Messierhunter
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For the last few months I've been developing software to provide automatic video tracking to telescopes like mine. Initially this started off as a project to adapt my telescope to automatically track rocket launches:
The program provides "closed-loop" tracking; a video camera piggybacking on top of the blue telescope provides a video viewfinder and the ability to automatically guide on fast-moving objects.
More recently I've been evolving it into a capability for tracking satellites such as ISS. The tracking starts based on the satellite's predicted pass. Once the telescope catches up to the satellite's position in the sky, the tracking is refined using automatic video guiding by clicking on the satellite in the video viewfinder window. This weekend I had the first field test of that capability:
Stacked image:
Apologies for the high pitch tone; that tone told me whether the telescope was receiving a control signal from the computer. I needed it for diagnostic purposes but I'll disconnect it in future videos. The tracking algorithm still needs some refinement to get rid of the jittering, and I foolishly used ISO 100 with a slow exposure when I could have used a much faster one less susceptible to vibrations. Future testing will also use a barlow lens to double the optical magnification - this testing was at f/10 and with 1080p video resolution using a Canon T5i.
Still, it was a successful first test, and I think it bodes well for making ISS tracking much easier to do with a GOTO telescope. Unlike other products that are already on the market, this program automatically guides on the target using a video signal, and it's specifically written to be compatible even with scopes which do not offer direct control over the drive rates, such as my older LX200 classic. Newer autostar LX200's do offer direct drive rate control and are compatible with programs that require that control, but as far as I know LX90's and other lower end models are hampered by a lack of direct drive rate control. This program circumvents that limitation.
The program provides "closed-loop" tracking; a video camera piggybacking on top of the blue telescope provides a video viewfinder and the ability to automatically guide on fast-moving objects.
More recently I've been evolving it into a capability for tracking satellites such as ISS. The tracking starts based on the satellite's predicted pass. Once the telescope catches up to the satellite's position in the sky, the tracking is refined using automatic video guiding by clicking on the satellite in the video viewfinder window. This weekend I had the first field test of that capability:
Stacked image:
Apologies for the high pitch tone; that tone told me whether the telescope was receiving a control signal from the computer. I needed it for diagnostic purposes but I'll disconnect it in future videos. The tracking algorithm still needs some refinement to get rid of the jittering, and I foolishly used ISO 100 with a slow exposure when I could have used a much faster one less susceptible to vibrations. Future testing will also use a barlow lens to double the optical magnification - this testing was at f/10 and with 1080p video resolution using a Canon T5i.
Still, it was a successful first test, and I think it bodes well for making ISS tracking much easier to do with a GOTO telescope. Unlike other products that are already on the market, this program automatically guides on the target using a video signal, and it's specifically written to be compatible even with scopes which do not offer direct control over the drive rates, such as my older LX200 classic. Newer autostar LX200's do offer direct drive rate control and are compatible with programs that require that control, but as far as I know LX90's and other lower end models are hampered by a lack of direct drive rate control. This program circumvents that limitation.
