First Planetary Images from Bresser Full HD Deep-Sky CameraLast year in the Black Friday sales I bought a Bresser Full HD Deep Sky Camera. A year later I thought it was about time to try it out!
The Bresser Full HD deep sky camera is a multi-purpose camera which can be used as an astrophoto colour camera or as an auto guide for highly accurate tracking. It features a Sony IMX290 CMOS colour sensor for the planet deep-sky imaging and an ST4 auto guider function, allowing it to be connected to the mount and used for auto-guiding.
My journey with the Bresser deep sky camera began with a simple connection via an old-style USB connector. Windows 10 recognized it without a hitch. The supplied software, ToupSky Astro Imaging, was a breeze to use, instantly detecting the camera and displaying the video stream. I was able to start capturing my first images in no time. I also experimented with SharpCap, although it didn't quite hit the mark in detecting the camera.
My first attempts at capturing images were not without their challenges. I recorded 20s videos using the Bresser Full HD Deep-Sky Camera connected to my Skywatcher SkyMax 90 via a 2x Barlow. The telescope was mounted on a HEQ5 SynScan with a rough polar align and 3 star alignment. However, I encountered some issues. Saturn appeared a little fuzzy, which I later realized was due to the dew heater battery running out. It was the last of my targets, so the lens probably had some misting. To add to the mix, the mount had frost on it!
These results are not too bad for my first serious attempt at planetary imaging; I'm quite pleased with them. I need to read the documentation on the Toupsky to get the best settings and a 3x barlow for a better magnification. I don't want to go any higher than that since Barlow also magnifies atmospheric disturbances.
I also went to M31 - The Andromeda Galaxy - from Bathgate. However, the light pollution is so bad here I lost most of the details. This composite of 100x 10-second exposures is stacked with Deep Sky Stacker. Next time, I'll work out how to get my light pollution filter on my camera lens.
