About

I'm Fred Phillips. Starfront Observatory is a remote-operated astrophotography rig in Rockwood, Texas — Bortle 1 skies, an hour west of Brownwood. The setup runs unattended every clear night and this site is where the finished work and the writing about it live.

The rig

A William Optics RedCat 91 WIFD (460 mm f/4.9) on a ZWO AM5N strain-wave mount, imaging through an ASI2600MM Pro at f/4.9 with a seven-position EFW Pro filter wheel. Filters are Antlia V-Pro broadband for galaxies and Antlia 3.5 nm Pro narrowband (Ha / OIII / SII) for emission nebulae.

Auxiliary kit: a UniGuide 32 with an ASI120MM Mini for guiding, a ZWO EAF for autofocus, a CAA rotator, and a DeepSkyDad FP2 flat panel on the front for calibration frames at session start. Power runs through a Pegasus UPB; control PC is a small Geekom mini.

What I write about

Mostly observatory automation — NINA's Advanced Sequencer, PHD2 tuning for the AM5N's harmonic-drive periodic error, ASCOM safety monitor glue, and the inevitable processing notes when something turns out well. Articles arrive when there's something worth saying.

Elsewhere

• AstroBin: PhillipsAstro

If you want to reach me about something on this site, AstroBin is the fastest path.

This page is a stub — I'll flesh it out as the site fills in.