Astronomy Camera

Home-Made Remote-Controlled Astronomy Camera

Step 1: Materials

1. Circular Container

2. Intel Compute Stick

3. Small Plastic Container

4. Arecont 1.55 Arecont 1.55mm 1/2 F2.0 fixed iris, fisheye lens

5. 4" Acrylic Dome

6. ZWO ASI120MC-S Camera

7. 3" Wooden Circular Plate

8. Strong Double-Sided Tape

9. Weather Sealing Tape

10. Cardboard Pieces

11. SuperGlue

Step 2: TeamViewer and Image-Capture Software

Download Teamviewer onto your computer and the compute stick.

Make an account in TeamViewer so you don't have to enter the password to connect to the compute stick

Download your preferred Image-Capture software and set the destination folder to one-drive. Do this so you can access the images from your PC.

Step 3: Superglue the Small Plastic Container to the Big One

Use superglue to attach the small plastic container upside down to the bigger enclosure

Step 4: Superglue the Cardboard Pieces

Superglue the cardboard pieces together and glue all of them on the small plastic container

Step 5: Stick the Camera to the Circular Wooden Plate and Put It in the Enclosure

Use the double sided tape to stick the camera to the circular wooden plate. Make sure that the camera is in the middle.

Then place the camera-plate piece and put it in the enclosure. Do Not Glue It!

Step 6: Drill a Hole on the Cover of the Ziploc Container

Use a 2 1/8" hole drill bit to drill a hole in the center of the cover of the Ziploc container.

Step 7: Attach the Cover to the Enclosure Over the Camera

Step 8: Clean the Acrylic Dome

Clean the Acrylic Dome with a microfiber cloth. Make sure the inside is cleaned well to ensure clear pictures.

Step 9: Stick the Weather Sealing Tape to the Enclosure

Stick a piece of the weather sealing tape to the enclosure with super glue for some weather-proofing.

Step 10: Stick the Dome to the Enclosure

Stick the dome to the enclosure with double-sided tape

Step 11: Drill a Hole for the Camera Cable

Drill a Hole for the camera cable, while making sure it doesn't crack the plastic.

Step 12: Connect the Camera Enclosure to the Intel Compute Stick

Grab your handy Intel compute stick and connect the camera to it. Mount it somewhere close by the camera and make sure it has some protection. Remember water and computers don't mix.

Step 13: Put the Camera Somewhere High

Put the camera on something high: the roof, a pillar, or a ramada. Do this to ensure that the pictures are of the sky and not the surroundings of your backyard.

Step 14: Use TeamViewer to Connect to the Intel Compute Stick

Use TeamViewer to connect to the Intel compute stick, start up your Image-Capture software and capture away!

Comments

[snoppy]

Where did you get the plastic dome ???

[Chaitanya Sanghadia]

From Amazon, Here is the link:
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07DNTPQ55/ref=cm_sw_r_sms_apap_l1qcjLdLNNGI8

[JerryA50]

yeah a little more info might help people understand the purpose, this looks like you are primarily using it for very wide angle shots of the general night sky (all Sky Camera) as you can't do much else with it. Maybe capture some meteors or sats going over.

[randofo]

Do you have any astronomy pictures that you've taken with the camera?

[Chaitanya Sanghadia]

Yes I have, here is one

[TomášK2]

Should I start building? I do not know. I do not like this photo. Do you have any other photos? Please also details, date, time, exposure, etc.
Thank you and I wish the clear sky.

[DylanD581]

Great DIY astronomy project? Not being an amateur or professional astronomer myself (though it does interest me), what could this be used for? Do you have any pictures you can share with us?

[Chaitanya Sanghadia]

Here is one of the first pictures that the camera took. You could use it as an all-sky camera and capture a time-lapse video of the day and night sky. I am planning to use machine learning and open cv to see if I can recognize objects in the sky like planes, birds, etc...