OVERVIEW
CCDNavigator3 is a powerful visual tool that helps you select interesting targets, automatically position them for any guiding method and creates an optimal single or multi-target session plan for DSLR, CCD or CMOS cameras. It's highly visual approach and graphical displays for session planning will take you to new frontiers in imaging!
Key Features
Choose targets from “The Advanced Imager Catalog” consisting of objects imaged by some of the world’s best imagers and have all color thumbnails from “The Deep Sky Explorer Catalog”, which combines 28 astronomical catalogs with thumbnails for all 28,000+ objects. This lets you see what targets should be included in the imaging session. You can also hunt down and image little known objects.
Target Criteria allows you to manage the types and quantities of objects presented. You can filter objects by, classification (galaxy, nebula, etc.), constellation, size and brightness on the amount of time the target is above your selected minimum elevation. This allows you to concentrate on objects of interest then plan your automated all-night imaging runs! Details about the session are displayed with graphs showing:
- Sunset and Sunrise
- Start and end of darkness
- Information about the Moonâs dark cycle and possible interference.
Advanced Planning Tools Optimize Every Minute of Darkness
CCDNavigatorâs sophisticated target scheduling algorithm automatically optimizes the order for imaging targets and provides initial frame counts for each targetâs available time. The scheduler takes all the guesswork out of planning an imaging session and eliminates wasted time. You may alter the imaging sequence by simply dragging and dropping the target’s session thumbnails to create a different order as well as adjusting the number of images to be taken.
Systems using CCD, CMOS and DSLR with any guiding method are fully supported. For CCD imagers RGB, LRGB or NB (Narrow Band) sequences are automatically generated so that images are taken at optimum elevations to avoid the effects of seeing and color extinction. This ensures that you will image the target at its highest possible elevation to get the best results. As an alternative, the user can may have the scheduler generate the usual âround robinâ sequence of LRGB frames.
The ‘EZ-Guide’ feature automatically selects guide stars and position angles for auto-guiding with a guide scope, internal guide chip or off-axis guider with or without a camera rotator. Using CCDNavigator’s link to TheSky, the auto-guider is positioned on guide stars and calculates the required exposure using two guide star reference exposures. Guide-scopes with offsets are modeled and off-axis guiders can be at any position.
With ‘Preview’, the user can easily fine tune the image orientation to obtain the preferred composition. CCDNavigator will retrieve images from NASAâs SkyView facility at the precise field-of-view of your telescope/camera system at the exact position and rotation established by âEZ-Guideâ.