Ad Astra Observatory

I realize as I write that my last several “astro” blog entries have been, well, non-telescope astronomy related.

The observatory is in a sad state. I have several half-working (meaning “not working”) projects going on, including:

– 12v battery conversion
– tube flexure
– mount tuneup
– laptop scrubbing
– …

there are others.

All of this contrives to keep me from getting out under the stars. This happens every autumn, it seems. I get started late spring, I image into the summer, I get good at everything again, then I decide I need to tweak “one small thing” and then the holidays arrive and I close the shed for several months, only to come back to everything torn apart.

it turns out that there is actually a lot of clear sky in CA, right up past Thanksgiving, but I missed a lot of it, because I haven’t put the shed back together after the Clearwater trip in August.

I need to get back out there. I just need to drop everything, get out there, daylight or not, and set everything up to be ready to image. Get it back to turn-key. Then start imaging again. Now.

I hope that I’ll have news this week.