roof windows help

[frankie13]

Are there any specialy designed windows for telescopes i live in a terrace house with a loft

[Doc]

You shouldn't observe out of a loft window or any window in fact. Imagine all the thermal heat rising through the house up into your loft space. The views through your scope will be degraded alot by this.

[dark knight]

Not to mention all the vibrations caused by walking around on a timber floor being transmitted to the telescope..

[Talitha]

Hi Frankie, i've never heard of glass which has been specifically designed to be looked through with a telescope, but i imagine there's got to be something out there which has less distortion than common window glass.

Yes, it's true that viewing through glass won't give you the best views, but if it's all you have, then make the best of it. The 2x2 skylight window in my roof isn't the best quality, but my very first view of an elusive lunar feature (Mare Orientale) was made through it using my 90mm ETX Mak. (I'd have preferred being outside with the 8" SCT, but it was -40C that night.)

I've also done winter observing through the south window using the 11x70s and the 80ST. The views are understandably less than perfect, but it's a lot more fun than sitting there whimpering like a pup with my nose pressed to the glass.

[frankie13]

i was thinking something that could be opened or slides down

[Nick R]

you could get a tilt and slide . window , you could even fit a box sash type window , open either the top or bottom

you could even get a window that you can pop the sash out (this will have to be specially made )

[beamish]

Here you go !

A member on the forum in West Yorks followed this chappy's idea and I intend to give serious thought to doing it myself for the long term, though I plan to build a small heavily insulated room for it and run remotely (Wish.....)

Loft Observatory

[Talitha]

Sorry Frankie, i misunderstood what you needed. Good luck, and i hope you're able to find something that works well for you. Nice link btw, Karlo.

[Peter Drew]

A Velux window might help. They are commonly fitted to loft conversions. They hinge open about a central axis and reveal a reasonable amount of sky. You will probably still experience the other problems mentioned but it could be better than nothing.

[frankie13]

just what i wanted my loft is very much like yours only i cannot stand up straight i would say i wil be sitting on my backside but thats ok i would be using the heritage 130p now if i had a only 1 choice facing north or south window what should i choose

[beamish]

The largest Velux, then the poly carbonate stuff to replace the dbl-glazed unit, open the window a tad and remove p-carb, close frame then poke your mount and scope out !

I'll need some kind of telescopic mount (pardon the pun).

I'll see if I have more pics.

Ta Dah !!!

[frankie13]

thanks m8 just looked at some velox windows 200 - 300 quid looks like i need to start saving for a summer conversion

thanks

[Doc]

But you will still get warm air rising and this will be visible in your scopes view.

To me it's a wasted £300.

Why do observatories have warm rooms away from the viewing area?

[LukeSkywatcher]

Warm air rises. A loft,attic is just about the worst place to have an Obs. Even with the window open and the scope pointed out of it, all the warm air from the house wil rise into the loft,attic and escape out of the open window.......right infront of the telescope.

Frankie you say you will be using the Heritage 130P?. I have one (just arrived today). I am in a wheelchair and even i can carry it in one hand while manouvering my chair to take it outside to observe with. It is SERIOUSLY compact and light.

[frankie13]

i have had mine a month not been outside yet just cloud all the time how do you find the heritage 130p then

[John]

But you will still get warm air rising and this will be visible in your scopes view.

To me it's a wasted £300.

Why do observatories have warm rooms away from the viewing area?

I agree 100% with this. We need to get as far away from rising heat as possible with astronomy - it really degrades what you can see, especially high power viewing. Even the heat from our bodies can transmit through the scope tube walls and affect viewing stability so sitting in the middle of a rising heat plume is very far from an ideal situation IMHO.

John

[frankie13]

to be honest theres not much heat rising from below just a spare room and the loft u could keep meat in it . its that cold

[Doc]

to be honest theres not much heat rising from below just a spare room and the loft u could keep meat in it . its that cold

You will see when your view is as wobbly as a jelly on a plate

[frankie13]

ok a 50 quid parker and a flask it is:D then

[LukeSkywatcher]

Frankie here is MY first impressions of the scope. When i get to use it i will post a "first light" report on it but for now this is my general thoughts:

http://stargazerslounge.com/astro-lounge/93387-sky-watcher-130p-heritage.html

£50 for a Parker?. Not bad compared to the price of installing a window in the Loft/attic that will be pretty useless. Not to mention the price of home heating that will be lost through an open window.

You know it makes sense.

[dark knight]

Firstly there are 2 types of attic space construction...

1) The warm Roof - this is where the loft insulation is installed between the roof rafters thereby creating a warm loft area heated by warm air rising from the rooms below,,,very problematic as already mentioned due to warm air currents passing through the loft/attic space.

2) The Cold Roof - This is where the loft insulation is placed directly above the 1st floor ceiling joists stopping heat escaping into the attic area and being wasted. This is probably used in 80% of homes and I would hazard a guess this is how yours is done, especially if as you say your loft space is very, very cold.

If going down this route option 2 is most desirable, however none of this overcomes vibrations being transmitted to the telescope from you walking around on a timber floor. Unless you can isolate your tripod from the floor I think you would be throwing away the £300 cost of installing a Velux.

You can buy a 8x5 timber shed for less if you have the room in your garden...

[Capricorn]

If you are going to have a loft window installed and then use the space to view from then really you need a window as large as reasonably possible.

If the window cannot be opened you will find that viewing objects that are to the side will be difficult. The light simply reflects off of the glass surfaces and so what you see will be distorted.

I would have said that a refractor was a better option as the objective is at the front end so the area of sky that you can point the thing at is bigger. SCT's are short so would satisfy a similar criteria

As to which direction well most opinions seem to think that the south is better. May depend on the lights where you live.

You will have to realise the limitations of what you are intending to do as as you will have to select objects that wander into and through the field of view that you will have, and that will be limited, both in angle and time.

However viewing even through glass and with air thermals is better then not viewing at all.

[yeti monster]

Window choices aside, you'll very soon get fed up waiting for new targets to appear out of the window.