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.
16 Jul–22 Julbrowse all nights →
2026-07-22
2026-07-22533/1883 · 9.5 bits
2026-07-21
2026-07-211475/1903 · 9.5 bits
2026-07-20
2026-07-201362/1879 · 9.5 bits
2026-07-19
2026-07-191486/1864 · 9.5 bits
2026-07-18
2026-07-181479/1850 · 9.5 bits
2026-07-17
2026-07-17970/1822 · 9.5 bits
2026-07-16
2026-07-161434/1817 · 9.5 bits