Earth Sky Stars

Well the old roof is history and the new roof is installed — clearing the way for solar modules. Jeremy and Sean, of Puget Sound Solar, came by to do the site assessment. They cranked out a report with their site assessment tool (a Compaq handheld hooked to a fish-eye lens). Dave Cosine from Brothers Electric came by later to look things over. Both have sent estimates as of 11/05/2008. Looks like 2kw will run us around $17k. Worth it if the solar array slows Global Climate change!

The next step is getting approval from the Homeowner’s Association. Stay tuned.

I’ve finally decided it’s time — time to do what our leaders refuse to do, lead. If we, America, don’t soon take action to reduce our dependence on foreign oil we risk damage to our economy, environment, and our children’s future. My family’s first step will be be to install a 2kw photovoltaic system on our house’s roof. We’ve already taken some simple steps, like exchanging incandescent light bulbs for compact fluorescent or LED bulbs, but this will be a major and expensive project. I’ll chronicle the process each step of the way on this blog. I’ll also point out solar installers and equipment suppliers as I come across them.

The 2008 Oregon Star Party was great! Some of the best viewing conditions I’ve ever seen. Good speakers, good friends, and great weather, OSP at its best. There was a threat of forest fires just before the event, but rain and cooler temperatures finished off the fires. I finally got my Pentax 75mm setup to work well and it delivered great wide-field photos. The photos will be in the gallery soon.

Since my last post:( Truly both the web site and blog need attention. The kids are getting older and more independent — that may help. The Two Cats Observatory is up and running, so check that one off the list. Maybe some day I’ll catch up to the list:-)

Check out the POD from Google Earth:

Bill C.

The 2007 Edition of the Table Mountain Star Party was definitely a
roller-coaster ride. The dips included inconsistent weather (windy and
cloudy) and a Kendrick Astronomy tent that failed within 24 hours of its
first use (fortunately Kendrick has arranged for a replacement tent
pole). The highs included meeting old friends, some excellent
astrophotography, a great speaker list, and finally figuring out the
complexities of astrophotography software.

The speaker list included three “stand-out” speakers. The first was
Gary Seronik, associate editor of Sky and Telescope, who gave an
excellent talk on binocular astronomy. If you haven’t tried using
binoculars for astronomy you’re missing a real treat. Almost everyone
owns at least one pair of binoculars making it one of the most
accessible ways to start into astronomy. And some objects (M44, M31, and
the Pleiades) just look better in the wide field that a binocular
provides. Gary elaborated on these points and more. He also provided a
nice obscure target list for the evening’s viewing.

The next speaker of note was John Dobson. John is the inventor of the
Dobsonian mount. John is now 93 years old, but he is as opinionated and sharp-minded as ever!

The third speaker was Dr. Bonnie Dunbar, former Space Shuttle astronaut and current Director of the Seattle Museum of Flight. She gave wonderful insights into the Space Shuttle program and the future of U.S. manned space flight.

Link to Table Mountain Star Party Site

The SkyShed Pod odyssey has ended! On Thursday, July 5th, a Old Dominion freight truck pulled up in front of my house and disgorged many large cardboard boxes containing the POD.

Fortunately, all contents arrived in good order and without damage. After passing the large boxes off to local children (box forts!), construction of the POD began in the backyard. The lower walls were a snap to assemble. Wayne, Farhat, and SPI have done their homework! Hard work really began with the dome assembly. The dome halves are really a two person job (I did it myself, but don’t recommend it!) to assemble. When it comes to placing the domes halves on the wall please do yourself a favor — find a helper, maybe two helpers.

In any event, within 24 hours, I had an assembled POD.

Watch for more information on this exciting product.

Received the news I’ve been waiting for from Wayne of SkyShed. My POD has shipped! Apparently Wayne has had assorted problems with parts suppliers, probably not unusual for a new product. With any luck the POD will arrive before the Table Mountain Star party.

I just finished upgrading the solar panels on my Lazy Daze RV which gives me a spare 85 watt solar panel for the POD and its equipment. The panel will feed a 90 aH deep-cycle battery that in turn will run the telescope mount, cameras, and laptop. All I have to do is wire it all up

BTW, if you’re ever looking for solar power equipment, check out Amsolar. Great kits and great support. Their address is: http://www.amsolar.com .

While I wait for Wayne Parker and SkyShed to finish my XL3 pod (a 3 pod bay version) there’s plenty to do. One of the major projects is the installation of a 100′ network cable out to the pod’s location. The install required digging a trench and laying a underground conduit for the cable. One end terminates in a yard shed near the pod and the other end inside my house. The cable pulling under the house required a trip into the crawl-space under the house — YUCKK!

Anyway the cable is pulled and ready to go. Now I just need the pod

Actually the odyssey to bring a SkyShed POD began in June 2006 when I saw the first POD ad on AstroMart. That was the beginning of a long wait for the POD to go into production. Well the wait ended on April 3rd and I now have one on order I’ll be blogging a bit more often now as I follow my POD’s travels to my backyard.

What is a POD? It is probably the most innovative small observatory to come along in years. Check out this link for details: http://www.skyshedpod.com/.

All I can say is WOW! Robert Gendler’s new book is a piece of work! For those of you who haven’t heard of Robert Gendler just take a peak at the year end photo specials that the astronomy magazines publish. He’s sure to be in there. His work is also featured frequenty on the Astronomy Picture of the Day website.

But back to the book. The book is your basic coffee table picture book with a brief discussion of each photograph. I only wish there was more technical information on each photograph (exposure, equipment used). The book can be purchased at the Sky and Telescope online store or at Barnes and Nobles booksellers stores. If you’re serious about astrophotography this is a must have purchase!

For more information on Robert check out his website.

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