TheSkySearchers

Since my POD is up and running I decided to break it in last night. I had a couple of strikes against me: 1) There was a bright moon. 2) It is in the middle of a work week.

I got to the POD and unloaded my gear about 7:00 (half hour before sunset). I didn't need to go early this time because the mount was already set up. I just opened the dome.

While unloading I noticed that I left the camera's mounting bracket at home, so I had to run back and get it. The dome is only 3.5 miles away, so that didn't take but about 15 minutes.

I didn't use a telescope last night. I just put my camera on the mount. I was shooting with a 144 mm focal length. My target was Venus nearing the Pleiades. I didn't bother to align the scope, I just took it out of park and had it swing over to Venus. I took a few snapshots and joined a teleconference with my family. I let the scope run for about an hour. It stayed right on the target.

By 9:00 Venus was getting low enough that it was entering into the evening haze. About 9:15 I parked the scope, loaded up my snacks and camera, and closed the dome. I made it home by 9:30.

That doesn't seem like a remarkable session, but it was for me. In the past I have not been able to go out on a week night. It takes so long to set everything up that I seldom have enough daylight, except in the summer. Then if the night turns hazy or cloudy I just have to sleep in the car because I don't want to take everything down in dark. All in all it was a successful trial run.

You're playing my tune. I'm working out my own OB plans for my up coming retirement now. A stroke back in Feb of '19 and it giving me a grand mal seizure in Feb of'20 made me tap the brakes but I'm back at it. Just got to keep up with my meds.

Congratulations on the first night in the dome

Thank you for the information, I have a Skyshed Pod XL3 on order and I expect that I will probably get the pier and do a separate wooden deck to keep things off the ground and dry. I also have another possible plan of getting a gravel bed tamped down then 2 inches of sand and 2 inch paving stones leveled off. Will mot need a pier if I do that. Someone else has one exactly like this. And this is the color scheme that I have selected as well. it should be here in time for Florida's observation season that starts in the fall. So please feel free to keep us updated on how you Pod is working out for you.

I was just in your old thread and posted there. Now that I see this I am glad that it is all working out.

Thanks

CS

Working on my base for my sky shed pod. I am inclosing the bottom section with Plywood to keep from losing Shell Marl fill then leveling it off and placing 1 inch Lime Rock as a topper and tamping that in. Will almost be a hard as concrete when I am done.