Anybody tried one of these?

[Hilmi]

I've been referred here from cloudy nights forum, since I wanted to know about a European product.

I'm not sure if this is the right place to post, since it's technically not a DIY observatory. I was wondering if anybody has tried the pulsar observatory domes. I am interested in buying one but have not found many reviews of it.

Looking forward to hearing your responses.

[gdheib0430]

You will def get some answers here...not a DIY observatory guy but there is a similar build on here with a similar observatory...you still need to level the ground out so it is most definitely a DIY project.

http://stargazerslounge.com/diy-observatories/170054-my-obs-taking-shape.html

[Hilmi]

I live in a concrete jungle No leveling to do, everything around is me has sharp 90 degree angles and the only round things are the drainage pipes and light poles. Observatory is going on my concrete roof (not many choices as to where to put it when your estate consists of a grand total of 200 m2.

[pmlogg]

Rather than repeat what I and others have written about the Pulsar Domes, if you do a search of the forums you should find quite a few postings including on potential motorising, dehumifiers, and construction.

I like my 2.7m Pulsar but do you have night skies suitable, given the description of your location? Dome observatories block wind and a lot of stray light but not the skyglow.

[Hilmi]

I'm aware of the sky glow It's a constant battle especially with the oil refinery down the street. I do deep sky imaging with light pollution filters as well as plans to move to narrow band imaging. The reason for wanting a dome is set up time. I can handle the weight, but it is frustrating and there is always a risk of damaging equipment or the house's doors and marble from moving things in and out every night. My gear in total comes close to 100 Kg, I don't enjoy bringing that in and out every night I want to use it.

[dmahon]

I sympathise entirely and want an observatory myself for exactly the same reasons.

It would be nice to have perfectly dark skies, but most of us are tied by work/family/financies to where we are, so we just have to make the most of it. Adjusting exposure time and the use of filters will make it bearable even if you live in the middle of London.

[skippyinspace]

I'm about to take a bite and purchase the pulsar dome track set up to put on a converted shed / custom built walls. Just waiting for my builder to confirm prices to confirm that it will come in under my budget and his time scale for doing the job.

I must thank Gary for his paitence and answering my never ending questions.

[pmlogg]

When you order your dome see if you can get Gary to equip it with rollers that have stainless rather than normal steel bearings. The bearings in mine, which was one of demonstrator models, rusted and I replaced them. You can do it yourself but the roller manufacturer does a stainless version. I also added 4 extra rollers - which the dome was already drilled for so I've got 12 rather than 8. As I hadn't done a perfect job getting the top ring circular, I find that the extra rollers help. If the new domes have 12 mounting positions it shouldn't cost much more.

[Hilmi]

A friend of mine showed me his newly constructed roll of roof observatory, but portability is a concern, I want to buy once. Since I plan to build a new house in a few years time, I am reluctant to commit my money to a fixed structure. The observatory my friend made is huge, big enough to make comfortable bedroom that can hold a full complement of furnishing. I believe a prefabricated observatory can be dismantled for moving with ease, allowing me to move it to the new house whenever I get around to actually building it.

[Gina]

Build it in sections which bolt together then for moving, the sections can be taken apart and stacked on top of each other for transport. I started doing mine like that but changed plans a bit as I was building it. I'm not expecting to move so no problem.

[Hilmi]

Looking into your suggestion now. It also just occurred to me that I can used a motorized awning as a roof

[Gina]

That's an interesting idea I haven't seen anyone else suggest a motorised awning.