by S.Quirk

by S.Quirk

M16 by S.Quirk

IC2220 by S.Quirk

With the GSTAR-COM cable and FREE software you can control all the functions with the camera from a remote location.

taken from Sydney

Rare detail captured in this image of Mercury. This is part of the planet not imaged by Mariner 10.

M1 - from Sydney

RGB image of the Crab Nebula from light polluted suburban skies

GSTAR-EX       FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

We have worked closely with the manufacturer to ensure the GSTAR-EX continues to be an outstanding planetary and deepsky video imaging tool for astronomy. Based on existing CCTV camera technology and having worked with the original versions of these camera for many years, a number of things have been improved through consultation with the manufacturer to the basic build including signal to noise (also minimising hot pixels numbers), amplifier glow in the image to changing out the green power indication LED to a red one for better dark adapted use at the telescope and the later development of a hand control for easy use at the telescope and remote control interfacing. Some astro-camera suppliers have taken lengths to modify earlier iterations of these cameras in terms of frame accumulation capability to provide deeper exposures and we also looked into this with the manufacturer. But, as we found along with other GSTAR camera users, longer image accumulation or exposure integration rates means longer picture refresh times which proved to be a problem for roughly polar aligned scopes. This means drifted stars not to mention more intensified hot pixels and background noise. So we decided that since the camera already yields such faint detail in its X128 maximum accumulation mode, many users are now able to produce some of the most exceptionally good images around for this type of medium and there was simply no reason to add further cost to the consumer who might otherwise be better off buying a more expensive dedicated longer exposure type camera like a Starlight Express or SBIG for taking longer exposures which require far more accurate telescope tracking and less (near) real-time viewing.

Since we leave the proprietary design improvements to the manufacturer and don't tamper with the cameras greatly improved performance, this means the customer can be assured of a far more cost effective imaging and viewing option designed within the specifications of its chip set and one that conforms strictly to ISO, FCC and UL certifications.

Our customer images attest to its outstanding performance as an astro-imaging medium that now does not require post manfacturer modification. 

COLOUR OR NOT ?

Originally and after some careful testing in the early days, we decided not to offer a colour version of the camera mainly due to colour spatial resolution limitations and the fact that as a short exposure device, previous technology was poor at rendering reasonable colours in low-light situations. However, the new GSTAR-EX CLR colour camera is the best yet we've found in fast exposure colour video technology. At 540 TV lines resolution it is an outstanding performer but does not rival the classic GSTAR-EX monochrome camera for overall low-light sensitivity due to built in colour filters on the image sensor. It is however the finest affordable colour image low light video camera available today at a low price and compensates somewhat for lower sensitivity with extra frame accumulation mode of X256 over the GSTAR-EX 128X. For general viewing and medium resolution colour portraits without all the filter changing and processing fuss, it's a very good camera option.

Shorter is Better

Our testing has shown that full resolution LRGB imaging with the highly sensitive monochrome GSTAR-EX has yielded the best deepsky imaging results seen to date. The higher sensitivity of the GSTAR-EX monochrome image sensor allows for more detail to be obtained with shorter exposure times making it perfect for poorly polar aligned telescopes and public viewing. This means a greatly reduced chance of irregularly shaped (elongated) stars normally occuring in similar cameras offering longer / noiser integration (refresh rate times). Faster On Screen Menu response time at maximum integration mode. The GSTAR-EX also boasts far less hot pixels (false stars) than other similar designs.

The First in Comm Connection

The GSTAR-EX is the first astronomical CCD video camera of its type to provide a fully functional cable gstar-com (custom designed in Australia) for complete camera control via a computer RS232 connection.

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While the standard GSTAR-EX camera is ready to use wth your telescope, the following options serve as a guide to additional accessories you may require at some point.The few combinations outlined serve only as a guide and several many other combinations for achieving a desired outcome are possible.
	PRIME FOCUS TRI-COLOUR IMAGING Suitable for prime-focus imaging with a Lumicon filter selector. An IR block filter can be threaded into the Lumicon 1.25" adapter end that is inserted in to the telescopes focuser. Tri-Colour imaging can be achieved using this system with ease by simply sliding each filter as required without losing orientation for later image alignment.
	WIDE FIELD IMAGING The Vixen 0.6X field reducer threaded directly to the GSTAR-EX and and removable 1.25" nose piece from common SLR camera adapter enables you to obtain wider field views with the camers. Also increases image brightness.
	HIGH POWER TRI-COLOUR IMAGING This combination is great for achieving large image scales (needed for imaging the planets) also allowing tri-colour imaging. A good option for short focal length telescopes like fast Newtonians providing a rigid solution over stacked barlows.
	SIMPLE IMAGE AMPLIFICATION This simple setup using a shorty 2X barlow lens works well with Newtonians for closer views of small and bright deep sky objects. Also good for imaging the Moon and planets using long focal length instruments like Maksutov-Cassegrains or Schmidt Cassegrains.

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DEEP SKY targets

SENSE UP X128 with AGC set to ON or in manual mode then set to maximum.

Note: That in this type of uncooled camera technology there are false star-like artefacts that appear due to varying ambient temperature changes called hot pixels. The hotter the conditions, more a evident. The cooler the conditions, less are evident. They are inherent to the highly sensitive design of the Sony CCD and this type of co-adding technology. They also appear in uncooled CCD cameras but to a lesser extent because these cameras are cooled below ambient. Experienced astrophotographers know that to remove them is simply a case of taking dark frame images of the equivalent exposure to the light frame image and subtracting this image from the light frame. The the tutorial for more on dark frame capture and subtraction.

LUNAR and PLANETARY

SENSE UP set to "OFF" and AGC set of "OFF" (this will produce the least noisy image. In ALC (shutter speed manual setting) adjust the shutter / exposure rate to the desired level to reveal the best midtone grey detail like the belts of Jupiter or banding of Saturn's disk. If the planet appears over saturated then this means the shutter speed is set to slow or you have the AGC function set to "ON" or is at maximum in manual setting mode. Note: The longer the focal length used, the dimmer the object becomes. You can brighten the object seen on the monitor by first adjusting the shutter speed to the slowest rate. If the object is still too dim then use manual gain control in the AGC function to boost signal level in incremental steps. Use this cautiously however to avoid adding too much unwanted background noise in the image. It is often better to reduce the telescopes operating focal length to achieve a brighter mage even if it appears a little smaller on the screen.

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For desktop machines, a dedicated capture card or T.V card can be purchased from as little as $45.00 and simply plugs in to a spare PCI slot on your computer motherboard. Similarly, if you own a Laptop, there are low cost PCMCIA capture devices that plug into the side of the laptop whch also have dedicated composite and S-Video input connectors where the output of the GSTAR-EX plugs directly.

Alternatively there are in-line cable devices that allow you to plug the camera in at one end and the other end connects to the computers USB ports. This is often preferred since it requires the least amount of effort.

All these devices are usually supplied with software for producing a capture window on the computer screen so you can see things just as though it were on a T.V screen. The best devices will offer maximum window sizes of 768 X 576 or 720 x 576 allowing you to take advantage of the camera maximum output resolution. They can be purchased online or from most consumer computer stores. To learn more about capture modes etc...download the GSTAR-EX User Manual.

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A. Unfortunately the answer is no. The Hand Control Unit will only work with the specifically modified GSTAR-EX camera (model GSTAR-EXC).

Q. Can I still connect via a PC to the GSTAR-EXC camera.

A. YES. The GSTAR-EXC allows operation of the cameras functions using either the buttons on the camera itself, or the Hand Control Unt buttons or connection to a PC COM1 port RS232 cable. The RS-232 cable is not supplied but can be made to order on request.

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A. For cameras supplied to Australia, U.K or New Zealand you should select the PAL-I standard. If this is not available, you can also use PAL-B, PAL-D and PAL-H. Using other option may result in a flickering picture or horizonal lines across the image. The best way to check is by having the ON SCREEN MENU running while changing your capture driver PAL standard setting.

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A. Yes. Since the GSTAR-EX is a non cooled camera in its basic form, background thermal noise and the presence of hot pixels become evident on warm nights in particular. While My Astro Shop do not yet provide a cooling add-on many GStar owners have been experimenting and coming up with good low-cost solutions. One link we recommend you visit is here

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A. If you have set your camera for X128 exposure accumulation and AGC set to ON you can view the image refresh rate on the T.V or PC monitor to see if the picture refresh rate is occuring once every 2.5 seconds. If the picture appears to be refrshing at a faster rate then the camera has not locked on to its maxim signal build up potential. To resolve this without having the restart the camera you can simply place a cap over the aperture of the telescope for about 1-minute to allow the camera to reach its maximum signal output capability. After removing the cap, the picture refresh time should occur roughly every 2.5 seconds and the image will show far more detail.

UPDATE 9th March 2009

A.This is a symptom known to be caused by using the GSTAR-COM software. Simply turning the camera off and then on again will not clear the variable exposure state that the camera seems locked into. To rest the camera properly you must disconnect from it from the GSTAR-COM cable. Enter the menu via the camera's manual buttons and select the Factory PRESET option at the bottom of the main menu. This will clear the cameras memory ready for new settings.

Note: When using SENSE UP accumulation mode to image faint deep sky objects you should always set AGC to MANUAL with a maximum fixed setting. 

This page is still under development

Copyright 2007 Binary Systems Pty Limited
www.myAstroShop.com.au
All Rights Reserved.

- Customer Images

M65 by S.Quirk

M8 by Mark Garrett

Neatly packaged in a handy carry case the GSTAR-EX kit includes UV/IR blocking and colour filters for LRGB imaging.

M17 by Mark Garrett

Australian Sky & Telescope Magazine

Get the Book!

Deep Sky Video Astronomy
by
Massey & Quirk

Helix Nebula imaged from Sydney. Exposure using maximum accumulation mode and 100 stacked video frames.

RGB image of Saturn