New guy - monitoring the sky

[pete_l]

Hi, I'm Pete, English but living in Spain.
My main interest in IP cameras is for astronomy (There's a specialised branch called EAA - electronically assisted astronomy).
I've been using analog lo-light, sense-up cameras with fisheye lenses for some years to monitor the state of the clouds, to see when it is worthwhile setting up a telescope. They work fine but need a video grabber to interface with a PC.
Now I'm thinking of using a sensitive IP cam instead. I've just picked up a IMX291 / Hi3516 board camera and I'm reading background on the best way to use it.

I'm very happy to learn from the experience of others and might have the occasional dumb question of my own

 

[mat200]

Welcome @pete_l

Good to have you join us.

Looking forward to seeing some good image captures.

 

[bp2008]

Although it isn't a fisheye cam, you might be interested in this: IPC-HFW4239T-ASE (Full Color Starlight) as a weather cam

 

[pete_l]

Although it isn't a fisheye cam, you might be interested in this: IPC-HFW4239T-ASE (Full Color Starlight) as a weather cam

Yes, that camera looks pretty good. In the example image you can see Orion rising in the background.
The one I bought was a $30 board with a f/1.7 "fisheye" lens. I plan to see how it performs and how it holds up to the 45°C summer heat (more if the camera is inside a protective dome). The wide / short form factor of the sensor isn't the best as it clips the top and bottom. A 4:3 aspect ratio would be better.
Here's an example of the "out of the box" view. The date & time need pointing to a time server and I need to experiment with getting longer exposure times. Given my application slow-shutter won't produce any significant blurring.

 

[gwminor48]

Hello Pete, welcome to the forum.

 

[bp2008]

Not bad for $30 as long as it works! I always wanted a cam to see the entire sky like this but it would be worthless for much of the year where I live due to snow. And, surprising as it may be, most dome cameras aren't designed for the dome to be facing the sky.