Views on tents to cover use of telescopes and working inside them to cut stray sunlight and light pollution from streetlights etc.

[Samantha]

Hello

 

i am wondering if any of you can help me please  or give some advice ?

 

i am looking into getting a tent where the telescope can work inside it and use the laptop inside etc as i am suffering really bad light pollution inc finding it hard to look at even during the daytime my laptop screen whilst doing some solar photography with a solar telescope. 

 

What i am wondering is those who have bought a tent what are your views on it and what is it like to work inside it along with having light pollution taken out and what is it like working on concrete garden slabs does it need pegs to hold in place? 

 

It is one of those mak 2 or something observing telescope tent i am looking into and researching into before deciding to buy i would like to know people views on it. If had any problems with it like any pros or cons etc. 

 

I hope this makes sense and is in right section apologies if this does not make any sense i have borderline learning disabilities and some speech problems so what is easy for me to say inc read some people find it hard if do not understand what i am saying i do not mind getting the link from a website for you all to have a look at to give your views.

Edited April 18, 2020 by Samantha
Need to remove

[John]

I have not used one myself but it sounds like something an observing tent might be the sort of thing you are after ?:

https://www.astroshop.eu/instruments/omegon-tent-observatory/p,12278

 

[happy-kat]

I think I saw a pont on here and the tent was a camping toilet tent, cheap and had the standing room, the other was a fishing tent and it was open sided. 

What bortle level are your skies?

Is your light pollution a general wash or are you needing to hide from direct street lights?

[james_screech]

I had a tent observatory for a while, there was a huge problem with condensation though. Everything inside will need water proof covers when not in use, I would not recommend them for long term use.

James

[carastro]

I have an observatory tent and it works well, acts to help local LP (to an extent, but obviously the scope has to peep over the top) keeps dew, wind and frost off.  

However:  I had to do a number of MODs to make it serviceable as the bought tent while the idea is good many features were just not built substantially enough.  I use mine for astro camps so it is left up overnight.

1. This was it when it arrived, soppy little roof on top.  One shower of rain and it would leak.  

So I bought some similar fabric off Ebay and added a 10" extension to the roof.  Plus some plastic push in clips to hold the roof on, this makes it easier also to fix the roof on in the dark.

(see yellow line showing the extension and the clip) this is it folded up. :

2.  The poles on the top holding the roof up, are under huge strain to bend and the first use they popped through the side of the tent which had a soppy unsubstantial pocket using the same fabric as the tent.

So I created a strong pocket and slot for a the poles from an old ruck sack.

Inside

Outside

3. Then the unsubstantial nylon zips started to break under strain, so I stitched up all but one and made one of the doors square (using some more of the fabric I bought for the roof).  Then bought 3 heavy duty open ended nylon zips off Ebay and stitched then straight. 

Now works well under no strain.

This is it now:

Inside if you offset the mount there is enough room for a table and chair:

Also some of the clips at the bottom that hold the poles are splitting and I had to get some new ones 3D printed.

 

Despite all the mods and extra work I love it.

I bought it from Astrograph.

Carole 

Edited April 19, 2020 by carastro

[Beulah]

Grat mods, @carastro - how long does it take to set up?

[carastro]

15 mins approx.  the most difficult bit is threading the circular pole at the top of the "Walls" as you have to thread it through and it is in sections and under a great deal of strain once all assembled. 

It is so cosy for imaging.  

The other great thing about it is if I am arriving at camp and it is forecast rain in the afternoon but clear that night, so long as I can get the camping obsy erected with the roof on before it rains I can assemble all the kit inside protected from the rain so it is all ready for the evening imaging.  

Carole  

Edited April 19, 2020 by carastro

[AngryDonkey]

Great mods Carol!

I have the same tent and agree with everything that's been said. The material is flimsy, the zips are cheap and although I've been through a couple of heavy rain showers I would not recommend to use it when you know it is likely going to rain.

Having said that it works really well to keep the dirt out and creates a bit of a wind break which also helps with dew to a certain extend as it's slightly warmer inside. At outreach events it's also a good barrier to stop people falling over your scope... 🙂 

One thing to look at is the height of your setup. It needs to be high enough to clear the sides but shouldn't stick out too much as otherwise you will loose some of the benefits. Also in terms of light pollution it's probably not high enough as an effective barrier if you have a lot of stray light around.

[Samantha]

13 hours ago, John said:

I have not used one myself but it sounds like something an observing tent might be the sort of thing you are after ?:

https://www.astroshop.eu/instruments/omegon-tent-observatory/p,12278

 

Thank you john for replying .It is and i am looking around at various ones at the moment because where i live i have light pollution so bad when using my astronomy telescope at night with not only two streetlights at the diagonal but i have those with garden lights who turns on inc off at the slightest of movement and when get vehicles moving of course trigger those lights off takes about 5 mins or more for those types of lights to turn off.  I put my telescope mount etc onto my garden slabs to work and if there are pegs with it or not i am hoping something will attach down to that type of ground and hold, i am looking around and researching inc see if there are ones which can withstand any strong winds during the day of using it with the solar telescope also. 

[mikeDnight]

18 hours ago, Samantha said:

Thank you john for replying .It is and i am looking around at various ones at the moment because where i live i have light pollution so bad when using my astronomy telescope at night with not only two streetlights at the diagonal but i have those with garden lights who turns on inc off at the slightest of movement and when get vehicles moving of course trigger those lights off takes about 5 mins or more for those types of lights to turn off.  I put my telescope mount etc onto my garden slabs to work and if there are pegs with it or not i am hoping something will attach down to that type of ground and hold, i am looking around and researching inc see if there are ones which can withstand any strong winds during the day of using it with the solar telescope also. 

Samantha,

Is there a reason why you're not thinking of a garden shed with a run-off roof? It would save you having to erect a tent before each observing session, and it would last for decades if looked after. Much comfier too! 

[Samantha]

On 20/04/2020 at 08:57, mikeDnight said:

Samantha,

Is there a reason why you're not thinking of a garden shed with a run-off roof? It would save you having to erect a tent before each observing session, and it would last for decades if looked after. Much comfier too! 

Thing is  mike i am very limited i think what i can or cannot do on my front garden but i will have a think about it etc thank you for getting back to me and coming up with ideas. 

[Samantha]

Thank you all for your sugguestions and help, this is the problems i have got as regards streetlights using my 6inc newtonian reflector  so i got one streetlight by my next door neighbours on side of their front garden then when i turn to east i got another one which is on other side of the road. Then like when winter etc comes but at moment i have only got one house whose garden light attached to their house coming on that one lights up, where the one who causes me too much problem is when it turns on the neighbour across the road on the east side basically diagonal left soon as someone walks by even those walking dogs, vehicle drivers inc wildlife it comes on and lights up the whole house to point i have to wait ages before starting again.  But thank you all so much for coming back to me etc once again.

[Alan White]

Your light issues sound very familiar Samantha, see my thread on my more solid solution.
I was lucky enough to have enough room to do this of course.

A temporary screen rather than a tent might also work.

Local light pollution is such a blight to the Astronomy community.
Good luck with whatever you decide to do, anything will be an improvement,
even a monks hood to keep the light from your peripheral vision.