Starlight Xpress Oculus PRO 180 - All Sky Camera with 180° Lens

Starlight Xpress Oculus PRO 180 - All Sky Camera with 180° Lens

The 1.4 megapixel SONY SW sensor provides high quality, low noise images for monitoring sky and weather conditions, meteor and satellite observation, and eclipse videos.

The OCULUS features a replaceable, scratch-resistant polycarbonate hood and satin anodized housing. The camera is controlled and powered via USB. An effective exchange heater for 12 V operation ensures a clear image, and this new PRO version has dew detection and only turns the heater on when necessary. This increases the signal to noise ratio in low humidity conditions by lowering sensor temperature.

Camera features and applications:

All-sky camera - perfect for meteor photography, weather monitoring (remote observatories), Milky Way observation or recording eclipses

high quality SONY "ExView II" interline CCD sensor (Grade 1) with low dark current and anti-blooming gate

very good 1.55 mm f/2 fisheye lens (180° angle of view) for good sharpness in the field

polycarbonate viewing dome - scratch resistant and replaceable, if needed

anti dew heating system - runs on 12 V DC

can permanently mounted outside without problems

Powerful lens:

The lens used in the Oculus is a high quality, multicoated fisheye lens with a 180 degree field of view. With a very high F/2 focal ratio, the light gathering capacity of this small lens is incredibly good and imaging the night sky is very simple.

Weatherproofing and Dome Construction:

Permanently mounting electronic equipment outside in all weathers is always a concern. With the Oculus, great care has been taken during the design process to incredibly reduce weather affects on the camera. Four drain holes have been machined into the outer flange at the base of the dome allowing water to simply run off the dome and down the outside of the housing. The housing has a beautiful bead blasted, clear anodised finished which is hardwearing and
looks stunning.

The dome is a quality, highly polished polycarbonate 3” dome with the lens positioned at the optimum point in the dome to ensure there is no diststortion in the star field.

Mounting and Rear Panel:

The Oculus comes with a right angled aluminum tripod bracket to secure it to the side of your dome or building. This has the standard 1/4" tripod thread on the base but can also be easily drilled and adapted for other mounting options.

The USB cable can be extended with USB2.0 hubs or active USB2.0 extension cables. There is a 2.1 mm device connector on the back of the camera for connecting a power supply to power the Oculus´ heater to ensure that the hood does not fog up.

Safety informations: PDF Download