Here's my astronomy project for the day - I built a light box. This box can be used to provide a nearly evenly illuminated field of light, which is necessary for taking "Flat Field" images with the CCD. Flats are really important because they provide a means to compensate for irregularities caused by dust on the filters and chip, vignetting in the optics, and various other issues. Basically you divide your ccd image by a normalized flat field. They are easy to ignore but they really do help.
I'm actually planning to build 3 of these boxes, in various sizes. This one is the first attempt, and is the smallest. Inside the box are 4 small lamps and a diffuser screen - a mylar sheet that I purchased at a local quilting shop. I think the ladies inside thought I was a bit out of place in their shop!
Now I just hope I get a chance to put this box to use sometime in the near future...
No comments:
Post a Comment