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Celebrating my first sharp star photo with a homemade tracker
I've been trying to get into astrophotography for months, but star trails kept ruining my shots. Last weekend, I decided to build a barn door tracker from some scrap wood and an old camera tripod. It took me two evenings to put it all together, mostly after the kids went to bed. I used a slow motor from a broken DVD player to drive the hinge. Last night was clear, so I set it up in the backyard. I aimed at Orion and took a five-minute exposure. The stars came out sharp, no trails at all. I'm so pumped that this janky setup actually did the job.
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averyshah6mo ago
Actually, I see it the other way. For a first shot with homemade gear, getting any sharp stars is a big win. @wells.christopher is right about polar alignment, but even with small errors, the fact that you built this from scrap is great. Think about it: you took a broken DVD player and made it track stars. That's more awesome than perfect alignment. Your next target could be something easier, like the Pleiades, to build confidence. Don't let talk of tiny trails take away from this success.
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hernandez.stella6mo ago
Totally agree with Avery. My first barn door tracker from an old printer motor had way worse trails. Try using a green laser pointer to check polar alignment before you start, it made a huge difference for me. I also found that shorter exposures stacked together gave cleaner results than one long shot. What kind of camera are you using with your setup?
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wells.christopher6mo ago
Your homemade tracker sounds awesome, and I remember reading that barn door setups can have small errors over long exposures. @ruby659 has a point about possible tiny trails, but for a first shot, it's still a huge win. I heard that polar alignment is key to reducing those errors, even with DIY gear. Did you check your alignment with a compass or smartphone app? What's your next target for astrophotography?
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