Backyard Observatory.

[etimmerAZ]

I guess my first post is going to be a doozy. Here we go:

I enjoy Astronomy tremendously and I have decided to do some myself at home for fun. I plan on building a shed with a "roll-away" section. Inside will be a permanently mounted telescope. I will have rain detectors, various computer and networked equipment. I plan on being writing the necessary software for the entire system (I find this is the fun part) so that I can observe from inside the house and be able to set up for unmanned viewing (hence the rain sensors). Needless to say, this will not be done in one weekend. It will probably take a few years to complete. Now that you know my mad plans I am gathering information on Telescopes.

I am looking at purchasing the 11 inch Celestron CPC (w/ GPS) as the telescope. I have heard various opinions on it's mount. Some say that the Alt-Az mount is not good for Celestial Photography. Others say it is just fine. What are your opinions? I also would like to know if the signals the software (Computer Program or Hand-Remote) send to the mount are published so that I can write my own controlling software. Eventually I should be able to do on-the-fly image integration.

My reason for choosing the Celestron CPC (w/ GPS) is so that while I am working on the entire system I can use the telescope with minimal hassle. I am sure that since this will be permanently mounted this will not really be an issue.

What do you think of my mad plan? Are there any resources out there from other who have done the same thing as I am planning?

Thanks!

Erik

[aurora]

There are people that have done similar things.

You might want to read some of the back issues of Amateur Astronomy magazine: http://www.amateurastronomy.com/

You also might want to check around some of the yahoogroups, for people describing their home observatories.

[Charlie in Dayton]

Here's a couple more...John has built four of them, and the one behind his house is about a two miles from me, in a very heavily urban area, just off a major freeway interchange that is dripping with sodium vapor lights...but check out his images!!!

[jt-3d]

Nice Charlie. Thou shalt not covet thy neighbors observatory but wow IwantIwantIwant.
Now all he needs is a paranoid neighbor to plant a huge flood light on that garage to guard his pickemup truck.