Posts Made By: Dan Vernon

Does anyone know anything about this? I spoke with a representative of the company, and he directed me to look at thier website under PierTech2 Testimonials at the Lau Observatory. He said it was (will be) similar to that, but with a roll-off roof instead of the flip top roof. Perhaps I'm looking at this image wrong, but it seemed that the price he gave me was outrageous. Does anyone know anything about this thing? From looking at the picture I was expecting a very low cost. (I was wrong)

Are there any other commercially available roll-off roof observatories out there?

thanks,
dan

Help!

I'm trying to choose a telescope to put on a Losmandy G11 for astrophotography. The more I read, the more confused I get. I currently have a 10" meade, and would like to step up from that. Mainly, I would like something that produces more crisp photos with a wider field of view.

I started out thinking perhaps an 8" f/5 Newtonian with coma corrector from televue. Then I read about problems with mirrors shifting, and just generally managing an optical tube that size on the G11. I also had someone tell me it would be difficult to take photos near the zenith. So I was thinking about a refractor, but there is "chromatic aberation" ... then Apochromatic, but they are very expensive. The list just seems to go on forever ...

Any suggestions? Basically I would like this:
1. Photograph Nebulae, globulars, perhaps occasional galaxy on 35mm film.
2. Experiment with medium format (if it doesn't add too much to the cost)
3. System with the potential for good quality photos (I already know that doesn't guarantee results!)
4. It will be permanately mounted, so portability/size is not a concern (other than the G11 needs to be able to handle it)

Sorry for the long post, but its been very confusing.

thanks,
dan

I have purchased a second hand newtonian easy guider, and I'm not certain if I have all of the parts. Would someone who has one take a look at theirs and tell me if this sounds right?

This may be a bit hard to describe, but here goes. I have the main body of the guider, complete with prism, and a tube for the eyepiece. This all seems fine, but then there is a small ring that fits in the side of the guider where the camera goes. The ring has threads inside of it (female threads). The ring has a groove around the outside, but I can't really seem to get it to stay in the guider very well (seems wobbly). My t-ring for my camera is not handy now (actually in a different town), but if I recall correctly the threads on it are female, which would require male threads, does that sound right? Also, I seem to recall that the t-ring is slightly smaller, but I could be mistaken there too.

Any help would be greatly appreciated.

thanks,
dan

I would like to mount my telescope on a pier in an observatory. I would like for the observatory to have a concrete floor. I've read a lot of information that the mounting for the pier should be separated (isolated) from the rest of the floor. So the questions are ...

1. Is this necessary? If so, has anyone done it? The guys who are going to do the concrete work did not know how they would be able to remove the wood forms from between the pier's base and the slab. Any suggestions?

2. They don't know anything about observatories, but they suggested an "X" shaped pattern in the concrete made with trenches under the slab about a foot or so deep (like a window with four panes) in order to make it more stable. Would this do anything?

3. Any othere suggestions on how to proceed?

Your help is greatly appreciated.

dan

Well, I'm in the middle of construction of my observatory, and it's progressing well (due in large part to this group, and individuals who provided a wealth of information). So, I'd like to ask for some opions concerning the mounting of the casters that will carry the dome.

This may be hard to explain, but here we go:

The dome is 7ft in diameter, and will be on top of a 8x8 square building. The dome has a 4" wide circle of plywood on the bottom where the 8 casters will roll. That same circle of plywood is 3 laminations of 3/4 in ply, and 4 wheels equally spaced around the dome mounted horizontally will ride on the surface created by the 3 laminations so that the dome can't be pushed off of the building.

The casters to be used are some scooter wheels I got very cheap (1.98 per pair with bearings included). I need to mount these in a way that will allow them to be adjustable up and down. They will need to mount to a section of 2x6 standing up (the 2x6 is in the frame of the roof), and with a bolt going through the middle of the wheel. Any ideas on how to do this?

Please see my pathetic attempt to explain this graphically in the enclose image. It's supposed to be a cross section of the area I'm talking about.

Or ... Perhaps someone could tell me how they did thiers instead?

thanks,
dan

I have a Losmandy G11 that I would like to mount an 8 or 10 inch newtonian reflector on. I was considering buying a dobsonian style telescope, and mounting the dovetail and rings for my losmandy mount on it (leaving everything else intact). I was hoping to acomplish having a dobsonian that I could use frequently, but be able to occasionally mount it on my G11. Is this feasable, or would all those extra parts get in the way? Has anyone ever done it?

thanks,
dan

Does anyone know how one would go about shipping a bottle of lumicon's forming gas? A retail shipping outlet said that perhaps it could be done by FedEx if the UL classification was known. Or UPS if the DOT code was known. (the person thought those might be the same) Does anyone know what these numbers are? Or how they can be found? Apparently the cylinder has only 2 labels on it reading as follows:
Warning contents under pressure
Film hypersentization gas
92% nitrogen and 8% hydrogen
35 Liters, Non-flammable
And:
NON_FLAMMABLE
2
Does anyone know anything about these codes? Or anything about shipping these bottles?

thanks,
dan

All,

I'm in need of some guidance. I have a 7 ft homemade dome, that I'm putting on a 8'x 8' building. The building, and the dome are ready to go, and I have a sqare frame that the dome rotates nicely on, which I have already attached to the top of the building.

I'm now struggling with how to create a "roof" for the portion of the square building that will be exposed under the dome. ANY ideas would be GREATLY appreciated. I had originally thought I would just make a flat roof out of plywood, but a bunch of people have advised against a flat roof.

Also, any pointers to websites etc. with somthing like that would be greatly appreciated.

dan

This is getting a little depressing ...

I finished my observatory serveral months ago. It is plywood and masonite dome (painted, no fibreglass or anything). So far, I've used it only a few times because it leaks, and I cant really leave my equipment in it.

I'm hoping someone can make suggestions here. It's a 8x8 square with a 7ft dome. The problem is where the flat part of the roof meets the dome. I have a sheetmetal skirt around the dome, and a little sheetmetal dam on the roof. The leaks are where the wheels are attached to the roof (they roll on a flat surface under the dome). I couldn't really get the sheet metal dam around them good enough. I suspect I will need to remove the dome, and work more on the roof (I hate to even think about that ... its terribly heavy).

If there is anyone with a square building, and a round dome, could you please tell me how you solved this problem? Anyone else have ideas?

Other than the leaks it works pretty well. It rotates pretty easily and stuff.

thanks,
dan

I have just received mine as well (Texas). I have an existing 8'x8' building with a 7' plywood/masonite dome on it that I am replacing. The dome is pretty much exactly what I was expecting after reading the materials on the website. The guy driving the truck drove right up, and put it within a few feet of the existing building (closer than I imagined he could get it). I'm pleased with the product, price, and delivery cost. I'm a little concerned about having to mount it myself though. I think it will workout, but I'll feel better when it's done. This is not a failing of the product, but rather of my carpentry skills. I had tons of problems with sealing the wooden dome. I think that the 'skirt' around the bottom will help with that problem though.

For others that have ordered one ... How do you plan to mount yours?