SBIG Seeing Monitor, 765x510 Pixel Array, 6.9x4.3mm (0.27x0.16") CCD, 150mm Focal Length

The SBIG Seeing Monitor determines the quality of seeing each night. This can be useful in helping to decide whether to take certain kinds of images, or whether to image at all. If you happen to be at the observatory you can sometimes just look through an eyepiece and see whether the night "looks" good or not. But customers are mimicking professional observatory installations with remote observing sites and fully automated observing systems. Remote can mean anything from a few meters to a few thousand kilometers. No matter where one observes, it is often a time consuming matter to get ready for a nights imaging session. It would be convenient to know before hand what kind of results one could expect. Even if the expectation is that the night's seeing would be no better than several arc seconds, the type of imaging one decided to set up for could be changed to make the best use of the conditions available for that evening.

The Seeing Monitor lens is a 150 mm f/5.3 lens mounted to the ST-402, all contained inside a weatherproof box. The box also contains a USB extender and a 12 VDC power supply for the camera. The window in the top of the box is clear. The window is heated to prevent condensation on the outside. The USB extender allows operation up to 150 feet (50 meters) from the controlling PC. The lens and box is permanently pointed at Polaris by the user. It is assumed the user will mount posts in the ground outside his observatory or home for this purpose. Roof mounting is not recommended because small vibrations from the building may affect the monitor's measurements.