To master your imaging platform, you’ll have to know the resolution of your setup. The setup mentioned is consisted of a telescope optical tube assembly (OTA), a mount and a camera.
Let’s say, if your setup’s resolution is sub arcsec/pixel (less than 1 arcsec/pixel), you need a very stable and precise mount, usually a high end German Equatorial Mount (GEM), for this. As the resolution is higher (the lower the value of arcsec/pixel), your setup is more sensitive to vibration, atmostpheric turbulence, wind, flexure between optical tube and GEM head and the mis-polar-alignment. In a simple phrase, the margin of error is limited.
Therefore, before you start taking image, you should know the highest possible resolution of your setup so that you do not end up with a imaging resolution that exceeded the conditions allowed. Nobody likes poor quality photo. Well, let’s get into the math part.
To calculate the resolution, follow the simple formula:
Resolution (arcsecond) = [CCD Pixel Size (in micron) ÷ Focal Length (mm)] * 205
Credit to Webfoot at Cloudy Nights forum for providing this formula. ![]()
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