Jeff Terry's Astrophotos/Mac mini Remote Controlled NJP

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Here is the promised picture of my Mac mini remote controlled Takahashi NJP mount. The Mac mini shown in the top picture controls both the mount and the Starlight Express SXV-H9C camera. I use VNC which is built into the Mac's OS 10.4 operating system to control the mac. The second images shows how the Mac mini's screen appears on a computer across the network. In this case, I am using a Powerbook G4 to control the Mac mini. However, there are VNC clients for almost any operating system. You could control the Mac mini from linux, windows, etc.

The Mac mini fits right on the tray of the NJP large tripod. It stays permanently attached to the scope. At $499, it is tough to beat the Mac mini for power and stability.

I use the program temma_driver to control the mount and iCCD to control the camera.
Links to both free programs can be found below:
temmadriver
iCCD
The image of M51 that I took the first night with the remote setup can be seen here.