My DIY telescope vs $1million Observatory: A Canary Island Special
TLDRIn this thrilling video, the creator takes on a professional observatory in an astrophotography challenge with 'Bessie,' a homemade telescope. After a year of development and a series of setbacks, including mirror issues, the creator and robot engineer Kerry enhance Bessie's potential for optical perfection. The climactic showdown occurs at the Canary Islands' astronomical golden zone, where Bessie competes to capture the most detailed image of the M33 galaxy. Despite the challenges, the final shots reveal Bessie's remarkable capabilities, showcasing the potential of amateur astronomy.
Takeaways
- 📅 The protagonist is taking their homemade telescope, Betty, to the Canary Islands for an astrophotography shootout against a professional observatory.
- 🔧 Betty was built with the help of robot engineer Kerry and includes innovative features like a radical secondary mirror holder.
- 🌌 The aim is to match or exceed the resolution of a multi-million pound observatory using Betty, a small and optically perfect Newtonian telescope.
- ✈️ Despite facing challenges with the mirror causing triangular stars, the team decides to proceed with the trip to the Canary Islands.
- 🛠️ Last-minute modifications to Betty’s mirror holder were made using double-sided tape to avoid pressure on the mirror and improve image quality.
- 🌄 The Canary Islands provide an optimal astronomical viewing location, with clear, un-wobbly air above the clouds.
- 🔭 The final test for Betty involves a shootout against the IAC 80 telescope, targeting the M33 galaxy to compare resolution and image detail.
- 💡 Betty successfully captures sharp images, revealing significant detail, though wind-shake remains a challenge without a protective dome.
- 🏆 The processed images from Betty are compared favorably against those from the IAC 80, showing impressive results for a homemade telescope.
- 📸 The protagonist plans to sell prints of the M33 galaxy images to fund future trips and further improvements to Betty.
Q & A
What is the main purpose of the video?
-The main purpose of the video is to document the journey of taking a homemade telescope named Betty to the Canary Islands to compete in an astrophotography shootout against a professional observatory.
Why is the Canary Islands considered one of the best astrophotography locations in the world?
-The Canary Islands is considered one of the best astrophotography locations because of its astronomical golden zone, which is an area above the clouds with stable air that minimizes atmospheric disturbance, providing clear views of the night sky.
What was the initial problem with Betty's mirror?
-The initial problem with Betty's mirror was that it was made of a material that seemed to bend easily under touch, leading to blurry images and triangular stars, which indicated optical imperfection.
How did the team enhance Betty's potential resolution?
-The team enhanced Betty's potential resolution by stiffening her tube with carbon fiber and using a radical secondary mirror holder designed by robot engineer Kerry.
What was the solution to the mirror problem after trying three different holding methods?
-The solution to the mirror problem was to glue the mirror onto the back plate without anything touching the front of the mirror, which was hoped to prevent it from bending out of shape.
What was the final test for Betty before the astrophotography shootout?
-The final test for Betty was to observe if the stars appeared round in the live view of the camera, which would indicate that the mirror problem was fixed and that Betty was achieving optical perfection.
Why was the team worried about testing Betty's revised mirror holder?
-The team was worried because they had to go to the Canary Islands with virtually no real testing of the revisions made to the mirror holder, which added uncertainty to Betty's performance in the upcoming shootout.
What was the target for the astrophotography shootout between Betty and the IAC 80?
-The target for the astrophotography shootout was the Galaxy M33, an enormous cloud of red gas where stars are being born, located more than 3 million light years away.
How did the team address the issue of wind affecting the stability of Betty during the shootout?
-The team addressed the issue of wind by moving Betty to a more sheltered location near a water tank, which provided protection from the wind and allowed for a stable setup.
What was the outcome of the astrophotography shootout between Betty and the IAC 80?
-The outcome showed that Betty's shot of M33 was incredibly detailed, with a wider field of view capturing more of the nebula. However, when comparing the unprocessed shots, it appeared that Betty's performance was slightly better than the IAC 80, but it was noted that the comparison was not entirely fair due to differences in shooting time and camera sensitivity.
What did the team learn about the atmospheric conditions at the Canary Islands that affected the shootout?
-The team learned that the atmospheric conditions at the Canary Islands were better than expected, with the atmosphere blurring the shots by much less than anticipated, indicating a resolution limit of 0.4 arcseconds on a bad night, which is significantly better than other locations.
What was the conclusion about the need for a bigger mirror to match the IAC 80's performance?
-The conclusion was that to truly match the IAC 80's performance, a bigger mirror would be needed, specifically one that is twice as large, to achieve sharper results in such an incredible location.
What was the plan for funding the next mission after the Canary Islands experience?
-The plan was to sell prints of the amazing Galaxy M33 shot taken by Betty, with the first print going to a team member and the rest being sold to raise funds for the next mission.
Outlines
🌌 Preparing for the Canaries Astro Shootout
The narrator thanks supporters and shares exciting news about taking Betty the telescope, built by the narrator and robot engineer Kerry, to the Canary Islands for an astrophotography shootout against a professional observatory. Despite doubts from the observatory staff, the narrator is optimistic about Betty's performance and is determined to prove the telescope's capabilities.
🔧 Challenges with Betty's Optical Perfection
The narrator discusses the year-long effort to build Betty, a budget telescope aiming to match the resolution of a multi-million-pound observatory. Challenges include the UK's wobbly atmosphere and issues with the mirror, which led to blurry images. With the help of Kerry, improvements were made, but triangular stars persisted. The team is two weeks away from the trip, and despite support from donors, the telescope is still not fully operational.
🏗 Last-Minute Fixes and Departure
As the trip to the Canary Islands approaches, the team faces setbacks with Betty's mirror holder. Kerry, balancing his business commitments, is struggling to help. A last-minute fix involves gluing the mirror to the back plate, but there's no time for testing. The team departs with an untested telescope, hopeful that Betty will perform well despite the lack of proper testing.
🛬 Arrival and Initial Observations
The team arrives in Tenerife, noting the unique astronomical conditions due to the island's high altitude and stable atmosphere. Unfortunately, they can't test Betty immediately due to cloud cover. Kerry has to leave for Germany, but the narrator remains determined to give Betty a final test in the optimal conditions of the astronomical golden zone.
🔭 Final Test and Adjustments
The team climbs through the inversion layer to the ideal astronomical observation site. Despite previous issues, they identify a potential fix for the mirror holder. A trip to a hardware store yields necessary materials, but there's a frantic rush to implement the fix in time. After successfully reattaching the mirror, the team prepares for the upcoming shootout against the observatory's telescope.
🌠 The Shootout Begins
The narrator describes the final preparations and the shootout against the IAC 80 telescope. Despite initial success in stabilizing Betty, wind interference forces the team to relocate. They find a sheltered spot and begin capturing images of the M33 galaxy. The next morning, the team reviews Betty's impressive results, though they acknowledge the challenges faced and the need for further improvements.
📸 Comparing Results
Back in London, the narrator processes the images and compares Betty's shots with those from the IAC 80. While Betty's wider field of view captures more nebula detail, the observatory's telescope shows superior resolution. The narrator reflects on the surprising atmospheric conditions and plans for future improvements, hinting at another mission to achieve even sharper results.
🎉 Conclusion and Future Plans
The narrator concludes by thanking supporters and sharing plans to return to the Canary Islands with an improved telescope. They announce the sale of prints from the M33 galaxy shoot to fund the next trip and encourage viewers to subscribe for updates. The narrator expresses gratitude to patrons and collaborators, acknowledging their crucial role in making the project possible.
Mindmap
Keywords
💡Betty
💡Canary Islands
💡Astrophotography
💡Optical Perfection
💡IAC 80
💡Newtonian Telescope
💡Mirror Holder
💡Resolution
💡Inversion Layer
💡Star Testing
Highlights
The team travels to the Canary Islands for an astrophotography shootout between a homemade telescope named Betty and a professional observatory telescope.
Betty, the homemade telescope, was designed to be a compact, high-resolution travel scope that could potentially match the quality of professional observatories.
The main challenge was achieving optical perfection in Betty, with issues related to the mirror's support structure causing distortion in the images.
After numerous attempts and modifications, the team decided to use double-sided tape to secure the mirror, hoping it would prevent any further distortion.
Despite limited time for testing, the team set out to compare Betty's capabilities against the professional observatory's telescope under the clear skies of the Canary Islands.
The competition focused on capturing the extragalactic nebulosity in the M33 galaxy, with Betty shooting for two hours and the professional telescope for ten minutes.
Initial tests showed that Betty's images had some distortion due to wind interference, leading the team to relocate to a more sheltered spot.
Final results showed Betty capturing detailed images, but not quite matching the clarity and resolution of the professional observatory's telescope.
The team concluded that the atmosphere at the Canary Islands allowed for much finer resolution than anticipated, highlighting the limitations of Betty's smaller mirror size.
The experiment demonstrated the potential for amateur-built telescopes to achieve impressive results, though with certain limitations compared to professional equipment.
The experience highlighted the importance of precise mirror support and environmental conditions in astrophotography.
The team acknowledged the support of their patrons and collaborators, who helped make the project possible.
They plan to sell prints of the images captured as a way to fund future projects and experiments.
The project underscored the collaborative spirit between amateur astronomers and professional observatories.
The team expressed interest in returning to the Canary Islands with a larger telescope to achieve even better results.
Transcripts
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