Omegon Portable Astro-observatory Tent: FirstLook
Sleeps four...telescopes, comfortably :-)
Stargazing is pretty cool, not only for those who enjoy the miracle of the big bang science of it, but for everyone who likes being outside on a warm Summer’s night, just looking up at the sky.
Of course, some nights are warmer than others. On the colder and windier nights, having a bit of shelter but still being able to see the heavens, is a much sought after luxury.
Omegon’s Portable Tent Observatory is an answer to that desire, for those of us who does not have the option of a permanent observatory.
Omegon Portable Tent Observatory
- Color: green
- Base diameter : 2.8 meters
- Height : 1.4 meters
- Opening diameter : 2.0 meters
- Weight : 4.5 kg
The Omegon tent is very portable and all of its components (tent, cover, poles, ground anchors) fit nicely in the supplied nylon duffle bag. Apparently, set up is so easy that they don’t even bother to include instructions with the tent 🙂
We were able to figure things out with no real problems, but do suggest practicing a few times before trying to set this tent up in the dark.
Assembly
Basic steps:
- Lay out the tent
- Connect the rods to form 7 poles (4 wall poles, 2 ceiling poles, 1 perimeter pole)
- Insert the poles into sleeves sewn into the the tent. Insert two of the four wall poles to form two opposing walls.
- Insert the other two wall poles and form the self-supporting tent.
- Use the ties on the tent to secure the criss-crossing poles so they don’t shift.
Note: There are some clips which will pull the tent fabric to the poles to pull things tight. The clips can be attached after the poles have been threaded through the sleeves.
Assembled
The tent stands by itself once all four of the poles have been inserted into the the walls. At this point, the structure is pretty stable, but not yet rigid.
It is easy to see that the interior is accessible from all sides. Very convenient, especially for bring in gear and setting up for a night of astrophotography. Also, there is no need for contortions around the equipment when entering and leaving tent once things have been set up.
With the walls up, insert the long perimeter pole which forms a ring around the upper portion of the tent, firming up the entire structure. This pole is held in place by both sewn-in sleeves and velcro wraps.
Covered
The unique feature of the Omegon tent is, of course, the open roof/dome design. The removable cover is held in place by velcro/clips and may be rolled back from any side.
The two support rods are held in place by pockets on the inside of the walls and arched to offer up more internal head room. When sitting on the floor, the feeling inside the tent is quite spacious.
Uncovered
The Omegon tent opens up at the top when it is time for observations. Creating an opening is easily done from the inside because of the velcro; no need to exit the tent to untie/unhook/unclip anything.
The design seems well thought out and executed, but of course we were inside, during the day, and well-caffeinated. We’ll see if we feel the same way about things once we are “in-the-wild!”
This Omegon tent observatory offers enough space for a telescope and 3-4 persons. Or a three-legged cat and maybe 3-4 telescopes? We don’t judge.
We’ll first field-test the new Omegon tent with our grab-n-go Questar pier and scope set. For the FirstUse, we’ll set up in the RainyDayGarden. Once we have tested our process and are comfortable with everything, we’ll venture out to some darker spots…and see what we see!!!
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