Rusted

Thanks again for all your kind wishes and support. It would be ideal if the dome went to a school or institution. Though this would require long term support and interest from suitable staff. I have seen such observatories go to waste after a staff member moved on. Or valuable items disappear into the woodwork through a lack of security. Or students being allow to "play," unsupervised, with high value antiques and equipment. Even the growth of nearby trees can destroy the very purpose of such a facility. I will, of course, keep you informed of any progress. Kind regards Chris

Thanks. 🙂

Hi again, I have had a very kind and helpful response from the Danish Astronet Administrator. He will spread the word about my dome and filter any responses as a vital go between. He and his observatory are within a comfortable driving distance and he has invited me to visit for coffee. I haven't had a face to face chat with a fellow amateur astronomer for years. Thanks for all your support and ideas! Chris

Thanks Rob. I have always been a bit of a loner. So never sought help, or even notice of my activities. Preferring to share, semi-anonymously online. I have now contacted two Danish astro forums and clubs. With reference to free collection rather than seeking aid. Let's see what comes of that.

Hej Victor! Thanks for the link. I'll do that. I have just sent Astronomisk.dk a mail. Mvh Chris

Thank you Jeremy.

I spent most of 2021 working on a fibreglass dome with spherical, bi-parting shutters. Almost completed and close to being be lifted onto my two storey, home built observatory. The whole build was documented in fine detail on my blog. [Signature below] Starts in February 2021. The hope, at the time, was that others could copy my build. Then my wife died suddenly in early 2022. All interest in my observatory building was lost. Nearly 18 months later I still haven't touched the project. It has cost me around £4k so far. A fraction of the price of a commercial dome in this size. Or even one of half the size! I am prepared to have it taken away, free of charge, by anyone who can muster the muscle power and transport. This thing is huge! Do not underestimate the effort required to handle the job. Check the picture below with the builders ladder for scale. Fortunately the dome can be dismantled into three, large segments plus the shutters. It is simply bolted together with sealant at the overlaps. If this were the UK or USA then somebody ambitious would probably take it off my hands. But, I live [almost literally] in the middle of Denmark. Which has a small population and even smaller astronomy base. If anyone in Denmark, or perhaps Germany[?] wants to take it away then you can have the project completely free of charge. You will be entirely responsible for dismantling, loading a car transporter trailer and removal from the site. 500kg total? You will need at least two or preferably three [or more] strong men. Huge and awkward, 150kg segments need sheer muscle to handle safely. I worked entirely solo and it was really too heavy for me alone. [I am in my mid 70s!] I can't imagine the idea of taking on this project would have anybody from the UK making the long trip over. Despite the enormous savings! Remember, it is still an almost completed project. You will need to manage the final details. I have advertised the project in the SG European buy and sell forum but doubt that will reach many likely to be interested. I shall contact the Danish astronomy forum and list it on the Danish, small ads websites. DBA & GogG. There is no Danish eBay. Only eBay.de. If there are any other constructive suggestions for disposal then I'd like to hear them. Thanks for your patience.

A lifetime, mostly wasted on searching for missing things. Had the singular advantage of regularly cataloguing where all the other stuff was. Despite having the memory, of a particularly amnesic goldfish, I could identify the source of all the dismantled bits. From several hundred hobbies and passionate interests going back well over 60 years. My late wife argued that there was no aircraft hangar. Which I could not fill, to overflowing, with chaos.

Well, there goes the conspiracy theory that the sun no longer exists.

Tool hire should give you access to the proper kit. No need to buy for a one-off job. Said the man with two sheds full of tools.

When there is no room for a Prussic loop, I use a car, oil filter, removal strap. Avoid anything sharp or metal or it might damage the parts. Preferably just plastic and rubber for friction. A friction design is far more desirable than crushing power. If these straps can overcome the PST's red locking cement then it might work on your adapter. Use two straps in opposition to each other. Choose your tools wisely to avoid damage. There are countless oil filter removal designs on the market. Some destroy the old filter so take care in your choice. Wrapping the parts in grippy net-like, silicone cooking mats and using hand power might work. Two people will double the torque applied. These mats provide superb friction when most needed. Supermarkets have them sometimes if you search.

There's a beautifully captured prom hiding on the limb. I have boosted the gamma and contrast a tad to bring it out. Any more and the sky becomes too bright.

You captured a lot of detail with a nicely uniform disk. Your colour choice was interesting. Practice makes for an easier life. Keep at it. I had a play with simple imaging software. Just to see if I could improve anything. Not with any great success.

10' DIY dome with bi-parting shutters. I have a light bulb inside the top of the 14' pyramidal pier as I climb up though it via the stepladder. A string of red LEDS on the base ring. Only bright enough for avoiding walking into it! Rather disappointing. I hoped for much brighter. Two LED white light bulbs overhead for working on the mechanics with the shutters closed. Led table lamp on the computer desk. The 24" monitor[s] provide some light at night but I am mostly solar or occasionally lunar imaging. No DSOs. [Currently resting as I pretend to make slow progress on my 14' fibreglass dome] Crane needed to hoist it onto my 2 storey building.

An unprotected, 80mm objective will fry a small filter close to focus. Even a modern, reflective one. A Herschel wedge dumps most of the heat and light gathered by the objective. It usually needs further heat or light reduction filters for comfort and/or safety. Without a wedge, a front mounted external SOLAR filter and probably further filters, would be VITAL for safety. The idea of a remote observatory, playing Russian Roulette with the sun's focused heat, terrifies me! It might lead to a child or untrained adult being permanently blinded if they should ever gain access to the kit. Whether accidentally or illegally. Or, if you are lucky, just an expensive camera being fried to a costly death and possibly a catastrophic fire to follow. As the camera eventually heats up and catches fire. Or sets fire to nearby plastic items or cables. Even two telescopes, side by side on the same mounting, need 1000% guaranteed protection from the sun for both. Even if you have remote fitting and removal of external SOLAR filters. Or external BLOCKING PLATES on the dark sky telescope. You'd still need continuous, remote, visual monitoring of the kit and observatory. And instant and easy access in the event of an unforeseen problem.

Nicely done with tons of detail! Good to see you acknowledging those who provide our "magical" software.

What a stunning set og images! Producing any one of them ourselves would make us happy. You present a whole portfolio! Masterful! Well done!

Reading the posted responses to some of the click bait "nonsense" videos is enough to make one weep for mankind. People do have some very odd ideas out there! 😱

I started carrying a camera with me everywhere after seeing two "UFOs" hovering over a local hill some few kilometres away. You may well imagine my disappointment. When one of these "UFOs" passed us later being towed by a common farm tractor. It was just a typical, very extended, animal carrying trailer. Commonly known as a grisevogn [pig van?] in Danish and used for transporting pigs between local farms. The slightly misty conditions on my morning walk had applied an optical levitation, or mirage, to a pair of trailers in the distance. The contrasting yellow PVC cover and different coloured body, lower down had provided the "rows of windows" I had only imagined.

Oh dear. That would make your "like" into being damned by faint praise. 🤣

Assuming UFOs [used in the broadest sense of the term] are from another dimension, or universe. Then wouldn't they be out of phase with ours? If they could control their own time/frequency phase they could become invisible. Or able to perform relative manoeuvres beyond our understanding or present capabilities. Another option could be time travellers. A logical approach if interstellar travel is involved. The Earth Zoo is hardly a Sunday morning, family outing. Not even on Proxima Centauri. Another species would need very long lifetimes. To be willing to sacrifice years in hibernation. Just to come and point and laugh at the antics of the hilarious, hairless monkeys. They might as well use their own version of full immersion AI/VR. From the comfort of their crystal spheres floating effortlessly in their pristine atmospheres. One should never forget the terrifying dangers of viral or bacterial contamination by any outside source. Physical contact could be, quite literally, life and death. For every living thing on both planets involved and even far beyond. Covid proves how vulnerable we remain as a species. With our limited medical facilities and antagonistic, societal structures.

Then how will I be informed of the collapse of civilisation as we know it?

The whole congress thing may well be rehearsed. By drip-release of a palatable version of their "truth." Blaming the military for secrecy? Easy peasy! Cleverly deflecting the blame away from the "elected," octogenarians themselves. It will be sold to dumb and dumber by "the media" and everybody can go back to reading about the latest mass shootings and Barbie News.

I start every day by reading the Danish News websites, The BBC News website and Google World News. The BBC News website is absolutely pathetic and unchanging in comparison with the Danish national broadcaster. The latter is constantly updated and presents new stories throughout the day. Most of Google's World News website is blocked by paywalls or demands cookies for inside leg measurements. Even if the story is a readily available YouTube video. If you had to rely on the BBC website from outside the UK for world news. Then your world view would be limited to the BBC selling its own programmes. PLUS SPORTS ON STEROIDS or sports events and sports celebs "doing stuff." The BBC's main directive is clearly dumbing down the masses and feeding the drooling sports fans with ever more laudanum. The world's news media is simply a vast advertising business. Which chooses to have a speciality in (usually) highly biased news stories. Each chooses deliberate filtering and often has a clear, political or nationalist agenda. Or practices denial of service. By hiding behind a paywall or cookie monster. Whoever came up with the multiple options for cookies on every website should be hung up high in a cage. In a very public space. Until they rot and turn to dust. For setting back humanity by decades and increasing the wasted time of countless trillions of man hours in making cookie selections. Not to mention the increased load on the Internet. All it needed was for a simple OPT IN button. No other choice, or visitor decision, otherwise required.

That's a great improvement! Well done! Particularly given the conditions. Keep at it! 😉