The SC432M is a monochrome CMOS astronomy camera designed for high-speed solar, lunar, and planetary imaging. Featuring a true global shutter sensor with large 9µm pixels and a large 1.1″ format, it excels at capturing fast-changing targets with minimal distortion and reduced atmospheric artefacts.

Key Features

• True Global Shutter Sensor
  Captures the entire frame simultaneously, eliminating rolling-shutter distortion caused by atmospheric turbulence or vibration.
• Large 9µm Pixels
  High full-well capacity enables excellent dynamic range, ideal for high-contrast solar and lunar imaging.
• Large 1.1″ Sensor Format
  Allows capture of most or all of the solar disc in a single frame, reducing mosaics and post-processing.
• High Frame Rate
  Up to 120 fps for freezing seeing conditions and capturing fleeting detail.
• Active Cooling System
  Built-in fan and heat-sink design reduce sensor temperature and noise during extended sessions.

Global Shutter Advantage

Unlike rolling-shutter sensors, the SC432M’s global shutter exposes all pixels simultaneously. This dramatically reduces distortion caused by atmospheric jitter, telescope vibration, and rapid solar activity. It is particularly effective for solar imaging, lunar detail, ISS passes, and other fast-moving targets.

Large Pixels & Full-Well Depth

With 9µm × 9µm pixels and a full-well depth of approximately 100 ke⁻, the SC432M delivers excellent dynamic range. This is especially beneficial when imaging the Sun, where bright surface detail and prominences must be captured simultaneously.

1.1″ Large Sensor Format

The large 1.1″ sensor provides a significantly wider field of view than typical planetary cameras. This allows full-disc solar imaging with appropriate optics and reduces the need for mosaics.

HCG (High Conversion Gain) Mode

At a gain value of approximately 140, HCG mode automatically activates. This reduces read noise to around 2.4 e⁻ while maintaining high dynamic range, making it ideal for low-contrast detail and high-speed imaging.

Active Cooling & Thermal Design

The SC432M features a built-in cooling fan powered by an external 5 V USB-C supply. Combined with a heat sink and thermally conductive materials, this lowers operating temperature by approximately 5–10 °C, reducing noise and improving long-term stability.

DDR3 Buffer & Connectivity

A built-in 256 MB DDR3 buffer smooths data transfer and reduces dependence on host computer performance. The camera operates reliably via USB 3.0 and remains stable even on USB 2.0 connections.

Interfaces & Mounting

• M42 camera thread
• M28.5 filter thread
• USB-C power input
• USB 3.0 data connection
• ST-4 guide port

Typical Applications

• Solar imaging (with appropriate certified solar filters)
• Lunar surface detail
• Planetary imaging
• ISS and fast-moving targets

Important Solar Safety Notice

• Always use a certified solar filter on the telescope
• Never point an unfiltered telescope at the Sun
• This camera does not provide solar protection on its own