Category: Observatory

The third phase of the automation project is the roof. Not only does it need power, it needs to roll very smoothly to ensure the motors don't stall when opening and closing the roof. So this element will probably take the longest to complete... 18th November 2016 Some real progress with the roof! After inspection...

"Old Automation Phase 3 – Roof"Continue reading

Being able to remotely power up the various components of the observatory is very appealing, and while there is an argument that says until I have the roof sorted there is no point in doing this, I think that getting this element of the project done will be relatively low cost, fairly straight-forward and will...

"Old Automation Phase 2 – Power"Continue reading

This initial phase will focus on the various software components needed to: Build a model of the area of sky being imaged Automatically perform a meridian flip Plate solve before and after a meridian flip Acquire images with different filters and exposure times Monitor weather for rain/cloud and alert me when conditions are not suitable...

"Old Automation Phase 1 – Software"Continue reading

Like so many other astronomers, I am now starting on a project to upgrade my observatory to allow full unattended imaging. My definition of ‘unattended’ is that I will be at home but potentially inside the house. Although this project would give the capability of full robotic operation, I’m not sure if that is one...

"The Original Observatory Automation Project"Continue reading