Vent: Woke up to my telescope mount pointing at the ground at 4 AM

Set up my rig on a hill outside of Bend to catch the Orion Nebula. Tracked fine all night until a gust of wind around 3:45 AM flipped the tripod over. Camera hit a rock and the lens cracked. Lost 3 hours of exposures. Has anyone else had a nighttime wind gust ruin their session like that?

2 comments

2 Comments

paige5141h ago

The wind is just brutal for this hobby, especially in open areas like that. I've had a gust catch my setup just right where the whole thing went sideways, and it's a special kind of frustration when you're not even there to grab it. A cracked lens on top of lost data is a double gut punch for sure. Maybe try a lower center of gravity next time with some sandbags hooked to the tripod legs, it's saved me a couple of times during those surprise gusts.

luna_green39m ago

Sandbags are genuinely underrated for this, they're cheap and make a huge difference when the wind picks up out of nowhere. A friend of mine swears by those spiral ground stakes too, they screw right into the dirt and hold way better than standard tent pegs. Combine both and you can pretty much leave your gear unattended without that anxious feeling in your gut.