John Hoare
I is who I is
Reged: 04/25/04
Posts: 10761
Loc: Foggy Bottom, Kildare, Ireland
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Has anyone ever considered digging out a gunpit for use as an observing shelter and equipping it with a solid floor and drainage? Many years ago I spent some time training on infantry fire support weapons and one thing I remember distinctly about that particular training ground is how windy it could be. The gunpits or a foxhole were just about the most comfortable place to be when the winds came.
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John
Traditionally qualified Scealaí.
IFAS
O....oĝoo
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rcg
Pooh-Bah
Reged: 04/27/05
Posts: 1436
Loc: Saint Charles, Missouri
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Would there be dust and dirt issues at ground level? Other than the lower you are the higher the trees are, I can't think of any other draw backs. Maybe closer to the ground air currents from cooling or heat plumes might be worse. Good question, wonder if anyone has done it?
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Bob G.
8" F/6 Achromat home assembled on home made AltAz w/Pearl Nighthawk finder; currently parting out since return shipping fees for bad APM 8" Achro lenses are killing me  who would have thought you wouldn't get reimbursed for return shipping for optical junk? Live and learn!
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Jeff Young
Post Laureate
Reged: 08/04/05
Posts: 4491
Loc: Ireland
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John --
An interesting idea.
When I built my observatory, I picked the highest bit of ground I had to maximize my horizons. However, with the encroaching light pollution I can't view down below 25° or so anyway, and if I had put it in the hollow I'd have a bit more protection from the most-local of my site's light pollution.
I know folks who observe in canyons near huge light pollution souces (mostly around Los Angeles) because the canyon walls block a lot of the scattered light.
The other thing I've considered is a ground-level observatory, but with a pit at the center for a big Dob. Since the ground-board would be below surface level, you wouldn't be able to view down to the horizon, but like I say that's not much use to me anyway. And it would allow one to use some seriously big aperture (maybe a 28" f/3.6) without a ladder.
Maybe I'm just looking for an excuse to build another observatory.... 
-- Jeff.
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Nikon 18x70s / UA Millennium Colorado:
Solarscope SF70 / TV Pronto / AP400QMD Coronado SolarMax40 DS / Bogen 055+3130
APM MC1610 / Tak FC-125 / AP1200GTO Tak Mewlon 250 / AP600EGTO
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photonovore
Moonatic
Reged: 12/24/04
Posts: 2792
Loc: tacoma wa
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I think a "dug-out" observatory would be the perfect design--to utterly maximize the negative effects of ground seeing at least. I suspect such a location would also be a real dew pit as well in most climes.  I'm also thinking of the temp and humidity differential between a pit and the surface temp--that would cause a lot of air mixing/microturbulence, wouldn't it? (there's prolly more reasons why i have never heard of a 'dug-out observatory' being built...)
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Mardi
4" achromat, ETX-70, 8"cat.
Whitepeak Lunar Observatory Website
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nytecam
Postmaster
Reged: 08/20/05
Posts: 9841
Loc: London UK
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Arizona maybe - Ireland no! I'm reminded of the observatory along these lines included in Patrick Moore's Amateur Observatories book that filled with water the instant the owner went away so he abandoned the project and threw in some fish  Any drainage need includes a pump to raise seepage up and away from the hole 
A low cost enclosing fence above ground would serve a similar purpose with fewer hazards
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Nytecam 51N 0.1W
Meade 30cm LX200+C8+Ha+CaK PSTs+spectrographs
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Kaizu
sage
Reged: 08/17/07
Posts: 460
Loc: Finland
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I think that here ,in Finland, the observatory should every time been digged up because the wind blows it full of snow. Also it would temporary fill with water during heavy rain before the draining system hurry to empty it (automatic floor wash). In winter the ditches freeze and does not work.
In winter the temporary means "until spring".
I have a wooden deck, about 30cm above ground level and still the water comes in along the floor. It doesn't harm because it goes trough. Also the snow is easy to brush away.
Kaizu
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TAL250K
Losmandy G-11 Gemini
Bino's 23x135
Some thoughts are so wise that they don't make me laugh
http://www.kaiforssen.fi
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bluestar
Carpal Tunnel
Reged: 11/06/05
Posts: 1692
Loc: Maryland Eastern Shore
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You obviously missed the thread in the Classic Telescopes Forum highlighting the decommissioned underground Nike Missile Silo for sale on eBay 
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Pat Kelly @ Bluestar Observatory
D&G 8" f/12 w/AP1200DA
Previous telescopes A-Z; Astro-Physics to Zeiss
The Classic Refractor - A telescope everybody wants to have used but nobody wants to own.
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