Getting back into star gazing!

[Broobit]

Hello, I've just found your forum, and I'm hoping someone out there can help me! Please bear with me though because I'm very new to all this and don't know the technical terms!

I've always been fascinated by the stars and several years ago I bought a Meade telescope (I don't know the model number offhand but it's the type with the handheld bit that lets you type in what you want the telescope to point to).

For quite a while it's been languishing at my parents' house gathering dust (shame on me, I know) because I didn't have the space for it in my previous house.

I have recently moved and would love to resurrect my telescope but I am unsure where to store it. I have a garden but it's not the biggest the world so I couldn't get a shed for it and it definitely won't fit in our existing shed, but I'd love to keep the telescope outside so it would always be ready for me to use. I'm guessing though that just covering it in a tarpaulin would be asking for trouble with our random British weather?

Thank you for reading this - any suggestions gratefully received!

[JamesM]

Hi and welcome to the forum. If there isn't room to keep it indoors then a shed is the way to go. It would certainly be cooler outside during the Autumn/winter time of the year, but of course sheds can attract plenty of warmth during the summer months when you still might want to do some observing. I wouldn't feel tempted to store it under plastic due to condensation and also it would be a great spider/insect magnet too.

Clear skies

James

[ronin]

Really would be helpful if you could tell us the model. Although with electronics storage in a house is always best. Condensation and the internals of a Meade scope are not the best combination.

It would help that if in a shed and then inside a cabinet of some sort. It does of course depend on the shed size, some people have large ones.

Keep the handset inside the house.

[Bizibilder]

You could try an adaptation of this: http://stargazerslounge.com/showthread.php?t=161711&highlight=pier (scroll to post number 26 on page 2) and just take the OTA (telescope tube) off the mount and bring that indoors. Hope this gives you a few ideas.

[Broobit]

Thank you all

I like that home-made solution! Think we're going to need a bigger shed then!

[sologuitarist61]

Hello and welcome to SGL - plenty of ideas above for you!