Southern Cross Outreach Observatory Project (SCOOP) is possibly Australia's first mobile observatory. After spending one year on designing and putting the best of my engineering instincts and mathematics, I constructed and launched this project in 2016. It has so far clocked 3700 km on Australian roads. It is also a partner public science project for National Science Week since 2017.
It is equipped with Orion Pro AZ/EQ-G mount and Celestron C11 SCT. It consists of a Skyshed POD permanently fixed on a 2.5m wide dual axle trailer with heavy duty jacks. It has a windbreak and a cargo hold in front so most of the weight is distributed in the front half. I have developed internal anchors and stabilizers for the dome to make it possible to drive at speeds up to 80-90 kph.
The OTA sits inside the cargo hold during driving.
I have minimized the problem of vibration using jacks, dual axle, wheel chokes, and vibration pads for mount etc. For visual astronomy, it is usually not a problem as the vibrations dampen within 1-2 seconds and if you stay still. For astrophotography, I simply set up the gear and walk out. No issues at all.
So yes, mobile observatory is a practical thing to do. It has its pros and cons, but I think it is a useful idea.
The details of the project can be found on our facebook page:
https://www.facebook.com/scoopastronomy/
Please go through it, and feel free to ask me any questions regarding the project.
And all the best for your venture. It would be a dream coming true to see many mobile observatories on Australian roads, carrying the astronomy fever to remote communities.
https://www.facebook.com/scoopastron...type=3&theater