SkyShed Pod Observatory Tour and First Light from the Dome - Photographing the California Nebula

[@juniorocicat9573]

Really enjoyed the fox, thank you.

[@RussellsAstrophotography]

Thank you very much, so glad you enjoyed it 👍

[@olly7248]

Great project, glad it’s all up and running and you’ve even got room for a drinks fridge👍🏻

[@RussellsAstrophotography]

Thanks very much mate, couldn’t have done it without you 👍 haha yes, maybe there’s space for a beer fridge

[@Victoria-qm4yx]

Such a great observatory ❤

[@OlliesSpace]

Looking good Russell, very nice setup with the observatory. Loved the Fox 🦊. Clear skies:)

[@RussellsAstrophotography]

Thank you very much, so glad you liked the fox video.

[@nbw555]

Beautiful mate love the fox, glad to see the obsy in use so much detail and depth in the image

[@RussellsAstrophotography]

Thank you very much Neil, appreciate it

[@douweodh4146]

Hey Russell, loved both the Nebula and the fox, well done! Gr. from The Netherlands

[@RussellsAstrophotography]

Thank you very much 👍really appreciate it

[@CosmuzzAstro]

Looking great Russell. Fits nice in the corner there. Great tour and first light mate. Your face when the camera went......I have done that a few times my self. Awesome image of The California Nebula. Hope you get great enjoyment from your new dome. Clear Skies!

[@RussellsAstrophotography]

Thanks very much mate, so glad you like the image. Clear skies 👍

[@ericwilkes1840]

Great images as always, nice work

[@RussellsAstrophotography]

Thanks very much Eric

[@stephenlast1897]

Well done Russell . Dome is looking good so Now you can get up and running very quickly . That is important with our Uk Weather. I have not seen a clear night for 10 days now .and now the moons back ! Look forward to more of your videos

[@RussellsAstrophotography]

Thanks Stephen, yes the weather has be horrendous hasn’t it! I bet we don’t get a clear night until that full moon is nice and high 😞 the dome has been great so far, it’s allowed me to get a few hours here and there, no long sessions yet though. Thanks again 👍

[@OutlandishJourneys]

Cracking image and congratulations on the SkyShed, Russell! Looks fantastic...you just need a beer fridge in there and it'll be perfect! Lol! Have a great weekend... :)

[@RussellsAstrophotography]

Thanks very much mate…you’re not the first to suggest a beer fridge 😂 it’s very tempting! Have a great weekend

[@tullyfisher]

Great obsy walk through Russell! I was amazed by the space you have in one of those. 👍🏼 Really like your NGC 1499 very much! ... and the fox at the end as well :) clear skies

[@RussellsAstrophotography]

Thank you very Tully. Yes I was a bit surprised with the space as well. I lot of people said that having a tripod in the dome would leave very little space, there is actually plenty of space inside. So glad you enjoyed the image and the foxes. Clear skies

[@tullyfisher]

@@RussellsAstrophotography Really cool! And also very clever to place such a de-humidifier inside the dome. 👍🏼

[@Astrobloke]

Well done mate getting it all set up and running, makes a huge difference, i now have obsy envy as mine is all decommissioned and in bits since moving. Its great to get even just an hour of data when normally you would struggle to. Clear skies mate

[@RussellsAstrophotography]

Thanks mate, glad to have it up and running. Did you move your observatory with you or are you building a new one? Bet you cant wait to get it back. Clear skies and I hope the move has gone well

[@HeavenlyBackyardAstronomy]

Hi Russell, Great final image ... very impressive. Hats off to Olly too. I am liking your observatory more and more. I've been thinking of getting one, and have been studying your videos. I was doubtful at first, but then I saw that azimuth shelf that attaches to the dome and that solves that overhead shooting issue. As per that dehumidifier, when I do get the observatory (indeterminate at this time), I would probably need to empty it daily in my humid air here in Savannah. Look at the tail on that fox!

[@RussellsAstrophotography]

Thank you very much mate, it was great fun combining the data and we are both really happy with the combined image. The observatory has been great so far, the weather in the UK has been terrible recently and without the observatory I wouldn't have capture any data for nearly a month. This has allowed me to grab a few hours here and there. The dehumidifier does come with a permanent draining tube meaning that you don't have to empty the container. I'm tempted to drill a very small hole and install this tube if I start needing it over the winter. Glad you liked the fox and clear skies

[@whenpigsflyobservatory]

Nice arrangement. You’ll definitely do well to have a PZT table available. Good to see you up and running now. Really love the interior time lapse shot. Amazing shot of the California nebula. By the way, both my cats perked right up at the fox segment. Thanks Sir!

[@RussellsAstrophotography]

Thank you very much, so glad you enjoyed the image. Yes, looking forward to getting the PZT table installed. There is plenty of room behind the dome for that so that will be great to get added to the dome. Glad you liked the foxes, they are amazing to watch. I hope it didn't bother your cats too much. Clear skies 👍

[@dumpydalekobservatory]

Great to see the observatory running now, yeah it does make a huge difference getting up & running I must admit love mine. Hope the camera is ok that you knocked over I've done the same when shifting the dome so easily done.

[@RussellsAstrophotography]

Yeah it is fantastic to know you can be up and running in a few minutes, I'm hoping it will allow me to capture much more data. The camera is ok thanks, had a bit of a scare as it didn't autofocus for a long time, but seems to be functioning now.

[@davidnayler276]

Looking great bud.

[@RussellsAstrophotography]

Thanks Dave

[@davidnayler276]

Looking at something like that soon, but would like two set ups in there. That would be the dream.

[@RussellsAstrophotography]

@@davidnayler276 I was wondering recently if two rigs would fit inside, I might give it a go soon. My gut says it would be slightly too small

[@LogansAstro]

Great to see you up and running in the observatory. As you said, makes a huge difference to your imaging time being able to pop out and image even just for an hour or two when you otherwise wouldn't have if setting up from scratch. Fantastic image at the end. Saw your collab image with Olly on Astrobin - looks superb also. Enjoyed the fox video at the end also.

[@RussellsAstrophotography]

Thank you Logan. Yes I saw your kind comments on Astrobin, thanks for that. It was great fun combining the data (well Olly did the editing if I'm honest). So glad you enjoyed the fox video. I wasn't sure if I should include it, but glad I did. Clear skies mate 👍

[@billvinson7859]

You have a foxy garden. Great setup.

[@derekbaker3279]

A very enjoyable video Russell.👍👍 The observatory looks great....it's definitely something I'd like to set up in the future.🙏 The California Nebula images look fantastic! I know that balancing colours is a challenge for you, so I thought I'd mention that it is spot on.👍👍 Last, but certainly not least, I really enjoyed the fox video, as the videography and editing were excellent, plus I enjoyed the music as well (..a great choice IMHO, because it fit the mood, was a very good performance, and was also interesting from a harmonic perspective..). Well done! 👍👍

[@RussellsAstrophotography]

Thanks very much Derek, really appreciate it. The dome is great and I’ve used it for a grand total 12 hours worth of data since setting it up…but that’s probably 12 hours I wouldn’t have had without it. So glad you enjoyed the fox video, I wasn’t sure whether to share it or not, but I’m glad I did, they really are wonderful animals

[@briankotak403]

Nice looking observatory Russell. That will definitely save you time and allow you to more easily do short shooting sessions. Love the final image too. Wonderful colours. The fox video is spectacular too. I worked as an eco guide up at a remote lodge in northern Canada this fall and shot great videos of wolves. Beautiful animals. Clear skies. Dr B from Manitoba, Canada 🇨🇦

[@RussellsAstrophotography]

Thanks very much Brian, so glad you enjoyed the final image. The foxes around us are beautiful, so lucky to be able to film them. Wow that sounds incredible, I would absolutely love to see wolves in the wild, that must have been an amazing experience. Clear skies mate.

[@Victoria-qm4yx]

Love the foxes too 🦊

[@PaoloBanci]

Beautiful photo :-) Beautiful even the foxes seem almost domestic.

[@RussellsAstrophotography]

Thanks Paolo, the foxes are beautiful and get pretty close if you let them come to you...This was all shot with a 200-600mm lens though, so maybe not as close as it seems in the video.

[@mikeharden7904]

Fantastic image Russell. Great detail. Is the Atlia Ha filter you use the 3nm?

[@RussellsAstrophotography]

Thanks very much Mike. Yes they are the 3nm Antlia filters

[@SimonsAstro]

Hey Russell! Where to start? Excellent video mate! The dome is brilliant, glad that’s up and running, nice to see the Askar FRA 400 getting some use! I’ve finally got mine now, had it a week😀 First light coming soon in with my Cloud Magnets camp vid😀 Amazing image and great collaboration of data mate! Foxes! Russell, that was awesome mate! I love foxes, such good imagery, great footage, must have taken ages to get those shots! Great work, loved it👍 Well done! Clear skies mate👍

[@RussellsAstrophotography]

Thanks so much mate, the dome has been great so far, although, the weathers been shocking! So glad you’ve finally got your FRA400…just the year and a half wait for that one 😱 absolutely crazy, but glad it’s finally arrived! How was the cloud camp? I’ve been wanted to go on one for ages, but it so difficult with work, hopefully dates will align soon 🤞 So glad you enjoyed the fox video, I wasn’t sure whether to post it or not, but glad I do 👍

[@SimonsAstro]

@@RussellsAstrophotography Cloud camp was great, very wet and muddy, but two clear skies out of three! Great bunch of people, I’ve got a video coming out all about it a few days time! Would be great to see you at one👍

[@AZ4RunnersRealm]

Wonderful image Russell, the Dome definitely allows for imaging at a moments notice or when there is a break in the clouds and can be used as a wind break as well. That is why I will keep mine forever. Fox video is awesome, how did you get it to look your way, were you dangling a piece of raw meat or something?!?!!? Oh and I've done the same with my recording equipment and the dome!! CS

[@RussellsAstrophotography]

Thanks mate, yeah already loving being able to grab a hour or two when there are breaks in the weather…there’s certainly not been any full clear nights for us here recently! The foxes are fairly tolerant of humans as they are urban, I just had sit and wait for them rather than approaching them. They just walked up to me and looked my way.

[@Mel-127]

The detail in your picture is great, love the colours. Pity you can't find a cheep Pulsar top. It would do nicely on your pod and give your DSLR a longer life. Pfew, that was a close accident. Great shots of the fox's too. Clear sky's.

[@RussellsAstrophotography]

Thank Mel, so please you liked the image. I would have loved a pulsar dome, but that was well out of my price range I’m afraid! Glad you enjoyed the fox video, they are such fantastic creatures 👍 CS

[@nordiclightphototours153]

So nice to see that the Dome is up and running Russell. I do have a question tough. Although your mount is Polar Aligned, I guess you have still have to do the PA routine with the ASIAIR to exactly Polar Align your mount and scope as Polaris is circiumpolar and not exact on the same place.. Correct? Or am I missing something? Keep up the good work. Cheers, Hendrik

[@RussellsAstrophotography]

Thanks Hendrik, yes it is great to get the dome up and running. I've had the Redcat 51 on the mount for the past 2 months and I've only PA once. I've been taking 10 minute subs without any issue at all. As you said, yes, I think the PA would be slightly off but I don't think it would need PA again for a while.

[@nickambrose8606]

Very nice. Shame you can’t get that Ethernet cable through the mount. I grew up in Bristol. Many moons ago !

[@RussellsAstrophotography]

Hi Nick, that would be great if I could get the ethernet through the mount, I might look into that moving forward. Thanks for watching

[@robmailconway]

Hi Russell, great to see the observatory up and running, i would love to have some form of observatory as i am in Ireland so i have similar weather to you so exactly like you said there is lots of nights that you would not risk setting up as the clouds might roll in by the time you have everything setup which has happened to me. Also i tend not to setup during week days as with working the next morning that can be difficult but with the observatory you can take advantage of any few clear hours during the week. Because of these issues i tend to only setup at weekends when i am free or on days off and then i find when i have time off its cloudy ahhhhhh 😂. I have 3 weeks holidays from work in December so here's hoping for some clear nights 😁. I was wondering about the restriction of the dome blocking your view, can you attached a motor drive to the dome so that it is linked to your telescope mount and would rotate the dome with the telescope so that it avoids any conflict with the view? I'm sure something like this would be very expensive. Is the observatory bolted to the ground in some way? I love the Fox, there is so many in our cities now and they can be cheeky and get quiet close to you. Also i will never forget the sound of the Foxes out in my back garden one night it was like the sound of a Banshee very haunting 🤣 On a separate note i hope you don't mind me asking a general question not related to this video, i tend to buy equipment over time so a while ago i bough a set of narrow band filters with the intention of buying a mono zwo camera before Christmas as i taught there might be a good black Friday sale on them but it seems like they have only gone up in price so i will wait a while but i do have a zwo ASI071 color camera so i was wondering have you ever used narrow band filters with a color camera? will i get a suitable image? i will experiment with it but i would appreciate any comments you or any of your viewers might have. Sorry for the long message 😊.

[@RussellsAstrophotography]

Hi Rob, sorry for the slow response, I've been pretty busy recently. The dome is a great addition, I've manage to get multiple hours of data recently when I would have images without the dome. The dome does have some restrictions yes, however, the mount is slightly off centre, so you can image pretty much all night without moving the dome for most targets. You can motorise most domes, I've not looking into it, but I am sure it is possible. SkyShed Pod have just announced a new dome which comes motorised as standard...it looks great. I'm planning to put in the zenith table in the new year, which will mean I do not have any restrictions. I have used a Ha filter with a OSC camera in the past, I added the Ha to the colour image to bring out some extra detail. It worked really well. Dylan O'donnel did a great video on this topic a few years ago. Thanks for watching and clear skies 👍

[@paulwforeman]

Hi. Thanks for sharing. I have just bought an identical SkyShed Pod set up from ABS, and will be putting paving in place shortly. I am wondering which screws you attached the pod to the pavers with, and how they have performed? Thanks , Paul

[@Jaguaresmtb]

Wow great! where did you buy your dome?

[@RussellsAstrophotography]

Thank you. I found it used on Astro Buy And Sell UK.

[@DawgcityClev]

Not a fan of the clamshell opening, but can't wait to get a dome.

[@attila674]

Hey man, well done! Planning to buy one very soon, not sure about the size to choose, which model is yours? XL1 ...XL2...XL3...XL4? Thanks in advance...

[@ObservaDome]

🔭I've Got An ObservaDome🔭

[@woody5109]

Looks okay, how does the door fit, looks a little…iffy

[@anata5127]

What do you do, if forecast for clear skies is 2-4 AM, and then it was in reality 1-2:30 AM? Are you on watch whole night (“on-off from bed”)? Cameras in backyard? What is advantage of shed over just cover? Do you loose polar alignment after uncovering rig? Are robberies of astro-rigs frequent in UK?

[@RussellsAstrophotography]

Hi Ana, yes I do head to bed and leave the scope running. If there is any forecast of rain then I pack up before going to bed. The dome means I can leave everything set up all year around. I did previously leave the scope outside with a cover on, but if there was lots of rain forecast then I always packed it away. The sky shed pod is very secure with locks etc. Thank you for watching

[@anata5127]

@@RussellsAstrophotography Ok. Thanks for clarifying about weather. What if in middle of photo session came unexpectedly clouds? Plate solving, focusing and guiding are gone. Meridian flip did not occur. Scope with all equipment crashed. Is such situation possible? Are you really always in bed or you check situation time to time during night?

[@SKYST0RY]

I am planning to order a SkyShed Pod shortly, and I am just about to pour a pier. How high would you recommend making the pier from the floor?

[@TheTeaguecowley]

Anyway you could open and close this dome remotely?

[@steveritchie1979]

Those are manufactured just a few miles up the road from where I live in Ontario!

[@RussellsAstrophotography]

Hi Steve, that's cool. You don't see many in the UK as the shipping costs from Ontario are very high, I was so please to see one on the second hand marker. Clear skies

[@stefanjagger]

The door looks a bit wonky is that how it fits?

[@RussellsAstrophotography]

Hi Stefan, yes the door is slightly wonky, I need to install a new hinge as one of the screws is broken. This is not how the door is meant to fit. The dome was second hand and very old, so I'm glad that this is the only issue...It is on my list of things to fix. Thank you very much for watching

[@stefanjagger]

Thanks, I'm thinking of getting one myself but heard the older ones had some issues. The new ones are pricey though. Clear skies!

[@berrybetty-e6z]

Hows it holding a year after

[@TheNewForestObservatory]

If the panel on the door is pushed in - you might just be able to pull that out using a sink plunger.

[@kierongowans3428]

Do you need planning permission where and how much pls

[@neiltonks]

I looked in to getting an Observatory. I'm 6ft 5 and bending down like that to get in would be an issue.

[@RussellsAstrophotography]

The door is pretty low yes, but there is definitely more room inside than I thought there would be, so it's not much of an issue for me...having said that I'm only 5ft 9, so might be more of an issue for you. Have you considered a Roll of Roof Observatory?