Sky at Night Magazine

[Andrew.Livesey.140427]

Hello Everyone,

I have lost the June 2014 issue of the Sky at Night Magazine, I am thinking of installing a permanent pier to allow me to set up quickly and easily, I am in need of ideas to allow me to do this, I am hoping someone on the Forum can point me toward my goal.

The June issue had back garden observatories but I cannot remember if they had piers in the mag, I am thinking of a sunken pier that can be raised up and locked in position which can be lowered to allow easy access to the rear of my house. I am having the back garden overhauled and replaced with decorative paving, it would be a good chance to install a pier. Does anyone know of a plan for this? I have a 8'' Celestron Nexstar scope which is not a really big piece of kit, but due to an old injury I have, it would be better for me to have a pier built.

Hope someone can help. Thank you,


Andy.

[Supercooper]

Hello Andrew:

I thought of this sort of arrangement. A pier that is hinged just north of center so that it can flod flat and be covered by doors when not in use. You caoud have the mounting permenantly attached to the pier. When you want to use the telescope, all you need do is lift the doors. Lift the mounting to the vertical, close the doors (Don't want to fall down that hole!) and then attach the telescope. There would need to be a locking mechanism to keep the pier fiormly upright (Magnetic pad at the bottom of the well?)

This would be much more solid than anything that rises vertically, I was thinking because it was triangulated in the fixings. Left and right axel and the bottom of the pier.

The beauty is that nothing shows above ground when hot in use and allows complete acces to the property as required. (See pics)

Cheers, Barry

[Aratus]

A few years back a shoulder condition meant I could no longer carry my 8" SCT and tripod (safely) outside every time. When I did it was painful, and I took a risk in dropping it. I thought of several solutions, including something like this. In the end I went the whole hog and fitted out a small observatory. My thinking was that I still had to carry out the SCT, and all the other equipment. The cost of a permanant pier and flooring was about a 3rd of the whole cost of the observatory. Of course it rather depends of the money available, and the land you have. etc.

Your idea seems quite feasable, Barry. My only thoughts are about the excavation of earth that is going to be required, and the complex concreting. Another is that I've never come across a manufactured pivoting pier like that. It would have to be double length and someone is going to have to make it. These problems could be overcome of course with cost and labour. My main worry is that part of the idea of a permanent pier is its rigidity. They are normally set in concrete or fixed to long bolts set in the concrete. It is hard to see how that can be done easily in this case. This could make an interesting group discussion.

[Supercooper]

I know what you're saying Aratus. But the design requirement was for moveable - I know it's not ideal but he can't have permenant - Just filling the remit!

It doesn't have to be twice the length at all. The top part could be hollow 4" steel square tube and the bottom could be filled with lead!. Could be as short as 1/3 of the length of the top part. If that top part was a suitable height for a 8'' Celestron Nexstar, say 1.33m (Add the height of the mounting on top of that), you could be looking at an excavation of only 50cm (2 feet) Total tube length 2m... not too bad - Won't need a digger - It's not a 6" f15 refractor!

The counterweight side can be permenantly covered - No real need for a 'door' as i suggested.


Revised picture shows possibilities... Total depth of 'excavation' 500mm.

Cheers, Barry Cooper

[Aratus]

That's a good solution. I suppose the bottom could be filled with concrete if lead is hard to come by. Perhaps some kind of bolt could fix it in the vertical position. It would need to be tight, and fool proof though. It wouldn't be good to have it collapsing with the telescope fixed on top.

[Supercooper]

Hi,
If Lead is hard to come by, I would suggest Gold... A bit heavier than Lead per volume - Win win! :D
Or even Uranium! Even heavier, and with the added advantage of keeping the ground warm for those winter sessions!

Seriously: A fool proof system might include a metal pole, approximately in the position of the 2m red line, but closer to the pier, that fits into a tube in the ground. This would hold the pier vertical and stop any possibility of 'falling' down.

Barry