VITAL STATS
Price £3,850
Sensor Sony IMX455, full-frame CMOS
Resolution 61MP, 9,568 x 6,380
Exposure range 0.1 milliseconds to 3,600 seconds
Accessories 12V power supply, M54 nosepiece, M48 adaptor ring
Size 102mm x 91mm Weight 710g
Supplier Altair Astro
Tel 01263 731505
www.altair astro.com
Software
AltairCapture software is included with the camera. It allows full control of all the camera settings - including heating and cooling, 'HCG' (High Conversion Gain), 'LCG' (Low Conversion Gain) and 'Ultra Low Read Noise' modes, region of interest imaging and real-time live focusing - all in a simple-to-learn, intuitive interface that keeps any distracting complications to a minimum.
The Hypercam AA61CFX is a full-frame, one-shot colour astronomy camera with 16-bit capability. Designed for serious astrophotography and dedicated enthusiasts, the AA61CFX represents a significant investment. Matching its high-end capabilities to the rest of an imaging setup is a crucial exercise, as this camera will quickly reveal any shortcomings in the equipment it's used with. For our tests we selected a high-grade mount on a permanent pier and a 150mm apochromatic telescope, which provided a large enough colour-corrected, flat imaging field.
Accommodating the large sensor at the heart of the AA61CFX requires a stocky camera body, which is the familiar barrel-shape design. The front of the camera comes with an M54 x 0.75mm female thread, which gives plenty of unobstructed room around the edge of the sensor. Being a one-shot colour camera there is no need for additional filters, as the sensor's optical window has built-in ultraviolet and infrared blocking, but additional specific band filters can be used if they are large enough for the sensor.
Denne historien er fra April 2022-utgaven av BBC Sky at Night Magazine.
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Denne historien er fra April 2022-utgaven av BBC Sky at Night Magazine.
Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.
Allerede abonnent? Logg på
Could We Find Aliens by Looking for Their Solar Panels?- Designed to reflect ultraviolet and infrared, the panels have a unique fingerprint
Researchers searching for life beyond Earth spend a lot of time thinking about what telltale signs might be detectable astronomically. Forms of unambiguous evidence for the presence of life on another world are known as biosignatures. By extension, techno signatures are indicators of activity by intelligent, civilisation-building life.
Antimatter- In our continuing series, Govert Schilling looks at antimatter, the strange counterpart to most of the matter filling our Universe
Particles and corresponding antiparticles are very much alike, except they have opposite electrical charges. For instance, the antiparticle of the electron - known as the positron - has the same tiny mass, but while electrons carry a negative electrical charge, positrons are positively charged.
Where Have All The Milky Way's Early Stars Gone?- Our Galaxy has a curious lack of pristine stars
The Big Bang produced a Universe filled almost exclusively with hydrogen and helium; all other elements - what astronomers call metals - were produced by stars, supernovae and everything that happens later. So if you can pick out a pristine star with no metals polluting it from among the billions in the Milky Way, then you are likely to have a star dating from our Galaxy's earliest days.
Inside The Sky At Night - Two years ago, exoplanet scientist Hannah Wakeford received some of the first data from the JWST
Two years ago, exoplanet scientist Hannah Wakeford received some of the first data from the JWST. In July's Sky at Night, we discovered what she's learned since then.
How to stack DSLR data in Siril
Easily combine multiple frames to boost detailin your astro photos
Lunar occultation of Saturn
You'll need to strike a balance on 21 August to capture the Moon covering the ringed planet
How to plot a variable star light curve
A rewarding project to chart stars that change brightness
Smartphone photography with a telescope
Mary Mcintyre explains how to get impressive night-sky images using your phone
Once-a-century solar storm is overdue
If a Carrington Event struck today it would be catastrophic, says Minna Palmroth
The new era of human spaceflight
There's been a step-change in crewed space missions since the dawn of the 21st century. Ben Evans charts its course and looks ahead to future horizons
