Pi Solar Camera - Astronomy with the Raspberry Pi

@dronebot-workshop You did buy a big UPS right? I got an extra battery module for mine.

@dronebot-workshop 

Oh No!  Hope it doesn't last a long as the last outage!

Maybe just as good that it's going to be cloudy in the Atlanta area on Monday.  If I can't get past this focus issue I'm dead in the water.

Was going to smoke a Boston Butt on Monday, while finalizing things for the eclipse, but now I'll just do that on Sunday and take some pictures of that with my phone and/or GoPro!

Posted by: @dronebot-workshop

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@codecage If it helps Steve, I found the best focus was with the tube nearly all the way into the telescope body.  

Another thing to note about the Pi HQ Camera is that it has a built-in IR filter. Raspberry Pi has instructions for removing this, which may be a good idea for a solar camera. I'm not sure if the focus would be affected by the filter.

😎

Bill

GOOD idea re the IR. I know we had to make adjustments for film, not sure about digital. My gut feel is at that distance it doesn't matter. If you can look at a picture of the sun taken at infinity then make a judgement call about focus and adjust a bit at a time if needed. if you have live view you can preview on the back.

My camera has a WiFi card so I can 'look' through the lens and see the image on my phone prior to taking the picture.

@codecage Check these instructions, they are different than what I said.

https://forum.arducam.com/t/pi-hq-camera-lens-unable-to-focus/1006

Posted by: @codecage

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Oh No!  Hope it doesn't last a long as the last outage!

I really hope so, too; I suspect it won't. It's sticky snow that brought down a few tree branches, and there are currently over a thousand outages on the island of Montreal alone, plus the rest of southern Quebec.  But the weather is nowhere near as nasty as last year; the wind is the real issue now. Hydro Quebec was aware of it coming so they have about a hundred extra people on the job today. 

I suspect we will be out until later tonight, hopefully back on by morning.  I think it's probably a matter of waiting our turn; we actually had electricity a lot longer than most people.

But it's not all bad news, look at this:

So, after going through all this, there is a pot of gold at the end of the rainbow—at least if the weather holds out.

Posted by: @zander

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@dronebot-workshop You did buy a big UPS right? I got an extra battery module for mine.

Yes, I actually have about a dozen of them down here in the basement, plus more around the house. The big one in the living room is still keeping the lights on. In fact, I've been playing "musical UPS's," moving my networking stuff from UPS to UPS to keep it going. I probably have about 20 minutes left; after that, the only Internet is my phone.

And @zander, your comment on using the DSLR with the mount is a good one; thanks! Makes a lot of sense.

😎

Bill

Another slight improvement in the forecast.  Guess it depends on just when the clouds "give way".  Or maybe they just changed the wording.  

"A shower in spots in the morning; otherwise, clouds giving way to some sun; the temperature can drop several degrees during the eclipse"

@dronebot-workshop What size are the UPS, Mine is a total of 3,000Watts. I only sized it to keep the refrigerator and small freezer going for a few days. We can always recharge small devices in the car if needed plus we have friends up on the lake where we used to live and they all have generators.

Since this topic is related to astronomy, I just noticed something I must not have noticed earlier. The Raspbery Pi Global Shutter Camera. It physically looks like the HQ but it is an ideal astrophotography camera. The pixels are 4.95 times the size of the HQ at 3.45um x 3.45um. Think of it as catching rain in a bucket. you get more rain per bucket if it is bigger. As a result, it is only a 1.58mp camera with a max exposure of 15.5 seconds. By using intelligent pixel magnification in Lightroom and PhotoShop we can artificially create at least a 6mp version and that is just good enough for good device displays and small (8x10) prints. I will be ordering that very soon plus a 1.25" x C telescope adapter. The short 15-second exposure time is easily dealt with by taking multiple exposures and then merging them in software. Since a non-tracking mount will not show any streaking at that duration, you can save a lot of money and let the software sort it out.

Posted by: @zander

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The Raspbery Pi Global Shutter Camera. It physically looks like the HQ but it is an ideal astrophotography camera.

It is supposed to be ideal for machine learning. I think I'll order one for a video; I need a few Pi accessories, so I'm looking to fill my cart at PiShop.ca with enough product to warrant the shipping cost. 

And yes, power has been restored! Actually, it has been restored twice, but it only stayed on for three minutes the first time.  Now it has been on for half an hour, so I was brave enough to get the computers started again and set the time on all the kitchen clocks!

😎

Bill

The new toy arrived a few hours ago, and I just finished assembling it. I plan to download the app and start playing with it.

I'm certainly impressed with the construction quality; it's a very solid build. The manual, if you can call it that, leaves a lot to be desired. It requires either 8 AA batteries, which I installed, or an external power supply, which is not included.

One thing I don't have is a proper mount; I suspected that might be the case. It is made for a standard 43.5mm wide telescope mount plate; I have several camera plates, but none that size. I do have a few that will sort of work, and I just ordered a proper one for delivery tomorrow.

The weather still looks good. The Sun is supposed to make an appearance tomorrow afternoon, and it will stay clear until Tuesday. So I can get a day and a half of practice with the mount before the big day.  

Now, I just need to shovel out a place on my front lawn to set this all up!

😎

Bill

@dronebot-workshop Can you point me at this mount plate, I am not sure what it is.

@zander It's a "3.15"/80mm Rail Bar Vixen Style Dovetail Plate, Metal Mounting Plate Saddle with 1/4" 3/8" D Ring Screw for Telescope Mount Adapter Base," which is quite a mouthful!

It is identical to all my other camera tripod mounting plates except for the width. There were others on Amazon; they all seem to be the same width, so I assume it's a standard. The lengths differ. This one had two redeeming qualities—it is from a brand I trust (I own a ton of Neewer photography stuff), and it can be delivered tomorrow!

I'm getting nervous now. Some forecasts call for clouds on Monday afternoon, and the eclipse is at 3:29!   My ideal weather may not be so ideal after all.

😎

Bill

@dronebot-workshop Yes, I too have a few Neewer parts. I know I had maybe 2 of those plates, I just need to figure out where they are now.

I found them, but they are 70mm and Arca-Swiss style so I will need to get a dovetail 80.

@zander The 80 is the length; the width (43.5mm) is the critical dimension. If your plates were intended for a telescope, then they should fit.

😎

Bill

@dronebot-workshop 

Bill, Hoping for clear skies for you!

I was fortunate to see the 2017 event.
… and was able to capture some of my favorite pics,,,

If you are lucky to have open skies, be sure to watch within the shadows on the ground for the projected sliver crescents… and the 360° sunset colors of the entire horizon. 

and be sure to not let technology get in the way of your brain ‘taking it all in’ while peering into ‘the eye of the creator’ !
I look forward to hearing how it goes for you.

Here in the mid-south, USA  the cloudcover predictions are sketchy, but hopeful. 
mac