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How does it perform?

By cooling the CCD chip in the DSI the amount of noise within the image is reduced. The dark frames here where taken with the telescope covered so that no light hit the CCD chip. The images are then equally stretched to highlight the noise in the image.

Note: Ambient(20C) is taken without forced cooling and the ambient air temp was 20C. The CCD temp is estimated to be at least 30C if not higher since it in inside the camera body and must be higher than ambient air temp for convection cooling to begin. So a regulated 10C is at least 20C cooler than Ambient at the CCD.

Ambient Dark Frame:

This is the average of five 30 second images of total darkness.

30 Second Dark frame acquired using Autostar Suite default dark frame settings. Combination of five 30sec images. The ambient temperature was 20C.

 

UN-STRETCHED RAW DARK

Ambient Dark Frame:

The same image as above but stretched for direct comparison with the cooled Dark Frames.

30 Second Dark frame acquired using Autostar Suite default dark frame settings. Combination of five 30sec images. The ambient temperature was 20C. Image stretched from TIFF in Photoshop (0-20) and saved as JPEG. Raw dark frame fts file available for download.

 

Cooled Dark Frame (10 Deg C):

This is the average of five 30 second images of total darkness with the CCD cooled to 10C and then stretched.

30 Second Dark frame acquired using Autostar Suite default dark frame settings. Combination of five 30sec images. The ambient temperature was 20C. CCD cooled and regulated at 10C. Image stretched from TIFF in Photoshop (0-20) and saved as JPEG. Raw dark frame fts file available for download.

Why Stretch the images?  If this wasn't stretched it would look very black and un interesting.

Cooled Dark Frame (-5 Deg C):

Same as above but the CCD is down to -5C.

30 Second Dark frame acquired using Autostar Suite default dark frame settings. Combination of five 30sec images. The ambient temperature was 20C. CCD cooled and regulated at -5C. Image stretched from TIFF in Photoshop (0-20) and saved as JPEG. Raw dark frame fts file available for download. To achieve regulation at -5C the Ambient air temperature must be below 5C.

Why Stretch the images?  If this wasn't stretched it would look very black and un interesting.

 

Download raw dark frame files

Download raw (unstretched) 30 Second Dark frames created using Autostar Suite default settings (combined from 5 images)

Right click on file and select "Save Target As"

Ambient (20C)

Regulated (10C)

Regulated (-5C)