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Tuesday 30th. Another warm sunny day. 73F/23C at lunch time.
I spent well over an hour, this morning, moving the timber standing against the shed. Over to the back of the newly leveled gravel, parking area. Where is now stacked fairly neatly, but horizontally. This will allow easier access to the observatory for dismantling. I have decided to take down the original, octagonal observatory. It is just an eyesore and won't be used again.
The cost of a Pulsar 2.7m replacement escalates rapidly with international delivery charges. I wish I knew if freight forwarding meant delivery to my front door. Having it delivered 200m away on the verge would be daylight robbery! I don't own a powered fork lift truck to bring 200kg to my house. Though the 6-8 weeks for delivery would give me plenty of time to organize a base and pier. The dome and walls need a flat surface to ensure accurate alignment during the build. I could manage that on plywood sheets laid on sand.
I have been racking my brains for a more manageable but mobile way. Of mounting the 6" solar telescope at 3000mm equivalent focal length for high-res imaging. One, not involving a fixed observatory. I found this YouTube tutorial posted on my own blog from 2019 but had completely forgotten about it until now. Instead of permanent pier in an observatory it is possible to polar align using the sun itself using SharpCap. I spent many happy hours fine tuning my polar alignment that way.
I'll post it as a link rather than embedding it. Otherwise the fascist despots at YouTube will show random videos on my blog. Once the initial video is watched.
https://youtu.be/zRT-HsRsftI?si=FKGOJ1Spmq-pIpAn
To get back to the point: A stable four wheeled trolley could be moved down the drive. Complete with a heavy mounting and telescope aboard. To avoid the overshadowing trees and my own house. Roughly aligned using markers. Then fine aligned for imaging using SharpCap. The trolley would need stabilizers once it was parked. Easily managed using caravan and trailer accessories. After use, the whole contraption can be returned to a secure housing.
Such an idea would offer no shelter from the sun for the observer. One other major advantage of a dome is being able to avoid direct sunlight. No doubt a sun screen could be devised. Though at the risk of causing vibration from the wind if attached to the trolley. Power would be required. Easily managed with an extension cord.
A much better alternative: An area in the front of the greenhouse could be cleared. To allow a secure telescope shelter to be moved aside. To expose the telescope already mounted on a fully polar aligned, fixed pier. The H-alpha filtration and camera could be plugged in. After being kept safely indoors.
The most important aspect is not having to lift a heavy OTA into place. [Well, not more than once.] The telescope could be turned, nose down beside the pier for compact storage. The secure shelter could become the imager's "warm room." Shade from the sun and fitted with a computer monitor. With a desk for the vital keyboard and mouse.
The shelter would be sized to suit the needs of both imager and the instrument. I have loads of 7" industrial rollers. To let the shelter run effortlessly in channel section rails. More timber and plywood than I will ever need for such projects. Failing that I could make a run-off roof. Though I am not very keen on these. Because they leave the imager so exposed. Greater length of the building would allow for a shelter at one end. Leaving the rolling roof safely over "the office." With some sort of closure devised between the telescope and warm room if needed.
Blocking the sunlight from reaching the computer monitor is vital. Even in the dome I used to wear black clothing. To avoid my reflection in the screen. This despite the AOC monitor having a low reflection surface. I kept the laptop closed on the desk. Using it for its rapid storage capacity and telescope/mounting control. The latest idea is to use a dedicated mini-computer fixed to the pier. Rather than using a laptop. I wonder what sort of storage these have? An imaging session with a fast camera can easily fill a 1TB SSD.
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