The humble beginning of a new observatory - GifNet.US

[SkyHiker]

Very nice Chris, thanks for sharing those pictures. It looks like it could work well for star parties, too. You are pushing it to the limits with two mounts, it must be difficult to polar align them since you have to move around them.

[chris_g]

Very nice Chris, thanks for sharing those pictures. It looks like it could work well for star parties, too. You are pushing it to the limits with two mounts, it must be difficult to polar align them since you have to move around them.

I was concerned about the space needed to move around for polar alignment. But I did manage to position the scopes to where I can adjust either mount from either a sitting or standing position if I move the chair out.
And yes, polar alignment is needed each session even if the equipment hasn't "moved". It sat for four days and the alignment was off by 30 minutes altitude and almost a full degree azimuth, ground is that soft.

I should actually do a final segment from inside the tent for the video. I'll do that tonight.

[SkyHiker]

And yes, polar alignment is needed each session even if the equipment hasn't "moved". It sat for four days and the alignment was off by 30 minutes altitude and almost a full degree azimuth, ground is that soft.

I wonder if Jamie's solution that I linked above would work better, if you use 1- to 2-foot-long threaded pipe in the ground. The idea of just those damping pads on the lawn surface was bound to fail. You might want to try it and see if it works, if it does then poke a few strategic holes in the tent bottom. Not having to redo polar alignment is the number one benefit that observatories are for IMHO.

Having water under the tent bottom will surely not help, can you dig a trench to reroute the water, also what's sliding off the roof down the walls? If you have a solid foundation and can keep the bottom area dry, that should help a lot.

[chris_g]

Hello all,

Figured it is time to give this a wrap up, sorry for the delay but things have gotten hectic, at work and with looking for a permanent location for my obsay! More on that later!

Eventually I will have the video put together but it's pretty straight forward, even with out instructions, that was on the seller, not the manufacturer. They communicated later and sent a PDF file.

The tent has been up since April 16th, and no issues with leakage, only concern is, typical in tent pole style, one of the rods for the rain fly broke, does it make the tent unusable, absolutely not; however, it does effect flow off the rain fly. And tent poles can be easily replaced. I also added another sealant to the tent and rain fly, color is now a golden green instead of the original green.

How do I rate this, 5 Stars for design, 4 Stars for durability, 3 Stars for cost, overall, 4 stars

Who normally buys an eight-foot diameter dome tent, about 70" height with just a rainfly for a dome! Astronomy, got to love it! MSRP $349.95, at the time the manufacture had on sale for $324.95. I got it on eBay for $299.95.

Clear Skies,
Chris

[Lady Fraktor]

Hopefully it lasts in the long term, a easy instant observatory though.
Enjoy the use

[chris_g]

Hopefully it lasts in the long term, a easy instant observatory though.
Enjoy the use

Than k you, I will. Long term is no longer a need now though, with a move to a new location on the horizon under a darker sky than I do have here. The tent will be used for its intended purpose and will be coming down soon. Things happened a lot quicker than I had anticipated with house hunting in some the darkest areas of my home state.

[Graeme1858]

.... and then start working on Gifnet.US's Obsy first light in a new thread!

Exciting stuff!

Graeme

[chris_g]

Hopefully it lasts in the long term, a easy instant observatory though.
Enjoy the use

Than k you, I will. Long term is no longer a need now though, with a move to a new location on the horizon under a darker sky than I do have here. The tent will be used for its intended purpose and will be coming down soon. Things happened a lot quicker than I had anticipated with house hunting in some the darkest areas of my home state.

Sometimes I speak to soon. Something in the financing falling now that should have been caught a week ago instead of being told all is good.

Now, I speak not at all.

Clear Skies,
Chris

[chris_g]

I can speak now with confidence that this part of the journey is over. The tent will be coming down in a few days and will be utilized for it's intended purpose.

I've stepped onto the path to begin my final journey.

https://theskysearchers.com/viewtopic.php?t=30765

Clear Skies,
Chris

[Graeme1858]

All the very best of luck for the next part of your journey!

Regards

Graeme