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As if a cooled astronomy camera at this price wasn’t compelling enough. The Uranus-C Pro from Player One Astronomy has a host of specs which makes it an absolute bargain. Buy from Pro Astronomy and you will also be buying from a UK supplier, so you get local support!
The Sensor
The IMX585 which is found within the Uranus-C Pro has some impressive specifications. The 1/1.2″ sensor a 12bit ADC bit depth, a frame rate of 47FPS at 3856×2180, a Quantum Efficiency Peak (QE) of 91%, low readout noise and a full well capacity of 47Ke.
Hardware Highlights
You may think that at this price the hardware holding the sensor would be low end and cheap, but you would be wrong! The Uranus-C Pro has a sleek carbon fibre body with USB-C connections, masses of RAM and multiple tilt plate adaptors!
Carbon Fibre
Taking advantage of the body developed and used with the Ares cooled range of cameras, the Uranus-C Pro sports a round carbon fibre body which leads to weight saving and has the added benefit of looking fantastic! The camera weighs a mere 420 grams which makes it one of the lightest cooled astronomy cameras on the market.
Front 3P and Rear 4P tilt plate
In astro imaging it is important to ensure the sensor is square to the light rays entering the camera. Some astronomy cameras have no way of adjusting this without other accessories added to the imaging train. With the Uranus-C Pro, you get 2 tilt plate options as standard with the camera. A 3-point plate which is adjusted from the front of the camera or a 4-point tilt plate which can be adjusted from behind the camera. Each option has the same depth so back focus is preserved. The new design also incorporates a high-density sponge which prevents any light leak from the outside.
Cooling
If you are looking at the Uranus-C Pro, you are probably already aware of the benefits of a cooled astronomy camera. However, the camera utilises a 2 stage TEC cooling system. With an improved design the temperature of the sensor can drop to 35-40 degrees below ambient.
The speed of the cooling fan is also adjustable.
Heating
Built into the Uranus-C Pro is an anti-dew heater. This ensures the glass in front of the sensor stays free of dew and ensures you can keep imaging in the most demanding of conditions. The variable power anti-dew heater is usually reserved for cameras in a much higher price bracket.
Non-Amp-Glow
Amp glow is non existent on the Uranus-C Pro. This 5-minute dark frame show below in PixInsight shows just how flat the dark frame is. If you are new to astro imaging, then having a sensor with little to no amp-glow will make processing your images a dream rather than a struggle!
512MB DDR3 Cache
512MB of DDR3 Cache ensures image transmission to your device is stable and efficient. The large buffer effectively avoids dropping frames and can even reduce readout noise, meaning you get the most out of the sensor. The additional cache also ensures that you can keep imaging with great performance, even if connected via USB 2.0.
Connections
The Uranus-C Pro has 3 connections located on the rear of the camera. 2x USB Type-C and 1x 12v DC 5.5×2.1mm power port.
The USB C connections ensure you equipment is easy to set up in the dark thanks to their reversable connections. The main USB C port is for data transmission and supports USB3.0. Full performance is therefore utilised when imaging onto a high-speed SSD device. As mentioned before, the 512MB of cache does help when imaging onto slower devices.
The second USB C connection is for other devices and can be connected to a filter wheel or guide camera for example.
The Uranus-C Pro will run while only connected via USB. You only need to connect the 12V supply if you do intend to use the cooling functionality. Other cameras on the market, require the 12V supply irrespective of if the cooling is required or not.
QE
The following graph shows the QE curve of the Uranus-C Pro.
What’s In The Box?
