How I orient my camera ...
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How I orient my camera ...
... for imaging the Sun
Hi,
I will try to explain how I orient my camera so you get the orientation of the Sun corresponding to the grid of Tilting Sun.
OK, I am in the northern Hemisphere. Below a hand drawing (not very nice) but I guess understandable.
I Stand behind my scope pointing to north. Your camera chip TOP must point to the right when the Sun is imaged in the western Part of the Sky e.g. you rotate the camera 90°clockwise.
If I image the Sun in the Eastern part the camera chip TOP must point to the left e.g I rotate the camera 90° counterclockwise.
The above explanation is only valid for straight through imaging.
For a Herschel Wedge it is the opposite as a prism only depicts the image upside down.
¿ Am I correct ?
Of course pay attention to perfect orthogonality, Thanks
Next
In the moment you use a diagonal the Sun image is depicted reversal right to left and upside down. So and now comes the hard part and fiddle out how your camera should point
Happy guessing
Hi,
I will try to explain how I orient my camera so you get the orientation of the Sun corresponding to the grid of Tilting Sun.
OK, I am in the northern Hemisphere. Below a hand drawing (not very nice) but I guess understandable.
I Stand behind my scope pointing to north. Your camera chip TOP must point to the right when the Sun is imaged in the western Part of the Sky e.g. you rotate the camera 90°clockwise.
If I image the Sun in the Eastern part the camera chip TOP must point to the left e.g I rotate the camera 90° counterclockwise.
The above explanation is only valid for straight through imaging.
For a Herschel Wedge it is the opposite as a prism only depicts the image upside down.
¿ Am I correct ?
Of course pay attention to perfect orthogonality, Thanks
Next
In the moment you use a diagonal the Sun image is depicted reversal right to left and upside down. So and now comes the hard part and fiddle out how your camera should point
Happy guessing
Last edited by rsfoto on Tue Mar 24, 2020 3:04 pm, edited 1 time in total.
regards Rainer
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Observatorio Real de 14
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Re: How to correctly orient your camera ...
Rainer,
How does this apply to visual? I suppose only in the fact that the eye replaces the camera. The Coronado SolarMax only reverses right to left but does not invert north/south.
A SolarMax 40/60/70/90 has an erect image but flipped right to left –tick only ‘Flip image horizontally’.
https://www.astroleague.org/files/u220/ ... ctions.pdf
James
How does this apply to visual? I suppose only in the fact that the eye replaces the camera. The Coronado SolarMax only reverses right to left but does not invert north/south.
A SolarMax 40/60/70/90 has an erect image but flipped right to left –tick only ‘Flip image horizontally’.
https://www.astroleague.org/files/u220/ ... ctions.pdf
James
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Re: How to correctly orient your camera ...
I rely on the telescope movements to confirm the directions in the FOV.
Using the SW hand controller at slew rate 2 allows the solar image to be moved N-S (confirmed earlier by actual telescope movement direction)
E-W can be established by stopping the drive and watch the drift direction of of the solar disk - it drifts to the west.
Once established (for your various configurations of diagonal, straight thru etc ) use a piece of masking tape to prepare an index position for the future.
Using the SW hand controller at slew rate 2 allows the solar image to be moved N-S (confirmed earlier by actual telescope movement direction)
E-W can be established by stopping the drive and watch the drift direction of of the solar disk - it drifts to the west.
Once established (for your various configurations of diagonal, straight thru etc ) use a piece of masking tape to prepare an index position for the future.
"Astronomical Spectroscopy - The Final Frontier" - to boldly go where few amateurs have gone before
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http://astronomicalspectroscopy.com
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"Imaging Sunlight - using a digital spectroheliograph" - Springer
https://groups.io/g/astronomicalspectroscopy
http://astronomicalspectroscopy.com
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"Imaging Sunlight - using a digital spectroheliograph" - Springer
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Re: How to correctly orient your camera ...
Lets give this thread some attention here and then will post in the reference library later when discussion has died down.
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Re: How to correctly orient your camera ...
Hi Rainer,
Sadly I cannot fathom what you mean from your sketch? however yesterday I tried out my theory properly for the first time and I have now directly compared mine to yours and it seems we correlate pretty close.
What I did for all my Baader Herschel wedge, Lunt CaK diagonal and my Solarscope straight through (on an equatorial mount). Set up and switch to solar tracking. With the camera loose in my hand, press the up and down arrow keys of the hand controller, turn camera slowly left and right until movement was exactly up and down to the keys, fix camera in place. Not all left and rights were correct due to wedges but the movements with the keys made the camera move exactly up and down or left and right in a straight way in the video feed.
Here is with tilting Sun added (many thanks to your help). I think it matches yours from the 22nd? so this is another way to orientate for tilting Sun. I guess you could do this with your head also (for visual). Keep twisting your head until the arrow keys on the handset move the Sun directly up and down left or right in a straight manner?
Alexandra
Sadly I cannot fathom what you mean from your sketch? however yesterday I tried out my theory properly for the first time and I have now directly compared mine to yours and it seems we correlate pretty close.
What I did for all my Baader Herschel wedge, Lunt CaK diagonal and my Solarscope straight through (on an equatorial mount). Set up and switch to solar tracking. With the camera loose in my hand, press the up and down arrow keys of the hand controller, turn camera slowly left and right until movement was exactly up and down to the keys, fix camera in place. Not all left and rights were correct due to wedges but the movements with the keys made the camera move exactly up and down or left and right in a straight way in the video feed.
Here is with tilting Sun added (many thanks to your help). I think it matches yours from the 22nd? so this is another way to orientate for tilting Sun. I guess you could do this with your head also (for visual). Keep twisting your head until the arrow keys on the handset move the Sun directly up and down left or right in a straight manner?
Alexandra
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Re: How to correctly orient your camera ...
Hi Alexandra,
Yes, I would say you have now the correct inclination and your cameras position.
Now just look how your camera is fitted on the rear of the scope and I guess you will understand my explanation.
Sorry I can not give hints when using a diagonal.
At the moment there are quite enough details to get a comparison to my images.
Rainer
Yes, I would say you have now the correct inclination and your cameras position.
Now just look how your camera is fitted on the rear of the scope and I guess you will understand my explanation.
Sorry I can not give hints when using a diagonal.
At the moment there are quite enough details to get a comparison to my images.
Rainer
regards Rainer
Observatorio Real de 14
San Luis Potosi Mexico
North 22° West 101°
Observatorio Real de 14
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Re: How to correctly orient your camera ...
Merlin66 wrote: ↑Mon Mar 23, 2020 5:15 am I rely on the telescope movements to confirm the directions in the FOV.
Using the SW hand controller at slew rate 2 allows the solar image to be moved N-S (confirmed earlier by actual telescope movement direction)
E-W can be established by stopping the drive and watch the drift direction of of the solar disk - it drifts to the west.
Once established (for your various configurations of diagonal, straight thru etc ) use a piece of masking tape to prepare an index position for the future.
Hi Ken,
Allright but that helps only for setting up your camera orthogonal as good as possible to the moving of the RA and DEC axis but that does not mean that you will image the Sun in a correct orientation ...
For a correct orientation of the Sun you need to rotate the camera into a correct position, if you are too lazy to rotate after processing, or later after processing rotate your Sun image clockwise or counterclockwise to get the Tilting Sun position.
After that you can rotate your Sun image to get it conform to SDO images. SDO always presents the images with the Sun's North pole at Top and East at left. The rotation angle is the one Tilting Sun calculates. That is what I did yesterday with my H-alpha image in order to label the facula to the belonging cycle.
BTW this is only valid for Equatorial mounts and not Alt / Azi mounts. How it works for Alt / Azi mounts Sorry I can not tell anything ... but Tilting Sun also calculates it for that type of mounts.
Rainer
regards Rainer
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Re: How to correctly orient your camera ...
Rainer,
""Allright but that helps only for setting up your camera orthogonal as good as possible to the moving of the RA and DEC axis but that does not mean that you will image the Sun in a correct orientation ...""
Don't understand..
The solar image in the FOV ends up orientated with North at the top and E-W to match. This corresponds to Tilting Sun orientation/ Gong etc.
""Allright but that helps only for setting up your camera orthogonal as good as possible to the moving of the RA and DEC axis but that does not mean that you will image the Sun in a correct orientation ...""
Don't understand..
The solar image in the FOV ends up orientated with North at the top and E-W to match. This corresponds to Tilting Sun orientation/ Gong etc.
"Astronomical Spectroscopy - The Final Frontier" - to boldly go where few amateurs have gone before
https://groups.io/g/astronomicalspectroscopy
http://astronomicalspectroscopy.com
"Astronomical Spectroscopy for Amateurs" and
"Imaging Sunlight - using a digital spectroheliograph" - Springer
https://groups.io/g/astronomicalspectroscopy
http://astronomicalspectroscopy.com
"Astronomical Spectroscopy for Amateurs" and
"Imaging Sunlight - using a digital spectroheliograph" - Springer
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Re: How to correctly orient your camera ...
Hi Ken,Merlin66 wrote: ↑Mon Mar 23, 2020 9:29 pm Rainer,
""Allright but that helps only for setting up your camera orthogonal as good as possible to the moving of the RA and DEC axis but that does not mean that you will image the Sun in a correct orientation ...""
Don't understand..
The solar image in the FOV ends up orientated with North at the top and E-W to match. This corresponds to Tilting Sun orientation/ Gong etc.
Sorry, now I do not understand. If I would rotate my camera using the top of the chip rotated 90° counterclockwise as I do it now my images would not be according to the Tilting Sun images or I would need to rotate the image later after processing.
Anyhow anybody can do it as they want. Somebody asked for an advice and I put it down as I do it ..
I admit the title " How to correctly orient your camera ... " is wrong.
I should have put the title " How I orient my camera when imaging the Sun ... "
But OK. Important is to have the Sun image according to some logical orientation be it Tilting Sun or SDO and so we can compare details ... unfortunately a lot of peple have not cared about it but that is also relative as everybody can do however he wants to do it ...
Rainer
regards Rainer
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Re: How to correctly orient your camera ...
Rainer,
OK.
I was assuming most of us used EQ mounts and by aligning the camera FOV to the RA and Dec axis, it ensures the Solar image has North to the top as per TiltingSun and all the references.
I agree 100% that we should set a "good" example and orientate our images correctly.....
OK.
I was assuming most of us used EQ mounts and by aligning the camera FOV to the RA and Dec axis, it ensures the Solar image has North to the top as per TiltingSun and all the references.
I agree 100% that we should set a "good" example and orientate our images correctly.....
"Astronomical Spectroscopy - The Final Frontier" - to boldly go where few amateurs have gone before
https://groups.io/g/astronomicalspectroscopy
http://astronomicalspectroscopy.com
"Astronomical Spectroscopy for Amateurs" and
"Imaging Sunlight - using a digital spectroheliograph" - Springer
https://groups.io/g/astronomicalspectroscopy
http://astronomicalspectroscopy.com
"Astronomical Spectroscopy for Amateurs" and
"Imaging Sunlight - using a digital spectroheliograph" - Springer
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Re: How to correctly orient your camera ...
I use the same process as Alexandra.
I use the movement arrows up and down on the hand controller and rotate the camera until the Sun in the frame on the screen also moves up and down parallel to the edges of the frame. Depending on whether the setup is a straight through, or diagonal mirror reflected, it will be necessary to correct when processing by vertically flipping the image, or not. Of course, the mount has to be correctly oriented and levelled at the start.
Stu.
I use the movement arrows up and down on the hand controller and rotate the camera until the Sun in the frame on the screen also moves up and down parallel to the edges of the frame. Depending on whether the setup is a straight through, or diagonal mirror reflected, it will be necessary to correct when processing by vertically flipping the image, or not. Of course, the mount has to be correctly oriented and levelled at the start.
Stu.
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Re: How to correctly orient your camera ...
Exactly the same as Stu and Alexandra for me too.
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Re: How I orient my camera ...
Hi,
OK, last try to explain why I rotate my camera 90° ...
In this website https://www.spaceacademy.net.au/library ... lorien.htm you can see the Sun and Earth and their respective axes.
Now I put my telescope on the Earth and point to the Sun. The chip of my camera will depict the East from the sun pointing to the top of my chip and the North pole will be pointing to the right side of my chip.
If I rotate my chip 90 ° clockwise the North pole of the Sun will be pointing to the top of my chip ...
But as I have written before I found out the correct orientation of my SUn images by comparing details many many years ago and since then I do not change it.
Sorry if some people thought I am imposing a camera orientation here against their will ... but it was asked so many times and I thought it might help to explain how I do it.
Rainer
OK, last try to explain why I rotate my camera 90° ...
In this website https://www.spaceacademy.net.au/library ... lorien.htm you can see the Sun and Earth and their respective axes.
Now I put my telescope on the Earth and point to the Sun. The chip of my camera will depict the East from the sun pointing to the top of my chip and the North pole will be pointing to the right side of my chip.
If I rotate my chip 90 ° clockwise the North pole of the Sun will be pointing to the top of my chip ...
But as I have written before I found out the correct orientation of my SUn images by comparing details many many years ago and since then I do not change it.
Sorry if some people thought I am imposing a camera orientation here against their will ... but it was asked so many times and I thought it might help to explain how I do it.
Rainer
regards Rainer
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Re: How I orient my camera ...
¿?
regards Rainer
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Re: How I orient my camera ...
Of your camera position on the telescope (with a regular camera)
Alexandra
Alexandra
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Re: How I orient my camera ...
Hi Alexandra,
Aha and below you see it same as my shabby drawing
Mount pointing north and camera rotate clockwise 90° for imaging in the West. If the Sun is in the East I rotate the camera 90° counterclockwise, but as I never image to the East, there is the big city with its high hot air so no good.
Mount imaging the Sun which is in the Western hemisphere. Telscopes on East side, counterweights on West side and as you can see the camera is parallel to the RA axis pointing with the top of the chip to the North pole.
and here you can see how the chip is sitting inside my camera and now with more dust bunnies
Rainer
Rainer
regards Rainer
Observatorio Real de 14
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Observatorio Real de 14
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Re: How I orient my camera ...
Just adding in the link 'How to add Tilting Sun ' graphic onto your image in Photoshop
viewtopic.php?f=4&t=27408&p=247633&hili ... un#p247633
Alexandra
viewtopic.php?f=4&t=27408&p=247633&hili ... un#p247633
Alexandra