Been studying stuff again, this time with the help of Joe Cornish HonFRPS, with his tips and tricks for outdoor photography. It served to crystallise some of my thoughts - I should put a hold on the moon camera work until restrictions are lifted. I need to do some shopping - there is the thought process for this project.
Joe makes the point really well that we need to consider our own safety in outdoor photography. My challenges are similar to his and pertain to the movement of heavy equipment, particularly during the hours of darkness.
The issue is the mirror mount for my moon camera. The mount was originally built during my time in holography where the emphasis was on stability. The image above is the back plate to the mirror - 22kg of ½" thick sheet steel. When you add around 12kg of mirror plus other parts you come close to 40kg.
A few outings from shed to garden has shown this to be untenable and a design change is needed. I also need to attend to some of the rigidity issues to improve the image quality. I am thinking about a significant quantity of plywood that is out of reach at present.
For me an object lesson in staying safe at this point in time and in my photography. Please join me in the same thoughts, stay safe and find stuff to do. I have plenty more projects while this one is on hold. Watch this space and read more of this in President's News.