B Considering a budget observatory

[DaveC426913]

TL;DR Summary

Thinking about my priorities for making a low-budget observatory for my Newt

After 30 years, I finally have enough property that I could put up a little hut for my scope.

It's just a 5" one-metre Newt, (and it's got a janky gear in the eq-mount that I haven't succeeded in fixing properly) so it would be easy to inadvertantly over-engineer and observatory for it.
I live in a small city's suburb but at least it's on the shore of Lake Ontario (45°N), so looking North I shouldn't get too much city glow.

I'm mostly into planets and the occasional comet. I don't need super-high precision and tracking (at least, I've always managed).

I'm running down my list of what I think are priorities.

• wind-break, obvs. It gets windy here.
• should be tall enough to block out line-of-sight lights - so I can night-acclimate, but not so tall that it obscures too much of low sky angles.
• an openable roof.
• it would be nice to use it in the winter. I will have to balance the need for heat with the inevitable distortion it will bring.
• I find it awkward to maneuver in a tight space with a Newt - always moving around to get the right angle at the eyepiece. Sometimes I have to hover over it, sometimes I have to crouch under it. So I'll need room. Or is that too much?
• I sort of need a stool. I can't crouch as the eyepiece for very long. Which means even more space.
• Geez, I hope it doesn't have to be larger than - dunno - 6-7 feet on a side?
• I don't have a solution for anchoring the scope to the ground. Maybe I'll sink a few concrete footings.
• I'm not sure if I need to raise it a few feet so's'n I can see over my own shed (which it may be tucked up next to) and nearby houses/trees.

I've been looking online and everyone seems to be using these Rubbermaid sheds. I'll think about that, but I need to settle on a size. (Wow. $800 for a 7x7 shed. I should spend that on a better scope! Maybe I'll build the shed myself out of wood and palettes...)

Anything I haven't thought of? Suggestions on my priority list?

 

[Baluncore]

I live in a small city's suburb but at least it's on the shore of Lake Ontario (45°N), so looking North I shouldn't get too much city glow.

I'm mostly into planets and the occasional comet.

You won't see many planets north over Lake Ontario, they are behind you.

I find it awkward to maneuver in a tight space with a Newt - always moving around to get the right angle at the eyepiece.

Maybe it is time to put a camera in place of the eyepiece. Sensitive cameras are lower cost now.

I don't have a solution for anchoring the scope to the ground.

I would use an old G-size oxygen or nitrogen gas bottle, embedded in concrete. Screw the mount attachment onto the neck.
For bigger scopes, I recommend a used hydraulic accumulator cylinder. They have a very heavy wall and sell for the scrap price of steel, but take great care to make sure they are safely degassed before working on them.

 

[DaveC426913]

You won't see many planets north over Lake Ontario, they are behind you.

South is OK too actually. Vineyards all the way to L. Erie.

Maybe it is time to put a camera in place of the eyepiece. Sensitive cameras are lower cost now.

A good idea. Do you just connect it to a laptop right there? Dang. I am out of the loop.

 

[Andy Resnick]

I would use an old G-size oxygen or nitrogen gas bottle, embedded in concrete. Screw the mount attachment onto the neck.

OMG this is brilliant! no joke.

 

[DaveC426913]

I would use an old G-size oxygen or nitrogen gas bottle, embedded in concrete. Screw the mount attachment onto the neck.

Interesting. No legs to trip over.
That puts the mount what? about belly button high?

How do you know it will fit my mount? Is it all standard?

 

[Baluncore]

How do you know it will fit my mount? Is it all standard?

You must make one adaptor.

Some G-size oxygen bottles have a screw on cap that covers and protects the valve during transport. Look for one of those. Use the cap to make the adaptor.

The valve provided with the bottle, screws tight into the bottle, and so may not be standard. Otherwise, look for an old oxygen regulator and gauge. The thread is standard for letter-sized oxygen cylinders used for welding. Oxygen will use a RH thread. Fuel gas, acetylene or LPG, uses LH threads. Disposable oxygen bottles are different, M12 ?

The biggest problem is the observer moving on the floor, disturbing the telescope. Separate the floor, from the telescope mounting pedestal, with a gap.

 

[DaveC426913]

You must make one adaptor.

Some G-size oxygen bottles have a screw on cap that covers and protects the valve during transport. Look for one of those. Use the cap to make the adaptor.

The valve provided with the bottle, screws tight into the bottle, and so may not be standard. Otherwise, look for an old oxygen regulator and gauge. The thread is standard for letter-sized oxygen cylinders used for welding. Oxygen will use a RH thread. Fuel gas, acetylene or LPG, uses LH threads. Disposable oxygen bottles are different, M12 ?

So that raises a bigger question. If it requires adapation anyway, what makes this more useful or convenient than, say, a plain ol' steel pole?

The biggest problem is the observer moving on the floor, disturbing the telescope. Separate the floor, from the telescope mounting pedestal, with a gap.

Yes.

 

[Baluncore]

what makes this more useful or convenient than, say, a plain ol' steel pole?

The diameter and the wall thickness make for a sufficiently rigid mount. You do not need to fill it with sand to prevent it from vibrating like an inverted pendulum, but you still can.

The cost is less because cylinders come from the metal recycling stream. The retail price of new steel for a rigid mount, is beyond the price of a telescope.

 

[DaveC426913]

Maybe it is time to put a camera in place of the eyepiece. Sensitive cameras are lower cost now.

Recommendations? How much should I spend for a camera? I see they can range from $30 to $400.

1 1/4" eyepiece.


Also, I might just get a new collimator, rather than spelunking for my old one in storage. Are these laser collimators worth it?

 

[AlexB23]

TL;DR Summary: Thinking about my priorities for making a low-budget observatory for my Newt

After 30 years, I finally have enough property that I could put up a little hut for my scope.

It's just a 5" one-metre Newt, (and it's got a janky gear in the eq-mount that I haven't succeeded in fixing properly) so it would be easy to inadvertantly over-engineer and observatory for it.
I live in a small city's suburb but at least it's on the shore of Lake Ontario (45°N), so looking North I shouldn't get too much city glow.

I'm mostly into planets and the occasional comet. I don't need super-high precision and tracking (at least, I've always managed).

I'm running down my list of what I think are priorities.

• wind-break, obvs. It gets windy here.
• should be tall enough to block out line-of-sight lights - so I can night-acclimate, but not so tall that it obscures too much of low sky angles.
• an openable roof.
• it would be nice to use it in the winter. I will have to balance the need for heat with the inevitable distortion it will bring.
• I find it awkward to maneuver in a tight space with a Newt - always moving around to get the right angle at the eyepiece. Sometimes I have to hover over it, sometimes I have to crouch under it. So I'll need room. Or is that too much?
• I sort of need a stool. I can't crouch as the eyepiece for very long. Which means even more space.
• Geez, I hope it doesn't have to be larger than - dunno - 6-7 feet on a side?
• I don't have a solution for anchoring the scope to the ground. Maybe I'll sink a few concrete footings.
• I'm not sure if I need to raise it a few feet so's'n I can see over my own shed (which it may be tucked up next to) and nearby houses/trees.

I've been looking online and everyone seems to be using these Rubbermaid sheds. I'll think about that, but I need to settle on a size. (Wow. $800 for a 7x7 shed. I should spend that on a better scope! Maybe I'll build the shed myself out of wood and palettes...)

Anything I haven't thought of? Suggestions on my priority list?

This is a cool idea. Sadly, pre-built observatory domes cost $10000 or more. So, you might want to get a shed, or maybe connect your telescope to a computer and operate it remotely.

 

[phinds]

This sounds like a neat project, Dave. Good luck.