Astro Camera

night-by-night colour sweeps and stacks with a camera facing north and towards the pole and zenith
The Astro Camera: a clear plastic box taped shut, on a wooden arm outside the window above the garden
Pi 4 and v3 camera in a sandwich box from an upstairs window. The white triangle is a lens cover driven by the Pi with an SG90 servo (not visible, far outside of box). The lens is covered with a phone protector glass.
per-night brightness curves overlaid
astrocam v3
brightness curves (and an old reference) for a week. Clouds are bright in the suburbs and overcast is about 8, deep darkness about 4. 4 stops or bits is 16x more photons. The pedestal is 6 bits and must be greater than the electrical noise of the sensor.
September 2026browse all nights →
2026-09-30
2026-09-30206/578 · 17.8 mag/arcsec² · 4.6 bits
2026-09-29
2026-09-2999/569 · 16.9 mag/arcsec² · 5.7 bits
2026-09-28
2026-09-2896/628 · 15.8 mag/arcsec² · 7.2 bits
2026-09-27
2026-09-27169/623 · 17.2 mag/arcsec² · 5.4 bits
2026-09-26
2026-09-2677/620 · 17.0 mag/arcsec² · 5.6 bits
2026-09-25
2026-09-2542/616 · 17.0 mag/arcsec² · 5.6 bits
2026-09-24
2026-09-24481/610 · 17.9 mag/arcsec² · 4.4 bits
2026-09-23
2026-09-23360/607 · 17.7 mag/arcsec² · 4.7 bits
2026-09-22
2026-09-22114/603 · 17.9 mag/arcsec² · 4.4 bits
2026-09-21
2026-09-21570/598 · 18.1 mag/arcsec² · 4.2 bits
2026-09-20
2026-09-20572/595 · 18.0 mag/arcsec² · 4.3 bits
2026-09-19
2026-09-1939/591 · 16.3 mag/arcsec² · 6.5 bits
2026-09-18
2026-09-1853/586 · 17.2 mag/arcsec² · 5.3 bits
2026-09-17
2026-09-17447/584 · 18.0 mag/arcsec² · 4.3 bits
2026-09-16
2026-09-16148/578 · 18.0 mag/arcsec² · 4.3 bits
2026-09-15
2026-09-15522/574 · 17.9 mag/arcsec² · 4.4 bits
2026-09-14
2026-09-1449/570 · 17.1 mag/arcsec² · 5.5 bits
2026-09-13
2026-09-13219/566 · 18.2 mag/arcsec² · 4.0 bits
2026-09-12
2026-09-1242/562 · 16.9 mag/arcsec² · 5.8 bits
2026-09-11
2026-09-11390/558 · 18.0 mag/arcsec² · 4.3 bits
2026-09-10
2026-09-1056/432 · 18.3 mag/arcsec² · 4.0 bits
2026-09-09
2026-09-0991/549 · 17.9 mag/arcsec² · 4.4 bits
2026-09-08
2026-09-08522/545 · 18.0 mag/arcsec² · 4.3 bits
2026-09-07
2026-09-07137/284 · 16.1 mag/arcsec² · 6.9 bits
2026-09-06
2026-09-06431/537 · 17.8 mag/arcsec² · 4.6 bits
2026-09-05
2026-09-05152/532 · 17.6 mag/arcsec² · 4.8 bits
2026-09-04
2026-09-04408/529 · 17.9 mag/arcsec² · 4.4 bits
2026-09-03
2026-09-0394/524 · 17.7 mag/arcsec² · 4.6 bits
2026-09-02
2026-09-0247/520 · 16.8 mag/arcsec² · 5.9 bits
2026-09-01
2026-09-0148/515 · 16.4 mag/arcsec² · 6.4 bits