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Old 04-06-2024, 06:33 PM
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peter_4059 (Peter)
Big Scopes are Cool

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Allsky Aurora Cam Project

I've been wanting to get around to this for a while and finally got motivated after the May Aurora episode. I've previously had a go at building a Allsky camera with an old ZWO ASI120M however that suffers from a lot of noise and is also monochrome.

I had a spare ZWO ASI294MC Pro being under utilised and this has formed the basis for my next project. I picked up a new Pi 4B with 8Gb RAM and eventually got the software playing nicely. I then went looking for a wide angle lens and was quite disappointed at the options so I've decided to go down the Micro 4/3 path since I have a lot of Olympus M43 gear already. ZWO has a T-M43 adapter for the ASI294 so a week later I've got my Laowa 7.5mm f/2 attached to the ASI and first light is under way as I type.

The Laowa is too good for this application and I've ordered a 7artisans 4mm f/2.8 to use instead. While the Laowa has some impressive features the 7artisans has some impressive capabilities also (see below).


Laowa:
This lens is the widest rectilinear lens currently in the market for Micro Four Thirds Cameras. It gives a field of view equivalent to 15mm lenses in 35mm sensors. This allows MFT users to enjoy an impressive 110° ultra wide angle of view for a wide range of shooting needs despite the 2x crop factor.

7artisans:
Featuring a one-of-a-kind 225° field of view, 7artisans 4mm f/2.8 fisheye lens can create a circular fisheye perspective on Micro Four Thirds (M43) & APS-C cameras.

Now playing with camera settings. SpaceWeatherLive predicting Kp5 tonight!
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  #2  
Old 04-06-2024, 10:48 PM
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Keep us update how you go Peter. Sounds like you'll have it all covered if any more displays happen.
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Old 05-06-2024, 11:04 AM
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I've had good success with the RasPi HQ camera and this lens in my allsky camera. I'm just using it for monitoring the sky condition, so it doesn't need to provide me with amazing image quality, and in my B3/4 skies, it works well enough for me.

https://littlebirdelectronics.com.au...fd00d99a&_ss=r
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  #4  
Old 17-06-2024, 05:34 PM
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Big Scopes are Cool

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Making some progress with new fish eye lens, Zwo holder and finally some reasonably clear skies to check out the view.
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  #5  
Old 17-06-2024, 05:49 PM
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Big Scopes are Cool

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Now in full fish position!
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  #6  
Old 17-06-2024, 07:14 PM
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Nice view Peter. And none of those pesky aurorae filling up the FOV any more either!
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  #7  
Old 17-06-2024, 09:29 PM
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Big Scopes are Cool

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Cheers Rob. Hoping the Aurora action is going to make a reappearance to justify the project!
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  #8  
Old 17-06-2024, 10:19 PM
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Fingers crossed for you. Just not a "Carrington" please....
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  #9  
Old 12-07-2024, 08:40 PM
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Been pretty cloudy here but some more trials tonight....

spoke too soon
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  #10  
Old 29-07-2024, 10:02 PM
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Big Scopes are Cool

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Finally making some progress on this. Now have an almost weather proof enclosure and I've been experimenting with camera settings.

There's some potential aurora activity forecast for tomorrow so no time to waste!
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  #11  
Old 30-07-2024, 05:31 PM
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Big Scopes are Cool

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Managed to get my first Tassie star trails last night
Hoping for some Aurora action tonight.
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  #12  
Old 01-08-2024, 05:38 PM
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Latest development, some aurora action from 30 July. Still have some work to do on dew management on the dome.

https://youtu.be/AmT5ojb9Aig
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  #13  
Old 03-08-2024, 04:11 PM
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Thanks for sharing - enjoyed the timelapse - quite mesmerizing watching the Milky Way circle around like that too....
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  #14  
Old 04-08-2024, 04:52 PM
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Big Scopes are Cool

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Quote:
Originally Posted by RobF View Post
Thanks for sharing - enjoyed the timelapse - quite mesmerizing watching the Milky Way circle around like that too....
Thanks Rob. Got a bit of work to get the image brightness dialed in. It's clear atm so hopefully some experimenting again tonight. Also possibility of some aurora action apparently.
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