every subsequent light frame taken with
the camera will have the averaged dark frame automatically subtracted. These
images are ready for stacking.
If you have already taken your “light” images or obtained individual images by
recording video, then you will need to manually subtract the averaged dark
frame from each image prior to stacking them into one combined image. To do
this, first open all “light” images to be stacked in MaxIm DL Essentials. Do this
with the Open command in the File menu. Now, click on one of the opened
images, and select Dark Subtract from the Process menu. The averaged
dark frame is now subtracted from the “light” image. Repeat this process for
all of the “light” images opened in MaxIm DL Essentials. The individual images
are now ready for stacking. You can save each image after the dark frame has
been subtracted (using Save from the File menu), or you can just save the final
combined image once the individual images have been stacked.
Image Processing
After you have captured and combined individual images (with or without dark
frame subtraction) into a single resultant image, you may want to perform
some additional image processing to bring out subtle details or to make the
image appear more pleasing overall. MaxIm DL Essentials contains several
functions which serve to do this.
Make Pixels Square
Make Pixels Square is not needed for the SSSSI-III. The camera’s pixels are
already square. This function is used with some other cameras, such as the
StarShoot DSCI II to interpolate the aspect ratio to 1:1.
Unsharp Mask
An Unsharp Mask is fairly simple in concept. First, a copy of the original
image is smoothed (low-pass filtered) to create the mask. This mask is then
scaled down in intensity by some factor (usually 50-95%), and then subtracted
from the original image. The result of subtracting a blurred copy of the image
from itself is to make a sharper image. This works because you are partially
removing parts of the image that are smoother, while leaving untouched the
parts of the image with ne detail. Usually the math is adjusted so that the
average pixel values in the final image are the same as the original.
ToapplyUnsharpMasktoanimage:
1. Select Unsharp Mask from the Process menu.
2. In the pop-up window (Figure 12), the Low-Pass Filter can be set to Mild
or Strong.
3. The Mask Weight is used to control the strength of the mask. The mask
weight is in percent; the higher the number, the stronger the mask.
4. Click on the Auto Full Screen preview button, and adjust the settings.
This allows you to rapidly adjust the settings until you are satisfied with the
results.
5. Click OK when the preview images looks its best. It is best to use a light
touch with this command, to avoid over-processing the image. Over-
processing can create artifacts; i.e. features in the image that are not real.
It also amplifies the noise in the image.
Figure 12. The Unsharp
Mask function can help bring
out subtle detail in an image.

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Color Balance
The sensitivity of most CCD cameras as a function of wavelength (color) is dif-
ferent from the response of the human eye. The filters used for creating color
composites also have their own characteristics, as do the telescope optics.
Although “perfect” color rendition is an elusive if not impossible goal (all indi-
viduals see colors slightly differently), it is straightforward to get “good” color
balance with simple weightings. This is where the Color Balance command (in
the Process menu, Figure 13) comes in handy to touch up the resultant colors
inyourimages.UsethePreview Image to see how altering these parameters
will affect your image (or click the Full Screen button to see the changes
applied to your full image).
Color images from CCD cameras typically require a Background Level adjust-
ment. This is accomplished by bringing the Background Level (or bias) in
each color plane down to zero. Each of the Background Level values is sub-
tracted from every image pixel in its color plane. Any pixel values that become
negative are forced to zero. The Auto button automatically determines the set-
tings necessary to equalize the image background in all three color planes. The
Reset button resets the background level subtraction to zero on all planes.
Scaling adjustment (percent) allows you to compensate for transmittance dif-
ferences between the filters used to acquire the three color planes. Values of
100% result in no change. The scaling percentages can be typed in or adjusted
using the “spin” controls (small up and down click arrows to the right of the
scaling numbers). The Preview Image is particularly helpful in monitoring
the results when using the spin controls. The Reset Scaling button resets to
100% on all three planes.
The Click On White Area to Set Scaling check box enables the operation
of the mouse to set the scaling. Set the Background Level first (you can use
Auto), then click on a white object (e.g. a neutral-colored star) in the image (not
the Preview Image) with the mouse. The Scaling settings will automatically
be adjusted to make the selected point appear white. If an area of the image
is known to be white (or gray), this is an easier way to determine the scaling
factors, and can be used to instantly color balance the image.
Stretch
The Stretch command (located in the Process menu, Figure 14) modifies the
brightness and contrast, and optionally the range (maximum and minimum
pixel values) of an image. Unlike the screen stretch settings in the Screen
Stretch Window, which only affects the how an image appears on the display,
the Stretch command actually changes the image data pixel values in the
memory buffer. In reference to the histogram, the Screen Stretch Window
changes how the histogram is displayed on the computer screen, the Stretch
command alters the histogram itself.
There are three elements which must be set: the Permanent Stretch Type,
the Input Range, and the Output Range. You can use the Preview Image to
see how changing these parameters will affect the resultant image (or click the
Full Screen button to see the changes applied to your actual image). You can
also open the Screen Stretch Window to see how changing these param-
eters change the histogram.
For the Permanent Stretch Type, the Linear Only mode is useful for adjust-
ing the range of pixels to match a particular file format. The Log mode is useful
for compressing the dynamic range of the image, but can be rather harsh. The
Gamma mode allows you to selectively emphasize bright or dim parts of the
image by entering a suitable Gamma Value. A Gamma of 1 has no effect - less
than 1 will emphasize faint details, while a value greater than 1 will emphasize
bright details.
The Input Range can be set to Screen Stretch, which in Linear Mode pro-
duces an output matching the current screen appearance. This is useful in
producing final images for output to 8-bit image formats which have limited
range. Note that the minimum and maximum values are always taken from the
screen stretch settings for the original image. These can be adjusted dynami-
Figure 13. The Color
Balance command allows
weighting of each color plane
to improve the overall color
appearance of an image.
Figure 14. The Stretch
command modifies the data
contained within the image in
order to improve contrast and
brightness.

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cally using, for example, Quick Stretch. The Max Pixel selection sets the
input range from 0 to the brightest pixel in the image. This prevents any image
pixels from being saturated in the final result, but may produce images with
low contrast. You can also manually set values with Manual Settings in a
similar fashion to the Screen Stretch Window.
The Output Range is used when preparing a file to be saved in a format
that has limited range. The Output Range maps minimum input to zero, and
maximum input to 255 (8 bit), 4095 12 bit), or 65535 (16 bit) depending on the
settings. Any values that exceed the limits are clipped. The Unlimited set-
ting disables all limiting and is recommended when performing Gamma and
Log stretches; it is appropriate when the image will be saved in floating point
format.
Batch Process
Planetary imaging can require processing hundreds of images. Fortunately,
Batch Process can be used to process multiple images simultaneously using
the various commands available in MaxIm DL Essentials Edition. Select Batch
Process from the Process menu (Figure 15).
Procedure for basic batch processing:
1. Select the image file you want to process from your computer using the
Select Filesbutton.UseCTRL-clicktoselectindividualles,andSHIFT-
click to select a range of files. You can see the path for the selected files
by turning on the Show Path check box. Or you can select images already
open in MaxIm DL Essentials Edition by clicking the Select Images button.
The window that pops-up will indicate all the images currently open.
2. Select the processing task you want done in the Processing Commands
box. Choose up to 6 processing commands which will be executed in
sequence.
3. Use the same recommended processing order for batch processing as
you would normally do manually. You should 1. Calibrate, 2. Adjust Color
Balance, etc.
You can remove selected images and files from the Batch Process list by
selecting them with the mouse and clicking the Remove button.
4. Select the location for the saved files using the Path button, or click Write
Output to Source Folder to cause the files to be saved back into the
folder from which they were loaded. (This option cannot be used when an
image has never been saved, for example, one freshly acquired from the
camera.) In the event that saving a file will cause it to overwrite an existing
file, you can select skip save, overwrite it, or move to subfolder. You
can specify the subfolder name in the adjacent eld. Use Size Format
to select between 16-Bit Integer and 32-Bit IEEE Float formats for the
processed images. To keep all processed image data intact (especially for
stacked images), we recommend using the 32-Bit IEEE Float format. If
you need to open the resultant files in another program, however, you may
need to use the 16-Bit Integer format.
5. Click OK to start the Batch Process operation. Successfully converted
and saved files are removed from the list box. If an error occurred the file
will remain in the list. Point the mouse cursor at an image left in the list. The
appropriate error message will appear in the Status Bar at the bottom of
the MaxIm DL Essentials Edition main window.
Recommended Processing Sequence
What is the best order to apply the processing functions in? Here is a recom-
mended sequence:
1. Dark Subtract
2. Combine
3. UnsharpMask
4. Color Balance
5. Stretch
Once you have the combined frames, there is a lot more room for experimenta-
tion and tinkering. Be sure to save a copy of the combined image; otherwise you
might have to go back to the beginning and stack individual images again!
Note on File Format
When saving images (using Save or Save As in the File menu), you have a
choice of file formats. The default produces .fit files, but .tif, .jpg, .png, and
.bmp file formats can also be selected. Having a choice of output file formats
is useful, especially if images will be exported to other software programs for
additional image processing (like Adobe Photoshop, for instance).
Figure 15.

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If you save to a file format other than .fit, you will need to check the Auto
Stretch box, or otherwise Stretch the image to change the Output Range
(in the Stretch command window) to match the Size Format (in the Save As
window). Otherwise, the Output Range will likely exceed the Size Format,
and the saved image will be ruined (will turn all white).
For example, say the Output Range is set to create image brightness values in
16-bit format, while the Size Format of a specific file format (.jpg, for example)
may only support 8-bits. Since the 16-bit format sees 65535 brightness levels,
and the 8-bit format can only support 255 levels, all of the levels above 255
in the 16-bit image (i.e. the vast majority of the 16-bit brightness levels) will
be saved at the maximum 8-bit value of 255. So the saved .jpg will have very
little brightness information from levels 1 to 254 and almost all the brightness
information at level 255. Thus a white image results.
Other Features
Flip –Flipsimageorientation.“Folds”imageaboutverticalcenter.
Mirror–Createsmirrorimageofcurrentimageorientation.
Zoom – Increases or decreases level of image magnication on computer
screen. When you zoom in too much, you will start to see the squares of indi-
vidual pixels. When zoomed in, you can use Quick Pan; simply hold down the
Ctrl key, then left-click and drag the mouse on the image.
Night Vision–TogglesNightVisionmode.Theredbackgroundhelpspreserve
your night vision.
Window menu–These functions altertheway multiple openimageframes
are arranged and displayed within MaxIm DL Essential. These functions are
very useful for organizing the visual display when processing large numbers
of images for stacking.
Tips
Focusing
One of the hardest things to do in planetary imaging is achieving good focus.
You can simply watch the Live Video window to focus, but you can focus “by
the numbers” on a bright star to get the best focus possible. To do this:
1. In the Camera Control Window, select Light Color 1x1 mode.
2. Set Frames to 1.
3. Turn off Dark Subtract.
4. Pick focus beneath the Mode selector and then click Expose. The camera
will take repeated exposures, until you click Stop.
5. If you point the telescope at a bright star, you can focus more accurately
“by the numbers"
MaxPixel is the value of the brightest pixel in the image. When you are in
focus, it will be at its highest value. You will need to look at the value for sev-
eral images in succession, because the number will bounce around with the
seeing.
Note: If the MaxPixel reaches 255 (in 1 frame capture mode), the image is satu-
rated and all three focus numbers will be inaccurate. Either pick a fainter star,
or adjust the camera’s Exposure settings using the Setup button.
FWHM, or Full-Width Half Maximum, is the width of the star half-way down
the sides. This provides a highly accurate measurement when you are close to
focus. When you are at focus, it will be at its lowest value. This number will vary
due to seeing, so it is best to look at several images before decided.
HFD, or Half Flux Diameter, is similar to FWHM, but works much better than
FWHM when the star is badly out of focus. It can produce a usable number
even when the star looks like a donut. Refocus often throughout your imag-
ing session. This ensures at least some of your images will have an excellent
focus. It is also not uncommon for telescope movements to alter the focus
slightly, so be sure to refocus for any new astro-imaging targets.
Choosing a Site for Astro-imaging
Once you have a focused image, you may find your image shifting and washed
out. This can be caused by many environmental factors. Poor seeing (move-
ment of molecules in the air, such as heat rising) and poor transparency (mois-
ture, smoke, or other sky contaminants) will all serve to reduce image quality.
That is why most major astronomical telescopes are on high mountains in thin
air, to get above much of the seeing and transparency problems. Also, wind
will move your telescope and affect images. Your eyes viewing through an
eyepiece can change slightly to compensate for disturbances like these, but
the camera can not. Keep these factors in mind when choosing an observing
site for astronomical imaging.
For the best astro-images, we recommend finding a location with dry air, some
altitude, and away from city or streetlights. Even a nearby hilltop in the coun-
tryside can provide better viewing conditions than many convenient backyard
locations.
Loss of Camera Connection
If the computer connection to the camera is interrupted, you will need to
re-establish connection. This can happen due to several reasons; if a cable
becomes unplugged, the computer “freezes”, or the software/hardware other-
wise temporarily loses the data coming from the camera.
To re-establish camera connection, first close the MaxIm DL Essentials
program on your computer. Then, unplug and re-plug the camera into the
computer’s USB port. Now, open MaxIm DL Essentials, and the Live Video
Window should appear indicating re-established connection between camera
and computer.

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Using Focal Reducers and Barlow Lenses
Focal reducers serve to decrease the focal length of your telescope. This
increases the field of view seen by the camera (decreases camera magnifica-
tion). This can be useful for obtaining images of wider objects, such as the full
Moon or a landscape vista.
Barlow lenses, or other tele-extenders, increase the focal length of your tele-
scope, which makes the camera field of view narrower (increases camera mag-
nification). This is useful for high-power planetary images. Keep in mind that
when the focal length is doubled, the image will become four times dimmer, so
a longer exposure may be necessary.
For best planetary imaging, you should shoot with an effective focal ratio
(telescope focal length ÷ telescope aperture) of F/20 or greater. This will give
you a good combination of image brightness and image scale for planets. For
most telescopes, a barlow lens will be required to obtain this focal ratio. For
example, Schmidt-Cassegrain telescopes usually have a focal ratio of F/10.
A 2x barlow lens doubles the effective focal length of the telescope, which
makes the focal ratio f/20. Similarly, a 3x barlow lens will yield of focal ratio
of F/30. You can also try using multiple barlows to obtain even greater effec-
tive focal ratios. There is a limit to how large a focal ratio your telescope and
seeing conditions can handle, however. Experimentation will be needed to see
what your telescope is capable of in the seeing conditions on a given night. If
the image appears somewhat dim and fuzzy on the computer screen, you may
want to consider removing the barlow lens.
USB Extension Cable
In many instances, it is likely that a longer cable for the SSSSI-III will be need-
ed in order to comfortably setup telescope, camera, and computer. We rec-
ommendpurchasinga10’USBextensioncableifyouneedmorecordlength
(available through Orion, check the catalog or www.OrionTelescopes.com).
Specifications
Sensor: MT9M001 Color CMOS progressive scan
Sensor size: 1/2"
Number of pixels: 1.3 million, 1280x1024 pixel layout
Videoframerate: Upto15frames/secondatfullresolution
A/D conversion: 8 bit
IR filter: Yes
Connection: HighSpeedUSB2.0
Gain (brightness)
control: +10 dB
Barrel: 1.25"
This device complies with Part 15 of the FCC Rules. Operation is subject to the
following two conditions: (1) this device may not cause harmful interference,
and (2) this device must accept any interference received, including interfer-
ence that may cause undesired operation.
Changes of modifications not expressly approved by the party responsible for
compliance could void the user’s authority to operate the equipment.
Note: This equipment has been tested and found to comply with the limits for
a Class B digital device, pursuant to Part 15 of the FCC Rules. These limits are
designed to provide reasonable protection against harmful interference in a
residential installation. This equipment generates, uses and can radiate radio
frequency energy and, if not installed and used in accordance with the instruc-
tions, may cause harmful interference to radio communications. However,
there is no guarantee that interference will not occur in a particular installa-
tion. If this equipment does cause harmful interference to radio or television
reception, which can be determined by turning the equipment off and on, the
user is encouraged to try to correct the interference by one or more of the
following measures:
Reorient or relocate the receiving antenna.
Increase the separation between the equipment and receiver.
Connect the equipment into an output on a circuit different from that to which
the receiver in connected.
Consult the dealer or an experienced radio/TV technician for help.
A shielded cable must be used when connecting a peripheral to the serial
ports.

One-Year Limited Warranty
This Orion StarShoot Solar System Color Imaging Camera III is warrant-
ed against defects in materials or workmanship for a period of one year
from the date of purchase. This warranty is for the benefit of the original
retail purchaser only. During this warranty period Orion Telescopes &
Binoculars will repair or replace, at Orion’s option, any warranted instru-
ment that proves to be defective, provided it is returned postage paid
to: Orion Warranty Repair, 89 Hangar Way, Watsonville, CA 95076. If
the product is not registered, proof of purchase (such as a copy of the
original invoice) is required.
This warranty does not apply if, in Orion’s judgment, the instrument
has been abused, mishandled, or modified, nor does it apply to normal
wear and tear. This warranty gives you specific legal rights, and you may
also have other rights, which vary from state to state. For further war-
ranty service information, contact: Customer Service Department, Orion
Telescopes & Binoculars, 89 Hangar Way, Watsonville, CA 95076; (800)
676-1343.
89 Hangar Way, Watsonville, CA 95076
Customer Support Help Line [phone]
© 2008-2010 Orion Telescopes & Binoculars