Details from Friday, June 26, 2020
The wrath of Weather Gods
They thought I bought another telescope, but I swear, it didn't happen! More rainy days and nights.. I thought about unveiling the telescope but luckily did not - about ten minutes later it was a torrential downpour with storm warning alerts coming in my phone from the government. Pics show disappearing mountains, a water covered deck floor, and the door stopping rain. This is a huge storm as rain almost never touches the floor or reaches the sliding door. The deck has a protective granite overhanging roof! Unusual high wind tried to take the observatory tent but it was tied down and remained ok. The weatherman predicts about 10 days of exactly the same weather. There are three simultaneous initial levels of weather leading up to the storm - high upper level atmospheric haze, mid layer cirrus, and low level cumulo-nimbo-stratus.
Expensive Big Telescope Mirrors
Those mirrors are more expensive than expected. Price quotes are in. Figure in some tax and shipping and a 32" is at least $20,000 and a 40" is very close to $40,000. Add another $6,000+ if you want the telescope to go with it. This is definitely out of simple amateur hobby budget range. What is the solution? We shall soon see.
DOB Experiment
I'm looking at setting up the DOB experiment using the 14-inch optics to determine if very short exposure imaging can be successful in extreme heavy light pollution. The 14" is f/11 however the first focal reducer will take it to f/5.5 and the 2nd reducer to f/2.8 which is close to a fast Dob. The idea is to run without a drive, take several thousand 1-second exposures, sum the best results, then process. A big dob can handle the selective light pollution filter which has reduced transmission. We already know the technique can handle bright planets. On bright DSOs, the 9.25-inch scope could also conduct the same experiment. If this works, expect another technological revolution in astronomy.
Order for Telescope Parts
No word about the telescope accessories order. They don't have the parts in stock so what can they do? This will unfortunately hold up almost all of the outdoor imaging projects and experiments. Going back a few months, I got my order for the Orion CT80 guide scope (but now need adapters for mounting and focus), the Celestron Focus Motor, etc. I was also immediately shipped the order from Svbony which contained other adapters, filters, lenses and EPs for experiments. In that order, Plossl and Aspherical configurations were obtained for performance comparisons with different telescope combinations. Some simple lens combinations are vastly superior performers and should not be overlooked.
Astro Gym Completed
The astro gym at the observatory is now complete. Getting a good workout and building strength with the machines will be helpful when it comes time to moving the bigger and heavier telescopes around.
