Last summer I saw a DIY post about creating an AllSky Camera which got me thinking about creating one of my own. Last week (Mar 30 – Apr 5, 2020 ) I finally got around to building this camera. I had all the hardware but had to improvise in terms of the casing for the camera and the RaspberryPi. My goal is to get a proper dome and tube to house everything. So far though it has been interesting. To the right is an image of what my AllSky camera setup looks like. It consists of:
- An Acouto T7C Camera (An ASI 120MC Clone) [Amazon.Ca]
- A Rasppberry Pi 2 Model B
- An old Maglite flashlight head
- A Chinese food container
To the left, you can see a star trail image that the software in the DIY post above is able to produce. I have not had much luck in a clear sky or tweaking the camera settings so hopefully, I can improve on this image over time. You will notice a bright line going in a different direction from all the others. I have no idea what this is but it is interesting that it was captured.
There is also a video from last night that you can view April 9, 2020, timelapse. At about 12 seconds you will see a faint streak across the sky just to the right and below of the centre. Then at about 15 seconds, you will see a brighter streak just to the right and up of the centre. This brighter streak is what we likely see in the star trails image above.
I keep the camera on 24×7 so you can always select the link in the menu above for the camera if you ever wish to see a live view. That link will also allow you to view past videos and start trails.