AAVSO Observer Code CMJA / Minor Planet Centre Observatory Code H61 / Global Telescope Network Partner GTN-33 / Center for Backyard Astrophysics
First Observatory
My first observatory was an "open air" type. This image is from an article in the March 1975 Sky & Telescope Magazine. The article describes the sack as made from canvas. My design included six brass grommets around the opening. After placing the sack over the pier, a chain was threaded through the grommets, and the opening chinches under a flange at the bottom of my pier. A small lock then prevented the sack from being taken off by "unauthorized" persons. I used this set-up for my 6-inch (15cm) Dynascope that I owned between 1975 an 1978, and for my 8-inch (20cm) Dynamax SCT that I owned between 1978 and 1981. The Dynamax then got a real dome for a home in 1981 until 1996, when I upgraded to a 12 inch LX200.