Astronomy Hood Help

[Refractordude]

Next door neighbor had their back yard light on a motion detector. If I moved calmly it would not come on. Now they keep it on. They are nice people, but I would rather buy a hood then ask them about the motion detector. R-Sky.org have a variety of hoods, but I do not like their payment system. I tried towels and black tee shirts, but did not like them. What is the best hood being sold in the states? Right click the image.

[Lady Fraktor]

The Dark Sky Apparel vest used to be the one to purchase but unfortunately is no longer available: https://www.cloudynights.com/articles/c ... vest-r2580
The closest is now the R-Sky. The other alternative is to have some one make you a hood and sew it onto a vest/ hoodie.

[John Baars]

If you make one yourself, make sure the vest is oversized. You will wear it over your wintercoat too. The hood should be ridiculously large, you want to be able to wrap it around your focusser. The R-sky hood is too short to my taste. At least 8 pockets, four of them large enough to hold all kinds of equipment ( pocket Skyatlas) and four of them large and deep enough to hold 1.25 inch eyepieces
Use:
Make sure you breath can get away, eyepieces tend to dew up very quickly if you don't.
A quick look up to the sky is not done, the hood will likely stuck behind all kind of focusser parts. So you have to lift it up. Caution.
With the extra pockets you will be able to switch between eyepieces underneath the hood, without looking into the extreme backyardlight. Keep the capped eyepieces in a fixed pocket in your vest, they will be kept a bit warm and not dew up. Moreover you will reach for the right eyepiece without looking or thinking.
Succes!

[Star Dad]

If you make it yourself - or have someone else do it - be sure to test the cloth under a bright light to see what gets through. I ended up using "duck" canvas which is heavy, but of all the material I tested kept the most light out. Or in my case the most light in. I use it when I go to a dark sky area to do AP. The other Aper's will yell at you if they detect light (except red). Have never had a complaint.

[helicon]

I have an XXL hoodie that I wear for astronomical purposes. My real size is large, but it offers enough of a drape to cut out most extraneous lights. I also throw a towel over my head if it is too warm to wear the hoodie. This works very well and keeps light out of the eyepiece and helps dark adaptation. I have a similar issue with neighbors who have installed motion detector lights in recent years, not to mention the streetlight the city installed a couple of years ago on the corner opposite my house. It floods the northern sky but is mostly blocked by the house, so I can usually deal with that one. It impacts constellations to the north including Cepheus, Camelopardalis, and Ursa Minor. Fortunately I still have decent views of Ursa Major which rides high enough in the sky so that the light pollution doesn't impact it much. Good luck in coming up with a solution.

[pakarinen]

If you want a lighter weight hoodie, check out yoga hoodies. I have one that I wear in the summer to keep bugs off me. It's not oversize so there's not much to pull down as an eyeshade, but you could go up a couple sizes like Helicon did.

Possible (?) alternative is to use a portable, lightweight light-blocking screen.

[bladekeeper]

I have had good luck with a simple black t-shirt put on inverted, as in head through the neck hole upside down. Makes for a fine deep hood. As an added bonus, it is light weight for warmer weather and you will look like a Sith lord.

[Refractordude]

I have had good luck with a simple black t-shirt put on inverted, as in head through the neck hole upside down. Makes for a fine deep hood. As an added bonus, it is light weight for warmer weather and you will look like a Sith lord.

The Sith was a real creep. To bad the latest Star Wars movies are not as good as the first two. Special effects is cool, but I just gotta have a good story/screen play.

[pakarinen]

I have had good luck with a simple black t-shirt put on inverted, as in head through the neck hole upside down.

Conjured up an image of one of those inverted cones they use to keep dogs from pulling out stitches and such. Wonder if they make those cones large enough for humans...

Anyway, I want to to try your inverted tee idea next session. Spray the outside of it with bug juice if necessary; probably cooler than than a full hoodie.

[yobbo89]

a, why is the motion detector/light aiming towards your yard and b, can't they turn the dial down for the setting of distance to detect?,

[Refractordude]

a, why is the motion detector/light aiming towards your yard and b, can't they turn the dial down for the setting of distance to detect?,

I just got back in from stargazing. Their light is off/motion detector back on. The bladekeeper's black tee-shirt idea is great. Will buy one next time I am at the Walmart.