IEEE Spectrum has an article on a DIY Exoplanet Detector, using a Canon DSLR and telephoto lens.
I discovered that one amateur astronomer had already posted online about how he had detected a known exoplanet using a digital single-lens reflex (DSLR) camera outfitted with a telephoto lens. He was able to discern the dip in the brightness of a star as an orbiting planet passed in front of it—a technique known as transit detection.
The article goes over the construction of the star tracker mechanism using an Arduino, and the data processing, which is used to successfully detect exoplanet transits for the star HD 189733, and links to a YouTube video summary of the construction process.
...the shift in magnitude was very close to, if not precisely, the 28 mmag expected. So it seems my home-brew observatory did detect an exoplanet—using little more than run-of-the-mill DSLR and a $92 eBay camera lens!
(Score: 4, Interesting) by buswolley on Saturday November 29 2014, @09:53PM
This is really cool stuff. I wonder what the estimated false positive rate is with this homebrew tech?
Off topic. Slashdot is now serving pop_over ads. /. Has completely lost its soul.
subicular junctures
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Sunday November 30 2014, @12:26AM
They thought that had a whole bunch of things (Earth II, Planet X) orbiting Gliese 581. [wikipedia.org]
Turns out those were just the variability of the stellar activity.
-- gewg_
(Score: 2) by FatPhil on Saturday November 29 2014, @11:52PM
Great minds discuss ideas; average minds discuss events; small minds discuss people; the smallest discuss themselves
(Score: 1) by dlb on Sunday November 30 2014, @01:30AM
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Sunday November 30 2014, @06:24AM
It's one of those people that works in Hollywood, but that's not important right now. ;-)
Might have to try this myself using a small telescope and my DSLR.
(Score: 2) by kaszz on Sunday November 30 2014, @07:20AM
Any good link on how make the optical interface between a telescope eyepiece and a camera?
(Score: 3, Insightful) by FatPhil on Sunday November 30 2014, @11:25AM
Great minds discuss ideas; average minds discuss events; small minds discuss people; the smallest discuss themselves
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Sunday November 30 2014, @04:11PM
Just wanted to say I love your sig.
(Score: 3, Informative) by VLM on Sunday November 30 2014, @01:11PM
how make
Google for t-mount or tmount or "t mount" you get the idea.
Its the standard "API" for attaching real cameras to real optical thingies. A standard diameter, standard threaded attachment and "gender", and standard focal length. So any t-mount equipped camera of any type from CCTV to DSLR to camcorder can be connected to any other t-mount equipped optical device from telescope to microscope.
If you have a metric or CNC lathe and some metalworking skills you can make a t-mount interface pretty easily. Now making the non-tmount side that connects to your camera or device might be non-trivial, depends totally on brand. And doing the optical design is going to be non-trivial.
To be blunt the easiest way to make a t-mount with an "English" or "Imperial" metal lathe is to buy the cheapest adapter you can find for any purpose, and then bodge it into your project (think of it as the worlds weirdest thread insert). I invested a couple seconds on Amazon and the cheapest Prime shipping camera side t-mount is $7.99 for "Nikon Cameras" (All nikons? Really? Maybe, I guess. I know "all" pentax K mounts use the same adapter) and cheapest optical device size t-mount is $12.95 for a Celestron telescope. Amazon is actually a pretty bad source for something this unusual. Of course if you have a Cannon DSLR rather than spending hours bodging a $8 Nikon adapter into working on your Cannon you're better off just buying a $10 Cannon adapter.
I have a camera on my low power microscope which I don't use terribly often, but when I inspect SMD boards I plug the video out of the camera into the big(ish) screen TV and its quite comfortable to use. The tmount process was super boring (probably $30 total?), buy the right mounts, install the mounts as per instructions, then attach the tmounts to each other and it "just works" About as exciting and difficult as buying a SATA card from one mfgr and a drive from another mfgr.
Some cameras have a little freakout with some adapters when their auto focus or auto iris don't work. The instructions for the camera side t-mount will surely explain any camera menu option settings. Or google will help.
Oh and some optical devices get weird depending on tmount adapter. I have a very small 60 mm scope where the mount and camera limit elevation and also unbalance the scope a bit. Those of you with 14 inch reflectors probably can't be unbalanced by the same little DSLR, of course.