Where would you build your observatory?

OK, so you've won the lotto*, and you've hired the architect to build
the two-story roll-away roofed observatory for all the neat glass
you've been wanting... but where to situate it?

It shouls be remote enough where you won't have to worry about light
pollution or rich yuppies moving in next door to hold flood-lit wine
parties all night. If need be, you can truck in your own water, and
run a (decently muffled) generator by day, or even set up a little
solar farm. Off the grid isn't an issue. (Tho it might be nice to have
internet... hey, you're rich*, you can have the telco build out to
within line of sight, and set up a microwave link.)

It should, most importantly have clear skies! Looking at precipitation
is one indicator, but getting crystal clear, edge-to-edge views is the
goal. Not much rain, but lots of little fluffy clouds all year 'round
would be a bummer, as would lots of atmospheric movement, and lots of
air traffic overhead.

Desert or plains? Flatland, or hilltop? Is Death Valley too low? Is
Colorado too high? Is the desert of Utah too dusty for open celled
scopes? Are the Dakota badlands too cold in winter?

Have fun with this one, weather geeks!

~ Matt Gabriel, Mad Poet

*strictly hypothetical. Daydreaming about the ideal amateur astronomy
observatory for get-away-from-it-all vacationing is a fine way to pass
cloudy nights.

Key West FL or S/W desert..

"Matt Gabriel, Mad Poet of Newport" wrote in
message om...
OK, so you've won the lotto*, and you've hired the architect to build
the two-story roll-away roofed observatory for all the neat glass
you've been wanting... but where to situate it?

It shouls be remote enough where you won't have to worry about light
pollution or rich yuppies moving in next door to hold flood-lit wine
parties all night. If need be, you can truck in your own water, and
run a (decently muffled) generator by day, or even set up a little
solar farm. Off the grid isn't an issue. (Tho it might be nice to have
internet... hey, you're rich*, you can have the telco build out to
within line of sight, and set up a microwave link.)

It should, most importantly have clear skies! Looking at precipitation
is one indicator, but getting crystal clear, edge-to-edge views is the
goal. Not much rain, but lots of little fluffy clouds all year 'round
would be a bummer, as would lots of atmospheric movement, and lots of
air traffic overhead.

Desert or plains? Flatland, or hilltop? Is Death Valley too low? Is
Colorado too high? Is the desert of Utah too dusty for open celled
scopes? Are the Dakota badlands too cold in winter?

Have fun with this one, weather geeks!

~ Matt Gabriel, Mad Poet

*strictly hypothetical. Daydreaming about the ideal amateur astronomy
observatory for get-away-from-it-all vacationing is a fine way to pass
cloudy nights.


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Neither. I would build mine where I live. And I would never build it near a
highway, where deer collide with cars frequently. I have a thing about
roadkill
near where I observe.










Orion wrote:

Key West FL or S/W desert..

"Matt Gabriel, Mad Poet of Newport" wrote in
message om...
OK, so you've won the lotto*, and you've hired the architect to build
the two-story roll-away roofed observatory for all the neat glass
you've been wanting... but where to situate it?

It shouls be remote enough where you won't have to worry about light
pollution or rich yuppies moving in next door to hold flood-lit wine
parties all night. If need be, you can truck in your own water, and
run a (decently muffled) generator by day, or even set up a little
solar farm. Off the grid isn't an issue. (Tho it might be nice to have
internet... hey, you're rich*, you can have the telco build out to
within line of sight, and set up a microwave link.)

It should, most importantly have clear skies! Looking at precipitation
is one indicator, but getting crystal clear, edge-to-edge views is the
goal. Not much rain, but lots of little fluffy clouds all year 'round
would be a bummer, as would lots of atmospheric movement, and lots of
air traffic overhead.

Desert or plains? Flatland, or hilltop? Is Death Valley too low? Is
Colorado too high? Is the desert of Utah too dusty for open celled
scopes? Are the Dakota badlands too cold in winter?

Have fun with this one, weather geeks!

~ Matt Gabriel, Mad Poet

*strictly hypothetical. Daydreaming about the ideal amateur astronomy
observatory for get-away-from-it-all vacationing is a fine way to pass
cloudy nights.

---
Outgoing mail is certified Virus Free.
Checked by AVG anti-virus system (http://www.grisoft.com).
Version: 6.0.745 / Virus Database: 497 - Release Date: 8/28/2004

"Matt Gabriel, Mad Poet of Newport" wrote in message
om...
OK, so you've won the lotto*,
snip
Have fun with this one, weather geeks!

why? let's talk astronomy instead.
--
md

(Matt Gabriel, Mad Poet of Newport) wrote in message . com...
OK, so you've won the lotto*, and you've hired the architect to build
the two-story roll-away roofed observatory for all the neat glass
you've been wanting... but where to situate it?

Near Ft. Davis Texas, or near CloudCroft NM.

Ft. Davis has the advantage that Davis ****y and the surrounding
counties all use shielded street lamps and have very strict
lighting ordanance and times (Friday Night Football--lights go
out at 11:00).

Casper Majoris wrote in message ...
Neither. I would build mine where I live.

Talk about an answer with zero informational content...

If I were considering a site to build an observatory, I would take a
good look at West Texas or perhaps higher elevations in New Mexico. I
would never consider a site outside of the USA. A mountaintop in Peru
might seem a good choice, until one considers the political situation
in that country. Of course that might be said about any other part of
the world too.

-sh

"Sky-High" wrote in message
m...
Casper Majoris wrote in message
...
Neither. I would build mine where I live.

Talk about an answer with zero informational content...

If I were considering a site to build an observatory, I would take a
good look at West Texas or perhaps higher elevations in New Mexico. I
would never consider a site outside of the USA. A mountaintop in Peru
might seem a good choice, until one considers the political situation
in that country. Of course that might be said about any other part of
the world too.

including the USA

I'd build my house at Cottonwood Spring in Joshua Tree National=20
Park if the park service would let me. In return i'd take care=20
of the campground and pickup trash along the roads and trails. =20

;-)

-Florian

There is still a lot of remote desert in Calif, Nevada, Arizona, Utah.
But water, electricity, and internet access might be a problem. =
Actually,
water can be trucked in pretty easily and generators/solar could provide
all the power a small house needs. Internet and telephone connections=20
might be the hardest things to provide. Cell phone covarage would work =
in
lots of areas but i'm not sure about high-speed full bandwidth internet.
Perhaps satellite? I'll have to investigate that. I just can't do =
without=20
the internet and SAA! =20

-Florian

South Central Kansas or possibly North central Oklahoma. Very dark skies
and about 70% of the time there is clear weather.


On Sun, 29 Aug 2004 20:19:08 -0700, Matt Gabriel, Mad Poet of Newport
wrote:

OK, so you've won the lotto*, and you've hired the architect to build
the two-story roll-away roofed observatory for all the neat glass
you've been wanting... but where to situate it?

It shouls be remote enough where you won't have to worry about light
pollution or rich yuppies moving in next door to hold flood-lit wine
parties all night. If need be, you can truck in your own water, and
run a (decently muffled) generator by day, or even set up a little
solar farm. Off the grid isn't an issue. (Tho it might be nice to have
internet... hey, you're rich*, you can have the telco build out to
within line of sight, and set up a microwave link.)

It should, most importantly have clear skies! Looking at precipitation
is one indicator, but getting crystal clear, edge-to-edge views is the
goal. Not much rain, but lots of little fluffy clouds all year 'round
would be a bummer, as would lots of atmospheric movement, and lots of
air traffic overhead.

Desert or plains? Flatland, or hilltop? Is Death Valley too low? Is
Colorado too high? Is the desert of Utah too dusty for open celled
scopes? Are the Dakota badlands too cold in winter?

Have fun with this one, weather geeks!

~ Matt Gabriel, Mad Poet

*strictly hypothetical. Daydreaming about the ideal amateur astronomy
observatory for get-away-from-it-all vacationing is a fine way to pass
cloudy nights.