Well, back from holiday, summer is well and truly under way so time to start the maintenance on the observatory…
This weekend (21st / 22nd June) I will be renewing the beading on the window, resealing the decking boards at the bottom of the sides, and re-staining those boards.
The sealant I used last year must have been of the wrong type as it went solid instead of being a flexible deal. Consequently, it cracked and left a few gaps for water ingress to occur. I went to my local DIY store on Saturday and bought some flexible silicon sealant in readiness!
There is quite a bit to do this year, including:
- Renewing the roof felt
- Replace roof cross-struts
- Repair door
- Install cable pipe to pier and rewire
- Install mains cable from the house
- Install red and white lighting
- Repaint pier post
- Repaint pier adapter
I daresay it won’t all get done, but the roof and struts are the most important…
Pictures will follow as work progresses.
I’ll also be be doing some work on the imaging rig.. I have acquired a WO 66 Petzval so will be testing that with the AtikOne and GP, but again, some routine maintenance stuff to do…
- Check polar alignment using drift alignment
- New library of Bias frames at -10°, -15° and -20°
- New library of Darks and Bias for the GP guider
- Install small camera on the obsy roof for playing with all-sky camera imaging
- Play and learn the lunar capture software for the GP
- And try and learn PI finally!!!
So much to do…. 🙂
