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Old 21-08-2012, 09:27 AM
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gregbradley
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Join Date: Feb 2006
Location: Sydney
Posts: 18,183
Sounds great Mike.

Wind could be a real problem though with your big tube scope acting like a wind sail.

I was unable to use my 12.5 inch RCOS on many a trip to my dark site observatory with 2.3m high walls due to wind. It only has to stick out above the wall by a small amount to be pushed around.

Also some wind will swirl down into the observatory. Not usually much of a problem for sleek refractors but big tubed scopes it is.

If you made a wind break perhaps an angled sheet that moved the air up and away from your observatory rather than at 90 degrees where it could create a low pressure behind the screen and cause its own swirls.

Also mounting your scope a bit lower inside. So your pier height, if you make a pier, should be lower. Seeing as we only really image when an object is higher than about 30 degrees it should be able to sit down inside protected but still see that 60 degrees of useable imaging angle.

My dark site can be windy and is a side effect of wide open spaces or being elevated with hills channelling the wind through the area.

Greg.

Greg.
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