High School How often do you re-acquire dark and bias frames?

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SUMMARY

Updating dark and bias master frames is essential for maintaining image quality in astrophotography, especially with cooled CCD cameras. Users recommend re-acquiring these frames a few times a year, particularly if regular shooting occurs. The degradation of camera sensors over time necessitates this practice to ensure optimal performance. The process of generating new frames is straightforward, allowing photographers to efficiently manage their equipment's calibration.

PREREQUISITES
  • Cooled CCD camera operation
  • Understanding of dark and bias frame generation
  • Basic astrophotography techniques
  • Knowledge of sensor degradation effects
NEXT STEPS
  • Research best practices for generating dark and bias frames
  • Learn about entropy effects on CCD sensors
  • Explore software tools for managing calibration frames
  • Investigate the impact of temperature on sensor performance
USEFUL FOR

Astrophotographers, camera operators, and anyone involved in image calibration and sensor maintenance will benefit from this discussion.

Andy Resnick
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Semi-random question: I generated dark and bias master frames (and from those, bad pixel maps) about a year ago. I'm sure my camera sensor has degraded over time.. b/c entropy... and so I'm wondering if it's worthwhile to create a new set. How often do you 'update' your dark and bias master frames?
 
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Perhaps a few times a year when I'm regularly shooting. I have a cooled CCD camera, so making a new set of dark and bias frames is trivial. I just set my camera up inside during the day and let it go to town taking as many exposures as I want.
 

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