Game Boy Camera Captures Jupiter Through Mount Wilson Telescope
Musician and director Chris Graue attached a modified 1998 Game Boy camera to the 60-inch telescope at Mount Wilson Observatory in Los Angeles to photograph Jupiter. The camera, with a 128-pixel sensor and four shades of gray, was adapted via a 3D-printed case by UltiArjan and custom adapters to fit the telescope's eyepiece, achieving an equivalent focal length of 730,000mm. After the Moon proved too close, Graue successfully imaged Jupiter, revealing its stripes and edge. He documented the process in a viral video. Graue, known as the "chaotic-good wizard behind So-Cal's ska-punk-pop scene," plans to tour Alaska next month with his music act Lo(u)ser, bringing the Game Boy Camera along.
Key facts
- Chris Graue attached a Game Boy camera to the 60-inch telescope at Mount Wilson Observatory.
- The Game Boy camera dates from 1998 and has a 128-pixel sensor with four shades of gray.
- The telescope's equivalent focal length in Cassegrain configuration is about 24,384mm.
- The setup resulted in a 730,000mm lens equivalent.
- Graue first aimed at the Moon, 240,000 miles away, but found it too close.
- He successfully photographed Jupiter, showing its stripes and edge.
- The camera was modified with a 3D-printed case by UltiArjan for C-Mount lenses.
- Graue and his friend Drew made an adapter to fit the telescope's 1.25-inch eyepiece.
- Graue previously created a tripod mount for a Super Nintendo console.
- He will tour Alaska next month with his music act Lo(u)ser.
Entities
Artists
- Chris Graue
- UltiArjan
- Drew
Institutions
- Mount Wilson Observatory
- PetaPixel
- Lo(u)ser
Locations
- Los Angeles
- Mount Wilson
- Alaska