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BRT (telescope.org) - poor image quality!?


MartinFransson

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I´m very dissappointed right now. Signed up for a subscription to telescope.org to get some high quality (or so I thought) data for when I can´t image myself due to bad weather etc.

Today the first two images came in and I´m not going to use them for sure.

Firstly, the resolution is poor. 1056*1027 pixels... do they use a webcam? I would have expected at least an 8 Mp CCD but maybe I should have done my homework better? Couldn´t find any info on what equipment they use.

Secondly, there were ugly spike in the images. Not the kind I´m used to seeing in images from Newtonian reflectors but something even worse. Se attached screenshot where I have done a STF in PI. Without STF only the spikes are visible.

I unsubscribed right away and I won´t be going back there.

Are there any remote telescopes that offer high quality imaging at a reasonable price?

post-45229-0-68057600-1441713479_thumb.j

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This is normal performance for this type of CCD camera. The BRT is a great instrument and is capable of scientific results. The CCD is very sensitive. But it is also capable of producing nice images. It's a matter of setting the exposure to minimise bleeding on bright stars. Some software can help you remove the effects as well.

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As others have said, the spikes are known as "blooming" which is cause by a pixel well filling up with electrons and "spilling over" onto other photosites in the same column. Consumer grade cameras use anti-blooming gates which prevent this. The reason why professional grade cameras don't use these is that the ABG will cause the response of the pixel to become non-linear once they get near to saturation.  As these cameras are used for photometry the last thing that is desired is for a non-linear response which would skew the data.

Don't obsess too much about the resolution either. Many, many outstanding amateur astrophotos were 9and are) taken using cameras like the Atik 314+, which uses a 1392 x 1040 sensor

http://www.astrobin.com/gear/4770/atik-314l/

Multi megapixels are the domain of DSLR and mobile phone camera marketing departments......

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