// hardware

Gear

Optics, mounts, sensors, filters, and the small army of accessories that turn photons into pixels. 24 pieces currently in rotation.

// 01

Telescopes / Optics

4 items

Apochromatic refractor

Sky-Watcher Evostar AP 72 ED DS Pro Sky-Watcher

72 mm aperture, 420 mm focal length, f/5.8, ED doublet

Guide / finder scope

50/90 mm guide / finder scope

50 mm aperture, 90 mm focal length

Maksutov-Cassegrain

Sky-Watcher StarQuest 103/1300 Sky-Watcher

103 mm aperture, 1300 mm focal length, f/12.6

Newtonian reflector

Sky-Watcher Explorer 200P Newtonian Sky-Watcher

200 mm aperture, 1000 mm focal length, f/5 (8")

// 02

Mounts

2 items

Alt-Azimuth

Sky-Watcher Discovery Alt-Az Sky-Watcher

Manual alt-azimuth visual mount

Equatorial GoTo

Sky-Watcher EQ5 Pro SynScan GoTo Sky-Watcher

German equatorial, SynScan hand controller, GoTo

// 03

Main Cameras

4 items

Color CMOS

ToupTek 183CA ToupTek

IMX183 color sensor, OSC astronomy camera

Cooled mono CMOS

ToupTek ATR533M ToupTek

IMX533 mono sensor, TEC cooled, square format

DSLR (APS-C)

Nikon D3200 DSLR Nikon

24 MP APS-C CMOS, unmodified

DSLR (full-frame)

Nikon D750 DSLR Nikon

24 MP full-frame CMOS, unmodified

// 04

Guide Cameras

1 item

Mini CMOS guide camera

ToupTek 327C Mini guide camera ToupTek

IMX327 sensor, compact form factor for OAG / guide scope

// 05

Filters / Filter Systems

1 item

Filter wheel

ToupTek motorized filter wheel (AFW / EFW) ToupTek

Electronic filter wheel, 7×1.25" positions

Filters loaded / in rotation (all 1.25"): • L (Luminance) • R / G / B • Hα narrowband • OIII narrowband • SII narrowband Used alongside (not wheel-mounted): • Hα + OIII dual-band • IR / IR-cut filters

// 06

Focus / Guiding / Imaging Accessories

4 items

Coma corrector

TS-Optics 2" Newtonian coma corrector TS-Optics

2" coma corrector for fast Newtonian astrographs

Electronic focuser

Pegasus Astro Gemini EAF Pegasus Astro

Stepper-motor electronic focuser, INDI/ASCOM control

Mounting hardware

Side-by-side dovetail mounting system

Vixen / Losmandy compatible side-by-side bar for dual-OTA imaging

Off-axis guider

ToupTek OAG-L off-axis guider ToupTek

M48 thread, prism off-axis pickoff

// 07

Power Equipment

2 items

Lead-acid battery

100 Ah lead-acid battery

100 Ah, 12 V, deep-cycle lead-acid

LiFePO4 lithium battery

100 Ah 12 V LiFePO4 battery

100 Ah, 12 V, lithium iron phosphate chemistry

// 08

Computer / Control Hardware

2 items

Embedded controller

Raspberry Pi 5 Raspberry Pi

Pi 5, used for INDI / KStars remote control at the mount

Imaging laptop

HP Pavilion Plus 14-eh1477ng HP

14" laptop used for acquisition, plate-solving, and remote sessions

// 09

Observatory

1 item

Roll-off roof structure

Roll-off roof observatory

~2.4 m × 2.4 m footprint

Project: backyard roll-off roof shed for permanent pier and unattended imaging

// 10

Miscellaneous

3 items

DSLR power accessory

DSLR dummy battery (long exposures)

AC-coupled dummy battery for unlimited-duration DSLR imaging sessions

Manual focuser

2" Crayford focuser (200/1000 Newtonian)

2" dual-speed Crayford on the Explorer 200P Newtonian

Photographic lens

Nikon 55–300 mm lens Nikon

55–300 mm zoom for wide-field and constellation imaging