Lego Star Tracker V5 - Designer's Block

Hurry Up and Wait

I spent a few days in Studio mocking up a new version of the Lego Star Tracker.  This proved to be a little more difficult than I was expecting.  I'm really looking to create a robust upgrade to the whole system since I'm returning to one of my earlier designs.  Remember what I said earlier about changing too many things at once?

I'll share the gory details momentarily, but needless to say, I've just finished version 5.  I don't want to brag, but it looks real slick.  I have no idea if it will work or not, but man, it's certainly easy on the eyes.  

I'm just about ready to start image testing, but that's not my biggest issue at the moment.  The clouds are back so there's nothing for me to do but to sit back and wait.

Lego Star Tracker V4 Test 5 - I Got Problems

Questions Answered

Alright, I'm determined to get my focus right tonight and my batteries are all charged and I'm ready to go.  I only made one very minor update to the tracker.  I stuck 4 little foam pads on bottom of the base to hopefully attenuate any noise due to vibrations and minimize any level issues with my table.

This turned out to be a great idea.  Not because it worked real well (although it did), it actually helped me figure out the problem I was struggling to understand all along.  How could I not track, then track, and then not track again?  Well, I figured it out.  And man, I got problems now...

 

Lego Star Tracker V4 Test 4 - I'm Still a Moron

Lack of Focus

I added a couple of 8 tooth spur gears on the left and right side of the 24 tooth gear being driven by the worm gear which added just a touch of stability to the system.  Another clear but cool night and I was all set to get testing.

But a lack of focus led to, well, a lack of focus.  I'm happy to report that I had another good night of tracking.  However, when I got back inside and took a closer look at the RAW files, I realized I was tracking donut stars.  After focusing, I wrapped a dew heater around the lens and obviously knocked my focus way out of whack.  Either that or the temperature drop really messed things up. 

So.... Here's a plate of 60 second yumminess!

Canon 250D, f/2.8 ISO 800 Exp 60s, RAW

 

I'm surprised I didn't notice that on my screen, but apparently I wasn't paying enough attention.  Who can blame me, I was still riding that high from my last session.  I got a little ahead of myself in my eagerness.

Ok, better luck next time.

Messing About With the 135mm - Pleiades 10/08/21

A Joy to Use

The nights are getting longer here in the North and the shooting conditions are really pleasant when the skies are clear.  The temperature is cooler but very comfortable and the light breeze that rolls through carries a hint of warmness.  My backyard has become my astrophotography lab and despite the heavy light pollution, it's just nice to be able to step out at a moment's notice to take some snaps.  Which is exactly what I was able to do this evening.

After messing about with the Samyang for a few days, I can say that this lens is a joy to photograph with.  While this is an entirely manual lens, there is nothing difficult at all about using it.  And the quality of the photos is really impressive - even without a lot of post-processing.

Happy Anniversary - Samyang 135mm f/2

Surprises!

My wife and I just celebrated 20 years together in marriage.  What a journey.  And for such a big event we did what most parents of 4 boys do - nothing.  Just kidding - kind of.  We decided we'd like to get away for a weekend so at the end of November, we're going to be heading to a spa for a couple of days in Southeastern Poland while dad watches the boys.

What makes this especially exciting is that this spa is located in a Bortle 2 zone.  The weather is obviously a coin flip and that's not the reason we're getting away - but this is part of the plan.  And in hopeful anticipation, there is another surprise - A Samyang 135mm f/2 USM lens.  I'm blessed.

So I've got some work to do in learning how to use this new lens.  Best way to learn is to do.