QUIRKS!:       The telescope has some quirks that I hadn't expected from my knowledge of Celestron's reputation.   The focusing mechanism turns alternately tight and loose, and the declination axis bearings bind in a couple of areas.   I am disappointed with the overall mechanical rigidity of the tripod mount.    The declination can only be read from the top of the dec. circle, making it accessible only by standing on a table or ladder when the telescope is more than an hour or two East of the meridian.    It is a silly design deficiency of the mount that the R.A. drive has to be unclamped before the manual "slow" motion can be used.     And - the most annoying problem - the telescope optical tube is either severely out of balance or balanced well, depending on its position, and balancing it everywhere seems virtually impossible.

SMELLS!:          At about 10:00 p.m., I heard mysterious rustlings in the brush, about fifteen feet away, upslope, and a odor distinctly reminiscent of skunk wafted around me.   As there are no skunks here, I concluded that the source of the malodorous emission was a disturbed javalina.   Not wishing to be rushed by one of the prickly, temperamental beasts, who may have felt I was intruding on its breakfast,  I decided prudence was the largest part of survival and retired to the house for the night.  (A 300 pound creature that dines regularly on prickly pear cactus pads and, like the pear pads, is covered in hurtful spiny thingummies, is one to avoid!)


September 25, 1999 - "It's Quite a Site" (Part I):    Chose final site for the Observatory structure,  the only place on the lot that maximizes the surrounding low vegetation, the viewable area of sky to the South, East, and West, and shielding from lights in the area; it's also down-slope from the road and surrounding houses, and is convenient to a power box if I decide to put in an 110V AC power line.   This site was not one of the three I initially looked because they turned out to have fairly hefty slopes, which would have meant expensive site prep and/or a more complex foundation.    The grade at the final site is relatively gradual, and the building can be oriented more or less parallel to the slope, minimizing site grading costs.

Here's a snapshot of the site, looking downslope, toward the Tucson Mountains; looking roughly WNW.    You can barely see the outline in string of the future foundation.  This picture was taken about 9:00 am on October 2.      The tree lurking at the edge of the right frame is an old Palo Verde tree.   The yellowish vegetation to its left is a stand of noxious desert broom, which is graciously growing over the septic tank drain field - serves it right (mutter, mutter).

Chose a pre-fab shed to modify as a slide-off roof structure, and  began accepting bids for the foundation slab and telescope pier concrete work.    After investigating the building permit requirements, which in my view are extremely prohibitive in cost and in terms of code here, the Observatory structure will be 10'x12' in size.    Waiting for detailed assembly instructions for the shed to arrive from the manufacturer to see how easily - if at all - the roof can be detached so it can be rolled off on rails.


September 30, 1999 - Sticker Shock (Part I):    The first of the bids for pouring the foundation and building the telescope pier arrived.      All I can say is,  that,  if you are contemplating having someone else pour your slab,  be prepared for sticker shock.     The bid came in at about $200.00 more than what I had estimated,  but the estimator left off the critical step of digging a four-foot hole in the ground and providing the steel pipe for the pier.     Decided to wait for other bids to compare this one with.

The assembly instructions arrived from the manufacturer of the pre-fab sheet metal shed I'd chosen for the observatory building.    At first glance,  turning this thing's fixed roof into a roll-off roof will be about the same difficulty as making it rain here in May.    The shed's cost is right,  but I seriously question if it can be made to do the job.

 

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