Hello everyone. Sometime later this summer or fall I will be starting a renovation project on two silos and turning one into an observatory, and the other an outdoor observation deck.
We are buying a farm and it is located way out in the country and far away from city lights. The farm sits atop one of the highest hills in the area, and I have two identical concrete silos. They are 12 foot in diameter (inside). On top of one will be just an open air observation deck, and the other will house my future scope in the domed observatory, with a skywalk between the two.
Now I've always been a big fan of Cats, but I'm also interested in possibly a refractor. I want to give tours (as this will be the only observatory around my area). I want a scope that gives exceptional views of both planets and deep sky, and it will also be used for imaging.
I'd like some advice as to what any one of you would do if you could house a scope in a professional type observatory, but don't want to spend more than $5000 on scope and mount (at least for the time being...upgrades are a part of my life...LOL). The observatory and observation platform with skywalk will take some cash and time, so $5000 is my budget for now.
I have no preferences as to brands, nor types. Throw any ideas my way. Someday I'm going to want to host star parties as well (utilizing the observatory, the outdoor observation platform and other parts of my land). I have lots of time to consider all options, but I'd like to start making a list of scopes to consider and research.
We are buying a farm and it is located way out in the country and far away from city lights. The farm sits atop one of the highest hills in the area, and I have two identical concrete silos. They are 12 foot in diameter (inside). On top of one will be just an open air observation deck, and the other will house my future scope in the domed observatory, with a skywalk between the two.
Now I've always been a big fan of Cats, but I'm also interested in possibly a refractor. I want to give tours (as this will be the only observatory around my area). I want a scope that gives exceptional views of both planets and deep sky, and it will also be used for imaging.
I'd like some advice as to what any one of you would do if you could house a scope in a professional type observatory, but don't want to spend more than $5000 on scope and mount (at least for the time being...upgrades are a part of my life...LOL). The observatory and observation platform with skywalk will take some cash and time, so $5000 is my budget for now.
I have no preferences as to brands, nor types. Throw any ideas my way. Someday I'm going to want to host star parties as well (utilizing the observatory, the outdoor observation platform and other parts of my land). I have lots of time to consider all options, but I'd like to start making a list of scopes to consider and research.
