Why? Just for fun – I’m an astronomer with a new 3D printer (BBL P2S Combo) and too much time on his hands that misses nights spent in much bigger domes.
Is it automated? No
Does it rotate? No (no reason for it to!)
Will it automagically close if it rains? No (my S30P doesn’t either!)
Do I want to get in to a pointless argument about BBL? Oh, heck no!
Will I sell you the STL files? No (they’re not mine and remember the first rule of MoaG )
What you can’t see from this angle is that I used my Glowforge Pro HD to add a custom-designed base with leveling feet that sits inside the base ring.
I saw those pics when you put them in Pictures Only, but had no idea you’d taken them with that little thing! I’ve always wanted to go to an observatory, but the closest I’ve even ever been to one was the one on top of Haleakala in Maui, of which they didn’t allow access. I’ve always been interested in astronomy, even signed up for a class in high school, but there weren’t enough students so they didn’t have the class. Still wanting to buy a telescope (like @arh2 has), but I’ll have to check out the one you have, as it’ll take up much less space!
I love your little Home Dome! Do you keep your Seestar outside or bring it in until ready to use it? Will the dome allow you to keep it outside? And the fact that you used both laser and 3D really is great! Thanks for showing us!
Not 100% sure how I’ll be using the dome in the long run – as I mentioned, this project was pretty much just for the fun of it. If I added some weatherstripping between the clamshells, I could keep my scope in it, but with daytime temps still topping 100F, I don’t anticipate doing so. I’ll probably use it for those nights when I don’t want to put up the scope at 3am. Once the scope has stowed its arm, closing the dome would be a extra bit of protection from dew, birds, etc. until the next morning.
Cool! We have a couple of Seestars in the family (and a Unistellar) and would like to try this dome. I looked at the Golden Ears site but couldn’t find the design. Do you have a pointer? Thanks!
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