With the ScopeHut built, I moved on to the AllSky camera I wanted. Again, I went the DIY route. I had a Svbony 705 camera and a wide-angle lens that I wasn’t using, so I thought this would be a great start. The Svbony 705 camera features an IMX585 CMOS color sensor, which is excellent for planetary imaging and electronically assisted astronomy (EAA). It offers a high resolution of 8.30 megapixels (3586 x 2180). The camera also boasts a high signal-to-noise ratio and low readout noise, making it ideal for capturing low light images
After a trip to the hardware store, I secured some PVC pieces. I used a 4″ coupler and a 4″ endcap to make the enclosure. I also had an old security camera dome lying around. With these pieces in hand, I set about building the camera enclosure. The image above shows version 1.0. It was crude but worked well. Next, I installed Indi-Allsky on an old PI4, which lives in the Hut out of the weather. With the Pi, software, and camera all set up, it was time to mount it and see what I had.
All was working perfectly. It was just time to clean it up and finalize the build. I removed the security camera dome and ordered a dome from Amazon to fit perfectly over the lens. Now with version 2.0 running I have enjoyed almost 9 months of star trails and timelapse videos of the night sky. The camera is also indespensible in determining if I open the roof or not. With just one look I can see if it is worth imaging.
ScopeHut Observatory 
You must be logged in to post a comment.