JOC Posted January 7, 2017 Share Posted January 7, 2017 I don't think I'm in a position to need to build an observatory (despite having the necessary space), but from what I see a popular design seems to be a shed with a removable roof. The telescope appears to fixed to a concrete set upright (the pier?) but appears to sit within the height of the upright wall of the shed. How then do you view objects that sit low on the horizon? For example, I've been experimenting with my new telescope with M42 - its been sitting really low on my horizon and my telescope is fairly horizontal as I view it - I only just get M42 object just above my treeline. I cannot imagine how you could view such an object from within the walls of a shed. Is the loss of such views just accepted for the convenience of having a DIY observatory? As I said earlier it's just an 'idle curiosity' type question. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Starlight 1 Posted January 7, 2017 Share Posted January 7, 2017 Well the easy way is to add the sides to the roof , so you can have 4 ft south side and 2 ft added to to roof then you can see much lower . Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JOC Posted January 7, 2017 Author Share Posted January 7, 2017 Starlight 1, yeah, I guess that might help, but it doesn't sound overly roll on/off in such a configuration. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
johnfosteruk Posted January 7, 2017 Share Posted January 7, 2017 3 minutes ago, JOC said: Starlight 1, yeah, I guess that might help, but it doesn't sound overly roll on/off in such a configuration. It can be, see one of @ollypenrice Obsies 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Davey-T Posted January 7, 2017 Share Posted January 7, 2017 (edited) I made a telescopic pier for mine powered by an electric ram, you can actually buy one ready made if you win the lottery Dave Edited January 7, 2017 by Davey-T 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mwayne Posted January 8, 2017 Share Posted January 8, 2017 I built a telescoping pier using a trailer jack to raise and lower the mount, to the east and west I can see almost to the horizon, to south about down to 17° 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JOC Posted January 8, 2017 Author Share Posted January 8, 2017 Ah, thanks all - those roro sides are quite impressive! However, it is the pier that solves the questions, I hadn't appreciated the fact that the piers went up and down - that clearly solves this issue. Many thanks for the explanation - I'll stop wondering now! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bizibilder Posted January 8, 2017 Share Posted January 8, 2017 Very few piers go up and down! I suspect 99.9% of them are fixed height. However with a pier and the height of the mount added together, I can see over my nearly 6' observatory walls to around 10-15° above the horizon. This is fine for me as below that the atmosphere will preclude any decent imaging or observing. Also, although living "in the country" I do get light pollution at low angles - especially in the direction of the nearby town. Another feature is that the walls are high enough to prevent stray light from neighbours houses from annoying me! 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Garethr Posted January 8, 2017 Share Posted January 8, 2017 Joc Another option is to build in flaps to the walls that can be lowered when viewing close to the horizon. When viewing higher objects these are closed giving more protection to the scope from any breezes Gareth Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ArmyAirForce Posted January 8, 2017 Share Posted January 8, 2017 This is my mini observatory, attached to the side of my daughter's play house. The folding/sliding roof, slides South and down away from the obsy, so I'm not left with a tall wall in the way. The small entrance door is built into a larger opening side, so I can also get a good low view East for the rising Moon etc. and a video of the roof opening......... https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9M295-CKN3Q 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RikM Posted January 8, 2017 Share Posted January 8, 2017 I matched the mount and wall height so they just blocked the lights from neighbouring houses. My 'horizon' is actually limited by neighbouring rooftops rather an the obsey walls. I have a movable board to block out a troublesome streetlight. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JOC Posted January 8, 2017 Author Share Posted January 8, 2017 They are all very ingenious constructions, I salute your thought processes and the amount of effort that you have all put into this and you willingness to explain just to satisfy my idle curiosity - thank you. I will have to see how 'into' my new hobby I get as to whether I ever feel the need for anything similar. At the moment I am still tied to a mains electricity supply and the distance I'm prepared to lug my new telescope to set it up. I live in a detached house in the countryside with 8 acres of small-holding that I could go and play in (in fact I can still reach a mains supply even in the middle of that), but at the moment I am staying near the house as people are more willing to come out and keep me company and pop out to see what I have found than they might be to walk 150 yards to do the same. Maybe if I get sufficiently excited by and exhaust the supply of what I can see from next to the house I might consider shifting. Mind you shifting would give me back a 360 degree view of the sky which I lose being next to the house, garage, kids swings, sheds etc. and I do have a good number of sheds in the middle of the smallholding that one day might be ripe for conversion!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JOC Posted January 8, 2017 Author Share Posted January 8, 2017 NB. Do you all leave the main telescope tubes in your observatories and do they have any sort of heating in them? I'm still trying to work out if mine would come to any damage if stored in a double skinned wooden shed. At the moment mum has given me permission to put it in the porch which seems a goid environment for it, but it does take up a lot if room. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
laser_jock99 Posted January 8, 2017 Share Posted January 8, 2017 You could just park the scope upside down like I do. The roof just clears the retracted counter weight bar. In the upright position I can image down to the horizon (hills & trees permitting!) 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mikeDnight Posted January 10, 2017 Share Posted January 10, 2017 My observatory is a 7 foot by 8 foot roll off roof a fair with walls 6 foot 6" high. My pier is fixed and stands about 6 foot to the top of the mount. Orion is easily seen from inside the observatory and so is the sky quite a way below the constellation when looking south. It's often thought that except on the rarest of occasions, anything that is situated within 30 degrees of the horizon isn't worth looking at due to turbulence, pollution and depth of atmosphere, so to loose that area of sky due to wall height is no great loss. Mike Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
martin_h Posted January 10, 2017 Share Posted January 10, 2017 It depends on your horizon, I'm surrounded by houses, so the wall height of my obs is around 6 foot and I can just see over the roof tops, any lower would be a waste and prone to wind. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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