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.
18 Jun–24 Junbrowse all nights →
2026-06-24
2026-06-241158/1674 · 9.5 bits
2026-06-22
2026-06-220/1714 · 9.7 bits
2026-06-21
2026-06-211082/1670 · 9.5 bits
2026-06-20
2026-06-201554/1653 · 9.5 bits
2026-06-19
2026-06-191534/1665 · 9.5 bits
2026-06-18
2026-06-181505/1597 · 9.5 bits