Pulsar observatory orientation

[Jonny_H]

Hi all,

 

 

 

Hoping this question is in the correct place (mods - please feel to move it to the appropriate section if not).

 

Anyhow, in the fear of this being a daft question....is there a particular or preferred orientation for a Pulsar dome? E.g. is there a best practice to face the door in a certain direction etc...?

in the process of planning my install so asking lots of silly questions!

 

Thanks,

 

Jonny

 

 

Edited December 30, 2022 by Jonny_H

[Swoop1]

Jonny, I do not have an observatory myself but, to me a prime consideration would be ease of access through the door so don’t have it opening toward a narrow gap. 
Another thing to consider might be orienting the door in the lee of prevailing weather to reduce the risk of moisture creep.

Finally, make sure the dome is uppermost😉

[Tomatobro]

If the dome is a new one then the supplied rubber seal does a good job in sealing the door against wind blown rain. On mine the weather comes in predominately from the  west so I put my door on the east side.

The door catches the wind when open and can be pulled out of your hand so some form of tie back helps

[JeremyS]

I positioned my Pulsar dome so that the entrance door is on the side that I arrive at when walking from the house.

[tooth_dr]

My pulsar dome door is also positioned in most aesthetic position and easiest to assess.  No consideration was made to the scope inside. My door is positioned south. 

[scotty38]

My door is roughly South-ish but that suits me for the direction of access and also lines up with a corner of the square base so gives me a bit more standing room as it were.

 

Edited December 30, 2022 by scotty38

[tomato]

My door faces West which was the only convenient orientation for access. No problem with rain coming in around the door, the worst gap for this is the top of the shutter, but this can be oriented so it’s on the lee side of any bad weather.

I have an old dome so all the rotational gear is mounted on the moving dome which means I can position it for optimum solar panel charging.

[Jonny_H]

Thanks all for your comments.

 

So it's really a convenience thing over specific or recommend orientation.

 

I just wanted to double check before I started the build 

regards,

Jonny

 

 

 

 

 

 

[scotty38]

15 hours ago, tomato said:

My door faces West which was the only convenient orientation for access. No problem with rain coming in around the door, the worst gap for this is the top of the shutter, but this can be oriented so it’s on the lee side of any bad weather.

Yes I learned this early on and now my Park position is South-West too against the prevailing weather so the opening doesn't let heavy rain in....