Building the tools of discovery—developing, using, and improving telescopes, photometers, spectrographs, and all gear that enables observational astronomy.
What We Do
The Instrumentation & Equipment Section is the central hub for discussing, learning about, and innovating in the hardware and software of observational astronomy.
Both amateur and professional astronomers understand that scientific progress depends on the instruments we use, whether it’s CCD and CMOS cameras, photometers, spectrographs, telescopes, mounts, or custom-built devices.
We welcome questions, project reports, and conversations about building new gear, improving existing setups, and designing bespoke equipment. This includes everything from quite advanced instrumentation to “maker”‑type projects: DIY spectroscopes, flat-field boxes, observatory automation, and more. We also are interested in reports of using non-astronomical items for astronomical use, such as inexpensive LED flat panel lights as flat field boxes. Both successful and unsuccessful attempts are of equal value!
How We Do It
We operate in close coordination with the AAVSO Instrumentation & Equipment Forum, where members discuss practical, technical, and design issues. Participants share best practices and advice—for example, what to look for in a CCD camera, how to design or build a filter wheel, or how to optimize your mount for photometry. The section also serves as a repository for project write-ups. These include complete build‑outs (e.g., flat-field “light boxes”), as well as more experimental or novel devices. We also support “maker”‑style development: building from scratch, prototyping new instrumentation, and collaborating on open-source designs.
Is It Right for Me?
Level: Varies. Some work is accessible to beginners (advice, discussions, small modifications), but many projects are intermediate to advanced, requiring mechanical, electronic, or optical skills.
Equipment: Participants should have access to a workspace suitable for building, modifying, and testing instruments, such as a garage, lab, or small observatory. They need to be comfortable handling mechanical, electronic, and optical components safely and methodically. Projects often involve multiple steps and iterative prototyping, so time and flexibility are important. In some cases, access to a telescope or imaging setup is necessary to test and calibrate equipment. Collaboration and documentation are also essential, as sharing procedures, results, and designs with other section members is a core part of the group’s work.
Observing Requirements: Not Applicable.
Additional Considerations: Familiarity with software for data reduction, control, or automation is very helpful. Good documentation skills are useful for writing up project reports so others can reproduce or learn from your work. Collaboration is central—many projects involve multiple people contributing different skills.