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New Mobile Observatory Business to Open Soon.

Observing Outreach Visual Dob
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#1 Kingalexado

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Posted 25 February 2025 - 02:30 AM

Hey Everyone, I am making this post to showcase and announce my new business. It has not been fully released yet (Not taking appointments) but i just wanted to show people my idea and get their feedback on the pricing, the options, site design, and everything else. The pricing is definitely subject to change as I believe it is too expensive, but let me know what you think.

The telescope used in the observation sessions is a 25 inch Classic Obsession Dobsonian with a ServoCat motor. Prices are ~$150 with the session for observing being 5 hours long for now (Planning on making different hour services for those with less money). As listed in the IMPORTANT INFORMATION part of the site, there is liabitly insurance, 25% off on full moon nights, and full refunds/rescheduling for cloudy/foggy/10+mph winds. The website is not entirely done and will be overhauled soon smile.gif. The URL will also be moved from a basic url to a dedicated url to make it easier to find.

Feel free to check out the full site, placeholder/blank images will be replaced soon grin.gif.

 

Site Link:

https://the-mobile-o...ry.square.site/

 

DO NOT BOOK AN APPOINTMENT YET!!!


Edited by Kingalexado, 25 February 2025 - 02:30 AM.

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#2 Hankk

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Posted 25 February 2025 - 04:54 AM

I really like the idea of this! A couple of comments:

 

- Who is your audience? For the group sessions, the pricing and length seem to target dedicated and well-off astronomy fans, but not the "curious first-time observers" you also mention -- of which there are many more in the world. You can probably serve both, but be sure to differentiate, and provide something targeted to the casual audiences too.

 

- I agree that the prices seem high, especially for large groups. Only a very small number of high-end corporate clients could spend $8K for an event for 10 people. Your costs are essentially the same whether it's for one person or 10, so it doesn't make sense to charge 10x as much for the latter.

 

- For much of the public, 5 hours outside at night is more than they can take. Shorter sessions -- 2h of observing -- are probably a sweet spot for many.

 

- People are going to want to see some info about you and your telescope. You shouldn't make them search around elsewhere online to find this -- put it on your site. Show photos of it, with clients using it at night. Keep in mind that for a public audience, things like "Dobsonian", "M11", "Obsession", "25 inch" -- these will come off as jargon. Talk about why they care, rather than the tech specs. (But have the specs somewhere on the page too, for those who want them.)

 

- What people are really spending money on is *you* -- your ability to tour them around the sky, relate to them about the awesomeness of the sky, take care of the tech so they don't have to, etc. Play up your experience and background as a great host. For many people, it's won't matter if it's a 25" scope or a 4" one -- what they care about is *you*.

 

- I dig the idea of the imaging workshops and one-on-one sessions. I bet that groups will be your largest segment, but you should definitely have options.

 

- How will you deal with large groups? If you have 30 people out there, how many telescopes will you have, and how many assistants? If clients are paying big $$, they won't want to spend most of their time standing in line.

 

- I suggest you put together a page showing how the night will work. What will they do for 5 hours? How much of that is driving / setup; how many things will they see; will you show them the constellations; will they take images and get to take them home; what are you going to bring to keep them warm / well-fed; etc. 

 

- Where are you? I know it's called "The Mobile Observatory" but it's not clear if people come to your site, or you will drive X hours to meet them, etc. 

 

Good luck! I love the idea and I think there are a lot of people who this can resonate with.

 

-Hankk


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#3 bigdob24

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Posted 25 February 2025 - 08:35 AM

As an aging astronomer that has owned 3 premium scopes and traveled all over to major star parties , I would not hesitate to pay the price for time on a large scope if the opportunity arose.

A group of 3 would be perfect at minimal cost to each and plenty of observing time.

Good luck and maybe it will catch on

Dan


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#4 edwincjones

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Posted 02 March 2025 - 05:35 AM

I have been to NMSkies x3, StarHill Inn x3,

SkyWatcher Inn x1, and  NZ once.

(all now closed to the public)

This is a cheaper, and easier option

assuming you are close to my location.

I would suggest you have a backup dark sky location.

 

edj



#5 Fixantwoy

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Posted 13 March 2025 - 06:42 AM

Getting funding for something like this can be really tricky, especially with upfront costs and ongoing expenses. Finding the right investors or even looking into grants could help, but having expert fundraising advisors on board might make a huge difference. They could point you in the right direction for sponsorship opportunities or crowdfunding strategies. A well-structured plan could attract the right backers and keep everything financially stable long-term.


Edited by Fixantwoy, 13 March 2025 - 06:43 AM.



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