Sloping lawn - anyone observe/image with scope on a GEM?

[Flame Nebula]

Looking out at my potential observing area, the choices are:

1. Setting up near house on small patio, which blocks polaris, but best view of southern sky. Potential for someone to come out of back door and trip over it in the dark. 

2. Setting up on middle of sloping lawn, with likely sight on polariser, but nearer trees obscuring southern view. Plenty of room. More danger of imbalance. 

3. Setting up at end of garden on small patio, south completely obscured. 

Ideal place has a buddleia on it, and I don't think it would be wise to dig it up. 😏. My wife likes the garden. 

So, I wondered what experiences any of you may have had observing from a sloping lawn? Visual and/or imaging. 

I have previously observed with the ed80 on azgti from patio (option 1), but the profile of the setup will be smaller, I think, than a AZ-EQ6 with 8" newt on it. So, maybe less room to move around it without tripping over something. 

Thanks 

 

 

[Elp]

Install a pier on the slope with solid base foundations, either a tube with a top mounting plate or a todmorden.

[Flame Nebula]

3 hours ago, Elp said:

Install a pier on the slope with solid base foundations, either a tube with a top mounting plate or a todmorden.

Thanks Elp, 

Unfortunately I can't have a permanent pier, on the grounds I'll never get it authorised by Mrs FlameNebula😉. 

I'm thinking of maybe some kind of feet that will stop sinking of the tripod into grass. Or something flat with an indent that won't slide on grass that the feet can go into. These could be placed on grass and taken up at end of session. 

 

 

[Dazzyt66]

4 hours ago, Flame Nebula said:

 

Looking out at my potential observing area, the choices are:

1. Setting up near house on small patio, which blocks polaris, but best view of southern sky. Potential for someone to come out of back door and trip over it in the dark. 

 

You don’t need Polaris for polar alignment nowadays (various AP software does it) and if you’re only having a visual observing session accurate PA isn’t necessary anyway. If you are clearing down at the end of a session I would go for option 1 with the good south views. If it’s anything like my household the other half is usually off to bed as I’m setting up so no risk of trips - except for you obvs! 🤣

Edited April 21 by Dazzyt66

[Stu]

I would agree for visual, no need for Polaris, just setup North and level and that’s good enough. Option 1 for those Southern views.

If you need to reach other targets, it is quite possible to set the tripod up so its top is level on a sloping lawn, I do it quite regularly, that’s why tripod have adjusting legs 😉

[Elp]

1 hour ago, Flame Nebula said:

I'm thinking of maybe some kind of feet that will stop sinking of the tripod into grass

My Berlebach has the solution precisely for this need, it has integrated spikes with screw out rubber feet, screw then back and the spikes are exposed to push into the ground, at least that's what I think they're for as the bottom of each leg has foot "pedals" for you to sink them in with. I wouldn't want to do this with a heavy payload on top though.

Edited April 21 by Elp

[Cosmic Geoff]

10 minutes ago, Stu said:

If you need to reach other targets, it is quite possible to set the tripod up so its top is level on a sloping lawn, I do it quite regularly, that’s why tripod have adjusting legs

Right.

Actually the concrete in my backyard isn't level either.  I suspect that no lawn, concrete or decking is going to be perfectly level unless it is laid by a master craftsman.

If it's for imaging, one of those platesolving methods for polar aligning should work even if you can't see Polaris. And when you have done it once and marked the ground, you will have the rough setting for next time.

[Elp]

If EQ, you don't really need to level anyway. Once polar aligned that's all your really need to do.

[Flame Nebula]

1 hour ago, Dazzyt66 said:

You don’t need Polaris for polar alignment nowadays (various AP software does it) and if you’re only having a visual observing session accurate PA isn’t necessary anyway. If you are clearing down at the end of a session I would go for option 1 with the good south views. If it’s anything like my household the other half is usually off to bed as I’m setting up so no risk of trips - except for you obvs! 🤣

Thanks Dazzy. 👍

[Flame Nebula]

19 minutes ago, Stu said:

I would agree for visual, no need for Polaris, just setup North and level and that’s good enough. Option 1 for those Southern views.

If you need to reach other targets, it is quite possible to set the tripod up so its top is level on a sloping lawn, I do it quite regularly, that’s why tripod have adjusting legs 😉

Hi Stu, 

So, when you're on the lawn, you never get that sinking feeling? 😉

[Flame Nebula]

7 minutes ago, Cosmic Geoff said:

Right.

Actually the concrete in my backyard isn't level either.  I suspect that no lawn, concrete or decking is going to be perfectly level unless it is laid by a master craftsman.

If it's for imaging, one of those platesolving methods for polar aligning should work even if you can't see Polaris. And when you have done it once and marked the ground, you will have the rough setting for next time.

Thanks Geoff, 

Indeed, one of my tasks is to get myself more up to speed with modern methods for AP. I'm hoping an asiair with guide camera can plate solve. I think it can, from my initial research a month ago. 

I was just looking out of the kitchen window now, thinking how irritating the large trees are, over our back fence. 

I'd like to cut them down, but for some strange reason, I think the neighbour might get a little upset, 🤣🤣

I guess they look worse now, due to leaves. 

Ideally, I could do with winning the lottery, and getting a house in the country, with a huge lawn, no trees, maybe an observatory, installed with say a 20" Newtonian, and perhaps a 7-8" apo. 

Sorry, I've just woken up.... 😭

[Flame Nebula]

18 minutes ago, Elp said:

If EQ, you don't really need to level anyway. Once polar aligned that's all your really need to do.

Thanks. I'll be doing a mix of visual and imaging. In the latter case, even planetary AP can be done with alt-az mode.