ZWO ASI676MC Color All-Sky and Planetary Camera

A square 12MP sensor for meteors, the whole sky and the full Moon

The ZWO ASI676MC is a color astronomy camera built around Sony's square IMX676 STARVIS 2 sensor. ZWO designed it first as an all-sky camera for recording meteors and monitoring the whole sky, and its 12.6 megapixels also give finely detailed images of the Moon and Sun through a telescope. It slides into a 1.25-inch focuser with the included nosepiece, threads onto M42 adapters, runs from a single USB cable and weighs 126g (4.4oz).

Key specs: Sony IMX676 STARVIS 2 color sensor, 1/1.6" square (7.1 × 7.1mm) · 12.6MP (3552 × 3552) · 2µm pixels · read noise 0.56e⁻ at high gain · 10.55ke⁻ full well · 83% peak QE · 31.2 fps at full resolution · UV/IR-cut window · zero amp glow · USB 3.0 with 256MB buffer · 126g

What you can capture

• Meteors and the whole sky: with a fisheye lens it records the entire sky in one frame, for meteor showers such as the Perseids and Geminids, fireballs, satellite passes and cloud monitoring.
• The full Moon and Sun: on an 80mm f/6 refractor (480mm) the field is about 0.85° × 0.85°, so the whole Moon or Sun fits with room around it, at 0.86 arc-seconds per pixel.
• Lunar close-ups: on an 8-inch SCT (2032mm) the field is about 12′ × 12′ at 0.2 arc-seconds per pixel, plenty for craters like Copernicus or Plato in fine detail.
• Planets: Jupiter, Saturn and Mars work well at around f/8 to f/10. Crop to a small region of interest and the frame rate climbs to about 95 fps at 1920 × 1080 and 210 fps at 640 × 480.
• Bright deep-sky objects: live-stacked views of the Orion Nebula, M13 and other bright targets.

How it works

Connect the camera to a laptop or mini PC with the included 2m USB 3.0 cable. It's powered by USB (ZWO quotes 1.36W maximum), so there's no separate power supply. Capture with free software such as SharpCap, FireCapture or ZWO's ASIStudio, then stack the sharpest video frames in AutoStakkert!. Exposures run from 32 microseconds to 2000 seconds.

For all-sky use, fit a fisheye lens to the front with an adapter and mount the camera by the 1/4"-20 tripod hole on the back, pointing straight up. For telescope use, thread on the 1.25" nosepiece. The sensor sits 12.5mm behind the front of the camera, and the ST4 port lets it double as a guide camera.

Using it in Colorado

An all-sky camera spends the whole night outside, and ZWO lists a working range of -5°C to 50°C (23°F to 122°F). Front Range winter nights, including Geminid season in December, regularly drop below that, so for year-round all-sky use plan on a weatherproof housing with a small dew heater to keep the camera and lens dome above freezing and dew-free.

What to add for the best results

• A fisheye or wide-angle lens: for all-sky and meteor work. The square sensor pairs well with a fisheye that projects a full circle of sky. Ask us about lens and adapter options.
• A Barlow or Powermate for planets on a short telescope: the Celestron 2x X-Cel LX Barlow takes an f/5 Newtonian to about f/10, a good match for 2µm pixels.
• ZWO Atmospheric Dispersion Corrector: removes the color fringing on planets low in the sky.
• A solar filter (required for the Sun): a full-aperture white-light filter such as the EclipSmart filter for 8" SCTs.

ASI676MC vs. ASI585MC vs. ASI678MC vs. ASI664MC

See all ZWO planetary and all-sky cameras.

What's in the box

• ASI676MC camera
• Front cover
• Small wide-angle lens (threads onto the camera front)
• 1.25" nosepiece
• USB 3.0 cable (2m)
• ST4 guide cable
• Quick guide

Fisheye lenses, Barlows, solar filters and the telescope are sold separately.

ZWO ASI676MC FAQ

Is the ASI676MC good for beginners?

Yes. It's powered by USB, fits any 1.25" focuser and is color, so there's no filter wheel to manage. The Moon is the easiest first target, and the full Moon fits in one frame on most small refractors.

Why a square sensor?

A fisheye lens projects a circle, and a square sensor captures that circle with less wasted area than a wide rectangle. Square frames also make lunar and solar mosaics easier to plan, since you don't have to think about which way the long side points.

ASI676MC or ASI585MC for the Moon and planets?

For planets and big lunar fields, the ASI585MC is the stronger choice: its sensor is larger and its full well is about four times deeper. The ASI676MC wins when you want a square frame, all-sky use, or its finer 2µm pixels at shorter focal ratios.

Do I need an IR cut filter?

No. The ASI676MC has a UV/IR-cut coated window (21mm × 1.1mm) in front of the sensor, so colors come out natural without adding a filter.

Can I leave it outside as an all-sky camera?

Not on its own. The camera isn't weatherproof, and ZWO rates it down to -5°C (23°F). Put it in a weatherproof housing with a clear dome and a heater for permanent outdoor use.

Does it work as a guide camera?

Yes. It has an ST4 port, and it also guides over USB with PHD2 or ASIAIR, though most people keep a dedicated guide camera for that job.

Specifications