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Mike I. Jones
Carpal Tunnel
Reged: 07/02/06
Posts: 1572
Loc: Fort Worth TX
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Re: Observatories and Lightning....
07/02/09 07:30 PM
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Yes - agree on the UPS, and surge protector upstream from the UPS if it doesn't have one as part of its circuitry.
Also, make sure all electrical outlets and junction boxes are grounded right at the observatory. An 8' copper grounding rod should be pounded down into the ground right next to the building, and all the ground and neutral wiring should be connected directly to that local earth ground. Don't rely on a remote grounding rod to carry the discharge away - it won't all go over there.
Disconnecting from the line power or UPS is a good start, but when the main lightning discharge forks into several paths as it seeks ground, some of those paths could still pass through the air into equipment. I have witnessed secondary sparks over three feet long jump between farm equipment back in my more rural days on the old cotton farm!
Storing laptops, etc. in a well-grounded copper-screen enclosure (termed a Faraday cage) when not in use greatly improves their probability of survival after a lightning hit. The current conducts around the laptop to ground rather than passing through it.
It's not practical to store a Paramount or other tracking mount in a copper box, so it's still best to try to draw the leader away from the building altogether, to the extent possible anyway.
Mike
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