I’ve just completed a new project in the form of an All Sky Camera, which now uploads to my website.
The base of the camera setup is a Raspberry PI4 4GB with a POE HAT, so I can run it off an existing CAT5 cable connected to a POE switch in the house.
The camera I’m using is Raspberry PI Module 3 wide angle, which only gives a 120° FOV, but is housed in a purpose made waterproof dome.
All I had to get was an enclosure and a gland for the CAT5 cable to enter the enclosure.
This was my first exploration into RPI’s, so there was some learning to do, but the online assistance is good and I was soon up & running.
The software is a free download called AllSky by Thomas Jacquin. It’s very easy to setup and produces a time lapse MP4 video at the end of the night, along with single images which you can FTP to your website, and a nightly Star Trails image and Keogram. The software is able to upload all these images & video to your website, as I had done with mine.
It’s still early days with it but it was a simple build and did cost that much in the scheme of things.
It’s worth a mention if you want to try this, the AllSky software currently only works on the Bullseye OS for the RPI, it hasn’t been update for the latest OS version yet.
I need to get back to building one of these. I got most of the parts together ready to build just about when Raspberry Pi’s became as available as rocking horse droppings so all the parts are sitting round feeling unloved. I’m doing a project right now which should free up a RPi to let me build my first camera.
I was actually planning on building two to try some experiments with linked cameras, but I’m not sure if my programming skills are up to it so I might just stick with one camera.
Nice setup and description. I did 2 such systems with a RPiHQ camera and fish-eye lens. The latest I did is intended for the North specifically hoping someday I’ll catch the Northern Lights. For this one I used a RPi zero W (version 1.1) and Raspberry Pi camera module 3 wide (same as yours). It took about 20 hours to compile the Allsky software package on this RPi … and it is not able to compile timelapse. I do it on another PC instead. However, it can chew the images to produce startrails
I looked at the RPi Zero but read that it wasn’t suited to the AllSky software, so went with the RPi4 instead.
Tonight is nice & clear, so this will be the first real test of the camera. So far it’s looking good and, with the dark skies I have here it’s showing the Milkyway in the stills.
With luck, I’ll get enough images for the Star Trails side of AllSky to produce a proper image. If I get one like yours then I’ll be happy.
Yep, we’ve been given a rest from the rain, for one night, and I’m taking full advantage as I currently have two telescopes in the garden taking images.
One is on the Heart Nebula (IC1805) and the other is wide field on the Elephant’s Trunk Nebula (IC1396).
It could be a late one, but I do have to go to work in the morning.
Any indication if that crucial software Allsky will ever be updated to work with the newer Raspberry OS?
Also, is there any problem (so far) with condensation inside the dome? I wonder if as the temps drop any water vapor will condense out? I can imagine trying to place some silicon gel packets out of sight of the camera to make for a lower humidity, or attempting to fill the dome with dry nitrogen gas from a pressurized container just before the final sealing screw is clamped down?
I’ve had some frustrating experiences with unwanted condensation. Dale
Hi Dale,
It just says that the latest RPI OS “Bookworm” isn’t supported yet, but they are working on it and hope to have a release soon. Bookworm was only release in October, so it’s will very new.
As my RPi4 is only running AllSky, I just installed Bullseye OS and it’s been fine.
No problems yet with condensation in the dome. It comes with a large desiccant tablet which sits under the camera to absorb any moisture in the dome. Of course, it’s best to put the dome together in a dry environment, as it’s a sealed unit, but desiccant tablet takes care of anything left inside.
You can also recharge the desiccant tablet if you do start to see condensation on the inside of the dome, just pop it in the microwave for a couple of minutes and leave to cool.
Wow, thanks for the update and I guess I didn’t catch the fine point of
the rasp pi doing a solo support runs OK.
It used to be that Rasp Pi was ‘simple’ but now trying to get WeeWx on
the latest version running with all the various hang ons that some guys
are installing, my head is spinning.
And I didn’t see on the kit form that there were spots for a drier
tablet under the camera. that would go a long way towards keeping th
ings happy. We do get -20 and -30 F on occasion and have had 100 F with
90 % humidity (dewpoints of 60 and 70) so it is a tough call to keep the
inside of the dome clear.
What next? Install a hair drier to blow the outside surface clear after
a rain? Just teasing, but things are not always as simple as they
seem. I am very impressed with the star resolution when the dome is
clear and the sky is cloudless. And the Milky Way seems more visible
that I thought it might be.
I have a Pi, a camera and a lens, but the dome part is a challenge,
including trying to mount a hemisphere that was designed to let
fenced-in dogs stick their heads out a little bit to see up and down
sidewalks for their entertainment, but sealing that up and so on was
fraught with difficulty, for me at least.
You are an inspiration to give it a go again. Thanks for the info and
the posting with all those links. Dale K9ELD
