Bryan wrote: " I would like to set up and align my scope *once*, and
(barring rain) leave it set up for the week. Is this going to cause any harm
to my scope? "

Bryan,

We have a farm (Northcentral Iowa) and I often take one of my telescopes
with me when we visit
it. I have left the telescopes set up and covered when weather did not
appear threatening. I have used both plain tarps and a mylar "Desert Storm"
cover. I prefer the tarp.

If your farm is like ours the wind can get fairly intense. The cover will
need to be tied down. I also weight the tripod or in some way attach it to a
large rock to keep the asembly from being blown over or moved by the wind. I
generally set up next to the barn. It is somewhat protected from the wind
and the yard light. It has a clear view of southeastern, southern and
western skies and a limited view of the east and north.

This time of year, planting in done. However some spraying may be going on.
If the telescope is set up at the edge of a working field, definitly keep it
covered because of the dust and chemical drift.

Everyone is glad to see me show up with a telescope, because it is a sure
sign that two or three days of rain are due. I may hire myself out as a
rainmaker:-) Within the next year we will begin building an observatory at
this site. Maybe it will change the weather patterns permanently:-)

Herman

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