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.
25 Jun–1 Julbrowse all nights →
2026-07-01
2026-07-01992/1841 · 9.5 bits
2026-06-30
2026-06-30938/1811 · 9.5 bits
2026-06-29
2026-06-290/1838 · 9.6 bits
2026-06-28
2026-06-281317/1782 · 9.5 bits
2026-06-27
2026-06-27561/1643 · 9.5 bits
2026-06-26
2026-06-26391/1737 · 9.5 bits
2026-06-25
2026-06-25525/1652 · 9.5 bits