Planets
The Revolution Imager has a versatile number of exposure options which make it great for viewing planets.
- Bright Planets - use these settings for bright planets like Jupiter, Venus and Saturn
- The Moon - The moon is a large and bright, use these settings to view it
- Dim Planets - dim planets like Neptune, Uranus and Pluto
Please Note: we are currently updating these instructions for the Revolution Imager R2, for recommended settings for the R2 please see the recommend settings section in the R2 user guide, here.
bright planets
In order to get the best image for the large, bright planets like Jupiter and Saturn it's best to use the longest focal length as possible, so it's best to remove the focal 0.5x focal reducer and if possible use a barlow lens. These settings will give you good results for bright planets. We also recommend switching the aspect ratio of the monitor from 16:9 to 4:3 (Press the menu button until "ZOOM" appears and select 4:3 with the "+" button)
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| Exposure Mode | NORMAL |
| Sense-Up | OFF |
| Gain | OFF |
| Exposure Time | as high as X2 and as low as 1/10000 depending on your telescope and focal length. |
| Brightness | 99 or lower if the sky background is too bright |
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| Gamma | 1.0, use lower value for a brighter image |
| Stacking | OFF |
the moon
The moon is a large, bright object and the Revolution Imager's WDR (Wide Dynamic Range) exposure function can help you see the bright and dark features of the moon with ease. If you want to see features close-up then remove the focal reducer and also try using a barlow. If you wan't to see the entire moon then the focal reducer will be required.m
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|---|---|
| Exposure Mode | WDR |
| Sense-Up | OFF |
| Gain | OFF |
| Exposure Time | as high as X2 and as low as 1/10000 depending on your telescope and focal length. |
| Brightness | 99 or lower if the sky background is too bright |
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| Gamma | 1.0, use lower value for a brighter image |
| Stacking | OFF |
dim planets
For the smaller, dimmer planets like Saturn, Uranus and Pluto, it's best to use similar settings as you would use for deep sky objects.
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| Exposure Mode | NORMAL |
| Sense-Up | x8-x16 to find objects and as high as possible when centered, up to X128 for most suburban neighborhoods. |
| Gain | OFF |
| Exposure Time | AUTO |
| Brightness | 99 or lower if the sky background is too bright |
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| Gamma | 1.0, use lower value for a brighter image |
| Stacking | 5 or HIGH |