IOTA is offering several kits based on the RunCam Night Eagle 3 sensitive video camera and and the adapters needed to use it with a telescope, to meet your various astronomy needs. See the bottom of this page for additional information on setting up and using the camera.
For the most accurate occultation timing you may also wish to consider purchasing the IOTA Video Time Inserter (IOTA VTI). Information on the IOTA VTI can be obtained here.
If you plan on capturing your video to a computer, IOTA recommends the Startech SVID2USB232 video capture device, which is widely available online, for example here and here.
For the first time, IOTA is offering a complete “ready-to-observe” kit with all the hardware components you’ll need to record asteroid or lunar occultations or grazes with high-precision timing accuracy! The kit includes the following set of equipment – all you need to add is a Windows laptop or PC and the free IOTA Video Capture software. (Note: other video capture software is available for use on Apple computers).
- Highly sensitive RunCam Night Eagle 3 video camera
- 0.5X Focal reducer and all adapters for camera use in 1.25″ telescope focuser
- IOTA VTI (Video Time Inserter) V3
- Startech SVID2USB23 USB video capture device (SVID2USB232 when available)
- Agena Astro 1.25″ x 0.75″ extension ring
- 2 battery packs (each holds 8 AA batteries)
- 2 battery pack button connector to DC cables
- 12V power extension cable
- 2 RCA Male-Male video patch cables (camera to VTI in, and VTI out to video capture device)
Camera carrier to allow camera to come to focus in reflectors with 2″ focusers
Domestic US shipping and handling will be added in shopping cart. For Canada, Mexico or Overseas shipping please add one of the extra shipping items at right.
Kit includes the camera with heat sink, original wide-angle lens (not used with telescope), power, video and OSD controller cables and all necessary adapters to use it in a telescope, but no focal reducer.
Domestic US shipping and handling will be added in shopping cart. For Canada, Mexico or Overseas shipping please add one of the extra shipping items at right.
Kit includes just the camera with power, video and OSD controller cables, and wide angle lens. If you wish to use it in a telescope, order Kit 1, or Kit 2 if you already have the focal reducer.
Domestic US shipping and handling will be added in shopping cart. For Canada, Mexico or Overseas shipping please add one of the extra shipping items at right.
Domestic US shipping and handling will be added in shopping cart. For Canada, Mexico or Overseas shipping please add one of the extra shipping items at right.
Domestic US shipping and handling will be added in shopping cart. For Canada, Mexico or Overseas shipping please add one of the extra shipping items at right.
Your shopping cart will appear here once you have added an item to the cart.
A quick overview “README” file on the camera can be accessed here .
Tony George has written a comprehensive guide to the operation of this new camera which can be accessed here.
If you purchased just the camera and later want to use it in a telescope, you will need a few accessories to make the connection. The Night Eagle Astro uses an M12 size lens mount (12mm). We recommend that you use an M12 to C adapter with two 5mm C-mount spacers*, coupled to a C-mount-to-1.25″ adapter (1/2″ barrel length) followed by a 1.25″ 0.5X focal reducer. With these accessories your Night Eagle camera will give you the maximum possible field of view, the smallest and brightest star images and the maximum sensitivity.
*For use in the Mighty Mini (half of a 50mm binocular optic), remove the two 5mm spacers.
The spacing between the camera and focal reducer is a critical part of using a focal reducer. When you use this focal reducer with this camera, you MUST use this spacing. Any other spacing will degrade the image quality regardless of the focal distance between the front of the focal reducer and the main objective. With ANY focal reducer, including the Meade f/3.3, the distance between the CCD and the back of the focal reducer element is a critical distance that will make a big difference in the image.
Depending on how your focuser “grabs” eyepieces (with a compression ring or with setscrews) you may also need an extension ring on the front of the focal reducer to allow your focuser to properly grip the camera assembly.
The picture below shows the Night Eagle Astro Camera along with the recommended optical accessories for all refractors larger than the Mighty Mini or Newtonian reflectors. Note: In Newtonian reflectors, the focuser may not have enough inward travel to allow the camera+focal reducer to come to focus. In this case, a simple PVC camera carrier can be constructed to allow the camera to be placed closer to the secondary in telescopes with 2″ focusers.
As you can see in the pictures below, there are several ways to assemble the accessories. For most refractors and Newtonian reflectors (the first picture below), the sum of the lengths of parts “C” and “D” should be in the range of 22-23 mm. This can be achieved by any combination of accessories that is able to convert from C-mount (1″ thread) to 1 1/4″ where the focal reducer is attached. In particular, the C-mount to 1 1/4″ adapter (part “D”) is available from several suppliers in different lengths. For example, if the Baader adapter #2958515 is used to change from C-mount to 1 1/4″, the two 5mm spacers can be eliminated since the Baader adapter is just the right length (22 mm) by itself. The adapter sold by Solomark at 25mm is, unfortunately, slightly too long and the system will not come to focus with this adapter.
The picture below shows the Night Eagle 2 Astro camera along with the recommended optical accessories and focal reducer for use in a telescope:
The picture below shows the Night Eagle 2 Astro camera along with the recommended optical accessories for the Mighty Mini only:
The picture below shows the Night Eagle 2 Astro camera along with the recommended optical accessories for Schmidt-Cassegrain style scopes when using the 2″ Meade f/3.3 CCD focal reducer. (The Meade f/3.3 CCD focal reducer is no longer available from Meade, but might possibly be found on Astromart, Cloudy Nights or similar sites. However many other 2″ focal reducers for SCTs are available and should also be suitable. Just experiment with spacing until you get the widest field of view and smallest possible stars without coma or image degradation near the edges.)
The picture below shows the Night Eagle 2 Astro camera along with the recommended optical accessories for Schmidt-Cassegrain style scopes when using a 1 1/4″ 0.5X focal reducer:
These accessories for the NightEagle are available individually via the sources listed on Optical Accessories page, or you may purchase them from IOTA as a kit using the links at the top of this page.
The IOTA recommended equipment page lists the other components you will need for accurately timing occultations with the Night Eagle camera.
Documents relating to the NightEagle:
* Night Eagle Astro Out-of-Box review
* Night Eagle Astro Comparison to other CCD cameras (not the astro version of Night Eagle).
* Night Eagle Astro Recommended Settings.
* Bob Anderson’s detailed Test Report on the Night Eagle Astro.
* Performance of Night Eagle Astro camera in Hyades Cluster: HyadesComparison.pdf