Starlight Xpress UltraStar PRO Monochrome Imaging/Guide Camera

Starlight Xpress UltraStar PRO Overview

Designed to deliver optimum performance as a guide camera when used with other imaging systems or as an imaging camera on its own , the has a high-resolution 2/3" Sony ICX825AL ExView2 monochrome CCD sensor that delivers up to 1392 x 1040 resolution video. It has 75% quantum efficiency across the entire visible spectrum. Although the chip is not cooled, it has a very low dark signal and very little readout noise, so it can be used to guide on faint stars that are well beyond the reach of webcams and most CMOS chip-based cameras. It is designed to be inserted into a standard 1.25" focuser tube, but also has a 25.4mm C-type camera lens thread to allow standard CCTV lenses or adapters to be attached. To save space and weight, the camera gets its power using the USB connection to your computer and can download around 2 frames per second. It also provides an opto-isolated output connection for direct control of most mounts using the ST4 RJ12 autoguider ports on the mount or hand controller.

Included with your camera is a USB thumb drive that has the required drivers for popular operating systems. Also on the drive you'll find an imaging & autoguiding software package and the Starlight Live software which is a "live-stacking" software. Starlight Live allows you to use the Ultrastar PRO as an imaging camera by taking a series of short exposures, usually around 10 seconds or more, and then automatically stacking the images together to form an equivalent long exposure shot with enhanced details. Finally, you get a very simple piece of stand-alone autoguiding software if you don't already have one. If you do, third-party software packages, such as AstroArt, MaximDL, SkyX and others, all support the Ultrastar PRO with either native drivers or through ASCOM. The latest and most up-to-date drivers can be found on the Starlight Xpress website.