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Projects, Articles, DIY Guides and How-To's
This article has been read 159347 times | Comments

DIY Projects and How-To guides for getting the most out of your astronomy equipment and experience.

Some of these guides are written by me as mods done to my Dob, and others are user-contributed articles to share their knowledge and experience with others. I encourage and welcome your contributions. The more people that contribute articles, the greater value the information here will provide.

Astrophotography

ArticleAuthorDate Added
Revealing Star Colours using the Defocusing Technique Al Sheehan 11-Jun-2008
RGB Planetary Imaging with a Monochrome Camera Mike Salway 10-Mar-2008
Mono vs One Shot Colour (OSC) CCD's Dr Dietmar Hager 20-Feb-2008
Sharpening Images Using Deconvolution Stuart Hodgson 25-Jan-2008
Taking Great CCD Images Philip Holmes 10-Oct-2007
Adding a Webcam to your Telescope David Childs 27-Sep-2007
Calculating Focal Length from Plate Scale Anthony Wesley 10-Apr-2007
Calculating the Resolution of Solar System Images Alan Sheehan 15-Nov-2006
Planetary Imaging and Image Processing Mike Salway 05-Jul-2006
A High Pass Layer Approach to Image Enhancement Doug 04-Jul-2006
High Dynamic Range Processing Using Photoshop CS2 Doug 04-May-2006
Avoid Histogram Clipping in ImagesPlus Tony Hitchcock 21-Feb-2006
Digital Imaging - Flats and Darks Explained! Eddie Trimarchi 19-Jun-2005
Astrophotography with a Dob Mike Salway 05-May-2005
Secret of the Hartmann Mask... Revealed! Paul Russell 05-Apr-2005

Beginners Guides

ArticleAuthorDate Added
Basic Setup Procedure for a German Equatorial Mount (GEM) Telescope Trevor Hand 17-Jul-2008
How to Align your Finderscope without Embarrassment Michael Viset 11-Apr-2008
Beginners Guide to Finding the SCP - by a Beginner Chris Turton 25-Feb-2008
Polar Alignment with a Wedge in the Southern Hemisphere Chris James 25-Jan-2008
Astronomy Acronyms Geoff White 06-Nov-2007
Basics of Drift Alignment / Polar Alignment Geoff Smith 15-Jun-2007
Collimation and the Newtonian Don Pensack 10-Apr-2007
Binoculars - A Basic Guide for Astronomy Dennis Simmons 01-Mar-2007
Cleaning the Mirrors of a Newtonian Telescope Mike Salway 15-Nov-2006
Adventures in Eyepiece Cleaning Scott N. Mitchell 15-Nov-2006
The Beaufort Scale Alan Sheehan 21-Aug-2006
Part One: General Principles for Choosing your first Telescope Brian Nolan 07-Dec-2005
Part Two: What's Wrong with each of my Scopes Brian Nolan 07-Dec-2005
How To Determine Seeing and Transparency Brendan Gazzard 15-Apr-2005

Equipment

ArticleAuthorDate Added
16" Tri-Dob Improvements, including ArgoNavis and ServoCat Tim Nott 11-Jun-2008
Setting Up and Using a Celestron CG5 Mount Geoff Young 11-Jun-2008
Balancing Your Homemade Dobsonian Telescope Douglas Parkes 11-Jun-2008
GS 250mm Light Bucket Dennis Greeve 11-Apr-2008
16" Lightbridge Modifications Peter Batchelor 06-Nov-2007
Modifying a Newtonian Tube for DSLR Photography Alchemy 06-Nov-2007
Power Drive and Equatorial Platform for a Dob Dennis Greeve 10-Oct-2007
EQ5 Bearing Replacement Martin 27-Sep-2007
Building a Small Truss Tube Telescope Peter Pocock 02-Aug-2007
GSO Dob Fan Project Scott Tannehill 30-May-2007
A How-To for Wireless Go-To Dennis Simmons 10-May-2007
Balancing your Dobsonian Dennis Greeve 10-Apr-2007
Another DIY Parallelogram Binocular Mount Dennis Simmons 28-Mar-2007
Binocular Chair Geoff Liddicoat 22-Mar-2007
Lazy Susan Bearing for a 200mm Dob Base Geoff White 05-Mar-2007
Troubleshooting the AS GT Mount Narayan Mukkavilli 02-Mar-2007
Parallelogram Binocular Mount Larry Brockman 02-Mar-2007
Widefield EQ Suitcase Tommy Boswell 26-Feb-2007
16" Tri-Dob - Building an Ultralight Telescope Tim Nott 21-Aug-2006
Skateboard Wheel Dob Mount Geoff Liddicoat 04-Jul-2006
Centre Spotting a Newtonian Mirror Steve H 21-Feb-2006
Installing Sky Commander DSC's Mike Salway 29-Jun-2005
Installing a Moonlite CR2 Focuser Mike Salway 29-Jun-2005
Making a Low-Cost Illuminated Finder Mike Salway 29-Jun-2005
Making a White Light Solar Filter Mike Salway 29-Jun-2005
Smooth Motion with Dob Base Mods Mike Salway 29-Jun-2005
Checking the Optics on your GSO Dob Starkler 25-May-2005

Accessories

ArticleAuthorDate Added
Spectroscopes: Part 2 – New 200mm Littrow design Ken Harrison 17-Jul-2008
A Simple Polar Alignment Jig for a GEM Tripod Trevor Hand 17-Jul-2008
A Truss-Mounted Tele Crutch Dennis Greeve 11-Apr-2008
Finderscope Mount for Cheap Telescopes Michael Viset 11-Apr-2008
Locking Down the Finderscope Dennis Greeve 11-Apr-2008
A Jig to Make Mirror Handling Safer Dennis Greeve 11-Apr-2008
Easy Action Switch for Green Laser Pointers Darryl Pfitzner Milika 18-Mar-2008
Focus Control at the Laptop Dennis Greeve 10-Dec-2007
An Inexpensive, Waterproof, Durable and Easy DIY Table-Top Dew Hutch Scott Tannehill 07-Nov-2007
Collimation Using a Barlowed Laser Dennis Greeve 06-Nov-2007
Creating Cheap Azimuth Circles Denis 10-Oct-2007
Collimation Using a Webcam Scott Tannehill 15-Jun-2007
Argo Navis Stalk Scott Tannehill 30-May-2007
Build Cheap Digital Setting Circles Martin 30-May-2007
Illuminated Finder Dennis Greeve 10-Apr-2007
A Portable, Dew-Proof, Astronomy Hutch Dennis Simmons 21-Feb-2007
Eyepiece and Laptop Rack Stephen McNelley 29-Jan-2007
Build a Cheap, Simple Laptop Light Control Hutch Al Sheehan 04-Jan-2007
The "Krupa Collimator" Revisited David C Nicholls 15-Dec-2006
Classical Spectroscope Ken Harrison 01-Nov-2006
Dew Shields for 20x80 Triplet Binoculars Alan Sheehan 02-Aug-2006
PST Scope Case from a Toolbox Alan Sheehan 02-Aug-2006
Bendy Scope Light Michael Samerski 04-May-2006
Build a Dew Heater with Resistors Alan Sheehan 04-May-2006
Building a Pulse Width Modulated Dew Heater Controller Alan Sheehan 16-Mar-2006
Build Your Own Red LED Torch Chris Marsh 21-Feb-2006
Making Your Own Artificial Star Barry Waters 10-Jan-2006
Home Made Observing Table Ian Ogilvie 13-Apr-2005
Making a Denver Observers Chair Mike Salway 29-Jun-2005
Move Your Dob with a Transporting Trolley Mike Salway 29-Jun-2005

Astronomy and Observing

ArticleAuthorDate Added
40th Anniversary of the Apollo 11 Moon Landing Mike Salway 20-May-2009
Mars will NOT be as Big as the Full Moon on August 27th! Mike Salway 07-May-2009
Star Lineups Rob Horvat 01-Apr-2009
Titan Shadow Transits on Saturn in 2009 Mike Salway 02-Mar-2009
Total Solar Eclipse, July 22nd 2009 - Observing / Imaging Guide Mike Salway 20-Feb-2009
Upcoming Transits of Titan at Saturn - February and March 2009 Mike Salway 02-Feb-2009
Upcoming Conjunctions Featuring the Moon, Mercury, Venus, Mars and Jupiter Mike Salway 14-Jan-2009
Partial Solar Eclipse, January 26th 2009 - Observing / Imaging Guide Mike Salway 14-Jan-2009
Using Astrometrica software for Asteroid Searching Jeff Nott and Scott Alder 20-08-2008
SkyScan Alignment Stars and Matching Finder Charts Steve Russell 17-Jul-2008
Partial Lunar Eclipse, August 17th 2008 - Observing / Imaging Guide Mike Salway 10-Jul-2008
Partial Solar Eclipse, February 7th 2008 - Observing / Imaging Guide Mike Salway 05-Dec-2007
Total Lunar Eclipse, August 2007 - Observing / Imaging Guide Mike Salway 26-Jun-2007
Memorising the Maria Stephen Saber 10-Apr-2007
110 Southern Sky Doubles Stephen Saber 21-Dec-2006
Rattling the Beads Stephen Saber 21-Dec-2006
Transit of Mercury, 2006 - Observing / Imaging Guide Dennis Simmons 25-Oct-2006
Mercury Spotting Guide for 2007 Edosaurus Rex 26-Sep-2006
111 Bright NGC Objects Glen Couzens 21-Aug-2006
100 Brightest Planetary Nebula for Southern Observers Paul Mayo 02-Jul-2006
The Structure and Proportions of the Known Universe Graeme Clement 10-Jan-2006
How To Adjust a Binocular Viewer Graeme Clement 10-Jan-2006
100 Brightest Galaxies for Southern Observers Paul Mayo 10-Jan-2006
The Names of Stars Paul Mayo 10-Jan-2006

Computers and Software

ArticleAuthorDate Added
Create a Diffraction Spike Brush for Photoshop Al Sheehan 27-Sep-2007
Overlay Light Pollution Map in Google Earth Andrew B & Eric Kingston 15-Jun-2007
Image Resizing with Windows XP acropolite 20-Jun-2005
Neutral Density Filters & NightVision Dennis Simmons 20-Jun-2005

Observing Reports

ArticleAuthorDate Added
Go South Lance Humphreys 25-Jan-2008
Seeing the Unseeable Richard Brown 10-Apr-2007

To contribute a DIY project or How-To, follow these easy steps:

  1. Write your article in Word or a similar editor. Be descriptive, as technical as is relevant, include pictures, links etc. 
  2. Sign up to the IceInSpace Forums (it'll only take 30 seconds!)
  3. Contact me (via email is probably best) to submit your article, and I'll load it onto the site!
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