Hey all.... I just settled (at 11:00 this morning) on 5 acres with a freshly rehabbed 3 bedroom trailer at the Delaware Bay Shore. This is to become among other things... the home of my Astronomy Retreat/Observatory and future (early?) retirement place!

It's been 5 years in the searching. I looked in the mountains of Pa, W. Virginia, and the pine barrens of South Jersey. My check list for this search was about 10 items long... Primary to any property being considered was reasonably dark skies. Naturally cost, taxes, maintenance, accessibility, other things of interest for me to do there... and more had their places on the list (sadly cost being above dark skies... ; (. Also… knowing it was the place I’d been looking for was important, and this place has that nailed. There were hawks and turkeys in my yard today for God’s sake. NATURE!!!

Last year, for a number of reasons I stopped considering places more than 3 hours from where I own my primary residence. Before that I almost bought 15 acres w/farm house in upstate Pa, walking distance to a huge lake and very dark… (that deal fell through when it became obvious that the septic system was shot and... as-is... which meant at least $25,000 extra from me). I also saw many other nice places that I almost made offers on, but one thing or another was problematic about each of them (like 2 acres, a kinda new log cabin, on a 4000ft mountain top w/three sides of 25 mile views... $100,000... in W. Virginia... but 25 Miles to town..... Dude, that's a long drive for bread and milk).

Anyway... There are 2 great condition sheds on this property, one will house my 17.5 Discovery Dob for the foreseeable future, I’ll put a pad in front of it to accommodate the scope and step ladder. The other shed is a 12x30 wood working shop w/electric. I will be building a dog house w/pier for my 6" Meade until I have time to build a domed observatory for the planned big fork-mount scope. We’ll see how things go on that, I decided to go with a dome for sure but I'm in no rush. I need time at the place, in the dark to get the feel for exactly how to proceed.

Skies there are 6 mag, and cloudless nights are in the higher than average rate for New Jersey. With a 20 minute boat ride I can get to a beach w/6.5 mag skies... For those special dark sky events! It's that point SSE. No roads lead to there, but I want to try camping that point sometime for a meteor shower.

It's not a perfect site. There is a single street light to the south and in plain site of where I plan to setup. It’s at the edge of my property and it shall be addressed. Also, there is a smallish town 2 miles due south, and being a coastal boating village will be lit up during the warmer months I guess. Let’s not forget the bugs... The Jersey Bird, aka, the Mosquito. Having camped in the area over the years, it can be rough, but far from unbearable with preparation and spray.

The G E image above shows the area looking dead south, w/a pin in the Tranquility Base. 25 miles away in the top left is Cape May NJ, small light dome in the summer I think… The land mass top right is Delaware. Dover is 20 miles SW and puts up a 10 degree light dome as I guesstimated one clear night at the property.

Who can guess what my post title will be when I get Dobbie set up down there? Think… Tranquility Base here…

Wish me luck.

Well, congratulations!!!

Sounds like you put a lot of thought into the search and purchase of your personal little slice of Heaven. 

Good Luck!  I'll be out to visit when you get it all done.

Hey WannaB… Thanks and give me a year or 2 before planning a trip out. lol

I was down the other day and did an hours long daylight assessment of the sites possible viewing spots. There are 3 good ones and I’ll spend time with a tripod at all three before picking the dome’s loc.

The spot farthest from the house has the best/clearest horizons and is blocked from the street light by thick woods to the NE. It might be a pain for other things though, won’t know till I try setting up there. For example... there were loads of deer tracks in the fresh snow. May be easier to let them have that spot. The dog house will be near the trailer and dob shed so that’s picked out pretty much, and there is another good spot 100 feet or so past that.

I found out that the field on the other side of the street, and a small piece of what looks like part of my front yard is nature conservation land. I will be trying to get them on my side about the street light, so that may just go away. Will need to get on that soon.

The Clear Sky Clock I’m using is for a loc about 15 miles due east… The South Jersey Astronomy Club uses that loc as their viewing site. My place has a bit less LP but is other wise very much in the same weather pattern.

http://www.sjac.us/observingsite.html

You've already voluntarily completed a wildlife impact study?  I'm impressed!  Sounds like you have quite a bit of study and planning to do.  Although it's the good kind of mental exercise in this case.  I won't pack my bags just yet.

Well, I think that I nailed down the spot that I will be using for the main observatory at Tranquility Base. It will mean cutting down one kinda scraggly 20 ft tree, but it is the best place that is near to the trailer. Actually, it will be against the south wall of the workshop.

First in that spot though, I will be experimenting with a design concept that I have for a tall pier. It will be a less massive version of what I need if all goes well at the building inspectors office. The trial unit will be put in the same loc that I plan on putting the final version. It would be nice to have that first attempt ready to use for this month’s new moon, but I’m pretty busy between now and then so… it’s doubtful.

My time at the property last night was informative even though the full moon kept me from enjoying my new dark site through an eyepiece. The loc for the dome will be within sight of the single streetlight to the south, and will also have a farmer’s barn’s light in view to the west from about ¼ mile away. I’ll work on both of those. There are one or 2 other lights visible through the trees but they are much farther away and pretty dim.

The loc has open sky with low horizons to the E-S-W (only 5 to 10 degrees blocked by trees). North has maybe 20 degrees in the trees. Though there are two better spots so far as stray light and southern horizons go, this one’s easy electricity accessibility, and being only 100 ft from the trailer are both huge pluses.

I can’t wait for first light night down there. My friends were teasing me before dinner last night that so far I only have moved my scopes in… Then they asked me when they can come back to see comet Lulin! Nice.

stars4life:

My friends were teasing me before dinner last night that so far I only have moved my scopes in… Then they asked me when they can come back to see comet Lulin! Nice.

We mock what we do not understand or would like to do ourselves, but can't!

Hey stars, I'll be vacationing not too far from you in Aug. and I don't live all that far from you anyway. So if you find a strange two tone brown Ford pick-up in your driveway someday soon, don't shoot that will be me !

Hey AquaDan… a two tone brown Ford pick-up is really not that strange, but I do need to warn you though that my neighbor is a bit paranoid and suspicious of strange cars on our road. It's almost like having a personal guard at the property.  

The new owner immediately applied for permits for 15 - $350,000 houses, and as the saying goes… “there goes the neighborhood.” I have taken my 17.5” dob down and used it a few times… “AWESOME!” But I have put on hold any and all “permanent observatory” plans until I see what the new development will bring in the way of LP.