Tombstone Sky
Observatory and Weather Station

Tombstone Sky Observatory
Tombstone's Last Red-Light District

This is a picture of the elevated deck (second floor) with the raised walls. It's pretty much the highest thing around for 270°. To eliminate house-lighting pollution, the deck walls have been raised on three sides, with the roof providing the shield on the fourth. I left a view-port for looking out on the mountains and valley. Since it gets pretty windy in Tombstone at times, gaps were left in the raised wall to reduce wind-pressure. These are plugged by 'light shields', which are nothing more than valances, weighted to keep them from blowing around. These are on rods, so that the light shields can be taken down when not in use.

The result of all this trouble and expense is that most light pollution is blocked from reaching the telescope, or the people using it. The only two remaining offenders are one street light (and I'm negotiating with the city on that), and a Circle-K light, which they refuse to lower back to where it was before I started this project.

The telescope is a 12" Meade LX90GPS, which I've named 'River'. This telescope can be manually controlled, or through the "Go-To" Autostar handbox, or from the computer in the living room through Starry Night Pro software. Using the computer, I can watch the sky map, and if there's something I want to look at, I have the computer position the telescope, and the image is in my eyepiece by the time I get out to the deck. I preserve my night vision by using red indoor and deck lights while the telescope is active, and with special red-lens glasses. This makes watching TV a little bizarre, but what's in the telescope is much more entertaining anyway.

The scope and tripod are mounted on a ScopeBuggy tricycle dolly. Getting a scope this size on and off the tripod is an impossibility for a guy with two back surgeries, so the scope's current mount is 'permanent', in that it'll stay there until either it dies, or I do.

When not in use, the telescope is housed in this Suncast 8000 shed. This is excellent weather protection (it doesn't leak a drop), and also keeps the scope pretty much at ambient air temperature. This is necessary to get the best images the scope can provide. Accessories are also stored in the shed, except for serious weather. There are heating lamps in the shed which protect the scope from dew and frost.

Telescope Equipment

Eyepieces, Filters

Remote Control

Storage

Library

"The Great Courses" Lecture Sets