Zenith Table complete

Except for a final coat or two of paint, the PZT (Pod Zenith Table) is complete. Now, in addition to the usual rotation, the dome can be pushed backward, entirely off of the observatory base. This opens up almost the whole sky, allowing the scope to look straight up, and eliminating the need to move the dome opening around as targets move.

In theory, it doesn’t open the whole sky, because the clamshell is still in the way. But in my location, it’s only blocking a view of my high hedge, not any part of the sky.

I probably won’t use it all the time — no need for shorter sessions targeting just one part of the sky. But it will make more sky available, and will make things like automated TPoint data collection easier.

I’ve opened it for practice in daylight, but haven’t used it under dark skies yet.