Hi all,
I have embarked on my latest project- building an open air observatory on my car porch roof top.
I welcome any suggestions.
My whole set up will be left permanently in the open for that quick observation session. When not in use, my scope and mount will be covered with Mylar and white waterproof canvas to expel as much heat as I can.
So far I have made a custom pier for my CG4 mount [yes I know it is not as stable as a CG5 but maybe is will be with the pier setup] and a light shield to block light from 2 street lamps. See link below for photo.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/23635422@N02/?saved=1
The light shield is a length of lightweight, black synthetic cloth - the type used to make umbrellas.
It is supported by 3 aluminium extendable poles which is shoved into a PVC tubing of about 6 inches clamped to the wall. You can just about see them in the picture. It will only be set up when I want to use it, so in the day, it does not stick out like a sore thumb but is stored away at one end of the roof terrace under a roof shelter. I plan to store a foldable outdoor table under this shelter as well.
The pier tubing is a thick-walled PVC filled with concrete and planted inside a ceramic flower pot from Ikea [hee hee]. The pot is also filled with concrete. As the base is not big enough for it to be stable, I had thoughts of abandoning the idea altogether when I spotted an old piece of flat hexagonal ceramic/clay flower pot base. I then placed the pot and pier at the centre of the pot base and cemented the two with concrete around the pot base.
To add some mode of adjustability to achieve a flat level, I used 3 threaded spikes from an old HiFi rack and screwed in 3 nuts into each spike. I then cemented each set of spike at about 60 degrees apart to the underside of the flower pot base. I now can screw the spike in and out to get a flat level. So far it feels very stable.
My next step is to drill 3 holes at the top of the pier to match the bolt holes of the mount head.
To be continued as work progresses ........Thanks for reading this far!
Work In Progress - Open Air Observatory
Work In Progress - Open Air Observatory
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Bro...you get 100 marks from me for innovation and courage to try.
The only concern I have is your scope under that mylar and canvas baking under the sun day in day out. That canvas sheet will not be able to withstand the effect of UV rays and after awhile, it will start to fade and thin. And we have not even got into the effect from rain yet.
I suggest you can try keeping your mount covered and all. But keep your scope indoors when not in use.
The only concern I have is your scope under that mylar and canvas baking under the sun day in day out. That canvas sheet will not be able to withstand the effect of UV rays and after awhile, it will start to fade and thin. And we have not even got into the effect from rain yet.
I suggest you can try keeping your mount covered and all. But keep your scope indoors when not in use.
my experience says if you keep your scope under cover like you described, it'll be warm and humid - fungus will grow... i've seen a member here (i'll let him speak for himself if he chooses to... ;-) ) put scopes in an observatory that is airy and have no problem with that...
i used to leave only my mount and electronics out in the observatory but i brought all optical stuffs inside... like vin suggested.
did you say what scope you'll be using? how high is your pier? i'm just guessing from the photo... but unless you will be using a newtonian, the pier looks a little short...
p.s. can't see any photo in your flickr page. perhaps you have put them as private...
i used to leave only my mount and electronics out in the observatory but i brought all optical stuffs inside... like vin suggested.
did you say what scope you'll be using? how high is your pier? i'm just guessing from the photo... but unless you will be using a newtonian, the pier looks a little short...
p.s. can't see any photo in your flickr page. perhaps you have put them as private...
KingKong,
Haha. Indeed I did not set my Flickr photos for public viewing. It has been done.
Yes I am using a Newtonian. A Celestron Omni 150mm XLT. My idea of protecting the scope with Mylar and canvas is following someone else's method in the US. Maybe the area he lives in is not so humid and that's why he did not speak of any fungus.
Vin,
The canvas sheet I will be using is not the polyester, plasticky type but made of fabric. It is rather heavy duty and I also intend to spray some water repellant on it. You think it would help better?
I had thought of just leaving my mount outside pemanently and to bring in my scope each time after use but I dont want to risk dropping the scope cos I actually have to climb down onto the roof terrace from my second storey balcony. This is a faster means of access as compared with setting up a ladder from the ground floor.
I want it to be as hassle free as possible to start any obs as that will mean I will use the scope more often than.
Haha. Indeed I did not set my Flickr photos for public viewing. It has been done.
Yes I am using a Newtonian. A Celestron Omni 150mm XLT. My idea of protecting the scope with Mylar and canvas is following someone else's method in the US. Maybe the area he lives in is not so humid and that's why he did not speak of any fungus.
Vin,
The canvas sheet I will be using is not the polyester, plasticky type but made of fabric. It is rather heavy duty and I also intend to spray some water repellant on it. You think it would help better?
I had thought of just leaving my mount outside pemanently and to bring in my scope each time after use but I dont want to risk dropping the scope cos I actually have to climb down onto the roof terrace from my second storey balcony. This is a faster means of access as compared with setting up a ladder from the ground floor.
I want it to be as hassle free as possible to start any obs as that will mean I will use the scope more often than.
No....10000rpm wrote:KingKong,
Haha. Indeed I did not set my Flickr photos for public viewing. It has been done.
Yes I am using a Newtonian. A Celestron Omni 150mm XLT. My idea of protecting the scope with Mylar and canvas is following someone else's method in the US. Maybe the area he lives in is not so humid and that's why he did not speak of any fungus.
Vin,
The canvas sheet I will be using is not the polyester, plasticky type but made of fabric. It is rather heavy duty and I also intend to spray some water repellant on it. You think it would help better?
.
Even if your fabric is super water repellent and UV repellant, humidity, moisture, dew, etc will kill your scope. Don't be surprise if you see algae growing on the side of your scope after a month. The coating will probably deteriorate first.
So if you want to keep your scope outside using a cloth to cover, make sure you have enough budget to keep replacing scopes.
I think a better way to keep your scope outside is to make an airtight wooden box (lacquered and weatherproof wood) that is tall and big enough to cover your scope and mount altogether. Make sure that box don't fly when strong wind blows though. You can tie it down or something. Just before you cover it down, put one or two big pack of hungry hippo into the box. It is still a risky approach, but probably better than cloth.
Actually what is so difficult of bringing the scope out from the balcony? You are not mounting a 16" OTA right? I still remember that last time I climb up the HDB rooftop water tank area with mount, OTA and even a 14" CRT TV (not LCD ok!!!). With some patience, it's not really that hard. The hard part is normally the mount because it's bulky and heavy but the OTA should be easy to carry out short distances.
Ok, you are absolutely right about keeping my scope indoors.
I will get hold of a large bag to put my scope in when I rappel down from my balcony [hee hee]
The little extra hassle of doing that is still much better than about a month or so of convenience before the mirror turns all mouldy should I leave the scope outside.
I will get hold of a large bag to put my scope in when I rappel down from my balcony [hee hee]
The little extra hassle of doing that is still much better than about a month or so of convenience before the mirror turns all mouldy should I leave the scope outside.
you can always...:
make a roll-away shed for the scope en mount + pier
install solar panels as the shed roof c/w batteries for 24h operation
install dehumidifier and fans that switch on/off automatically based on sensor readings for the whole day
additional pros:
can keep everything outside!
12vdc available at the scope, no need to lay cable from inside the house
shed can be locked compared to tarp/canvas/etc.
more things to play with - nice new diy project
cons:
doesn't look too nice with a small shed like that in front of the house
something with roof might attract too much attentions from authorities
more expensive than a tarp/canvas
make a roll-away shed for the scope en mount + pier
install solar panels as the shed roof c/w batteries for 24h operation
install dehumidifier and fans that switch on/off automatically based on sensor readings for the whole day
additional pros:
can keep everything outside!
12vdc available at the scope, no need to lay cable from inside the house
shed can be locked compared to tarp/canvas/etc.
more things to play with - nice new diy project
cons:
doesn't look too nice with a small shed like that in front of the house
something with roof might attract too much attentions from authorities
more expensive than a tarp/canvas
An observatory [either roll-off roof or dome] has been contemplated many times. I have not abandoned the idea yet due to the great benefits it offers.kingkong wrote:you can always...:
make a roll-away shed for the scope en mount + pier
install solar panels as the shed roof c/w batteries for 24h operation
install dehumidifier and fans that switch on/off automatically based on sensor readings for the whole day
additional pros:
can keep everything outside!
12vdc available at the scope, no need to lay cable from inside the house
shed can be locked compared to tarp/canvas/etc.
more things to play with - nice new diy project
cons:
doesn't look too nice with a small shed like that in front of the house
something with roof might attract too much attentions from authorities
more expensive than a tarp/canvas
a roll-off observatory, as opposed to a roll-off roof... like this:
http://www.mapug-astronomy.net/AstroDes ... fObsry.htm
a roll-off roof by design necessitates a lot of gaps which means maintaining low humidity inside the shed is not feasible. if you designed it to be airy, it'll be less weather resistance.
a dome will look nice on the roof. but is just too expensive in my book, for a location which doesn't have view of the whole sky, and most likely pretty bad light polution.
a roll-off can be made small, made from a box, weather sealed, even fairly air-tight hence making humidity control more feasible.
http://www.mapug-astronomy.net/AstroDes ... fObsry.htm
a roll-off roof by design necessitates a lot of gaps which means maintaining low humidity inside the shed is not feasible. if you designed it to be airy, it'll be less weather resistance.
a dome will look nice on the roof. but is just too expensive in my book, for a location which doesn't have view of the whole sky, and most likely pretty bad light polution.
a roll-off can be made small, made from a box, weather sealed, even fairly air-tight hence making humidity control more feasible.
If it is air-tight, wouldn't the sun heat the air in the box up if there is no ventilation? Would that be okay for the scope and accessories?
BTW thanks for the link, it has a wealth of info on observatories and I have bookmarked it.
BTW thanks for the link, it has a wealth of info on observatories and I have bookmarked it.
Last edited by 10,000rpm on Sat Jul 25, 2009 10:50 am, edited 1 time in total.