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Stars appear to stand still, but wait a few minutes and they won’t be in quite the same place. This means that if you want to take a long-exposure image of the sky with your DSLR you’ll have to either embrace the streaks, or use tracking hardware to compensate for this movement. Naturally, this specialized equipment can be quite expensive, but a seen here, you can now make your own 3D-printed OpenAstroTracker controlled by an Arduino Uno.

The device features a 16×2 LED display/keypad shield, along with an optional Bluetooth module for interface. When set up, it slowly rotates the camera to compensate for star movements via two steppers on a gimbal assembly. 

Print files for the OpenAstroTracker are available on Thingiverse and code can be found on GitHub if you’d like to examine the design or even build your own. Its creator also plans to sell it as a DIY kit — and you can sign up to be notified when it’s available.

Astrophotography can be challenging, in a large part because your subject matter — or your base, the Earth rather — is constantly moving. In order to take excellent long exposures of far-off objects, Redditor intercipere came up with a beautiful 3D-printable, star-following mount that holds and rotates a DSLR camera.

Now intercipere can simply input the RA/DEC coordinates and the device will automatically move to a desired target in the sky.

Motion is handled by an Arduino Uno and two small stepper motors, with a 16×2 LCD shield user interface. The rig is capable of tracking for at least four minutes, producing this photo of the Andromeda galaxy with a cheapo lens from a heavy light polluted area.

The next giant leap for mankind is to the stars. While we are mostly earthbound — for now — that shouldn’t stop us from gazing upwards to marvel at the night sky. In saying that, if you’re an amateur astrophotographer looking to take long-exposure photos of the Milky Way and other stellar scenes, [Anthony Urbano] has devised a portable tracking setup to keep your photos on point.

When taking pictures of the night sky, the earth’s rotation will cause light trails during long exposures. Designed for ultra-portability, [Urbano’s] rig uses an Arduino UNO controlled Sanryusha P43G geared stepper motor coupled to a camera mounting plate on a small tripod. The setup isn’t designed for anything larger than a DSLR, but is still capable of taking some stellar pictures.

55mm Exposure Comparison

A quartet of buttons and indicator LEDs allow [Urbano] to adjust the tracking speed and display the current speed; the key here is that it doesn’t require re-calibration for each use. The entire setup fits inside a standard camera bag, which makes for easier treks out into the wilds — away from light pollution — to truly capture the night sky.

[Urbano] has designed the project to be accessible to most amateur makers, but if you’re looking for a more involved setup, check out this star tracker — it uses 3D printed parts and has lasers!

[Thanks for sharing your project with us, Anthony Urbano!]


Filed under: Arduino Hacks, digital cameras hacks

barndoorfigureaTo photograph the stars, you need a gadget that can track the revolving night sky in a perfectly timed arc. Otherwise all you’ll see is streaks and blurs.

Read more on MAKE

The post 6 DIY Star Trackers for Perfect Night Sky Photos appeared first on Make: DIY Projects, How-Tos, Electronics, Crafts and Ideas for Makers.



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