I want to leave my scope outdoors and protected

[Moonshed]

I have an 8” Celestron on an EQ5 and use a Polemaster for PA. What I would like to do when things get busy and the forecast isn’t too bad is to leave it outside overnight protected by a cover. I keep my scope set up in a shed then lift it out onto a concrete base with marked spots where to place the tripod legs, this way it is almost pa before I start using the polemaster.
it would be very handy to be able to just throw a cover over it instead of putting it back in the shed.

If I use a cover, such as provided by Meade Instruments for around £50 will it still be pa good enough to continue with photography? 
What do other members do to keep their polar aligned scopes out for a few days at a time.

Thanks, 

Keith

 

 

[Craney]

I use two Tele-Gizmos "365"  ( I think one is sufficient but i have acquired two over the years and it makes the scope nuke-proof).

They are quite heavy though and not aero-dynamic !!,  so you find that the PA does shift slightly over time in the wind.  Also coupled with the PA bolts heating and cooling diurnally makes them creep loose.  Finders, if they poke out from the OTA need to be reset nightly due to the weight of the cover as well.

I think with any cover you have to be careful not to  1) Let moisture in  (obviously)   but  2)  not allow any moisture to be sealed in, eg  condensation from the night before being trapped under the cover and evaporating, becoming airborne and resettling on a cooler component that probably would never normally see any moisture in the first place.

 

Sean.

[jambouk]

The biggest concern is security. I can't imagine any insurance company would pay out of the stuff got stolen if it was left outside unprotected. Having said that, many of us have done this when there are clear spells of weather.

GreenWitch used to sell a canvas wax-lined green bag protector which was good (though mine developed holes at the stitching sites), so any good canvas bag (or two) will keep the rain off, but will also trap moisture inside which won't escape during the day time. If the set up gets full sunshine it will get very hot inside the bag, so there will be a wide temperature range which can cause expansion and contraction of things. I suspect this is unlikely to be a problem, but any optics underneath will get hot and probably take longer to cool down than if you stored then in a shady place during the day time and put them out at dusk.

If perfect PA is important to you, then personally I would do a new polemaster polar alignment each night if leaving it outside, in case a badger scratches its ar£e against the tripod leg and moves things, or a football from next door hits the set up, or a small earth tremor shakes it a bit etc. A new polemaster alignment should only take 5 minutes and you'd be surprised at how much you need to adjust things to get it bang on polar aligned again.

They would be my thoughts.

James

 

[Moonshed]

1 hour ago, Craney said:

I use two Tele-Gizmos "365"  ( I think one is sufficient but i have acquired two over the years and it makes the scope nuke-proof).

They are quite heavy though and not aero-dynamic !!,  so you find that the PA does shift slightly over time in the wind.  Also coupled with the PA bolts heating and cooling diurnally makes them creep loose.  Finders, if they poke out from the OTA need to be reset nightly due to the weight of the cover as well.

I think with any cover you have to be careful not to  1) Let moisture in  (obviously)   but  2)  not allow any moisture to be sealed in, eg  condensation from the night before being trapped under the cover and evaporating, becoming airborne and resettling on a cooler component that probably would never normally see any moisture in the first place.

 

Sean.

Hi Sean,

Thanks for the info. I hadn’t thought about condensation but now you have brought it to my attention it is a worry, some nights my scope and mount are covered in condensation and I really wouldn’t want to put a cover over that.

I did wonder about the heat extremes causing the bolts to move fractionally and it doesn’t take much to shift it out of PA.
I may stick to putting it back inside each night.
 

Keith

Edited August 10, 2020 by Moonshed

[Moonshed]

51 minutes ago, jambouk said:

The biggest concern is security. I can't imagine any insurance company would pay out of the stuff got stolen if it was left outside unprotected. Having said that, many of us have done this when there are clear spells of weather.

GreenWitch used to sell a canvas wax-lined green bag protector which was good (though mine developed holes at the stitching sites), so any good canvas bag (or two) will keep the rain off, but will also trap moisture inside which won't escape during the day time. If the set up gets full sunshine it will get very hot inside the bag, so there will be a wide temperature range which can cause expansion and contraction of things. I suspect this is unlikely to be a problem, but any optics underneath will get hot and probably take longer to cool down than if you stored then in a shady place during the day time and put them out at dusk.

If perfect PA is important to you, then personally I would do a new polemaster polar alignment each night if leaving it outside, in case a badger scratches its ar£e against the tripod leg and moves things, or a football from next door hits the set up, or a small earth tremor shakes it a bit etc. A new polemaster alignment should only take 5 minutes and you'd be surprised at how much you need to adjust things to get it bang on polar aligned again.

They would be my thoughts.

James

 

Hi James,

Thanks for your reply. I’m not really worried about security, where we live in the middle of the countryside we have very little crime and our garden is completely enclosed and not overlooked. Anyway, if someone knew I had a scope and really wanted it they could easily force open the shed door in a few minutes.

I take your point though about needing spot on accurate PA, it would be best to put the scope away and redo the PA the next night because as you say it does  only take a few minutes with the Polemaster.
Thanks for your thoughts.

Keith

[rnobleeddy]

I had a similar question, and ended up with a decent quality hanging chair cover from Amazon for £30 which appears to work very well so far (my partner bought a hanging chair so I knew the cover was watertight).

Not had a great deal of use yet, but I'm planning to leave the mount outside (and hopefully remaining roughly aligned) if we ever get any clear skies for a few nights.

I tend to bring the scope in the house as I'm imaging so it has a couple of cameras, and it only takes a minute.

[Jiggy 67]

I use a Telegismos 365 and left my mount and scope out all last winter in all weathers. I haven't noticed any ill effects. Just cover it and in the morning if dry, remove the cover to air out. I also use ACF50 to protect all metal parts. Give it a good layer of the stuff and it will protect for months. This means I can be set up to go in 15 minutes as there is no PA (just a quick check and tweak once in a while) and no star alignment as I just start from Park position.

People do worry about their equipment and I understand that but I would rather be out observing rather than not bothering because it's too much grief/intermittant cloud/extensive setup time and too heavy to carry out, which stops a lot of people. Personaly I'd rather use the equipment than keep it shiny and new in the house

[Waldemar]

Again ++ for TeleGizmo's  365 cover. Works very well, does not trap condensation if you leave the bottom open.
I use skiboot heaters to keep everything just above dew point. No breakable bulbs to avoid the chance of burning things.
Doing this for years, never had a problem

[Moonshed]

7 hours ago, Jiggy 67 said:

I use a Telegismos 365 and left my mount and scope out all last winter in all weathers. I haven't noticed any ill effects. Just cover it and in the morning if dry, remove the cover to air out. I also use ACF50 to protect all metal parts. Give it a good layer of the stuff and it will protect for months. This means I can be set up to go in 15 minutes as there is no PA (just a quick check and tweak once in a while) and no star alignment as I just start from Park position.

People do worry about their equipment and I understand that but I would rather be out observing rather than not bothering because it's too much grief/intermittant cloud/extensive setup time and too heavy to carry out, which stops a lot of people. Personaly I'd rather use the equipment than keep it shiny and new in the house

Hi Jiggy,

I completely agree with your point that it can sometimes be too much bother to lift it all out, set it up, attach the camera  and plug it into the laptop, carry out PA then star fix, check the focus, and that’s before you even start! How many scopes hardly get used because of that? Quite a few I’m sure.
I have to confess there have been times when there has been excellent seeing conditions but I have been too tired to be bothered, and I have been annoyed with myself and regretted it the next night because it was cloudy. I do have a health problem that results in me having days here and there where I don’t feel well and this is why I have been considering leaving the scope out for a few days in the good weather periods.

However, having taken note of the advice given here I really do think I would be better off continuing bringing the scope in after each session. The main reason being I need the PA as good as I can get it for my photography, and it’s true it only takes a few minutes with the Polemaster. BTW it is my opinion that the Polemaster is without any doubt whatsoever the best piece of kit I have purchased in all my 60 years of observing. All I am trying to avoid is all the other work.

I could of course leave it out suitably covered and then I would only need to spend a few minutes to do the PA. Still, I would worry about the condensation and the more I have thought about it I wouldn’t rest happy in my bed knowing someone could come along and steal my most prized possession, which of course as has been pointed out here, would not be covered by insurance. Imagine walking out to where you left it and seeing it gone! OMG!

So, all things considered, it’s going to be locked away each night.

 

Thanks for your input

Keith

[TerryMcK]

I use the silvered Telegizmo cover and a cheap cover intended for covering stacks of garden chairs for extra waterproofness. I have no issues leaving the mount outside as I have a secure garden. I would not leave the scope attached though as it only takes a few seconds to remove it from the mount.

I also have a framed tent on wheels that I slide over the whole lot that I use in the spring/summer/autumn. Hence the observatory name being The Jousting Tent Observatory.

[dannybgoode]

1 hour ago, Moonshed said:

BTW it is my opinion that the Polemaster is without any doubt whatsoever the best piece of kit I have purchased in all my 60 years of observing. All I am trying to avoid is all the other work.

The Polemaster is indeed a fine but of kit however as an alternative, assuming you are using a guide scope software such as Sharpcap (£10) and KStars/EKOS (free) have a very similar polar alignment routine built in; both of which work very well and make use of your guide scope instead of a bespoke camera. 

I agree with others, maybe leave the mount out and safely covered but even then over time condensation build up etc may work its way in to the internals.  As for leaving my scopes out - I wouldn't chance it for a moment.  Risk of theft and accidental damage is just too high for me.

Edited August 10, 2020 by dannybgoode

[DaveS]

I use Telegizmos 365 covers with an electric pet-bed underneath to keep damp away. Although not cheap, compared to the value of the kit it's protecting, it's well worth it.