When you build a remote astronomical observatory you need (at least) a telescope, camera, computer, Internet, and software to capture, process, and stream your imaging sessions.
In this post, I will focus on my choice for the setup of the computer that will connect to the telescope equipment: a Pi4 board with 4GB RAM and embedded wifi. The board comes with 2 USB 2.0 and 2 USB 3.0 ports, 2 micro HDMI ports for 4K displays, and one USB-C port for the power supply. I chose to equip this board with the following hardware and software:
Hardware:
- 256 GB SanDisk Extreme micro SD
- DIYmall VK-162 GPS dongle with USB
- For exact observatory coordinates and time. Do not forget to disable the virtualgps before using this. I initially forgot it and the GPS would constantly switch between a default location and the correct reading.
- GeekPi case with a cooling fan
- I noticed the Pi4 board can get quite hot during intense use and since I plan on having this installed outside and using it for solar observations as well I opted for a case equipped with a cooling fan.
Software:
- Astroberry 2.0.4 OS
- Comes with a lot of software for remote observations. The image can be flashed on the micro SD by using Balena Etcher (I used v1.5.79).
- VSpec for spectroscopy (with the help of exagear and wine)
- I decided to install this locally for a first analysis on the board without having to transfer star spectra to my local machine. See my tutorial on Installing Vspec in 10 steps for instructions.
Now the reason for deciding on building my own Astroberry instead of going for a ZWO ASIAir was the price. My custom configuration ended up costing £145.95 which is more than half the price of an ASIAir board that is also based on the Pi4. In addition, it allowed me to make use of my programming and technical skills during setup.
This device will be placed near the telescope and will connect through cables to the mount, filter wheel, autofocuser, imagining camera, and autoguider. By connecting through a local wifi network I will control the telescope remotely. More on this in future posts as I continue building the observatory.
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