A very unusual experiment recently took place at the Mount Wilson Observatory in Los Angeles. Chris Graue, a musician and filmmaker, decided to “combine” the legendary 1998 Game Boy handheld console with a professional 60-inch telescope. The result was as unexpected as it was impressive.
The original Game Boy camera has a resolution of just 128 pixels and displays only four shades of gray. However, when combined with the powerful optics of a telescope—which, in its current Cassegrain configuration, has an equivalent focal length of about 24,384 mm—the device’s technical specifications have changed beyond recognition. By connecting his camera, Graue obtained a lens with a phenomenal equivalent focal length of 730,000 mm.
The first attempts were unsuccessful. Graue initially pointed the telescope at the Moon, only to discover that it was too close for such a sensitive optical setup. Undeterred, Chris redirected the telescope toward a much more distant target—Jupiter. Through persistence and careful adjustments, he managed to make out the gas giant’s iconic cloud bands and even capture a sharp image of its limb. As Graue himself says in the video: “If you’re persistent enough, you really can photograph Jupiter with a Game Boy Camera.”
@chrisgraue is this the largest lens on a game boy camera ever?
How was it possible to combine two things so different in terms of technological sophistication? The secret to success lies in 3D printing and engineering ingenuity.
- The Game Boy camera body was modified using 3D printing based on a design by 2BitToy, which made it possible to attach standard C-mount lenses to it.
- Graue manufactured a special adapter for a 1.25-inch telescope eyepiece.
- Additional adapters allowed the camera to be securely mounted on the 4-inch eyepiece of a 60-inch telescope.
This project isn’t Chris Graue’s first “stunt.” He’s previously caught the attention of tech publications for creating a mount for the Super Nintendo console. Graue plans to take his Game Boy with him even on a music tour of Alaska with his band Lo(u)ser, proving that creativity knows no bounds, even if the tools for creation are limited to 8 bits and four shades of gray.
Earlier, we reported on how the Artemis II mission sparked interest in the Kerbal Space Program spaceport simulator.
According to PetaPixel
