NEPTUNE 100 VIDEO IMAGING SYSTEM

NEPTUNE 100 COMPLETE VIDEO IMAGING SYSTEM FOR VIDEO ASTRONOMY

NEW FROM JAPAN and OFFERED EXCLUSIVELY for VIDEO ASTRONOMY by ADIRONDACK VIDEO ASTRONOMY

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GW-100N Neptune Monochrome Astro-Video Camera

An NEW Video Offering for Video Astronomy from Japan; the Neptune 100 by Watec Co., Ltd. is sensitive to 0.001 lux, detecting visible and near-infrared spectra to 940nm.

The camera can be directly attached to a telescope or a photographic lens using either a C mount lens adaptor or a 1.25 inch telescope adaptor.

TURN KEY SYSTEM:

Camera adjustments are made through the included control box allowing for automatic or manual gain control, 3-position adjustable gamma, and shutter speed.

The C-mount camera, a c to 1.25 inch telescope adaptor, control box, and power supply are included with the camera.

Also included is 25 feet of video cable making this a complete turn-key system for Video Astronomy.

USES FOR THE NEPTUNE 100:

The Neptune 100 is very sensitive according to Ron Dantowitz and may offer the following advantages:

1.The increased sensitivity of the Neptune 100 makes it useful for heavily filtered imaging.

a. Using darker Wratten Filters instead of Dichroic filters for Tri-Colored imaging

2.Use as a video finder scope for recording and identifying stellar fields

3.Use as a device to record spectral lines

4. Use for faint occultation work. ( much more sensitive than the PC-232 )

5. Experimental work for limited capturing of deep sky objects ( the larger the telescope the better, optional frame grabbing equipment required for best images)

6. Very small size and increased sensitivity suitable for small telescopes such as the ETX 90.

CAMERA DESIGN:

Camera Head - Front End

Camera Head - Back End

Lightweight, Compact, available in EIA or CCIR video output design.

Control Box: The following parameters are adjustable.

1. Gain Control ( the strength of the video signal)

a. Auto - Gain Control

b. Manual Gain Control - via an adjustable knob.

IMAGES TAKEN WITH THE NEPTUNE 100 BY RON DANTOWITZ

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LARGE SUNSPOT GROUP

ONE OF THE DOUBLE CLUSTERS IN PERSEUS (MULTIPLE IMAGES COMBINED)

OPEN CLUSTER M36 (MULTIPLE IMAGES COMBINED)

M37 CORE IMAGE (MULTIPLE IMAGES COMBINED)

M67 LARGE MOSAIC IMAGE (MULTIPLE IMAGES COMBINED)

CCD RELATIVE SPECTRAL RESPONSE:

Effective sensitivity to 940nm excluding any interference from optics and/or filter arrays.

SPECIFICATIONS:

CAMERA AND CONTROL BOX DIMENSIONS:

MANUFACTURING PROCESS EVALUATION:

(Pixels of varying responsiveness)

A hot pixel is a pixel that does not respond to light the same way as do the neighboring pixels. It will often appear brighter than the neighboring pixels.

The increased sensitivity of the Neptune 100 may or may not result in the presence of hot pixels. The camera will be repaired or replaced if they number of hot pixels exceeds the criteria listed below. All information was furnished by Genwac Ltd.

ZONE 0 Permissible non-working pixels = 1 pixel, not to exceed 0.5mm in diameter

ZONE 1

ZONE 2 Permissible non-working pixels = 2 pixels (2 pixels=OK, more than 3 pixels=NG)

ZONE 3 not to exceed 1mm in diameter in each zone

ZONE 4

A maximum of 9 bad pixels in all zones is considered acceptable if the pixels are spread between the zones and smaller than described above.

WARRANTY:

The warranty is three years. After 30 days Genwac has a repair or replace option. Cameras
and control boxes should be sent to AVA and will be in turn sent to Genwac. The turnaround time for repairs is approximately 3 - 4 weeks.

If the failure is the result of end-user error, a minimum repair charge of
$75.00 is assessed, although the benefit of the doubt is given whenever
possible.

The most common reasons for camera failure are power-related.

You must use only the power supply supplied by AVA with the camera.

PRICING:

PRICE is $695.00