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.
9 Jul–15 Julbrowse all nights →
2026-07-14
2026-07-141375/1783 · 9.5 bits
2026-07-13
2026-07-13687/1763 · 9.5 bits
2026-07-12
2026-07-121382/1764 · 9.5 bits
2026-07-11
2026-07-111332/1746 · 9.5 bits
2026-07-10
2026-07-101236/1732 · 9.5 bits
2026-07-09
2026-07-09395/1691 · 9.5 bits