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Starpoint Australis

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Starpoint Australis

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Specialising in bespoke, intelligent, purpose-designed equipment and astronomy experiences
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21/10/2026

While everything was off with the manufacturers, conversations between Brendan and I shifted towards something a little different... the experience our customers would have when they finally received their VELA 9.

We had spent so much time focusing on the design, engineering and development of the product itself that it was time to start thinking about how we wanted to present it.

For me, the packaging is just as much a part of the experience. I wanted something that not only protected the VELA 9 but also reflected the time, effort and attention to detail that had gone into creating it.

So, with a few ideas floating around in my head, I started exploring different packaging concepts to see how they might come together.

Here are a few of the early concepts we were playing around with.

Still plenty of decisions to be made, but it was exciting to finally start visualising what the finished product might look like when it arrived on someone's doorstep!

18/10/2026

Sunday Skies ✦ Captured by Steve Paxton | Steve Paxton

These delicate filaments are part of the vast Vela Supernova Remnant, the expanding debris field from a massive star that exploded thousands of years ago. The shockwave from that explosion continues to move through surrounding gas and dust, creating long, thread-like structures of glowing material.

Even the well-known Pencil Nebula (NGC 2736) is part of this same ancient explosion, marking one of the brightest shock fronts within the remnant.
This image focuses on a small section of the wider region. With the observing season for this part of the sky coming to an end, capturing a full panorama wasn’t possible this year. Instead, this narrow field highlights the rich oxygen signal in the remnant — the blue glow tracing the intricate filaments formed as the expanding shockwave collides with surrounding interstellar gas.

What appears as thin white strands in wider field images are revealed here as oxygen-rich filaments, offering a closer look at the turbulent structures left behind by the original supernova event.

Sky-Watcher 200mm f/4 Premium Photo Quattro Reflector
QHY268M | Sky-Watcher NEQ6 Pro (Hypertuned)
Antlia Filters (LRGBSHaO) | QHYCFW3 Filter Wheel
Sky-Watcher Aplanatic Coma Corrector | Starpoint Australis SP3 Focuser
SVBony 50mm Guide Scope | QHY5L-II-M Guide Camera

SHO Narrowband with RGB stars

Total integration: ~30h
Ha 300s × ~120 | SII 300s × ~120 | OIII 300s × ~120
RGB 60s × 30

16/10/2026

Just when things were starting to come together, Brendan hit another little snag!

See that little board sitting on top? Its job is to take USB-C PD power at 40V/3A and reduce it to 12.7V/10A. And it did exactly what it was supposed to do!

But there was one small problem...

To control it, the microcontroller needs 3.3V to operate. However the PD controller needs to be told to turn on before it will supply any voltage.

Catching onto the problem here? One needs power to tell the other to switch on, but the other won't supply power until it's told to!

Now, Brendan could make it work by hardwiring it, but that would mean losing the control he's been working so hard to achieve, and that's something we're trying to avoid.

So, what does that mean? Enter PCB V1.1... Sigh!

Another day, another redesign in the world of product development!

14/10/2026

The commissioning of the VELA 9 Pro continues, with Brendan now working through the power switching and monitoring system.

One of the features we've incorporated into the VELA 9 Pro is the ability to power your focuser and camera locally, essentially turning the filter wheel into a central power hub.

The idea behind this is to reduce the number of cables running through your setup, keeping everything a little more organised and eliminating some of that dreaded cable clutter!

It's one of those features that might seem small, but can make a big difference when you're setting up your equipment.

11/10/2026

Sunday Skies ✦ Captured by Carlos Taylor

The Pencil Nebula (NGC 2736) is a striking filament within the vast Vela Supernova Remnant, located roughly 800 light years away in the southern constellation Vela. What we see here is the glowing shock front from a massive stellar explosion that occurred thousands of years ago, sending waves of energy racing through the surrounding interstellar medium.

As those shock waves plough into gas and dust, they excite oxygen and hydrogen atoms, creating the delicate ribbons of glowing filament that give the nebula its distinctive pencil-like appearance.

Carlos has imaged this target before using a different colour palette, but this time the goal was to highlight the crisp star quality achieved with his Starpoint Australis SP3 focuser, producing tight stellar profiles across the field while revealing the intricate structure of the nebula itself.

Sky-Watcher Quattro 250P / 10-S
ZWO ASI2600MM Pro | Sky-Watcher NEQ6-Pro
Antlia 3nm Hα | Antlia 3nm OIII (36mm)
Sky-Watcher Quattro Coma Corrector | Starpoint Australis SP3 EAF | ZWO EFW 7×36mm

HOO Narrowband
Total integration: 8h 25′
Ha 300s × 54 | OIII 300s × 47

09/10/2026

And now we get to watch it move.

With the main board commissioned, Brendan could start bringing more of the VELA 9 Pro to life this time commissioning the motor and temperature system and making sure everything was working as it should.

The motor is running, the system is moving, and the temperature sensor is online and linked to the dew heater output.

After spending so long looking at drawings, PCBs and individual components, there’s something pretty bloody satisfying about finally watching it all start working together.

07/10/2026

Now I feel like this is Brendan’s favourite part.

He will happily disappear into his cave for hours soldering, testing and tinkering with electronics. All is well… until there’s white smoke.

Thankfully, Brendan came out of this one unscathed but don’t be fooled, there were still a few things that reared their furry little heads and needed to be amended along the way.

Here he is commissioning the VELA 9 Pro main board, working through it piece by piece and bringing each of the power rails online.

This is one of those stages where the infamous white smoke can really dampen the mood. But this round gave us a clean 13V rail and 3.23V microcontroller rail.

No smoke. No fire. We’ll take the win.

04/10/2026

Sunday Skies ✦ Captured by Brendan Mitchell | THROWBACK IMAGE

Four galaxies in one field the Grus Quartet is a compact group of galaxies found in the southern constellation Grus, the Crane.

The quartet is made up of NGC 7552, NGC 7582, NGC 7590 and NGC 7599, with each galaxy showing a noticeably different shape and orientation. Look beyond the main four and the frame is packed with even more faint galaxies scattered amongst the foreground stars.

Brendan captured this one from Karijini National Park in Western Australia’s Pilbara region, taking advantage of the incredibly dark skies to collect 10 hours of full-colour data.

Heavily Modified Sky-Watcher 12" f/5 (running at f/5.75)
Starpoint Australis SP 3.5" Focuser (Prototype)

Total integration: 10 hrs

02/10/2026

Remember those electronics drawings we shared a little while ago? Well… they’re not just drawings anymore.

The first run of VELA 9 circuit boards has been manufactured and delivered, along with what can only be described as a small mountain of electronic components waiting to find their new homes.

Next up, Brendan will populate the boards and find out how well everything translates from the screen into the real world.

And, because this is prototyping, there’s also one very important question to answer…

Where has he gone wrong? Because finding that out now is exactly what V1.0 is for

30/09/2026

Remember when Brendan said you wouldn’t believe how many individual components go into building a filter wheel?

Well… he wasn’t exaggerating. 😂

Belts, screws, bearings, springs, gears, memory cards and a whole lot more started arriving ready for the first Vela 9 prototype.

At this stage we’re still prototyping, so cheaper components are used where possible. There’s no point going all-in when assembly might uncover something that needs to change and if there’s one thing we’ve learnt, something usually does.

The plan was to have everything ready so the moment the manufactured parts arrived, Brendan could start putting Vela 9 together.

Address

Perth, WA

Opening Hours

Monday	8am - 5pm
Tuesday	8am - 5pm
Wednesday	8am - 5pm
Thursday	8am - 5pm
Friday	8am - 5pm

Website

http://www.starpointaustralis.com.au/

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