just a whinge at the universe

[seeker372011]

I dont have an observatory-cant afford one
set up this evening
takes me 17 trips carrying stuff out of the house or garage into the backyard to simply assemble the set up

commenced drift alignment

took me about 45 minutes to get the star on the west horizon to stop moving for about 4 or 5 minutes

slewed the scope to zenith to continue drift alignment

cloud

so whats new?
:sadeyes::sadeyes::sadeyes::

to add o the misery I have already seen the episode of Big Bang theory that was showing on Go!
:mad2:

[Astrobserver99]

Yeah, it gets like that here too...Instead of drift aligning each time you set up, mark the position of the telescope tripod on the ground...I use paint, but if you are on grass, you could use wooden pegs? After the first drift align, all you need to do next time is match the marked position...saves heaps of time..

[Kevnool]

Sounds like a bad day in the burbs.
Cheers Kev.

[SkyViking]

Maybe setup a permanent pier outside? It can even just be a big wooden one. I had that before I built my obs, it worked very well and saved a lot of time.

[iceman]

17 trips! Ouch!

[AdrianF]

Have the same problem here but I only have to do 9 trips to the house and back again. A flight of stairs each way. Can't store the scope under the house as it isn't secure. Takes about 40 mins to set up and then align, usually just after dusk. Then the so and so's across the road turn on their spotlights (4 multi sets) around the bowling green, lights up my backyard very well.

Now I have one more added problem, during the floods out here the pipes running across my yard were damaged and had to be replaced. The plumbers dug up a strip 10 x 30 meters, you guessed it right through the only area in the yard I can use for observing. Anywhere else in the yard is either too close to buildings or trees. Then the rain set in and turned the whole yard into a mud puddle.

Adrian

[DavidTrap]

My setup and pull down takes about 45-60mins. I built a trolley to put stuff into, so I can roll a lot of stuff out in one trip. Also keep everything together for trips to dark sites. I have also invested in gear to use K3CCD tools for drift alignment. I can nail a fairly close drift alignment in 10-15mins. I'm unlikely to have an observatory, unless I get the ultimate country weekender, so setup and pull down are something I'm going to face for years. K3CCD tools, an appropriate CCD and flip mirror weren't cheap, but it worth spending dollars on gear that will save you 30+ mins everytime you setup. I use a DSI II for K3CCD tools, but apparently you can use a webcam or LPI - some friends are planning to try this, I'll let you know how it goes.

DT

[seeker372011]

II really should look into align master or K32CCD I suppose

a pier sounds like a very very wise investment, just need to convince decision makers in the family

marking the tripod legs in the grass for some reason doesn't seem to produce very repeatable results-I am looking to shoot 10 minute subs at least usually, the surface is quite uneven

[RB]

Narayan I feel your pain.
An observatory would be bliss.

My record is two trips..........go out, setup the trestle table, turn around get the wooden tripod, go out........cloud. :lol:

Pack up again.
:mad2:

[Moon]

That happened to me 3 nights in a row once. Not happy.

Look at the positive side:

You get better at it with all the practice.
You didn't drive all day to get to your dark site.
You will really appreciate your observatory some day.
We have had total cloud cover here in Melb for so long - it looks like there is a small chance it might actually be clear tonight - cross your fingers :prey:
James

[Ric]

If I had a dollar for everytime that has happened to me over the years, I'd probably have an Obs by now.

Cheers

[seeker372011]

:rofl::rofl::rofl:

[strongmanmike]

Yep annoying not having an observatory or in my case not even a backyard. At least you are only travelling across the backyard to setup....I have to do this everytime I go out to my dark sky site:

http://www.pbase.com/strongmanmike2002/image/104160129/large

Imagine the anguish when the cloud comes over then, or the lappie fails, or I forget a critical component...like the whole lappie :mad2:

Mike

[AstralTraveller]

I don't know what it's like in other hobbies but astronomy certainly has long lead times for the hours of pleasure. Last Saturday we wanted to be at the site by dark. That meant leaving home at 4.30, that meant starting to pack at 3 and having dinner at 4. Before there was the browsing of the relevant weather sites and phone calls to other potential observers. So really it takes up much of Sat arvo. Then once on site it was 30minutes to an hour to get unpacked, assembled and have the goto calibrated.

Then it started to rain - no clouds overhead but it still rained a bit. After an hour of on and off drizzle we had a good night until moonrise. Then the next day anything that went away damp had to be got out, dried and cleaned (esp eyepieces). I sometimes think that for every hour under dark skies there is an hour of work. I must love it because I keep doing it. We have agreed that we would sooner sit at the site under cloudy skies than risk sitting at home with clear skies outside, but there are some dark moments (excuse the pun).

[erick]

I've been away all weekend, but I had calculated that the terminator was crossing Plato this morning and I still have not properly seen the small craters within its walls. So I said I must give it a go.

Went to bed with cloudy skies. Got up at 3:30 and - only scattered cloud and nice bright Moon fairly well positioned. Had the Turbo Starcatcher set up in the driveway and collimated in 15 min. All rugged up against the cold - started looking.

Yes, terminator was nicely placed on Plato BUT the seeing was shocking! Couldn't get stars to points; the Moon was a jelly and Jupiter a fuzzball with only hints of the major band. :shrug: Persisted for half an hour, saw some interesting (low resolution only) features on the Moon, eg. the sunlit tip of the central peak in Eratostheses, then it clouded over, so I packed up and was back in bed by 5. :sadeyes:

Edit - had a thought. I wonder if my mirror was a bit too warm. I noted it was at 11 deg when I took it out from its storage location. When I put it away about an hour later, outside temp was 3 deg and the mirror was down to 7 deg?

[multiweb]

Yeah, 17 trips sounds like a killer. It takes me less trips but about 1h to set-up and 1h to pack back so it is frustrating indeed when the clouds roll-in. I can sympathise.

[Paul Haese]

Narayan. You know you have had your good luck for the next 10 years when we saw the eclipse last year. That is the deal I made with the man. ;)

I reckon though if your back yard security is ok then get a Telegizmo (http://www.optcorp.com/product.aspx?pid=10687&kw=gizmo&st=2) cover for outdoor use. You can get the mount aligned and then keep the mount covered. I have the standard one and it works a treat, when it dies I am gonna get the 365. You can get any variety you like, I am just showing the one you might be interested in purchasing.

[seeker372011]

So you can leave the gear outside through rain and all sorts of weather with the Telegizmo as sole protection for long periods of time ? thats a lot cheaper than an obs
I'll check it out

Narayan

[strongmanmike]

Do what I do on occasions (and in the past permanently) leave the mount outside all aligned and just cover this. A thick cloth first then a good plastic bag covered by a heavy vinyl bag is perfectly fine and seen me through many months at a time over the years.

On a couple of occassions I have left the whole kit out over night covered with a large bag and some reflective foil over the CCD camera but only when I knew it would be clear the next night, with the gear 50min drive from home any longer and I would go batty with worry.

In your own back yard where your gear is covered under your contents insurance it is less of a worry of course.

Mike

[Paul Haese]

Narayan, you can do what Mike says. I have done this for years on end, at my city home. It is only in recent years I have had a obs at my country house. I found that the telegizmo just keeps the whole unit nice and cool during warms spells and prevents heat build up. Using a cloth of some description is fine for keeping out moisture too as Mike suggested. You can use the system Mike suggests and save yourself some money but this gear is made for coming into contact with moisture so don't worry too much. Camera of course is not made for that but as for the rest, take a little caution but keep it set up. Save yourself a heap of angst.

[bloodhound31]

Do a full alignment on your telescope. mark and dig three holes in your grass where the legs are, about a foot deep by a shovel width. Fill them with rapid-set concrete up to three inches below the surface. make sure they are all level.

Wait a day for them to set. Re align your gear on the dry concrete, then pour in one more inch of wet concrete around your tripod feet. Let the concrete set again. Pull your tripod out.

From then on, you will have three exact and unchanging locations for your tripod feet. The mower will go straight over the top of them no problems and the grass will all but hide them.

Baz.

[AstralTraveller]

This is a common idea and a good one. In Canberra it would work well. Unfortunately there are some locations - such as my present backyard - where it won't work as well. The problem is a wet climate and soils with a significant amount of swelling-shrinking clays. Any small piece of concrete will move about as the soil wets and dries. During major droughts even large structures around here can be affected. If you are in such a place checking the alignment regularly is a good idea.

[Octane]

+1 for the standard Telegizmo's. +2 for the 365 version.

I've left my scope with the standard cover out over Christmas and Easter where it rained 3-4 days non-stop and the gear underneath was dry.

The standard cover isn't that expensive and does a wonderful job. If you've got your own home and a permanent backyard to set up in, then the 365 version is an excellent investment.

H

[strongmanmike]

Here is my Observatory :P temporarily setup at my dark site outside Newcastle. The pedistal, NJP head with guide scope attached are under the covers, holds up very well for shorter stints.

Cloth + heavy garbage bag + heavy vinyl cover = easy! If I had it in my backyard this would be fine on a permanent basis IMO.

Mike

[SkyViking]

I just wanted to say that compared to the amounts many amateurs (including myself) spend on telescopes, eyepieces and imaging gear a basic roll-off obs is actually very cheap and simple to build.
Here is a link to a page I did to show the construction of my first obs: http://titirangiobservatory.com/observatory-construction.html

This is a very basic project, I purchased a kitset garden shed and converted the standard roof into a roll-off version. It took 9 days to complete (= 4.5 weekends), everything included from beginning to end - note the dates under the photos. Before I started I actually thought it was going to be much more difficult than it turned out to be, and I had really great fun along the way.
I have since moved house, and that meant I had to build yet another obs...! :D This time I made it a bit more flash which I might upload some pics of some day. But that first obs served me very well and I just wanted to let you guys know for a bit of inspiration.

So, provided you have a backyard and of course provided your other half etc. agrees then an observatory is definitely not out of reach if you have a few basic handyman skills.

I hope you guys all get an obs some day soon - with the great imaging talents displayed here on the forums you definitely all deserve the best housing for your gear :)

[seeker372011]

and therein lies the first hurdle...

first work on getting them to agree to a pier before I start talking about an obs...

[Moonman]

"Startarg" from Andy's shotglass is a good little program to aid drift allignment. I dare say after a few more attempts you'll get that 45 minutes down to half and hour.

17 trips is a lot. I have a similar dilema to you with setting up. I've found that preplanning and organisation is the key. There's always stuff I can do earlier on while it is still daylight to save time later on.

I plan to eventually setup with a permanent pier. I think ultimately this the way to go. A surrounding observatory a mere cosmetic detail!(Joke)

Keep up the good work!

[Jen]

:lol::lol::lol: lol Ric :D


:Dfor some reason Mike i have an image in my head of you having a temper tantrum out in the middle of the field looking for your laptop :lol::lol:

:tasdevil::tasdevil::tasdevil:

[pgc hunter]

That's a massive difference...did you have your fans running before observing? I can get my mirror down to within 2C of ambient, which produces much better images than when the delta Temp is 5C or more.

Plato should be mint in your scope, I've seen 12 craterlets in mine and have resolved crater pits as small as 1-1.5km in diameter.

[erick]

I just pulled it out, set up and started observing - not time for all that fan-blowing cool-down stuff that I would do if I set up in the late afternoon. Didn't think it would be an issue. I still think the fast seeing problem was dominating at that time.

[pgc hunter]

No cooldown = poor views. I know for a fact...I've tried viewing striaght after bringing the scope out and don't even bother, I run the fans atleast for an hour which results in a noticable improvement in the view, even in substandard seeing.

[pgc hunter]

So far this month, Melbourne is averaging 1, that's right, ONE hour of sun per day. That is 5 hours/day cloudier than Hobart :mad2: :mad2:

Melbourne is truly living up to its grundgy climate reputation (as it always does anyway).

[rmcconachy]

I wouldn't call the last few weeks good by any means but it's not that bad Sab. It is winter after all. Like Eric, I did a little observing from my backyard in Ringwood early Monday morning and again early this evening. To avoid having a long cool down wait I only dragged out the 4" refractor.