My Observatory

Actually I don't have a permanent observatory. My setup is portable. My telescope and mount are attached to a set of "wheelybars"(JMI) which I wheel out of my garage onto the driveway. The driveway is where I do all my imaging. Here I am on a typical night. The telescope is aimed at the southern sky which as you can see is filled with the "skyglow"of adjacent towns and neighbor's lights. The northern and eastern skies are even worse due to Bradley International Airport and the city of Hartford. The limiting visual magnitude on an excellent night is about 4.5 magnitude although the seeing can be quite good at times. The power of the CCD and digital enhancement techniques have allowed me to compensate to a certain extent for the increasing light pollution in my area. I try my best to darken the local environment by covering the street lamp in front of my home with a large black cloth (see below).