What happens when a storm meets a big dob ....

[John]

I've just found this amazing story posted on Astromart:

http://www.astromart.com/articles/article.asp?article_id=582

Has anyone else experienced anything like this ?

John

[GazOC]

Lucky man!!

[James]

He's lucky man indeed! Two small drops on the mirror? I've had worse damage from dew :shock:

James

[Astroman]

One of the links I provided to the Grand Canyon Star Party this year showed a 20" Obsession with "the proper way to secure the telescope" caption. His scope was not secured one evening when we had heavy winds and sporadic rain. The scope was covered and stored pointing straight up. When he saw it the next morning, it had been blown completely over, denting the upper cage and bending one of his truss tubes. The mirror and other optics were untouched, but it did scare the c**p out of him.

I told a story some time ago about a session on Kitt Peak in which we didn't notice a thunderstorm coming up until it hit. We heard one clap of thunder while we were taking sky flats. 30 seconds later, the wind hit and we madly scrambled to close the dome moments before a deluge erupted. This on the 0.9 meter.

Rosie and I attended the Northern AZ Star Party in Chino Valley AZ one September. The first night was amazing, perched on a hill with mountains all around. The second day, the clouds rolled in and drenched us all. The power to the lecture hall went out twice as David Levy was talking. When we retired to the camper to eat, lightning struck the barbed wire fence right outside, no more than 10 feet away. Sitting on 5 gallons of propane gas made me squeamish.

Yes, I have a couple stories similar to this. :shock:

I expect the 2 small drops were all that remained of the water. The quartz finish on an Obsession mirror is quite slippery, much like the finish of a brand new car.

[Casus belli]

I live in Scotland, what he describes is a normal nights viewing for here. (apart from the oppressive heat)