The Waldbröl Observatory demonstrates how modern astronomy can be made accessible even with simple tools: Club member Patrick Staden has developed a mobile Allsky camera—an exciting technology project for students in 10th grade and above. Rather than developing custom software from scratch, he used the freely available open-source software Allsky, which is specifically designed for use on a Raspberry Pi. Patrick adapted this software to his own requirements and expanded it in useful ways.
An Allsky camera is a camera with a special wide-angle or fisheye lens that captures the entire sky at once. It continuously records what is happening in the sky—from stars and planets to clouds, satellites, or shooting stars.
The video illustrates this nicely: A Night with the Allsky Camera.
The solution adapted and expanded by Patrick offers numerous features:
- 🌌 Complete real-time overview of the sky
- 🌙 Automatic display of the current moon phase
- 🪐 Information on the visibility of planets
- 🌦️ Integration of weather data for better observation planning
- 📍 GPS and RTC (real-time clock) for precise position and time data
- 🌐 Internet connection for displaying and sharing data
- 🚗 Mobile use, e.g., during field trips or observation evenings
The project combines astronomy, computer science, and electronics in a practical way and demonstrates how powerful open-source solutions can be when customized.
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