Pi Solar Camera - Astronomy with the Raspberry Pi

[@Dronebotworkshop]

For those who have asked, I have considered streaming the eclipse if the weather is good for viewing. Biggest probem is that I don't have a sun-tracker, and the Sun only stays in the viewfinder for a couple of minutes at best. And I don't want to spend the entire eclipse adjusting cameras! If I can figure out a Sun tracker system then I will do it!

[@SlinkyD]

Stepper or servo motors script/program and a 3d printed motor mount and you fully remote. You could make a Barndoor with just one motor for either camera & track the moon. Happy Viewing

[@davidkosewick5066]

Or, it has to the the "right" couple of minutes!😉

[@christinewhybrow8813]

Bill, this was exactly what I was going to ask. I'm in Australia so will miss this entirely. Any live feed you can manage would be great for me!

[@mikejones-vd3fg]

hmm sounds like a problem a w801 can solve! Its gots 7 leds on it to blinky blink, can you do a video on it? Just kidding, but not really there isnt much about it and anyway any MCU should be able to make a sun tracker! a photodiode and some resistors can do it cant it? I thougth i seen a video of a simple sun tracker for solar that use this principle.

[@jamesmitchell8902]

Hey there I am the creator of the Picamera2 WebUI (I dropped the lite) and I wanted to say thank you for this great video. I have made some recent updates to the software. Better config saving and support for more than one camera using a pi5 I am glad you like it!

[@drjmansplace5174]

Your wealth of knowledge never cease to amaze. Good work.

[@mesample1705]

Video is the best approach for Lunar and Solar imaging. Process the video in PIPP followed by AutoStakkert and finally in Registax6. Good presentation as usual.

[@scotty3114]

Super video! I watch you quite often, but this one really captured my interest! Thanks for putting this all together! One teeny-tiny correction: We don't reach sunspot maximum until sometime in 2025. No biggie! Take care.

[@whitneydesignlabs8738]

Very cool, Bill! Thanks for another very informative video.

[@timffoster]

HA! Nice flyby on the tripod. (I despise shoddy tripods)

[@JulioSalim]

Extraordinary content, thank you very much!!!

[@paulramasco6769]

This was a very cool tutorial. I'm currently building a simple tracker for a cheap telescope I have for my granddaughter. It simply involves two steppers, some gears, an arduino as the motor control portion and a old laptop running pyephem to automatically point it to items of interest. The only thing I am debating on is using a compass and accelerometer for az/el of the mount, which may not be ideal even for simple astronomy, or using two potentiometers and calibrating the mount for better resolution.

[@aghoribgmi4355]

Magnetometer calibration is tricky given surrounding ferromagnetic material and other things. Using the imu sensor won't provide an accurate azimuth angle. I am also stuck on this part. I am planning to use encoder.

[@Dronebotworkshop]

I'd love to see the design, do you have it posted anywhere? I'd really love to have a tracker for the eclipse.

[@paulramasco6769]

@@Dronebotworkshop Not yet, still testing some sections out but once I have it complete I will make sure to give an update. I know the eclipse is less than a month away now so I'll see if I can have it up in two weeks.

[@calvinduneganjr8904]

Good to see you back making videos! Are you going to be streaming your video of eclipse on the web?

[@richleyden6839]

Great episode and very timely for me. I started an astro-pi project in 2022 using the Arducam IMX462. At the time, Raspberry Pi was in the process of switching the build in cameras to use /dev/video0 interface. Most streaming software used the old interface only. Combined with flaky driver from Arducam, Covid driven shortage of electronics, I put the the project on hold. By coincidence, I pulled out the pieces for another try last week. I look forward to trying picamera2-webui or ascom

[@hoggif]

A cool project. I've seen once a total eclipse and it was very impressive. Thee feeling of getting much cooler with all the singing birds getting quiet etc feels so odd. I think seeing and feeling all that around me was much more impressive than the nice videos everyone has seen. Hope you get a good weather to see it well!

[@Dronebotworkshop]

I envy you, I hope the weather permits me to have that experience as well.

[@hoggif]

@@Dronebotworkshop If you will get good weather, you may enjoy it more outside where you can observe effect for nature etc. I would definately more camera outside to enjoy it all. You'll not feel effects like wind or getting colder if you're inside.

[@SlinkyD]

Yeah, outside is best. Each time is like the first.

[@user-mr3mf8lo7y]

Thanks for sharing all the info and experiences.

[@leifahlman9636]

Thanks for all good videos and effort you put on it. I enjoy very much.

[@bw6378]

Great information as usual. Thanks for the video!

[@prosmusic6846]

It would be nice if you can make a star tracker too. Humble request :) Really liked your video I found your channel an year ago and the videos helped me a lot Thank you

[@Dronebotworkshop]

I have considered trying the "barn door" approach, as it's the simplest and cheapest.

[@prosmusic6846]

Thank you

[@MartynCole]

Can I just say, as a veteran of 5 total solar eclipses, if you are lucky enough to see totality forget about the photography. Just use a pair of binoculars during totality and observe but be very careful if you do. Cameras are severely challenged taking pictures of totality because they lack the needed dynamic range and what you see visually will be so much better than any photograph. be prepared to drop the binoculars promptly when totality ends. Other things to look out for shortly before totality keep your eyes on the ground to see if shadow bands are produced. These are shimmering ribbons of darkness on the ground that are really impressive. I've only seen them once but they were amazing, I hope anyone who gets to be in the path of totality good luck with the weather and you have an amazing experience.

[@NatureCam2024]

Very cool project, thanks a lot!!

[@ArkFen]

Hi! So cool to learn that you are in Montreal ))) I watch your videos sometimes and never knew it. We are staying here for few months but 1st of April we move to Toronto. I plan to go to Niagra Falls area or something to observe eclipse there and I hope that it will not be cloudy day for you here in Montreal.

[@opalko67]

This was really cool, thanks. Have you done any nighttime observing with the Pi HQ?

[@robertwillemsen368]

Would love to see how things went today with the eclips

[@razidan3293]

15:44 Focus with the eyepiece is not going to be the same as the focus with the camera. Focusing with the camera is done by looking at the image on the monitor and focusing.

[@anurasenarathna1703]

Very interesting. Thank you very much.

[@sunhawk1104]

I put together a system in a very similar setup only I used a 130mm Newtonion that I already had. Works great and love it

[@geekgee]

very cool... thanks, Bill

[@gregorymccoy6797]

I wish you luck for good weather!!

[@EsotericArctos]

Just as a note, 500mm is 50cm, but you can get Pi Camera cables at 1mtr length as well easily. I haven't look for longer, but I have purchased and used 1mtr length, with is 1000mm. Could you set it up so all your footage can be saved locally on the Pi and then uploaded to the tools at a later date?

[@martincook9462]

As a solar observer one can't stress the importance of safe viewing of the sun. Only use dedicated solar filters. sunglasses, dark plastic film, smoked glass etc will damage your eyesight. Don't use un-filtered binoculars and finder scopes. It only takes a fraction of a second to ruin your eyesight so take care and enjoy the day.😀

[@piconano]

I tried to monitor the sky for unusual moving lights (UFOs) in a patch of the sky, using RPi-Cam-Web-Interface software. Neither Rpi cam V2 or Noir V2 saw much. I could see the stars with my naked eyes, but could see very little stars using these 2 cameras. I concluded they are not good enough in low lights and abandoned the project. If you know of a cheap camera (preferably with fish-eye lens) that I can use for this project, drop me a reply.

[@SlinkyD]

I've used old USB cameras to make astro telescopes over the years. You can take the IR filter off or not, and get an 1.25" adaprer for cheap. If you can find one that has manual exposure controls and RAW output, you're set. Some webcams from a few years ago have the Ingenic T31 that's running Linux you can access (over UART iirc) .

[@peter.stimpel]

Nice! I guess I will have to adapt the stuff to my 8" Newton, just for fun. Enjoy the solar eclipse, had the last partial one on March 20, 2015 here in Cental Europe - and an almost total one back in 1999.

[@joejoe6949]

What would you recommend for taking pic of ufo

[@thomasleftwite]

I'm looking forward to the observation results of the solar eclipse! How about broadcasting it live?

[@TheJacov]

Also, Cool workshop! I like high tech and science things that are accessible to us lesser mortals (non-scientists).😁😁😁

[@dave00011]

here 's hoping for clear weather at your your location,Bill Unfortunately no solar eclipse visible where I am in South Africa

[@mazharahmadahmad5580]

Useful knowledge

[@truthreigns7]

What and where can a person get a telescope like you used

[@GiC7]

Master, thanks I love it

[@crazyoldpapy3966]

wow are you in Montreal?

[@DySom-k4x]

cool, I like this project, ❤

[@douglasosborn3378]

Nice T-shirt

[@DesertVox]

The stock tripod is that bad?

[@humbleguy9908]

Can you record the corona when you are filtering out 99.999% of all the light? You may want to check before the eclipse if your telescope can record stars with the filter installed.

[@mesample1705]

No, you take the filter off when imaging the corona. Then get the filter back on once totality is over. You could capture Baily's Beads and the diamond ring with the filter in place.

[@leonmusk1040]

Tripod was that good aye :)

[@scbtripwire]

Holy crap, I had no idea you lived so near! Hi!👋

[@digihz_data]

Stream it live here on yt Bill.

[@MrKA1961]

Now if you remove the star diagonal from that telescope the image will get better.

[@ChandrashekarCN]

💖💖💖💖

[@MahBor]

Something similar can be used on a microscope

[@terrancevangemert7508]

Think of the MOON.... yeah finding Apollo landing sites etc. Thanks as there is lots that can be done with Raspberry pi Camera.

[@sinchrotron]

Unfortunately you won't find Apollo landing sites :/

[@tubeDude48]

Wi-Fi is terrible idea, since it has "ALWAYS" had DROP-OUTS! So, ABSOLUTELY use ethernet! Using a longer ribbon cable can produce noise, therefore the quality of the picture may not be as good. Since ethernet cable can go up to 300 Ft. That's a better way to go. Or, if you have a spare router and power outside, then you can connect the Pi to the router, and Wi-Fi via that router to another router in the house. I have 4 Mesh-Routers in my house.

[@mesample1705]

I use Wi-Fi expender rather than routers. TP-Link has one for less that $20 which I use to connect my SeeStar S50. You are absolutely correct about the advantages of Ethernet for astrophotography. I have Cat-7 running to my observatory.

[@mikemercury3656]

A hydrogen alpha filter would be a interesting addition if you could afford it.

[@mesample1705]

If you could afford that filter, you would not be using a $100 optical tube assembly.

[@aliemlek]

👍👍👏👏👌👌

[@bazzaar1869]

I just want to inject a dose of reality to this thread. Whilst an excellent article on how you get a RaspberryPi and a Picam to take images of a solar eclipse, its a stretch to call it an astronomy setup. It really is exclusively limited to solar observations. No other astronomy will be possible. From an astronomy perspective, rather than a Raspberry Pi perspective, there are much better ways to accomplish astro imaging.

[@malcolmgibson6288]

I can see me spending more money soon.😂

[@bertblankenstein3738]

Haha, so to say that the tripod was frustrating was far too kind..

[@jotighe2]

I have been led to believe that if you are president, you can stare at the sun all day.

[@TheJacov]

OOOO! System Primary Bias! For shame! Dising all those poor aliens with lesser primaries to photograph. 😁😁😁