The barn door tracker is an ingenious, easy to build, simple to use device for doing astrophotography (SkyNews Jan/Feb 1997 and Jul/Aug 1997). This device is mounted on a tripod, and when properly aligned with the north celestial pole, allows you to track on the stars for 10 - 15 minutes.

If you have been thinking about making a barn door tracker, then join our building bee on Friday. After a brief discussion about what a barn door tracker is, its operating principles, and how to set it up and use it, you will have the opportunity to assemble your own barn door tracker from a kit that has been prepared specially for Starfest. These kits will be available for a modest price to cover the cost of the materials. A manual barn door tracker kit will cost around $10 CDN. A motorized kit, featuring a differential drive rate stepper motor, will cost approximately $50 CDN. If you would like one of these kits, please indicate which type of barn door tracker kit you would like, on your registration form. Payment will be collected during the building bee. If you want to use it at Starfest, bring your camera, tripod and cable release.