Posts Made By: Cecil Meeks

Hello all. First time poster!

Anyway, I live in a somewhat light poluted area and my neighbor always leaves their backporch light on which is like a beacon flooding my whole backyard with light.

Anyway, I found this site:
http://www.darkskystuff.com/

I think their product is kinda cool but expensive. I mean, it looks like simple PVC pipe with canvas. We are thinking about getting one of those 10' x 8' metal stoage buildings that costs like $200. My idea was to build a couple of these light shields. I would basically keep my telescope in the storage building and when I wanted to observe, I would just pull it out and setup my light shields.

Anyone doing something similar to this? What I am really having trouble is finding the canvas material to use. I have guestimated that the PVC cost would be about $10 per panel. Lowes around here has some tarp material but when I hold it up to the store lights, I can see through it. I want something that blocks light. Any ideas? I even considered using cardboard and spray paint it with some type of weather-proofing stuff to keep the dew from destroying it.

Thanks for any help.

cb meeks

Well, it's not perfect...and it surely isn't pretty...but it is coming along.

One day, I will have an observatory on my father's 400 acres :-)

But for now, this will have to do.

Here is a pic of the frame...I have more and will probably post them...if you all don't mind.

BTW, I have decided using 6 MILL plastic sheeting...the same kind used for vapor-barriers that are burried in the ground...it blocks a lot of light!

cb

I am looking for any books on how to build roll-off roof observatories. I am not interested in dome observatories.

Anyone know of any? ISBN would be a great help too.

Any good plans on the internet?

Thanks!

-cb

I have an Orion XT 8" dob (un guided of course) and I want to get into some webcam/CCD photography.

I have a laptop running WinXP Pro. The laptop has firewire and USB but no serial/parallel so it should probably be a USB webcam. Cost is also important...something less than $100 would be great.

I would like to start with the planets first...then move on to more challenging targets.

Thanks!

cb

Hello all.

I have two scopes.

1) Meade Starfinder 6" on G.E. Mount
2) Orion 8" SkyQuest dobsonian

The starfinder mount will hold up to an 10" scope. I would like to take my 8" Orion and put it on my StarFinder mount that allows tracking. Can this be done? Where could I get the mounting straps?

Thanks!

cb

Ok, I'm sure this has been asked a bazillion times and it's been awhile since I have been on.

Anyway, here is my situation. I just moved into a new house that is a somewhat-dark area. The milkyway is barely visible but it's much better than where I just moved from.

ANYWAY, I have an Orion 8" dob and a 6" Meade Starfinder. The problem I have with the dob is that I pretty much have to get on my knees to use it! I mean, don't get me wrong, I love the scope but anything lower than about 60 degrees has me all bent over..lol

The 6" starfinder is actually nicer to use but sometimes it is hard to "nudge" to exactly where I want.

So, I want a GoTo scope. I also don't have a ton of money like most people.

As far as objectives, I want to get into photography with the DSI.
I would like to both visually and photographically observe:

Planets
Nebula (the Ring is one of my favs)
Galaxies
Binaries,
etc.

LOL, yeah, that is pretty much everything. Can the ETX-125 handle it? Meade has a couple of pics taken with the ETX and the DSI but I am curious who has more.

I don't have an observatory but my home-office is literally 10 feet from my back yard so it is really easy to haul out a scope.

Sorry for the long email and thanks for your time!

cbmeeks

Weird subject. :-)

Anyway, we just moved into a new house. The light pollution really isn't that bad. There are no street lights around for a few blocks!!

Unfortunately, our neighbors across the street are on a slight hill which puts their front porch a little higher than my head (above sea level).

I thought about building a light shield out of PVC but it would literally have to be 15-20' tall. Which would be a huge windsail. I could anchor it to my metal fence though.

Any suggestions other than asking them to turn it off? Sometimes I go out really late and don't want to bother them at night.

Thanks!

cbmeeks

I know what you mean about the heat. I live in Chattanooga, TN and man, can it ever get hot!

Anyway, another thing to remember is that most electronic equipment does not like to operate above 120 degs so 105 is pushing it. However, your A/C unit doesn't need to keep things at 69 degs...you only need to bring it down a little. Like maybe to about 80 or so. Also, just keep the fan running at night or just turn it off. That will save on the electric. Oh, and don't forget, if you leave that thing running on the low cool and don't open the doors 500 times a day (like our kids..lol) then you should have no trouble keeping the temp down and the bill.

cb

more pics...

I will post the actual black plastic later...

cb

Here where my scopes:

1st)
30mm (yes, 30) Table-Top telescope. Don't remember the name but my mom bought it for me. It cost about $30 I think and came with a little tri-pod that was about 8 inches tall. It was more of a toy than anything else...I think I was about 9 or 10 years old. Long since lost it.

2nd)
Saved my school lunch money all year and bought myself a Tasco 60mm refractor from Sears! I loved that thing! It was advertised as a 1200x telescope!!! lol
That was the first scope that I saw Saturn in. It wouldn't even seperate the rings from the disc...appeared as a white ellipse.

3rd)
Meade Starfinder 6" Newtonian.
Finally! A real scope! Still Have it.

4th)
Orion XT 8" Dob. Love it!!

cb