Hi all
I'm a bit paranoid about leaving my scope unattended, I guess. I'm getting to the point where I want to be able to both a) take advantage of an entire evening's worth of dark hours and b) get *some sleep if possible.
I should also mention that I must usually travel for astrophotography nights, so the following day often requires travel back home.
So in leaving a mount unattended for a few hours, what are the things that really need to be considered here?
The things that spring to mind are;
- Security - where the environment is safe (up to personal judgement I guess).
- Dew Management - need to make sure it doesn't all dew up while I'm making 'Z's
- Cable tangles - wrangle the tangles before they happen
- Mount self-mutilation - set the safety limits
- Meridian flips - is it possible to automate the flip, focus check, platesolve and re-aquire?
- Check Weather Forecast
It just freaks me way the hell out to leave many thousands of dollars worth of equipment standing in a field all by itself. Are there any special tricks or things people do to make sure their kit is okay when left by itself? For example no-one ever talks about how to avoid getting dew in mount control boxes, or USB hubs. Is this just never an issue? I was thinking of covering them with shower caps just in case.
Any ideas for 'making safe' gratefully received.
Best
Markus