A long way to fall.

[solo]

I was loking at some old pictures the other day of a bloke looking into the eyepiece of a ginormous dob. He was on top of a shaky looking ladder about ten feet off the ground. It made me wonder whether anyone has ever been killed or seriously injured falling off an observing ladder of this magnitude? How do they keep the object in the field of view if you have to run up and down the ladder every time you want to recentre whatever your looking at - especially at high power? The mind boggles.

Cheers. John.

[LukeSkywatcher]

I know what you mean. This is why i think owning such a big scope would be no fun. You would spend more time up and down the ladder then you would observing. Even if you had a second person on the ground moving the scope.

[FraserClarke]

I don't think there is any reason to go up and down the ladder to move the scope (a little way) -- just push/pull on the top end...

Can't say I'd fancy it though!

[solo]

Comes a point though when you can't lean over to look into the eyepiece without falling off !! Then you have to get down to move the ladder. Gimme an 8" DOB anyday.