Home observatory or Canon R5?

That question occupies my thoughts when I am not busy. I currently have a cement block platform in the backyard, but my area is very light polluted, bortle 7.5-8. I live 300 feet from the Walpole Mall, a large mall, to the east of me, 600 feet from a new factory that covers the SE to S. and 1/4 mile from a 24 hour Walmart to the SW. The West around to NW are covered by trees on the edge of my property that go to close to the zenith and the same to the SE to NNE, I have 50 degrees of sky visible at the zenith. Done about 40 degrees off the horizon from the SE to SW I have about 70 degrees and the same N to NW.
My lousy skies, visible magnitude about 2.4 and dimmer star cannot be seen naked eye, is why I am mostly a solar imager. I keep my gear in a storage box in the backyard.

Now back to the question, I am a gear junkie and with photography want (but not need) the latest. I have been dreaming of the R5 if it will work for BIF. Currently I use my 90D or 7DII or 5DIV for birds and my 90D or 6DII for macro. Do I need a R5? No but I would like one. BUT now that the weather is warming up my thoughts turn toward an observatory. I keep my mount (Skywatcher EQ6-R Pro on the pad covered with a telegizmo 365 cover year round and carry my cameras and PC outside when I observe or image.

If I do a building I would have to have it built due to my bad knees etc. However a new R5 would be nice but so would an observatory. As I say I do solar imaging using both a Lunt LS80 and a Quark on my Lunt 102 Achro, or Celestron XLT 120. For DSO I have the Lunt 102, a Skywatcher ED100 APO, and a Celestron Edge 8 SCT (as well as a 102mm Mak), did I say I am a gear junkie.

As I said I am not sure what to do although I am leaning towards trying an observatory, if I was in better shape I would build one myself but that isn't possible. Here is my pad and at least one idea of what I would want.

First is my sky pollution chart, then my current set up

Here is sort of what I would like

I would go for the building. I know all about knee and back problems. I don't think you will get a big jump in night time astro performance. I recently made the jump from Canon bodies to dedicated astro cameras. Huge jump in performance. A building would seem to make things much easier and more convenient for you. I'm a gear junkie too, but I really like things that make me more likely to use my gear.

Toxic Coolaid wrote in post #19049125
I would go for the building. I know all about knee and back problems. I don't think you will get a big jump in night time astro performance. I recently made the jump from Canon bodies to dedicated astro cameras. Huge jump in performance. A building would seem to make things much easier and more convenient for you. I'm a gear junkie too, but I really like things that make me more likely to use my gear.

Even if it was just for solar I agree that it might make me more likely to roll of the roof for a quick observing session rather than having to take 2 covers off and then put them back on. Also wind. We are very windy here the average wind speed here is 12 mph and most clear days seems to be higher and with a pad there are no walls so nothing to block the wind OR the light from the streetlight in my side yard that also helps me to read star charts without a red light. Except for my old eyes that is virtually true it is that bright between the streetlight, mall, factory, Walmart AND the 10 auto dealers on the "Automile" in Norwood within a mile of so of the house.

I am not a pro photographer, just a hobbyistk. The gear I have for photography will be fine for years unless there was some real reason to go mirrorless. the 90D 7DII and 5DIV will server admirably for years to come. I am nowhere near the level of most of the people on this forum as far as IQ, so I can still grow into my gear I certainly haven't outgrown it.

SO first would be a pier then decide on an observatory, it will be a rolloff but a prebuilt metal shed with rolling roof or a wood shed? I lean towards the wood whether I try to my sons and friends to build it or have it built. I would prefer 8x10 or 8x12 but 8x8 might do. I am up against my fences and the zoning states 5 feet from property lines, might tweak that a bit.

decisions decisions

Jeff USN Photog 72-76 wrote in post #19048977

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It looks like you have some great backgrounds for bird or squirrel photos!

All you have to do is make sure to align the birds with the pleasing areas, such as the lush green foliage, or the wood of the picket fence, and you have some natural looking, distraction-free backgrounds.

Sorry for being off-topic, but I just couldn't help myself.


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Tom Reichner wrote in post #19049245
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It looks like you have some great backgrounds for bird or squirrel photos!

All you have to do is make sure to align the birds with the pleasing areas, such as the lush green foliage, or the wood of the picket fence, and you have some natural looking, distraction-free backgrounds.

Sorry for being off-topic, but I just couldn't help myself.

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unfortunately other than that one section of fence it is all to the south so the I am always shooting into the sun or it is in deep shade That one area does get the sun from about 9 am until noon. But if I build an observatory it will block that fence and bush. finished my blind as suggested

Jeff USN Photog 72-76 wrote in post #19049575
unfortunately other than that one section of fence it is all to the south so the I am always shooting into the sun or it is in deep shade That one area does get the sun from about 9 am until noon.

Okay ..... but keep in mind that the best light for shooting songbirds at feeder setups is normally not on sunny days, but rather overcast days, when sun direction doesn't matter much.
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Jeff USN Photog 72-76 wrote in post #19049575
finished my blind as suggested

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That's awesome, Jeff! . Great work!


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Tom
Good point on the light.

Jeff,

An observatory changes your life to that of convenience. There's literally no substitute. A new camera will not bring the kind of spontaneous joy and rapid acquisition or visual use you can get from an observatory. This is especially important as we age and approach the next solar maximum where you will want to be outside every morning as quickly as possible for the events that will happen daily in the next 4+ years as cycle 25 ramps up. The ability to simply walk out and open it up and start your thing, no setup time, no physical labor, no alignment, no fooling or fussing with things, and just enjoy using it all setup and ready to go at all times is an absolute pleasure. An observatory is the #1 best thing you can do for any astronomy/astrophotogr​aphy, even with a humble manual mount and tiny small scope, it's still even better with an observatory to not have to setup it up or carry it out and its just ready to go at all times, near temperature acclimated at all times, way less down time, always closer to its best operating conditions when you are wanting to do it.

Observatories literally grant you more time that is available for you to use for visual/imaging. Time is non-renewable and crucial, especially when we're not brand new to this world. Getting into an observatory buys you that time. Lots more of it. Literally nothing compares with getting more time for what you enjoy.

IMAGE LINK: https://flic.kr/p/2ime​fHy

MalVeauX wrote in post #19050113
Jeff,

An observatory changes your life to that of convenience. There's literally no substitute. A new camera will not bring the kind of spontaneous joy and rapid acquisition or visual use you can get from an observatory. This is especially important as we age and approach the next solar maximum where you will want to be outside every morning as quickly as possible for the events that will happen daily in the next 4+ years as cycle 25 ramps up. The ability to simply walk out and open it up and start your thing, no setup time, no physical labor, no alignment, no fooling or fussing with things, and just enjoy using it all setup and ready to go at all times is an absolute pleasure. An observatory is the #1 best thing you can do for any astronomy/astrophotogr​aphy, even with a humble manual mount and tiny small scope, it's still even better with an observatory to not have to setup it up or carry it out and its just ready to go at all times, near temperature acclimated at all times, way less down time, always closer to its best operating conditions when you are wanting to do it.

Observatories literally grant you more time that is available for you to use for visual/imaging. Time is non-renewable and crucial, especially when we're not brand new to this world. Getting into an observatory buys you that time. Lots more of it. Literally nothing compares with getting more time for what you enjoy.

IMAGE LINK: https://flic.kr/p/2ime​fHy Solarsetup_01282020 by Martin Wise, on Flickr

Very best,

I LOVE SOLAR... BUT the sun doesn't clear the trees at my house until around 10 am and then goes behind the trees again about noon, so I do find I have plenty of time to go out and set up. I keep my mount Skywatcher EQ6-R pro setup with Celestron 120 on it under a Telegizmo cover (both mount cover and tripod cover) year round. For night time my skies are Bortle 8 so don't do that much plus since my stroke I tend to go to bed earlier.

BUT THE FINAL STRAW was that my wife, the boss, said no to another shed, we have 2 already, her 10x20 she shed, and my blacksmith shop. I wanted to do something behind the blacksmith shop, she said no to another shed. AND it is the golden rule "she with the gold makes the rules".

I have two options, the first is to do a Rubbermaid outdoor box, say 4x4x2 to put a shelf in it and keep my laptop out there, means I will be setup before my Quark can even come up to temp as currently I take the cover off the scope, plug in the Quark and when it is warmed up I have set up the PC and gotten everything ready and usually still waiting a couple minutes. She won't object to another box.

the other thing she may go for is a 6x6 or 6x8 Rubbermaid plastic shed, not "really" built in place, put on the cinderblocks and modify the roof to open, I "MIGHT" be able to get that past the boss. There is about a 50/50 chance she would go for that.

I am going to see if I can run the scope remotely, if it works I can go out set up and then run it from my den. We were able to do that via Teamviewer at the Seagrave Observatory where I am head trustee, one of our guys opened the roof and fired the scope and aligned it and then I ran it from my pc at home. It should work for my scope here. I have mostly been imaging with SLOOH in the Canary Islands and Chile, I have probably been out at night 4 times last year, partly weather partly tired and mostly crappy LP skies.

I am going to get another trash can shed for more gear, I have one that I keep all my scopes in year round so I don't have to carry them as with my health issues that is a problem but from the box to the pad is easy.

Toxic Coolaid wrote in post #19049125
... I really like things that make me more likely to use my gear.

+1000.

Maybe if you show her how nice an astro-shed can look

Toxic Coolaid wrote in post #19050966
Maybe if you show her how nice an astro-shed can look

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she knows that but also it would be behind the garden shed. Her new 10x20 she said is a real nice one! I had it built for her as a surprise.

I guess part of it is that I am still not sure whether to do one or not...

reading MalVeaux's replay really makes me want to rethink the possibility of building a sued in my yard. It would be so nice to just roll a roof off and get going. I have had water run thru the yard 3 inches deep so I'd have to elevate the building a bit and of course a concrete pad. What would be awesome would be is the possibility of running things remotely. Start up a routine while on a break at work. I can open my Chamberlain garage door with my phone from anywhere....why not a roof? I have security cameras and a weather station at home. Looks like your question now has me asking myself questions.