Setting My Next Goals for Astrophotography

I think I’ve learned that this is the yuckiest time of the year for astrophotography. It’s been unusually warm here in Poland and we’re still waiting for our first frost. So while the nights are starting early, the air is quite humid which rolls to haze as the nighttime temperatures drop. And of course, that’s on the off chance that the skies are even clear. But this gives me a little time to take a step back and gather my thoughts about what I hope to accomplish moving forward. Emmitt Smith says, “A dream is just a dream until you write it down. Then it’s a goal.” So with that little nugget of wisdom, let me take a moment to begin setting my next goals for astrophotography.

Gear Up!

So the first thing (and probably the most interesting for me) that I want to talk about when setting goals is to discuss where I want to be with my astrophotography gear. My mind has been racing in a billion different directions on this front and it’s time to get everything written down.

Goals for the Gamma Star Tracker

Gamma is certainly the big story this past year when it comes to imaging and I want to build on top of the success that I’ve had with it. So here is my development list for moving this project forward.

1. Redesign the camera mount. I found that I need a little more top clearance and I’m not satisfied with how it locks to the drive shaft. I’m tentatively thinking about using a threaded drive shaft to lock things down.
2. Upgrade to a belt drive. One of my readers suggested that I think about using a belt drive on my final output gear stage instead of the involute gears I’m currently using. It’s at least worth putting a test together to see what kind of a difference it would make.
3. Upgrade the shaft design. This would follow from #1. The key will be to design the shaft in such a way that it secures the camera mount without pulling the shaft out of the tracker. The more I think about this, the more I think I have to do it. Time to learn how to use a tap and die!
4. Get more out of the BLE Sense chip. The IMU, BLE, temperature, and humidity sensors are all currently unused. Unacceptable. Time to extend the code especially since I now know how to program the BLE.
5. Stretch: Can I dither? I’m not sure, but it’s worth thinking about.
6. Stretch: Can I autoguide? At least on the RA axis? Again, not sure, but I’ll add it to my list.
7. Stretch: Can I goto? Not with this design, but since I’m already going to modify the camera mount, do I want to take this challenge on now? We’ll see.

Goals for Samyang 135mm Focuser

The Samyang 135mm lens is definitely going to be my goto lens this winter. I want to ensure that I’m getting the most out of it and that will require precision focusing. You already know I’m making good headway with this project, but here’s what I have left to finish.

1. Finish the focuser motor design. The test rig works brilliantly, now it’s time to design the final solution.
2. Build the electronics solution. It’s all straightforward but it has to be done.
3. Finalize the Windows code. It’s 99% done, I’ll just need to build the executable at some point.
4. Stretch: Can I develop an ASCOM driver for the focuser? Maybe, but not my highest priority.

Power Up

I’ve done well thus far using power banks and batteries but it’s clear my setup requires a better energy solution. Therefore, investing in a portable power station needs to be at the top of my next astrophotography goals list. I’m going to need to get more than 2 hours shooting on a camera battery when not imaging from my backyard! It’s a beefy cost for sure, but the right investment.

Miscellaneous Goals and Ideas

And then there’s a bucket of stuff that doesn’t tuck neatly into any categories.

1. Design a more portable solution for taking flats. I’m intrigued by Electroluminescent panels and would love to explore working on this solution for flats. Not sure it’s in my budget (remember I’m frugal) but something to put on the list.
2. Webcam polar alignment tool. I want to use something like the QHY Polemaster, but the limits of my current imaging equipment don’t make it worth the price. But maybe I can build something similar.

Goal: More Travel!

Shooting in Rabka-Zdrój was awesome and now I’ve really got the itch to do more dark site imaging. I’m going to set a goal to get at least three dark sky trips this winter. Not sure yet how I’m going to accomplish this, but I’m on the hunt for plausible locations that register Bortle 4 or darker. Realistically, I won’t be able to achieve this goal without investment in the portable power solution I mentioned above.

Goal: More Writing!

I’ve found that some of my most popular posts relate to things I’m just tinkering with. I almost found some of these kinds of posts to be a bit boring when writing them, but if that’s what folks want to explore then I’m happy to post more. I think I’ll need to reorganize my site a little bit to make it easier to find things, but I’m up for the task.

And yes, I haven’t forgotten about posting more information about Gamma. I’m pulling everything together and I haven’t decided yet if I want to post one big post or multiple shorter posts. There’s just a lot to pour over given Gamma’s complexity. I was contemplating posting the project on Thingiverse as I’ve begun uploading some of my designs there, but I think with 43 printed parts, it’s a little too complex for my comfort in that forum. It’ll be here soon.

Wrapping Up

So this was a bit of a meandering post but I wanted to put this out there to give you a sense of what I’m working on and what I’m thinking. I’m still amazed at the amount of learning that I’m still undertaking to develop in this hobby. And quite frankly, that’s kind of what makes it so fun for me. My pictures still aren’t where I’d like them to be but I’m definitely seeing progress. And I really can’t ask for any more than that! But I hope you appreciated getting a sense of what my next astrophotography goals are.