Scorpius

Measured the outside diameter of removable dew shield on my Samyang 135/f2 & it's 93 mm. So the minimum length dew strap you'd need (not counting any unheated Velcro) to completely encircle the dew shield is 29.2 cm (2π · r ÷ 10)

Plenty of room, a lot of patience and tools - got it & thanks for the tip. Btw - just noticed in your post where you quoted me there's a link to a UK sheet materials wholesaler that was not included in my original post which is very strange 🤔 ( all sheetmaterials I bought here https://sheetmaterialswholesale.co.uk/

File cabinets, lights & blackout curtains...

I agree with not working around the gear and that’s why I haven’t moved anything in and continue to resist the urge to squeeze in some astro sessions when the skies are clear. When it comes time to finish the obsy walls, I’ll probably store what I can in the pod and then put the rest back in the nearby gazebo where it’s currently kept in plastic cases. As far as body aches go you are preaching to the choir! LOL My wife will always help if I ask but I rarely do since she’s developed some mobility issues in recent years that prevent her from doing much lifting/climbing, etc. What you see in the photos was done almost entirely by yours truly with some limited assistance from family members along the way. I’ve worked construction in some capacity for 40+ yrs. and have so far learned to live with the aches and pains of getting older.

Thank you very much! I do plan to insulate and panel the main obsy but it will probably have to wait until spring. It's been very wet this winter and the work area outside is quite muddy from all the foot traffic and that mud gets tracked back inside every time I go out to rip a piece of paneling, etc. Waiting will also allow time for my wallet to recover which is no small issue at this point and I'll finally get to use the structure and all the astro gear I've purchased for the intended purpose. Although it may not be 100% complete, it's easily close enough to use for now with the final push toward completion planned for warmer/drier weather that's only a few months away. 😃

In a side-by-side configuration, any tips for aligning the finder scope with a Canon 60D and also, while doing a Celestron handset star align - how do you perform the second step (center star in eye piece and press align) when the camera itself has no eyepiece? The kit is an Advanced VX mount, a Canon 60D with Samyang 135mm/F2, an Orion 60mm finder/guide scope Orion 60mm Multi-Use Guide Scope with Helical Focuser | Orion Telescopes and an ADM 11-inch side by side bar VSBS- V Series Side-By-Side System. 11" Connecting Bar - ADM Accessories with camera mount VDUP-CM- V Series Universal Dovetail Camera Mount. - ADM Accessories and 7-inch dovetail bar for the scope VDUP7- V Series Universal Dovetail Bar. 7" Long - ADM Accessories I also have an assortment of riser blocks to raise the scope to the same elevation as the camera. This will be my first attempt at DSLR AP as well as a side-by-side setup so all advice will be greatly appreciated.

2 coats flat colonial white latex on walls, 2 coats non-skid gray porch paint on floor and 3 coats polyurethane on desktop. Just need to hang blackout curtains and install rope lights and then control pod is finally done!!!

A few progress pics of control room or “control pod” as I call it since the space is quite small. By small, I mean about 5 ft. 6” (167 cm) wide x 5 ft. (152 cm) deep with a sloped ceiling 6 ft. (182 cm) at front opening and about 54” (137 cm) at rear wall. There will be two, 3-drawer file cabinets under desk which are on order from Staples - Staples 3-Drawer Vertical File Cabinet, Mobile/Pedestal, Letter, Putty, 20"D (24871D) at Staples With cabinets in place there will be just enough room for an office chair in between however, they have built-in casters so they may be rolled out if a visitor - such as the wife - stops by to check out the imaging process or to find out where all the money has gone 🤔 So, without further ado here are the photos: Control pod now wired and fully insulated. 2” conduit routed under floor connecting control pod with underfloor compartment adjacent to pier. Paneling is 3/8” pre-primed, simulated wood grain OSB. Desktop is manufactured 64” wide, 25” deep, 1 ½” thick butcher block sanded and sealed on all sides with 3 coats quick dry, satin finish polyurethane. So, now the only items that remain on the list before pod is complete are: Caulk joints and install molding. Apply latex topcoat to paneling which will be off-white, or colonial white to be exact. Install 1 string of white and 1 string of red LED rope lights powered by outlet controlled by duplex switch mounted near top of left-hand pod wall in photo. Hang thermal blackout curtains to hold in heat and limit amount of light escaping from pod to main observatory. Next big decision is whether to insulate and panel main observatory walls or just leave them as is so I can start using the obsy. I do not want to bring in my astronomy gear and set everything up until the major work (and mess) is complete and most tools and building materials have been moved out. What would you do?

I believe the price has more to do with the type of material it's made from than what it says on the box. Apparently, it's produced from optical grade acrylic which supposedly has 92% light transmission producing 3x brighter diffraction spikes. However, the 3D printed ones are probably almost as good at only 1/3 the cost 😉

Almost spot on? So additional fine tuning is still required? Just ordered one from High Point Scientific here in the US William Optics Diffraction Spikes Bahtinov Mask for 75mm-110mm Dew Shields - BM-DS-GR45 (highpointscientific.com)

As long as you don't exceed the rating in amps of the single 12 volt socket, you could have as many branches as you like but you do need to know the amperage rating of the single socket and also the load of everything you'll have connected to be sure. If the 12 volt devices are labeled in watts instead of amps here's an online converter you can use: Watts to Amps (A) conversion calculator (rapidtables.com). Cheaper 12 volt sockets may only be rated for 5 amps which means you could only safely pull 60 watts (5 amps) continuous. On the other hand, if it's a heavy duty 12 volt, 30 amp socket, you could safely pull 360 watts (30 amps) continuous through multiple branches. If the devices are labeled in milliamps (mA) divide by 1000 to find the load in amps.

Some things like the mount and dew heaters are 12 volt but other stuff like laptops and powered USB hubs will be 110 volt (in the US) or 230 in your case. You may want to get a mains power supply for the mount. I've heard this Celestron power supply will run an EQ6 but you would need to confirm that's true Amazon.com : Celestron 18778 AC Adapter (Black) : Telescope Accessories : Camera & Photo Then a converter like this could be used for accessories like dew heaters: Amazon.com: AstroAI AC to DC Converter, 10A/110Vto12V DC/120W/7.78FT, Car Cigarette Lighter Socket AC/DC Power Supply Adapter Transformer for Inflator, Car Refrigerator, and Other Car Devices: Automotive This way you could run everything off a multiplug outlet connected to a suitable extension cord connected to a nearby mains plug.

Just now completing the electrical system in my off-the-grid ROR observatory. The main components are a 200 Ah Gel battery powered by a 600 watt solar array connected to a 3000 watt pure sine wave inverter. When I was setting up on a tripod I used one of those power pack type batteries and it never lasted through the night. Most folks suggest something in the neighborhood of a 100 Ah deep cell battery which will provide extra power for things like dew heaters, laptops, etc. Here's the 100 Ah version of my Renogy battery Amazon.com: Renogy Deep Cycle Hybrid Gel 12 Volt 100Ah Battery: Garden & Outdoor which weighs 29 kg but there are lots of different manufacturers to choose from. My 200 Ah battery weighs 58 kg not counting the box it's in which is another 14 kg. In terms of batteries, if it's something you can easily carry around with one hand it probably won't provide all the power you'll need for extended imaging sessions.

Very cool - I've been wondering if both planets in a single frame would be possible. Nice capture!!!

Battery box is now vented to outside. Termination is screened to prevent insects from entering. Enclosed on 3 sides to prevent rain from entering.