Post by Al Degutis on Jan 28, 2005 16:26:31 GMT -6
I've been going stir-crazy for the last few months. Thanks to the weather (i.e. clouds AND sub-freezing temps) and a busy work/family life I've not set up my telescope outside. My wife suggested we take a star gazing vacation next winter to an astronomy bed and breakfasts and/or resort. Instead, I'm considering taking the money we'd spend on that trip and extending my deck, adding a permanent pier and "housing" for my 8" SCT. That way, I could go out and be up and running in 10-15 minutes instead of 30-45 minutes it takes me now to haul it all outside and set up (not to mention the take down process).
Last year I saw an article in (I believe) Sky and Telescope about a shed that was set up to roll up to (and around) a deck mounted telescope. Since my property doesn't have a good spot at ground level for an observatory, a deck location makes the most sense. Looking online I found the following:
www.noomoon.com/noomainastroOH.htm
BINGO.
As the spring thaw arrives (eventually), I'll be researching this project to make sure it'll work (e.g. the septic tank isn't right where I want to dig out the base of the pier, etc). I saw a post on the Cloudy Nights forum where a gentleman did the same thing and post updates as he went along. That thread has a lot of good info on what can go wrong.
So, since many of you are in the Chicagoland area I may be asking for volunteers to help with the manual labor. Plus I'd appreciate those skilled in putting up a deck, working with cement, etc. I'll provide the food, refreshments and dark skies if we're not exhaust.
But I'm getting ahead of myself. More on this later.
Last year I saw an article in (I believe) Sky and Telescope about a shed that was set up to roll up to (and around) a deck mounted telescope. Since my property doesn't have a good spot at ground level for an observatory, a deck location makes the most sense. Looking online I found the following:
www.noomoon.com/noomainastroOH.htm
BINGO.
As the spring thaw arrives (eventually), I'll be researching this project to make sure it'll work (e.g. the septic tank isn't right where I want to dig out the base of the pier, etc). I saw a post on the Cloudy Nights forum where a gentleman did the same thing and post updates as he went along. That thread has a lot of good info on what can go wrong.
So, since many of you are in the Chicagoland area I may be asking for volunteers to help with the manual labor. Plus I'd appreciate those skilled in putting up a deck, working with cement, etc. I'll provide the food, refreshments and dark skies if we're not exhaust.
But I'm getting ahead of myself. More on this later.