Meade

Deep Sky Imager: The Basics

Color Black and White Pro II Pro II

Parts Listing
When first opening the packing box, note carefully the following parts: Deep Sky Imager camera Parfocal ring USB cable DB-9 to RJ-11 adapter LX200 serial cable Autostar #497 serial cable CD ROM, including the Operating Instruction in .pdf format

Recommended Minimum System: PC running Windows 98SE with 96 MB and 100 MB free disk space. To get the best view and resolution for the images in this manual, zoom in to 200% using the viewing controls in the Acrobat Reader control bar.

Install the Autostar Suite Software

The following procedure is also found on the printed Quick Start Guide supplied with this product. Before you can operate the Deep Sky Imager camera, you must install the Autostar Suite software. 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. Do not plug the USB cable into your PC at this time. You will be asked to do so later in this installation. Turn on your PC. Allow Windows to load. Place the CD ROM into your PC's CD drive. The Main Menu screen displays. Click "Install Autostar Suite." You are prompted to choose a directory in which to install the driver. You may accept the default directory or create your own directory path. Click Next when done. The Select Components window displays. This window allows you to choose whether or not to install the Guide Star Catalog. Note: This is an optional catalog that may be used by the Planetarium program and contains all of the locations of the Hubble Space Telescope (HST) Guide stars. This file is very large and takes up a large amount of memory. Only download if you have enough memory or wish to use this amount of memory of your hard drive. Memory totals for the file and your hard drive are displayed in this window. If you wish to install the catalog, check the GSC check box. If you do not wish to install the catalog, uncheck the GSC check box. Then click Next. The Start Installation window displays. The program is now ready to install the Autostar Suite. Click "Next to begin installation. The Microsoft Text to Speech Engine window displays. Click "Yes to agree to the terms and to continue with the installation. The Microsoft .Net Framework installation window displays. You must click Yes for the Deep Sky Imager to operate. Once .Net Framework installs, the .Net Framework agreement displays. Click OK to continue. A window displays that allows you to install Adobe Acrobat Reader if you do not already have it installed on your PC. Click Yes or No. The InstallShield Wizard for the Meade Deep Sky Imager displays. Click "Next. A window displays prompting you to do a complete or custom install of InstallShield Wizard. Click on the Complete button and then click Install to begin installation. (XP versions only) Windows Logo Test window displays. Clicking Continue Anyway will install a driver that should operate with most PC configurations. InstallShield Wizard completes installation. Click Finish. A window displays that tells you that Autostar Suite has been installed. Click Finish.

7. 8. 9. 10. 11. 12. 13. 14. 15. 16.

Connect The Deep Sky Imager Camera to Your PC

To connect the Deep Sky Imager Camera to your PC, you need to install the Deep Sky Imager device driver and connect the USB cable: Connect one end of the USB Cable to the Deep Sky Imager camera. Connect the other end of the USB Cable to your PC or to a USB hub. Found camera displays at the bottom right of your PC screen. The Hardware Wizard window displays. The Install Software selection is checked as the default choice. Click Next. The Wizard searches for the driver. 5. (XP versions only) Windows Logo Test window displays. Clicking Continue Anyway will install a driver that should operate with most PC configurations. 6. The driver is installed. Click Finish. 1. 2. 3. 4. The camera driver is now installed and your PC will now be able to recognize the Deep Sky Imager whenever you connect it to the PC. Check out page 56 to learn some helpful tips for your camera.

Start the Suite Software

If the Autostar Suite icon doesnt appear on your desktop, you can start the Autostar Suite program by going to Start/Program/Meade/Autostar Suite. The Planetarium program will display. You can open other programs of the Suite by going to the Image menu and selecting the desired program. You can open the Operating Instruction manuals or the Meade General Catalog by selecting them from the Main Menu screen of the CD ROM. Click the word Meade in the Main Menu or in the General catalog to go www.meade.com.

Connect the Deep Sky Imager Camera to Your Telescope

To connect the Deep Sky Imager camera to an ETX Telescope: While looking at the back of the telescope, orient the Deep Sky Imager camera into the eyepiece holder so that the USB cable points to the left of the telescopes optical tube (see photo at right). If you are using the ETX in a straight-through configuration, orient the Deep Sky Imager camera in the holder so that the USB cable points downward. To connect the Deep Sky Imager camera to an LX-200 or LX-90 Telescope: While looking at the back of the telescope, orient the Deep Sky Imager camera into the eyepiece holder so that the USB cable points to the right of the telescopes optical tube. To connect the Deep Sky Imager camera to other telescopes: Move the Deep Sky Imager camera around in the eyepiece holder until the image on the Deep Sky Imager display screen (39) is upright. To connect the Deep Sky Imager camera when using an autoguider: Attach the correct serial cable from the telescopes control panel RS-232 port to the comm port of your PC (see the Autoguider instruction sheet for more information). Also see Autoguider and Telescope Controls, page 31, for more information. Click on the telescope tab (16). Enter the PCs comm port number or Netscape Server. Click the Connect button (27).

Open the Deep Sky Imager Program

To open the Deep Sky Imager Imaging program, go to the Image menu of the Planetarium program and select Deep Sky Imager Imaging.

The Deep Sky Imager program will display.

Deep Sky Imager Controls

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Key to Deep Sky Imager Controls

1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. 10. 11. 12. 13. 14. 15. 16. 17. 18. 19. 20. 21. 22. Gain and Offset sliders Preview and Exposure controls Auto Exp (Exposure) controls Mono check box [grayed out for B&W model] Live Image check box Dark Sub check box Long Exp check box Color button [grayed out for B&W model] Combine and Quality controls Image Process box Object Name box File status box Save Process button Start/Stop button Image Acquire status bars Stats, Telescope tabs Help, Live, File Names tabs Histogram display Histogram sliders and controls Countdown display Autocontrast, Shadow Enhance controls Magic Eye Focus 23. 24. 25. 26. 27. 28. 29. Avg (Average), Reset check boxes Status display File Open and Settings menu Comm port field Connect/Disconnect button Telescope controls (up, down, right, left, focus) Autoguide/Guiding or Track/Tracking button (displays depending on whether scope can autoguide or track) Tracking box Centroid Will Cal (Calibrate)/No Calibrate button Center and Set Target buttons Corr (Correct) Gain control FL in mm (Focal Length in millimeters) Target Status display Tab scroll arrows Close Tab control Tracking box Dark Spot check box CCD Temperature [DSI II models only]

30. 31. 32. 33. 34. 35. 36. 37. 38. 39. 40. 41.

Throughout this manual, any number that is displayed in parentheses, refers to key above. For example, (3) refers to the Auto Exp button and (14) refers to the Start/Stop button. Mono (4) and Color (8) buttons are not available for the Black & White imager and are grayed out. The CCD Temperature Readout display (41) only is available with DSI II models.

Start Taking Pictures1

Once you have connected your camera to the computer and opened the Deep Sky Imager program, youll want to start taking pictures. Follow the steps below to start taking simple pictures with your Deep Sky Imager camera. We recommend that the first time you take pictures, you do so during daylight hours. Point your telescope at a stationary landmark, such as a building, telephone pole or so forthtrees and other objects that move slightly are not the best objects to use during your first image tests. 1. Click on the Auto Exp button (3). See Auto Exp Button, page 19, for more information. 2. Click on the combo box controls in the Image Process field (10) to display a list of object types. Scroll down the list and select Terrestrial. See Image Process, page 21, for more information. 3. Type a name for the object in the Object Name box (11). This will be used as the image file name. See Object Name, page 22, for more information. 4. Click Save Process button (13). Select JPEG and Normal Operation. See Save Process, page 22, for more information.

5. Click on the Live tab (17). See Live Image Check Box, page 19, for more information.

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Start Taking Pictures2

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6. An image should be already displayed on the screen (39). Use the focuser on your telescope to focus the object. Notice that in the Magic Eye Focus field (22), that two triangles are displayed and change their size. The Magic Eye Focus will help you focus your image; see Magic Eye Focus, page 25, for more information. If you are having a lot of problems focusing your image, see The Parfocal Ring, pages 17-18. 7. Click Start (14). The camera begins taking pictures and will continue to do so until you click on Stop. Watch the Status box (24). When Images reaches 50, click the Stop button (14).

Go to the next page to find out what the program is doing once you press Start.

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What Happens When You Press Start1

The live image is displayed on the programs display screen if the Live box is checked and the Live tab is selected (these are the default settings). When you press Start, the Deep Sky Imager camera begins taking images and continues to take images until you press stop. The Deep Sky Imager program uses the first 10 images it takes as a baseline to compare with the images it takes subsequently. In other words, the program is always comparing images. Note: The user can change the amount of images that the program uses as a baseline. See Evaluation Count, page 21, for more information. The program takes images with the best contrast and quality and assembles the best of these images (that is, the program stacks the best images) into one image; this image is referred to as the composite image in this manual. After you press the Start button, the composite image is displayed as a new tab above the display screen. When you press Stop and select this tab, the final version of the composite image is displayed. After about 10 images are taken, the Deep Sky Imager program applies a sharpening filter to the composite image. You can choose which sharpening filter you wish to use from the most to the least sharp, or none. You can change the filter setting while the camera is taking pictures. See Kernel Filter, page 21, for more information. Further image enhancement or filtering may be performed in other image editing software, such as the supplied Image Processing software or Adobe Photoshop. Make sure you select an image type that can be opened (such as JPEG or BMP) by the Image Editing software.

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What Happens When You Press Start2

The Deep Sky Imager program is continually resaving the composite image. If the Save Every Composite Image box is checked, in the Save Option dialog the program will save every image that added to the composite image (see page 22 for more information). If your PC crashes or loses power, the images that have been taken up to the time of the crash or power loss will automatically be savedthe user does not need to save them manually. The Deep Sky Imager program continues to composite the image until you press the Stop button. Typically, about 50 images are needed to get a high quality composite image. After 50 images, the quality of the image increases only in small amounts; about 90% of the quality level will have been accumulated with about 50 images. When you press Start again, the Deep Sky Imager program begins to accumulate a new composite image and renames the image in a new tab. For example, if you named the first image Building, the next images will be named Building 2, then Building 3 and so forth, so that it doesnt overwrite the previously saved images. If a name/number was previously saved as a file name, the program will choose the next available number. For example, if Building 7 was previously saved, the next file will be named Building 8. Note that controls that are not currently available are grayed out.

Check out page 56 to learn some helpful tips for your camera.

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How to take a picture of a terrestrial object, the Moon or a planet

1. Insert camera into the telescope as previously described. 2. Click on the Live tab (17). 3. Click Auto Exp (3). The program will find a good exposure automatically. Set the image balance according to your taste using the Contrast (21) and Color Balance (8) [color models only] controls. 4. Use Shadow enhance if necessary. This control is excellent for the moons of Jupiter, craters of the Moon, some deep sky objects such as nebulae. 5. Go to the Image Process box (10) and select the process from the pop up menu you wish to image (e.g., moon, planet, etc.). 6. Click the Save Process button and a dialog box displays. Select file type. Typically you will select jpeg. If you wish to perform image processing in another program such as Photoshop, select tif. 7. Draw a box around the planet or a bright feature of the object you wish to image. Or if the object is bright, choose a dark area, and check the Dark Spot box (40). 8. Enter a name in the Object Name status. 9. Click Start (14). The program will now begin to take images.

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An example of taking a picture of a deep sky object

1. Insert camera into the telescope as previously described. 2. Click on the Live tab (17). 3. Set the Live Exp spin button to 1.0 second. 4. Click Mono box (not available for Black and White models; continue on to the next step). You should see bright stars on the Live screen. 5. Before taking the first shot of the evening, leave the camera sit for 5 to 10 minutes until the temperature of the camera can stabilize. 6. In the Image Process dialog box, select Take Darks. Use the default values. 7. Click the Start button. 8. A warning displays prompting you to cover the telescope. Cover the end of your telescope so that no light can get in. Click OK when it is covered. 9. The imager begins taking dark frames (see Dark Frames page 34, for more information). The Dark Frames are saved in the directory: C:Meade Images/Dark. The program will display how long the Dark Frame exposures will take. Important Note: Do not take dark frames while the camera is cooling off. 10. When the Dark Frame exposures are completed, a dialog displays prompting you to uncover the telescope. Click OK. The Dark Subtract box (6) should be checked now; if not, do so now. 11. Stars should be visible on the live tab screen. 12. Select a star to image. If the telescope is connected you can use the telescope control (Arrow keys) to help choose a star. See Autoguiding and Telescope Controls, page 31, for more information. 13. Check the Long Exp box (7). Set exposure to 15 seconds. This will allow you to take a preview of a single image to view an example of how the camera is imaging. 14. Click Preview (2). The countdown timer counts down from 15 to zero seconds. 15. You can now tweak the image. Uncheck mono box [not available for Black and White models; continue to step #17]. more...

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16. Click Auto (3). Color image controls display [not available for Black and White models]. 17. Adjust contrast (21) and shadow enhance (21). 17. In the Image Process menu (10), choose Deep Sky. Use the default values. 18. Once you have a reasonable color or black and white image, type in a name in the Object Name box (11) Tip: If your objects name contains a number, such as M31, add a dash after the number. The program Automatically saves each image with a number and the dash will allow your image names to be displayed as M31-1, M31-2, M31-3, etc. 19. Click Start (the button is then displayed as Stop). The imager begins taking pictures. 20. The imager now takes 15 second images. Be patient. Take a number of pictures until your image looks good and click Stop to abort. You will now have an image that you can post on the web or submit to one of the Deep Sky Imager user groups. Experiment with Contrast, Shadow Enhance, Histogram sliders and Dark Subtract, and you will begin to take images like an expert. Dark Frame Subtraction takes out a lot of hot pixels from the image. Play with this control to see what effect it has on your image.

Preview image without color balance or contrast (color model only).

Preview image with color balance and contrast (color model only).

Final image after 50 combined images (color model only).

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The Parfocal Ring1

It is extremely useful to have the Deep Sky Imager camera and a telescope eyepiece be parfocalit will save you time when you need to refocus. Parfocal means setting two or more eyepieces to the same focus. (In this case, one eyepiece is a camera.) In other words, if you focus one eyepiece in your telescope, then you remove it and replace it with a parfocal eyepiece, the parfocal eyepiece will require little, if any, refocusing. The following procedure will show you how to make your Deep Sky Imager camera parfocal with a low-power wide-field 25mm or 26mm eyepiece (do not perform this procedure with a high-power eyepiece). Use the supplied parfocal ring and perform the procedure during the daytime.

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The Parfocal Ring2

1. Open the Deep Sky Imager program. 2. Insert the Deep Sky Imager camera into the telescope eyepiece holder. Do not tighten the eyepiece holder thumbscrew. Make sure the Deep Sky Imager camera slides down as far as it will go into the eyepiece holder. 3. Point the telescope at a terrestrial object that has a lot of contrast with the surrounding area and if possible, has a distinctive edge (like a building, for example). 4. If you have previously moved the histogram sliders, move the top slider to the 0 position (move all the way to the left) and move the bottom slider to the 256 position (move all the way to the right). 5. Click on the Auto Exp (3) button. 6. An image which may be or may not be focused appears on the display screen. 7. Use the telescopes focuser to get a rough focus of the object. Be patient. You may have to rotate the focuser back and forth until you can achieve focus of the image. 8. When the image is roughly in focus, remove the camera from the eyepiece. 9. Place the supplied parfocal ring over the bottom chrome tubing of the eyepiece. Do not tighten the ring. 10. Place the eyepiece and tubing into the eyepiece holder. Do not tighten any of the thumbscrews yet. See photo at right. 11. Do not use the telescope focuser in this step. Lift the eyepiece (but not the parfocal ring) until the object is focused. 12. When the object is focused, tighten the parfocal ring. The eyepiece is now parfocal with the Deep Sky Imager camera. Do not remove or change the position of the parfocal ring or you will need to repeat the procedure. Now, instead of focusing the camera with the telescope focuser (which is somewhat difficult and time consuming), insert in the eye piece/parfocal assembly and focus the eyepiece as you normally would. Then remove the eyepiece and replace the camera. Youll find that the camera is focused and may need only minor

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Automatic Adjustment Controls1

Gain and Offset sliders (1): Similar to a TV sets contrast and brightness controls. These controls are automatically set after you pick an Object (10) type and click on the Auto Exp button (3). Most users will seldom, if ever, need to set these controls manually. Auto Exp. button (3): Automatically sets the Gain and Offset controls(1) for the camera. Before taking pictures, choose an Object (10) type and click on the Auto Exp button. This will adjust the camera to give you the typical contrast and brightness you need to take pictures for the type of object you have selected. You can further adjust the picture by adjusting the Histogram sliders (19), Filters (Kernel Filters, page 21, for more information) and focusing the telescope (see Magic Eye Focus, page 25, for more information). Mono check box (4) [grayed out and not available for the Black and White model]: Check this box to take a black and white picture. Live Image check box (17): Click to display live camera image in the Image Display (39). Dark Subtract check box (6): See Dark Frames, page 27, for more information. Color (Color Balance) (8) [grayed out and not available for the Black and White model]: Allows you to control your images color. It is recommended that you click Auto and then make further adjustments using the other controls. Auto automatically sets a color balance, balancing the red and blue values in relation to the green. Note: Once Auto is pressed, the values selected by Auto remain do not change, unless changed by the user they are not continually updated by the program. When you begin a new image, it is recommended that you reset the values in the Color dialog.

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Automatic Adjustment Controls2

Color sliders [not available for the Black and White model]. Experiment with these sliders to change to change the image color. Sharp [not available for the Black and White model] provides a sharper image, but the colors are less Saturated. Soft [not available for the Black and White model] provides more saturated colors. Daylight [not available for the Black and White model] provides a brighter image. Note that this may also be used for deep sky images. Experiment with this setting using the Preview Control (7). Reset [not available for the Black and White model] sets of the color sliders to midrange. This might be helpful if you wish to perform color correction in another image processing program, such as Adobe Photoshop. Long Exposure check box. Check this box to set a long exposure. If your telescope is only crudely aligned, set a value of no more than 15 seconds (this is a good starting value for any telescope to use) in the spin box to the left of this check box. How to take a long exposure: Turn off mono and click Preview. A countdown displays and the live check is turned off. An image displays. You can now use the color balance [not available for the Black and White model], focus, contrast, shadow enhance and auto contrast to adjust and manipulate the image. Once you have the preview sets the way you want your image, click on Start (14) and an image will be composited using your Long Exposure settings. Live check box. Check this box to set your live settings and focus. Check the Mono box [not available for the Black and White model] and set the spin box to the left of this check box to 1 sec. You will now have an image that you can easily focus using the Magic Eye focus controls (see Magic Eye Focus, page 25).

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Image Processing Controls1

Setting Menu (25): Click on the Setting Tab to display the Setting fields. These are field that may be filled in by the user, if so desired. It also contains the directory paths for the Images and Dark frames directories. Combine (9): Selects a minimum quality level that is acceptable when images are added together to produce the composite image. Typically 50% is selected. You may wish to set it lower (e.g., 30%) if you have an image that has a lot of turbulence or other noise, but should try adjusting other controls first, such as the Histogram sliders (19). Also try refocusing the telescope. Image Process (10): Displays a list of objects to view, such as Mars, the Moon, terrestrial, etc. Adjusts some of the image processing settings to preset levels that will assist you in better quality images for the select object. Also Take Dark is on this list; see Dark Frames, page 34, for more information. Kernel Filter: The chosen sharpening filter is applied to the composite image as it is saved and is displayed in the live Display Image after about 10 images are accumulated. 3 levels of sharp filters, 1 edge only filter and None (no filter) are available. The settings for this filter appear when terrestrial or Moon is selected from the Image Process (10) list. Click on the Min Quality % spin box (9) to change the minimum quality level. Evaluation Count (9) allows you change number of images accumulated and evaluated to determine a quality baseline when the Start button is pressed. Normally, 10 images are evaluated (this is the default number). Click in the spin box to change the number of images used. Combine check box: Normally, you will leave this box checked. If you wish to take raw images that are not combined into a composite image (you may wish to process the images yourself), uncheck this box and check the Save Every Image box. The Deep Sky Imager camera will take images and save them in the Image directory.

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Image Processing Controls2

Object Name (11): Type in a name for the object. Each time the Deep Sky Imager program begins to accumulate a new composite image, it renumbers the image in a new tab, using your original name. For example, if you named the first image Building, the next images will be named Building 2, then Building 3 and so forth, so that it doesnt overwrite the previously saved images. If a name/number was previously saved as a file name, the program will choose the next available number. For example, if Building 7 was previously saved, the next file will be named Building 8 and will not overwrite the file Building 7. Save Process (13): Click on this button to select the type of file format in which to save your picture. Beginners are recommended to save their pictures in Jpeg format. However, if you wish to perform further image processing, select BMP or Fits. The last two formats, Fits and Fits3P are raw formats, are for use by advanced users. Tif files usually take up the most memory, but may be a useful format if you plan to use Adobe Photoshop. See Time-Lapse Settings, page 27. Save Every Composite Image (13): Normally images are added together make up a composite image or if they have too low of a quality level, they may be discarded. However, you may choose to save every composite image the camera creates by selecting Save Every Image Combine in the Save Options box. These images are not displayed as separate images; only the last saved composite image is displayed. These files are stored in the directory you have chosen using the Image Directory field or the default directory chosen by the program during installation. If you wish to view any of these files, Click on the File Open button (25), and then choose the file from the directory. If you set the Min Quality % box to zero (0), every picture will be saved. The number of images the camera takes is displayed in the Status Displays (24) and the name on the File Name tabs (17) change with each new composite picture. Start/Stop button (14): Press to start or stop the camera taking pictures. See What Happens When You Press Start, page12, for more information.

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Image Processing Controls3

Image Acquire Status bars (15): Display while the Deep Sky Imager camera is taking pictures. Also a box displays the images format (e.g., jpeg), type of operation, time-lapse sequence or other pertinent information..

Image Directory field and Browse button: Click on the Settings menu (25) to display a dialog box. In this box, click on the Browse button to locate a directory or type in a directory path in the field. Or you may just type in the directory name in the field. If you type in a new directory, the directory will be created when the first image is saved. Dark Frames Directory field and Browse button: You may select the directory in which to save your Dark Sub. images. Click on the Browse button to locate a directory or type in a directory path in the field. Or you may just type in the directory name in the field. If you type in a new directory, the directory will be created when the first image is saved. Settings dialog allows you to enter user information (name, location, Autostar model, etc). This information is saved as a FITs file. Tracking Status Bar. Provides tracking information. Dark Spot check box. Click to center the on a dark area instead of a light area when using a centroid box. A quality measurement displays, which shows the difference between the central pixel and the threshold. Time-Lapse. Contains some common presets and allows you to choose your own time-lapse settings as well. See page 27 for more information.

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File Settings Tab

File Open menu (25): Allows you to open a file you have previously created. Click on this button and your directory list displays. Choose the desired file and it opens as a tab above the Image Display window. See diagram below.

Close button

Scroll Arrows

Notice that there are scroll arrows (37, see diagram above) at the end of the tab row. Click on these arrows to display more composite image file tabs. Close (38): Allows you to close a composite image file tab. First click on the tab you wish to close, then click on the Close button to close the file. Cannot close the live or Help tabs.

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Magic Eye Focus

The Magic Eye Focus (22) displays a graphic representation of the focus as you adjust your telescopes focuser. The orange triangles grow together to indicate better focus. The red lines indicate maximum focus levels.

Avg (Average) check box: Check to average the last 5 focus values to smooth out noisy images. Note, however, that this makes the focus response more sluggish. Reset button: Resets the red maximum indicators.

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Connecting your Telescope and Telescope Controls

To connect to your telescope, see the printed instruction sheet that was including with Autostar Suite. Once the telescope is connected, you may use the following controls (28): Use the Arrow keys to move the telescope. Click on an Arrow to move in that direction at Guide Speed. Hold and drag on an Arrow in the direction you wish to move to increase the speed. Hold and drag an arrow in the opposite direction to decrease speed. Release to stop. If your telescope has motorized focus, use the focus button to focus on the object (only one focus speed is available).

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Time-Lapse Settings
Envisage software allows you to take time-lapse images of an object. This means you can set the software to take an image, wait and then take another image after a period of time goes by, and continue the process for however long you desire. This is ideal for taking images of clouds moving through the sky or creating an animation that shows the rotation of Jupiter (see Making a Movie of the Rotation of Jupiter, page 36, for more a procedure on that topic. When you begin a time-lapse sequence, you can perform other tasks or go inside and catch up on your sleep. Envisage does all the work for you automatically. The setting for Time-Lapse sequencing are found in the Save Process dialog box. Choose Save a Time-Lapse Sequence to use this feature. You will need to set three parameters for a time-lapse sequence: Frame Time: How long the image takes to acquire an image (be sure you know how your telescope can image an objectsome telescopes can track for long periods, other will get a fuzzy image after perhaps 5 minutesset your frame time accordingly). Wait Time: The amount of time the imager waits before taking the next picture; this is the amount of time it remains idle between images. It can be set to zero. Total Time: How long do you want the entire sequence to run.

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Deep Sky Imager Camera Program

Advanced Concepts

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Tracking Boxes and Centroids

Drawing a tracking box allows you to track (that is, to follow) a bright spot that is surrounded by a dark area. This is very much like your telescopes tracking feature. A centroid is the spot where the crosshairs meet. You can use the centroids to help you center an object in a box. The centroid is used for shifting an image before it is combined in a composite image, and also is used for autoguiding. To create a tracking box, just use the cursor to draw a box around an object. For your first tests of this feature, try to choose an object that is bright and has a dark area surrounding it. You can experiment with this as you get familiar with the function. If youre tracking a crater on the moon, draw the box about the center or a bright spot in a crater.

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Histogram Display and Controls

The Histogram controls allow you more control of the brightness, contrast and mid-range tones of your Deep Sky Imager camera. Experiment with these controls. Select an easily focused terrestrial image and adjust the Histogram sliders. You will notice the Live image growing brighter or darker, and even notice mid-tones becoming more visible. You will have to adjust these sliders differently for each object and can adjust the sliders on the fly as you are creating a composite image. You can also use these control when you select Preview. When you return to the live image, it will apply the setting you choose while in the preview mode. Note: The effect of the sliders is saved in all file types, except fits and fits3P. Autocontrast: Automatically sets the sliders for the best contrast. You can change the settings from 1 through 5 to set more contrast. Each number provides a higher level of contrast than the last; 5 is good for very dim objects. Shadow Enhance: Helps bring out details in the shadows.

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Autoguider and Telescope Controls

For users familiar with the product, the Deep Sky Imager camera functions in a manner similar to the Meade Pictor 201XT CCD Autoguider. An autoguider helps keep an object centered so that a 35mm camera can take long exposures of an image. Note that you do not have to set the Deep Sky Imager camera for a long exposure using Exposure controls (2). Autoguiding is used typically with telescope mounted in the equatorial mode, although it can also be used with LX200GPS Telescope mounted in the alt/az mode. To use the Deep Sky Imager camera as an autoguider, perform the following procedure. You will need an off-axis guider (see the Meade General Catalog for more information) and the supplied serial cable that is appropriate for your model telescope. You will also need to know the focal length of your telescope. 1. Attach the off-axis guider and your 35mm camera to your telescope as described in that products instruction manual. Insert and tighten the Deep Sky Imager imager into the eyepiece holder. 2. Click on the Telescope tab. 3. Attach one end of the serial cable to one of your PCs comm ports and the other end to the telescopes RS-232 port. 4. Type in the Comm port number into Comm Port box. 5. Click the Connect button (it will then display Disconnect). The buttons below the Connect button become active and status data is displayed, such as which version of Autostar is connected, whether your telescope can Autoguide or just track, and so forth. If the telescope is capable of autoguiding, Can AutoGuide will display. 6. Check to make sure your cable is properly attached, that you have the correct port number selected and so forth. If the telescope connection is verified, you will receive a passed message. more....

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Autoguider and Telescope Controls2

6. In the FL IN MM field (focal length in millimeters), type in the focal length, in millimeters, of your guide scope. 7. Locate a star using your telescopes alignment and Go To procedures. Focus and prepare the imager as described earlier in this manual. You may now using the Arrow keys (28) to center the object you have chosen. Click on an Arrow to move in that direction at Guide Speed. Hold and drag on an Arrow in the direction you wish to move to increase the speed. Hold and drag an arrow in the opposite direction to decrease speed. Release to stop. 8. If your telescope has motorized focus, use the focus button to focus on the object (only one focus speed is available). 9. Draw a tracking box around the star. 10. Click the Track button (the button then displays Tracking). Will Cal displays on the Calibrate button. 11. When you click on the Track button (you do not need to press the Will Cal button), the program begins to calibrate. It then begins to autoguide your telescope and displays X and Y error coordinates in the Status Display box (24). When the program is done calibrating, it will start tracking and a yellow circle will appear on your target object. 12. Click the Tracking button (the button then displays Track again) to stop tracking. If you dont move your telescope or rotate the guider assembly, you do not need to recalibrate. However, if you wish to recalibrate, click on the No Cal button to force it to calibrate (which will then display Will Cal).

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Autoguider and Telescope Controls3

Other Features Center Target: Click Center Target to move the yellow circle to the center of the screen. The telescope models will follow (some telescopes will move more slowly than others). Set Target: Click Set Target and click on a position on the screen. The target will move to the this position. Corr (Correction) Gain: Sets how aggressive the correction operates. Default setting is 0.5. .01 is the lowest and 1.0 is the highest setting. If your telescope takes too long to reach to the yellow circle, increase the gain. If you telescope keeps overshooting the yellow circle, moving back and forth, decrease the gain. If the telescope never reaches the yellow circle, recalibrate: Click the Tracking and No-Cal buttons. Then click the Track button again.

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Some Words about Dark Frames

In oil painting, it is important to prepare the surface of the canvas to receive the paint. The unfinished surface of the canvas is not conducive to the fine brushstrokes required for fine art. The surface may have fabric strings or grainy bumps that will distort the finished picture. Canvas preparation is accomplished by applying oil gesso with broad regular strokes in one direction. After drying for several days the artist sands the surface until smooth and repeats the gessoing process as needed to achieve a smooth surface. Only then is the canvas ready for the artist to begin. A similar process is needed for the Deep Sky Imager which can be thought of as a canvas for a fine painting, only in this case the canvas is the silicon surface of the imager. This silicon surface is uneven in a different way. If the Deep Sky Image sensor is covered to block all light for a period of time and the resulting image examined, you would expect it to be uniformly black, but it is not! This image, which is called a "dark frame", is speckled with a pattern of dots of varying intensities. The brightest dots are called "hot pixels" and all of these are created by electrons leaking into the pixels due to heat or other means and not from exposure to light. This pattern is very predictable and changes only in intensity with time. If this "dark noise pattern" is not removed from the exposure it will add distortion to the picture. Fortunately, because "dark noise" is predictable, it can be subtracted from an exposure leaving a clear image. AutoStar Suite software performs these "dark noise" subtractions automatically for Meade imagers because they transfer complete and uncompressed images to the computer. Images from webcams can't apply "dark noise" subtraction. Why? Because they compress their data and are unable to create a "dark frame" for correcting the image.

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Dark Frames1
Dark Frames is a useful feature for if youre taking exposures longer than 1 second. Longer exposures and temperature can create noise in your Deep Sky Imager camera called dark current artifacts. The Dark Frames feature allows you to subtract out some of this noise from your pictures. Delete Existing Dark Frames. Deletes and overwrites previously imaged dark frames. This is box is left unchecked as a default. Total Time. Displays how long it will take to create all the dark frames using the Dark Frame settings chosen by the user Perform the Dark Frames features at night. If the temperature changes significantly during your observing session, you should repeat this procedure. To perform the dark Frames procedure: 1. Select Take Dark in the Image Process combo box (10). The Dark Frame Exposure controls display. 2. Select a range of exposure time. For example, if the length of your exposures will be between 2 and 5 seconds, set the First Exp (Exposure) box for 2 seconds and the Last Exp box for 5 seconds. The Deep Sky Imager program will then take a series of dark frames image files between 2 seconds and 5 seconds in length at approximately 1 f/stop intervals. Later, when you set your camera exposure time (see Step 6 below), the Deep Sky Imager program will automatically select the Dark Frame file with the closest exposure length, scale it to the actual exposure time and apply it to the image you are taking. In effect, it subtracts out the dark current artifacts. more....

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Dark Frames2
3. Select a value for the Avg Exp box. This is the number of exposures that are averaged together to create each composite Dark Frame exposure. Typically, set this value to 10. 4. Click on the Setting menu (25). The Dark Frames directory field displays. The Dark Frames will be saved to this directory. You may change the directory if you wish. 5. Click the Start button (14). A message displays that tells you to cover up your telescope or Deep Sky Imager camera. Replacing the lens cap on your telescope is sufficient. The program erases all the old Dark Frames files in the directory, and takes and saves the new Dark Frames series. When all the Frames are taken, Done displays in the Status Display (24). Notice the Histogram display; it will reflect the Dark Frames that are being imaged. 6. Select an exposure in the Exposure Controls (2). The Dark Frames feature is used with Longer exposures, so your exposure time should typically be longer than 1 second. 7. Check the Dark Sub check box (6). The Dark Frames feature is automated, so Dark Frames will automatically be applied to any pictures you now take. 8. Remove the lens cap from your telescope or uncover your Deep Sky Imager camera. Begin taking pictures as previously described in Start Taking Pictures. (See page 12 for more information.) The Dark Frames feature is automated, so Dark Frames will automatically be applied to any pictures you now take. Note that if you are taking longer exposures, better results will be achieved with black and white (mono) images: Check the Mono check box (4) [not available for the Black and White model].

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Make a Movie of the Rotation of Jupiter

You should become familiar with autoguiding/auto tracking and calibration procedures as described in Autoguider and Telescope Controls, page 31.

1. Click on the Save Process button to open the dialog box. 2. Set the file type. Choose jpeg if just wish to create a movie, or select tif if you wish to process the frames in another image editing software program, such as Photoshop. 3. In the Save Option, select Save as a Time-Lapse Sequence. 4. Select Jupiter Time Lapse in the Time-Lapse presets. This preset is set up to watch the Red Spot travel across the face of Jupiter. The sequence takes about 4 hours and takes 24 images.

5. Follow the procedures for Autoguiding or auto tracking as described in Autoguider and Telescope Controls, page 31. Draw box around Jupiter so that the telescope will track Jupiter. 6. Click OK. 7. Select Planet in the Image Process dialog. 8. Click Auto Exp (3), so that the exposure will be corrected. You can tweak the color [color models only], contrast, shadow enhancement and so forth. as described earlier in this manual. 9. Type in Jupiter in the Object name box. 10. Click Start to begin the time-lapse sequence.

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Color Filters and the Black and White Imager

The Black and White Deep Sky Imager model is shipped with a slide that will hold optional CCD RGB color filters, allowing you to tint, or tint and combine your black and white images. Meade offers one such filter set, the Meade CCD RGB Filter set, which includes a red, green, blue and IR filter. Tip: When you are using a color filter, write down the filter name along with the object name in the object name box (11). This will make it easier to retrieve when you wish to process your image. If you so desire, you may also write down the name of the filter you are using in the Settings menu box in the filter field. Make sure you change the filter color name in this field when you switch filters. Tip: Make sure that you use a software application, such as the IP program included with Autostar Suite or Photoshop, which allows you to precisely register and combine your tinted images. The Black and White Imager is shipped with the imager, slide and nosepiece separate. To install the filters onto the slide: 1: Thread one or more color filters onto the slide so that they clear the bottom edge of the slide. If a filter hangs below the bottom edge, it will obstruct the movement of the slide. Thread the filters tightly into place. Note: It maybe necessary to focus each filter separately as you image.

Color filter slide, top view

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Color Filters and the Black and White Imager2

2. Thread the nosepiece into place and firmly tighten.

Attach nosepiece.

Push the slide into housing

3. Gently push the slide into slide housing on the camera. Notice that you can feel each filter click in place as you move the slide across the camera. This will make it easier to tell if the filter is in place in the dark. Note the order that you installed the filters as it may be difficult to determine color in the dark. And be aware that either end of the slide can be placed into either end of the housing. You may now choose a filter for imaging.

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Drizzle Tutorials
Drizzle Tutorial #1 This tutorial demonstrates the basic operation of drizzle and how you get started. The following tutorial assumes that you have the imager on the telescope pointed at a Deep Sky object properly focused and that dark frames have been taken up to the longest desired exposure time. Recommended settings File Type -> FITS3P Save Options -> Save All Uncombined Images The above settings are highly recommended. FITS3P will save the full dynamic range of the imager and Save All... will allow you to run the images back through drizzle offline allowing you to try different settings. These setting are found by pressing the Save Proc... button on the imager tab. 1. Select Drizzle from the Image Process dropdown menu. 2. Enter a name in the Object Name box. 3. Set Min Quality and Evaluation Count as desired. Press the Settings button see the Drizzle Resolutions section of this document for a description of these settings. These settings are not critical if you used the recommended settings above because you will be able run the images back through drizzle off line. 4. Start autotracking Follow the directions in the manual on page 31 and set up your Meade Telescope for autotracking/Guiding. Be sure the Imager pull down in the Telescope tab is set to the imager you are using for drizzle. The imagers are identified by name. More...

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Drizzle Tutorials2
5. Select 2 stars The first star selected will be the shift star this is the position that will be shifted for subsequent images. This is also the star that will be used for telescope tracking. The second star is to determine the rotation angle from the first star. It is important to pick stars that are close to the center. Keep the selection within the middle third of the image, this way the telescope control will have maximum shift space. The telescope control will not shift the selected stars out of the image. When you run the images off line you can select different stars. If your telescope is polar mounted and well aligned you can use a single star, this will give you the maximum field of view possible. 6. Press Start Envisage will create a new tab and put the drizzled image there. Be patient, depending on your drizzle settings and the speed of your computer it may take 2030 seconds after the count down for the first image to appear. The image may be bigger than your screen, in this case scroll bars will appear on the right and bottom. 7. Telescope Tracking If you select the live image you will see your selected stars and a yellow circle with a cross. This is the target position. If your star was on the yellow cross when Start was pressed then the yellow cross will be in the upper right corner. More....

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Drizzle Tutorials3
Once the star reaches the first target position the yellow cross will move to the lower right corner. The target position will move to the next position each time the selected star reaches it. The next position is the lower left corner and the last position is the upper left corner. Once the star reaches the last position imaging will stop. But the telescope will continue to track on the last position. During imaging you can change the target position by pressing the Set Target button and then clicking on the desired target position on the live image. 8. Final Stretch Once the image is complete you can touch up the histogram stretch and shadow enhance settings and then save the final result by selecting File->Save from the menu.

Drizzle Tutorial #2 This tutorial demonstrates how to use drizzle after you have already captured images and are working off-line. Offline Processing A new feature is the ability to run your captured images back through the Drizzle process. Bring up the program without the imager plugged in (to lighten the load of the processing power of your computer). You will then see the Image Files tab on the top. 1. Add images Press the Add button in the Image Files tab on the top. The familiar Open dialog will appear. Navigate to the directory where the images are. Select the first image of the sequence and then scroll to the last image. Hold the shift key down and click on the last image. All the filenames from the first to the last should be selected. Now press Open. After a few seconds the files should appear in the file name list box.

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Drizzle Tutorials4
2. Select images Select the first image in the list and after a few seconds it should appear in the live display. You can use the arrow keys and go up an down the list and the image will appear. Inspect each image and click on the Remove button to take the bad images out of the list. This will not delete the image from your hard drive. 3. File Type: [what ever you want your final image type to be] This setting is up to you. The FITS file types will save the full dynamic range but the others formats may be more user friendly. 4. Save Options: Normal This is the only setting that is valid, the other settings are ignored. 5. Select Drizzle from the Image Process dropdown menu. 6. Enter a name in the Object Name box. 7. Set Min Quality and Evaluation Count to 0 and 1 respectively. Select these settings so that every image will be used in the final composite image. This is acceptable because you have eliminated all the bad images in a prior step. 8. Press the Settings button. See the Drizzle Resolutions section and the sections following it for a description of these settings. These settings can be experimented with each time you re-run the process. 9. Select 2 stars. More...

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Drizzle Tutorials5
Click on the first file and then select the tracking stars. They dont have to be the same ones selected when the images were taken. After the selection you can use the arrow down key to check the tracking of the 2 stars. 10. Press Start Envisage will create a new tab and put the drizzled image there. Be patient, depending on your drizzle settings and the speed of your computer it may take 20 to 30 seconds for the first image to appear. The image may be bigger than your screen: If so, scroll bars will appear on the right and bottom. The current file name is displayed in the status box below the drizzle settings. The system will stop when all the files have been processed.

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Drizzle Tutorials6
11. Final Stretch. Once the image is complete, you can touch up the histogram stretch, shadow enhance settings and then save the final result by selecting File->Save from the menu. The file will always be saved to your default image directory. If you want to save in a different format then press the Save Proc... button and set the file type then select File->Save from the menu. 12. Stretch any file. By selecting File->Open you can load any image file and perform a histogram stretch and shadow enhance(gamma) and then save the file in the currently selected file type by selecting File->Save. The file is always saved in the default image directory which is C:\Meade Images by default.

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Description of Drizzle
Developed by NASA for the Hubble Space Telescope, Drizzle has features that dramatically increase the resolution and field of view of the Deep Sky Imager Pro's CCD chip. When the object being imaged would normally need a bigger chip camera, the astrophotographer can enable the Drizzle feature, which produces an effective 4.9 mega pixel camera from the Deep Sky Imager Pro's 640x480 CCD chip with Meade AutoStar controlled telescopes. It may seem that we are exaggerating, so here are the numbers: If a user selects Drizzle and inputs the value of 2 in the Drizzle 'Extended View' setting (effectively making a 2x2 mosaic), and a value of 2 in the 'Drizzle Resolution' (which takes multiple undersampled dithered shots of the object and reconstructs the image at higher resolution), they will end up with a picture that is 2560 pixels by 1920 pixels or 4,915,200 pixels. The uncompressed RAM file (in FITS format) will be approximately 10 megabytes. Drizzle is not simply enlarging the image as in interpolation. We move the telescope which in turn moves the image across the CCD sensor to perform seamless precision mosaics. On the next page is a screen shot of Deep Sky Imager Pro's image capture software called 'AutoStar Envisage' with the Drizzle Settings dialog box opened:

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Description of Drizzle2

In the Drizzle Settings dialog box you have three options, 'Drizzle Resolution', 'Extended View', and 'Pixel Fraction'. Here is what happens as you change each setting:

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Description of Drizzle3
Drizzle Resolution By increasing the Drizzle Resolution number (maximum value 2), the image resolution is higher creating bigger image scale. It looks like the image is simply enlarged, but in fact by taking multiple undersampled dithered shots of the object it reconstructs the image at higher resolution. Notice the Drizzle Size increase from 640x480 to 1248x936, and the final image size being 1248, 936. To accomplish this increase in resolution, we move the AutoStar controlled telescope a small amount and take an image, again and again reading out fractions of each pixel and then reconstructing the image.

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Description of Drizzle4
Extended View Extended view increases the value to a maximum of 2 (effectively making a 2x2 mosaic). We move the telescope in small precision movements, pause to take an image, and then repeat the action to make a seamless mosaic. This increases the true field of view of the image. Notice the outer frame has increased the effective field coverage and the file size has changed from 640, 480 to 1280, 960.

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Description of Drizzle5
Pixel Fractions

By adjusting the Pixel Fraction size to a value smaller than 1 (minimum setting is .20), the size of the pixel fraction that is downloaded from each pixel is set as the exposure is made. Using a smaller pixel fraction will increase the image resolution. While the final image size does not change with finer settings, the final image will be sharper. See the diagram with the smaller blue pixel fraction within each single pixel outlined in red in the following illustration:

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Description of Drizzle6

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Description of Drizzle7
Field De-Rotation Instead of just tracking and stacking images by following the movements of one star, the Deep Sky Imager Pro's Envisage Software with Drizzle will track and stack images locked on two stars, and can correct for image rotation that occurs if the telescope is tracking in the Altazimuth configuration, or in a roughly polar aligned telescope. Using this feature, you can do a quick alignment of your Meade telescope in Altaz, turn on the Deep Sky Imager Pro, select Drizzle, and draw a box around each of two stars in the field. The resulting image will not show rotational star trails.

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New Features in this Release

Multiple Cameras: The latest software release now supports guiding and imaging with multiple cameras: You can connect up to 5 and use any combination of DSI, DSI Pro, DSI II, DSI Pro II or LPI. But you must use a USB 2.0 interface and, if necessary, a powered hub. Make sure you have enough power in your ports to run all your cameras. Drizzle: The Drizzle function has been sped up for all models. Color Algorhythm has been improved on color imagers. Zoom: If you check the zoom percentage box, you can zoom into the center of the image. If you draw a selection a box around a part of the image, you will zoom into that part of the image. Select a zoom percentage from 100% to 500%. The zoom check box and zoom percentage box are displayed on the tab directly above each live image screen. Change Stretch on Completed Images. When an image is completed you can now alter the histogram stretch values and save them in the final image. Just pull down the file->save menu and the image will be saved in the current file time. You can also change the file type in Save Proc... and then save again in the new type. Image Files imager type. You can now rerun images through Drizzle or shift and combine by using the Image Files tab. Use the Add button and browse to the files you want to use and select them in the order you want. Then click on the first file in the list and it will appear in the corresponding Image File tab like a live image from a camera. Draw a box around one or two stars if you want de-rotation and press the start button. The image will start building and automatically stop when all the file images have been processed. It is recommended that the file type FITS3P be used for the image files because you can process with the full 16 bits from the DSI. More...

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New Features in this Release2

Imager Naming. The new software will prompt you to name your Deep Sky Imager the first time you run Envisage with the imager plugged in. Keep the name short and descriptive. This name will stay with that imager even on a different computer. The name is used to identify the imager when using multiple imagers. It is also used for dark frames. If you have more than one imager it is important to give a unique name to each imager. You can change the name in the Cntrl dialog when using the Pro or the Color dialog when using the original Deep Sky Imager. Imager Tabs. There is now an imager tab for each imager connected to the computer. The tab name is the same as the imager name and when it is selected the corresponding live tab with the same name will be selected automatically. When a live tab is selected then the corresponding imager tab will be selected also. There is an extra imager tab called Image Files this is a virtual imager that can be loaded with files and then those images can be sent through the Drizzle process as though they came from the imager. This way you can rerun the drizzle process with new settings for different results.

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DSI II Features
The following features are only available with DSI II models. Otherwise, the DSI II color model functions the same as the DSI, and the DSI Pro II functions the same as the DSI Pro. Resolution: 748 x 577 pixels. The DSI II models have almost twice the resolutions as the other models. CCD Temperature (41): Reads the temperature at the camera when you take dark frames. These are saved in the dark frames directory. The saved file name will include the length of the exposure and the temperature. When you click on dark frame subtract, a dark frame from this directory will be selected that is within the 5 of the current temperature and within 1.5 to 3 seconds of your exposure length. If you do not have a dark frame that matches these requirements, you will be requested to take a dark frame at the current temperature and selected exposure rate. The temperature sensor accuracy is 2. Temperature readings are made in half-degree increments.

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Finally, Some Important Tips

The following are some tips we have discovered that are very useful. Perform these procedures in the daytime, unless otherwise mentioned. Make sure you connect to the correct ports on your computer. Use a USB 2.0 interface. After you install the software, see if the camera is working. You should see lighting shifts on the live screen as you move it about. The camera does not have to be focused or inserted into the telescope to try this out. Focus your telescope with an 25mm eyepiece in place before inserting the camera into the telescope. Once you focus, you can make the camera parfocal as described on page 17, or can just try to focus the camera with the focuser. But focus using the eyepiece first. The field of view of a 25mm eyepiece is about 3 time the field of view of the camera. The driver has to be installed twice. This is normal for Windows. You will hear the installation tones twice. Do not try to delete one of the drivers. You will need to take dark frames (do this at night) to image with any of the the Deep Sky Imagers. If you have never taken dark frames before, or do not know what dark frames are, read up on dark frames, pages 34 to 36.

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This document and the Meade Autostar IP Software described herein, are copyrighted and are protected from reproduction, proliferation, and disclosure under the Copyright laws of the United States of America. The Software contained herein is licensed to you under the terms of a License Agreement incorporated in the Software. PLEASE READ IT BEFORE USING. By using the Software, you are accepting and agreeing to such terms. If you do not accept the terms, return the Software unused to the place of purchase for a full refund. Information in this document is subject to change without notice and does not represent a commitment on the part of Meade Instruments Corp. The software and/or databases described in this document are furnished under a license agreement. The software and/or databases may be used or copied only in accordance with the terms of the agreement. It is against the law to copy the software on any medium except as specifically allowed in the license agreement. The purchaser may make one copy of the software for backup purposes. No part of this manual and/or databases may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means; electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or information storage and retrieval systems, for any purpose other that the purchaser's personal use, without the express written permission of Meade Instruments Corp. Copyright 2003 by Meade Instruments Corp. All rights reserved. Printed in the United States of America. Microsoft is a registered trademark and Windows is a trademark of Microsoft Corporation. Acrobat Reader and Photoshop are trademarks of the Adobe Corporation.

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