Starpoint Australis

Starpoint Australis Specialising in bespoke, intelligent, purpose-designed equipment and astronomy experiences
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After months of learning, workshop testing, redesigns, machining, coding and more than a few moments where this project ...
31/05/2026

After months of learning, workshop testing, redesigns, machining, coding and more than a few moments where this project could have gone sideways the giant 9-position filter wheel finally had its first night under the stars.

These first light images of the Horsehead Nebula and M42 Orion Nebula were captured using Brendan's 18" Newtonian and the prototype filter wheel that many of you have followed throughout this build series.

For us these images represent far more than just another night of astrophotography.

They represent an idea that started as sketches on paper, progressed through hand-cut prototypes, 3D printed test parts, machined aluminium components, software development and learnings, electronics design and countless hours in the workshop.

Seeing photons from deep space pass through a system that was designed and built from scratch is a pretty special feeling.

And then came the moment that honestly felt a little surreal…The giant 9-position filter wheel that had spent months spr...
29/05/2026

And then came the moment that honestly felt a little surreal…

The giant 9-position filter wheel that had spent months spread across benches, covered in aluminium shavings, tangled in cables and constantly being redesigned was finally bolted onto Brendan’s 18” Newtonian and sitting outside under the night sky.

Not on a test bench.
Not half assembled.
Not running temporary parts.

Actually operating as a complete working system.

After all the machining, coding, redesigns, test fitting, electronics work and countless workshop hours the “USS Enterprise” was alive and well.

And for the first time the project was finally doing exactly what it had always been designed to do… capture the night sky.

Stay tuned for Sunday Skies to see what came out of its first night under the stars…

The final pieces were starting to fall into place.With the machining work complete, Brendan moved onto final assembly fi...
27/05/2026

The final pieces were starting to fall into place.

With the machining work complete, Brendan moved onto final assembly fitting the filters into the carousel, painting the housing black to avoid unwanted light reflections and bringing the entire system together into one functioning unit.

For the first time, the project was beginning to move beyond the “Tupperware and cables” phase and actually resemble a finished instrument.

The oversized 9-position filter wheel that had spent months spread across workshop benches was now fully assembled with operational filters, working electronics and functioning software control all inside a complete housing.

It was no longer just individual parts being tested independently.
It was now a working filter wheel.

Let’s take it to the skies…

26/05/2026

This week’s The Week That Was takes a trip down memory lane.

Before Vela was a machined housing, firmware, software and precision components, it was a pile of Perspex, basic hand tools, an Arduino board and a lot of trial and error.

Like many projects, it started with whatever was available at the time learning code, cutting parts by hand, testing ideas and solving problems one step at a time.

Looking back at those early prototypes is always a reminder that every product starts somewhere. Some ideas work, some don't, and every mistake teaches you something useful for the next version.

Over the coming weeks we'll continue sharing more of the Vela build story and some of the design decisions that shaped the product along the way.

Sunday Skies ✦ Captured by Luke Shepherd | Desert Astronomer A little over 12 months has passed since Orion the Hunter l...
24/05/2026

Sunday Skies ✦ Captured by Luke Shepherd | Desert Astronomer

A little over 12 months has passed since Orion the Hunter last graced our night skies, and this year Luke decided to take a different approach to one of the most photographed regions in the sky.

Combining natural colour data captured last season with false-colour narrowband data captured this year, the image blends traditional RGB with Sulphur II, Hydrogen-Alpha and Oxygen III emissions. By isolating specific wavelengths of light, narrowband imaging reveals structures and detail that would otherwise remain hidden within the nebula.

Captured over two nights for a total of 9 hours, the dataset demonstrates just how much information can be gathered even during the short summer imaging season. While clear nights can be hard to come by at this time of year, the result is a unique interpretation of one of the southern sky's most iconic targets.

Sky-Watcher 10" f/4 Quattro CF
QHY268M | Sky-Watcher NEQ6 Hypertuned by Starpoint Australis
Antlia 4.5nm SHO | Antlia LRGB Pro 36mm Filters

SHO Narrowband blended with Natural RGB
Total integration: 9 hrs

Once Brendan was happy with the spacing, fitment and overall carousel design from the 3D printed testing phase, it was t...
22/05/2026

Once Brendan was happy with the spacing, fitment and overall carousel design from the 3D printed testing phase, it was time to manufacture the real thing in aluminium.

Back into the workshop he went machining the final 9-position carousel to replace the temporary printed parts with properly machined components.

This wasn’t just another rough prototype anymore.
The electronics were working.
The software was communicating properly.
The carousel positioning was accurate.
The filters were fitted and operational.

For the first time, the project had reached the stage where it was finally ready to leave the workshop…

20/05/2026

This stage was all about testing carousel designs, refining spacing and fitment, improving rotation accuracy and continuing development of the ASCOM driver alongside it all.

Instead of machining every single revision from aluminium Brendan started experimenting with 3D printed carousel designs to speed up testing and make changes quicker as ideas evolved.

What started with marker pen drawings and hand-cut perspex was now becoming a functional prototype with proper electronics, custom parts, software control and interchangeable filter positions.

Still handmade.
Still experimental.
Still evolving.

Sunday Skies ✦ In Memory of Paul CicchettiSometimes astronomy becomes about so much more than equipment and dark skies. ...
17/05/2026

Sunday Skies ✦ In Memory of Paul Cicchetti

Sometimes astronomy becomes about so much more than equipment and dark skies. Sometimes it becomes about the people, the stories and the connections made along the way.

Earlier this year we were deeply saddened to hear of the passing of one of our community members Paul not long after receiving his Octans Portable Observatory. Through conversations with his wife Debbie, it was clear just how much astronomy, adventure and the outdoors meant to them both.

This particular Octans has now found a new purpose travelling across the US with our US Ambassador Thorne Ransom, attending star parties, outreach events and dark sky gatherings around the country. After hearing Paul’s story, Thorne arranged to have a special dedication added to the observatory in Paul’s memory.

So now, wherever this observatory goes a part of Paul’s story travels with it. Continuing to do exactly what it was built for bringing people together under the night sky.

Clear skies, Paul ❤️

Then came the USS Enterprise era…After proving the concept with the earlier perspex versions, Brendan decided to go comp...
15/05/2026

Then came the USS Enterprise era…

After proving the concept with the earlier perspex versions, Brendan decided to go completely over the top and build a full aluminium 9-position filter wheel. It was absolutely enormous, ridiculously heavy, and quickly earned the nickname USS Enterprise because of its sheer size.

Every part of this version was done manually. No CNC, no shortcuts just Brendan standing at the mill machining aluminium by hand slowly working through each piece one step at a time.

This was the stage where things started moving away from “prototype experiment” and into something that genuinely felt like a serious piece of equipment.

And honestly… for something built completely by hand in a home workshop, it still looks pretty wild all these years later.

13/05/2026

Then its heartbeat was turned on…

After teaching himself the basics of coding, wiring up the electronics, and building the prototype by hand, Brendan finally reached the point of testing the ASCOM driver with the filter wheel, commanding it through software to rotate and stop on the requested filter position.

It might not look like much now, but this was a huge milestone in the process. Seeing the software successfully talk to the hardware meant all the earlier experimenting with spacing, sensors, motors and code was finally starting to come together.

And yes… the video quality is absolutely terrible. Turns out Brendan is much better at building things than filming them 😂

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