About OctansLab

Astrophotography & 3D printed accessories

Towards the stars

I went to a local high school in Brisbane, Queensland Australia where the motto was Ad Sidera, Latin for “towards the stars”. The motto held little relevance for me then, but how times have changed. I bought my first 60mm refractor when I was 12 years old and a huge/heavy 8″ f7 reflector when I was 22.
I now have an avid interest in astrophotography and astronomy in general. With today’s imaging and tracking equipment so good these days (although not necessarily affordable), I spent the nether hours imaging the night sky. As an aside, I believe the whole saying is Pedes in terra ad sidera visus, translating to “with the feet on the ground and the eyes in the sky”

During the day, I work as a professional photographer & videographer focusing on the architecture, engineering and construction industries in South East Queensland. I also undertake drone photography for a range of Queensland based clients

I started designing and fabricating 3D printed accessories and parts to overcome incompatibles between differed equipment manufactures. Not being able to mount a red dot finder on all of my telescopes became very frustrating.

 

OctansLab under the southern skies

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Updated 3D printed bracket for Orion 50mm guidescope

Improving the Orion 50mm guide scope adapterOne of the benefits of working in CAD software and then fabricating a functioning part using 3D printing is the ability to iterate and improve a design relatively quickly and easily. I first had the idea to move...

3D printed bracket for Polemaster to Avalon Instruments M Zero

PoleMaster  bracket part deux.This is an updated bracket to attach the PoleMaster polar alignment camera to the Avalon Instruments M Zero mount. The plan is to attach the 3D printed bracket to the bottom arm where the RA counter weights sit. Obviously this...

Changing the guide scope on the Avalon Instruments M Zero mount

New guide scope for the M-Zero mountI am looking to do longer exposures with the RASA8 using the IDAS NB1 Nebula Booster filter (up to 120 seconds). The plan is to use it in conjunction with the CEM40 mount with the Orion 50mm scope for guiding. Up till...

Configuring the M Zero mount for the Borg55FL

The Borg55FL on the Avalon Instruments M Zero mountHorizon to horizon imaging is possible when using the short focal length Borg refractor Configuring the M Zero mount for the Borg55FL Spacer rings for back focus The tilt adjuster ...

First light for the Borg55FL

Borg55FL first light with the ASI183MMWith the coming of the storm season in Brisbane plus a very busy work schedule there has been little opportunity to get the newly acquired Borg55FL under the night sky to do astrophotography. However, an unexpected...

Configuring the M Zero mount for the RASA8

The RASA8 on M Zero mount Using a drone battery with 3D print for counter weight Counterweight and guide scope setup RASA8 with clear optical filter RASA8 with optical filter removed RASA8 optical window removed IDAS RASA8 filter...

Configuring the M Zero mount for the William Optics GTF102mm f6.9 refractor

Testing the William Optics GTF102 on the M Zero mount The Avalon Instruments M- Zero mount can be configured to take a variety of telescopes by moving/flipping the L-shaped bracket that almost looks like a boomerang. To take the somewhat heavy GTF102mm...

3D printing for astronomy: ASI294MC PRO camera to Star Adventurer adapter

Wide field astrophotography  One area of astrophotography I really enjoy is wide field imaging. I started off doing wide field astrophotography with my micro four thirds cameras, the Olympus OMD-EM5, progressed to the EM1.2 and then the Panasonic GH5-S....

3D printing for astronomy: Attach a PoleMaster to Avalon Instruments M-Zero mount

Fabricate a PoleMaster to M-Zero adapterThe PoleMaster is a dedicated polar alignment device/camera from QHYCCD. I have been using it since it first came out and is one of the best astrophotography purchases I have made. Ease of use and polar alignment...

Virgo galaxy region wide field, Canon FD 50mm f1.4 & ASI183MM Pro

All you need is some time and patience, a cloudless night, a $50 vintage lens, a simple tracking mount and a camera. Sounds simple enough but not always achievable. The biggest variable, the weather finally played ball last night so I had the change to try out some...