Planetary Cameras
Planetary cameras are specialised astronomy cameras designed to capture as much surface detail as possible on planets, the Moon and the Sun. Unlike conventional DSLRs or mirrorless cameras, they can shoot at very high frame rates - often well above 100 frames per second - and this speed is precisely what makes them so effective for planetary work.
Earth's atmosphere constantly shimmers and blurs the image in the telescope - astronomers call this effect seeing. The key to sharp planetary images is capturing as many short exposures as possible and selecting only the sharpest frames from thousands of shots, taken during brief moments when the atmosphere settles. This technique - known as lucky imaging - is made possible by the high frame rates that planetary cameras deliver.
What can you photograph with a planetary camera?
The name "planetary camera" is somewhat misleading - these cameras are useful for far more than just planets. Typical applications include:
- Solar system planets - Jupiter's cloud belts and Great Red Spot, Saturn's ring divisions, surface features on Mars, or the phases of Venus and Mercury.
- The Moon - craters, mountain ranges, rilles and maria in detail that the eye cannot resolve through the eyepiece. A larger sensor captures wide lunar regions in a single frame.
- The Sun - with an appropriate solar filter, you can image sunspot groups, surface granulation, and in H-alpha light, prominences and filaments.
- Smaller bright deep-sky objects - compact nebulae, globular clusters and galaxy cores respond well to stacking short exposures even without camera cooling.
- EAA - Electronically Assisted Astronomy - live viewing of objects on screen with real-time frame stacking, ideal for observing evenings without complex post-processing.
- Autoguiding - most cameras in our range include an ST-4 guider port and can double as a guide camera for accurate mount tracking during deep-sky sessions.
Colour or monochrome camera?
This is one of the most common questions from anyone new to planetary astrophotography. The answer depends on how much time and effort you want to invest.
Colour cameras are more convenient - a single exposure captures all colour information and image processing is straightforward. For beginners and for anyone who wants to achieve good results quickly, a colour model is the obvious choice.
Monochrome cameras capture light across the full sensor area without a Bayer colour filter matrix, resulting in higher resolution and sensitivity compared to an equivalent colour model. For the highest quality planetary images, experienced astrophotographers combine a monochrome camera with RGB colour filters, or use a luminance channel captured in near-infrared light, which is less affected by atmospheric seeing. Monochrome models offer the maximum detail but require more work at the telescope and during processing.
How to choose the right planetary camera?
Three parameters matter most when selecting a planetary camera:
Pixel size - small pixels (1.45 to 2.9 µm) make better use of the resolving power of long focal length telescopes and are ideal for detailed planetary work. Larger pixels (5 µm and above) provide better sensitivity and lower noise, which suits shorter focal lengths or wide-field lunar imaging.
Sensor size - small sensors (diagonal up to 7 mm) are suited primarily for planets and lunar close-ups. Larger sensors (12 to 23 mm diagonal) cover a wider field of view, useful for full-disc lunar shots or compact deep-sky targets.
Frame rate - for effective lucky imaging on planets, you need at least 50-100 FPS at full resolution. All cameras in our range meet this requirement, with most reaching 100 FPS or more via USB 3.0.
Brands in our range
ZWO is the most popular brand among amateur astrophotographers worldwide - their ASI series covers everything from affordable entry-level models to professional cameras with large sensors. Omegon offers the veLOX range, combining good performance with competitive pricing and making it a popular first step into planetary astrophotography.
Not sure which camera suits your telescope? We are happy to help - get in touch and we will find the model that best matches your setup and budget.
