I was experimenting with trying to photograph Jupiter with my SeeStar S50. A 50mm telescope with just 250mm focal length is really not the right instrument: it would be difficult to expect much more than this. I did think that perhaps seeing the Great Red Spot would be just about possible, but I was wondering: is it visible? I didn't know, so I used Claude Code to help make me a quick app that could determine its position and whether it was visible. #astrophotography https://mvandewettering.com/rspot

Spent a couple of hours trying to understand how to position 3 supports in a mirror cell optimally. #telescopemaking Didn't understand PLOP's suggestion, so I had Claude Code help me grind out a similar calculation in Python, and now I think I understand it much better. The basic idea is that variations at the edges are more harmful, so they should be minimized. I now reproduce PLOPs suggestions.
https://github.com/brainwagon/blip

I worked on roughly reproducing the 6" mirror cell from my first telescope as a 3D print, but as I work on it, I can't help but realize just how mediocre the design is. I think I'll start from scratch. #telescopemaking #3dprinting

First prototype of a diagonal holder/spider that can be easily/cheaply 3D printed. Vanes will be made out of 1/16" aluminum strip. My idea is to be able to supply these for a pittance to our telescope making workshop. I have at least three improvements to make before I give it to our first guinea pig. #telescopemaking

Using Gemini CLI, I generated this R5RS Scheme implementation in under three hours. It's almost certainly hiding all sorts of issues, but it's late and I need sleep. But I'm impressed. https://github.com/brainwagon/r5rs

Another random experiment in AI coding: using gemini-cli to create a scheme interpreter after soaking in the R5RS. After an hour its written the basics of a REPL loop, control structures including call/cc, and is generally making good progress. It's the kind of thing that would probably have taken a week of my spare time to do.

Crap. Weedwacker tossed a rock through my back patio door, and I have tempered glass everywhere. It's just one of those days.

I was working on a spider/secondary holder to 3D print for a telescope project, and wanted to get some qualitative numbers on how the size of the secondary and the vanes affected the Strehl ratio and the diffraction pattern. A few minutes of talking to Claude, and I got the following: https://github.com/brainwagon/airy