MacGyverying, modern astrophotography, and the aurora citizen scientist

Modern astrophotography has significantly benefited from the increasing market for crop-sensor (~3/4 crop) and full-frame (35mm sensor) cameras. With the future of astrophotography turning towards medium format (54mm sensor) cameras, comparisons of the various relationships in camera sensitivity highlight the factors that truly determine the effectiveness of lowlight cameras. Lowlight sensitivity of modern cameras is an indirect relationship between sensor size and megapixels (resolution). As citizen scientists look to exploit this relationship, a culture of camera modifications has emerged to utilize modern camera sensors' capabilities. Signal-to-noise ratios of modern camera sensors are determined by unchangeable (built-in) factors such as pixel size (pixel pitch) as well as factors like QE (quantum efficiency), which can be influenced with modifications of the camera body itself. Modifications can include anything from complete removal of the sensor from the body to avoid electronic interference to adding cooling to negate the effects of heat changes through taking long exposures. In addition to modifications focused on signal-to-noise ratios, modern camera modifications also change the spectral range the camera sensor can effectively capture. Stock cameras are sensitive to light ranging from 300nm to 1100nm but often come with a built-in UV-IR cut filter, which blocks light from spectrums lower than 400nm and higher than 600nm. With H (H-alpha) being the brightest hydrogen spectral line, this becomes one of the essential wavelengths for an astrophotographer. H sits at 656.28nm - outside the peak sensitivity of a stock camera sensor. Removal of the IR-UV cut filter has thus become a common practice in astrophotography to achieve a near-IR peak sensitivity. This presentation will compare camera results on different types of aurora and low light night sky subjects to illustrate the effects on resolution. We will focus on science that can be done by the citizen scientist on newer less understood topics like STEVE with emerging technology and modified sensors.