Like most projects the start is difficult but then things get done at a rapid rate but as you approach the finish things just seem to become more numerous ..like I got my observatory built, built the pier after the floor was down, laid two new layers of floor the second working laying on my belly, went thru hair pulling times to get the motors and winch system working, but finally when I get all four scopes actually in place and it seems that now the work has just begun..it's like building a boat..you get the hull and deck built and fit the motor and think " finally I have built my boat"....mmm it seems that is not the case as that is when the real work starts..and never ends thinking about it now
AND is much the same with the microscopes..I had a pleasant start but now that I know more and working on lighting and multi layer captures it is like I am worse off than I started...but heck it is good for an old fella like me as I find by just chipping away I get things done that I would not have tackled twenty years ago.
Anyways Mike, and I have done this with my various observatory builds I posted about here, you need to read your all your posts to remind yourself of the various steps and how you moved past obstacles...I can remember when the batteries etc was your main worry for example...heck I can rember my "cube" for example somehow getting the material up the stairs with crook legs and at the time I thought it was impossible for me...
ANYWAYS dont rush as I dont want the story to end
Perhaps you need an additional hobby for some balance
It does always seem to go slow as you start working on the myriad small details.
I've managed to get some observing done with mine, but only by un-shipping the shutter motors and opening and closing by hand, but a bit like the boat analogy, at least I can sit in it and dream of sailing the seas!
I too ran all my cabling under the floor, but that was from the warm room to the dome, as I go in there every viewing session- more of a trip hazard.
Can I guess that you won't be doing that each session, so less need to make holes in the floor?
Perhaps you need an additional hobby for some balance
Alex
I do...craft beer drinking
Quote:
Originally Posted by LonelySpoon
That's an impressive rig, Mike!
It does always seem to go slow as you start working on the myriad small details.
I've managed to get some observing done with mine, but only by un-shipping the shutter motors and opening and closing by hand, but a bit like the boat analogy, at least I can sit in it and dream of sailing the seas!
I too ran all my cabling under the floor, but that was from the warm room to the dome, as I go in there every viewing session- more of a trip hazard.
Can I guess that you won't be doing that each session, so less need to make holes in the floor?
Neville
LSO
I will have a warm/control room too (the nearby site shed) and my power (240V and 12V) and data cables, will run under the deck, then ground, to there but I hadn't considered running the Scopedome motor control cables from the motor to the control box, under the deck floor, which would clear the floor inside of the dome, that is an idea to consider
Bit boring , I know ...but modified some plastic tubs to protect the dome rotation motor and base ring junction box (from my 140kg footsteps) and ran the cables through some conduit (may still run them under the deck in the future)
Plus (just for Marcus ) a nice photo of a sunset behind the dome
Marcus is right. Not many of us get jealous over plastic tubes and conduits, but a picture of an observatory in a great location, now that gets things going!
Marcus is right. Not many of us get jealous over plastic tubes and conduits, but a picture of an observatory in a great location, now that gets things going!
Nah, he he, Marcus was sick of seeing location shots, he wants to see nuts and bolts and systems etc ...arhem..I was being a little facetious
Nah, he he, Marcus was sick of seeing location shots, he wants to see nuts and bolts and systems etc ...arhem..I was being a little facetious
Mike
He he... oh goodie, another location shot!
BTW, in case you haven't thought of it yet, put some anti-slip tape on the stairs for those freezing conditions you get up there. As you'd know, it only takes a very thin layer of ice/frost for you to lose traction and come a cropper.
BTW, in case you haven't thought of it yet, put some anti-slip tape on the stairs for those freezing conditions you get up there. As you'd know, it only takes a very thin layer of ice/frost for you to lose traction and come a cropper.
Yep agree, I have done it to our deck steps, easier to see on Moonless nights too (I used white)..another to-do job for my long service leave, off to Darwin, Katherine and Sydney today, for two weeks
The setup and location looks really great Mike, something most astronomers and astrophotographers would be very envious of. What sort of scope is that 12" Carbon Fibre Scope with the Tak piggybacked on it ? Do you still have the 6" AP refractor ?
The setup and location looks really great Mike, something most astronomers and astrophotographers would be very envious of. What sort of scope is that 12" Carbon Fibre Scope with the Tak piggybacked on it ? Do you still have the 6" AP refractor ?
Cheers
John B
Hi John, cheers, yeah it's a special place for sure, I feel very lucky.
The carbon fibre tube is an Orion Optics UK 12 inch F3.8 corrected Newtonian with a four element 3" Wynne coma corrector and yes, still have the AP152mm F7.5 EDF Starfire with 4" focuser and 4" field flattener, a remarkabubble scope
Back from beautifully sunny and warm Darwin and Katherine in the top end, where we had totally clear skies, every day and night, 30-33C during the day with a very comfortable 30% humidity and then Sydney which, while not as hot as the NT, was also sunny and warm....to... Canberra
As part of the security system, I have CCTV cameras positioned at Eagelview, which are also good for monitoring the weather conditions in real time from any where ...attached are shots from a couple of the cameras from the past couple of days ...I have my own mini Keck
I'm on site now for two weeks, so, I shoooould be operational very soon...
Had some lovely clear sky time earlier this evening, the Milky Way was magnificent! SQM 21.80, not as good as this time last year (Maama Mia that was some incredible skies!) but still good. Now, 11pm, we are "inside" the clouds ..might clear later though...?
Mike
Last edited by strongmanmike; 25-08-2022 at 11:12 PM.
Lovely shots, Michael, and welcome back to the 'real' weather...
We were under your clouds last night, but it cleared after midnight.
No snow (usually get a dusting this time of year) but I walked out the back this morning and went A over T on the rear deck on black ice. Took it to be dew.
Had my hands in my pockets and my beanie broke the fall, so no damage beyond a pulled muscle.
Dog thought it was hilarious.
Can' open the dome or rotate it because it is ice-welded shut until it thaws.
Yikes! I would have thought that these bits would be greased up? How much ice did you get?
For all I know, this has happened every time we've had a frost.
It just happened that I was having a visitor to look at the obs today so I thought I'd go up and open everything up.
The slider mechanism and drive are greased, but what froze was the cover overlap- my shutter is a barn door style, and the dew got under the flap and froze it solid. It was -2.3 in the dome room at 6.30am
Everything had thawed by 10.00 when my visitor arrived.
A lot easier to deal with than wading through 30cm of snow at Eagleview!
A lot easier to deal with than wading through 30cm of snow at Eagleview!
He he, indeed (but I'm snow hardened!! )....wondering how the scope dome will handle this..? I suspect the rotation will be unaffected, as it is fully enclosed but maybe the shutter, especially the exposed guide wheels and track at the back of the shutter, might occasionally throw up an icy obstacle..time will tell I guess..?
I wonder how site management will handle his rotation or shutter stutter in bare feet when it freezes. But hey, its nice to see a bit of toughness in these mild conditions.