Better Dome recommendations? #2449
Replies: 22 comments 11 replies
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I have not found a cost effective solution with an optical-class glass dome. The acrylic domes are so cheap, it is more cost effective to just replace the dome every year. |
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Do you know if there are different quality of acrylic domes out there? My acrylic dome is brand new and never seen one this bad: |
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I read a guy on Facebook who has an Allsky box Domeles, only the Fisheye exposed for more than a year, I would like to try, obviously taking all precautions, against water infiltration. Is there anyone who has or had experience with this? |
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All, Thanks for the discussion! This is timely me as well. I've tried several domes and really don't like the reflections and distortions I'm seeing from any of them. They're really pretty bad. My PI HQ camera lens says it has ~185-deg FOV, but in reality -- at least where I live -- anything within 10-15-deg of my horizon is so distorted and messed up by ground lights and/or clouds, that it doesn't have much astronomy value. So, I'm experimenting with a simple flat plate window in place of a dome. The window I'm using is optically/ visually very good quality, about 5/32" thick and tempured glass. I think I paid $15 for two of them. If successful, better quality flat plate is pretty easy to get. For example, using a flat window around 115mm square with camera very close (nearly touching) the inside of the flat plate glass I'm able to get a realized FOV around 165-deg. Yes, there's some vignetting, but its mild. Plus the vignetting is a great trade for a relatively distortion free view. Not bad for a flat window especially when considering the real value of on-horizon targets. The glass is cheap, available and durable. The only minor issue is a carefully designed window frame is needed to seal out water while allowing it to drain off the glass. I designed and 3D printed a frame using ASA filament where the glass is set into the frame 1/2 the window thickness -- making the glass window the "high point" on the camera housing. There are no frame or seal obstructions preventing water runnoff. Depending on where the camera is placed, its not inconceivable to point the camera a few degrees off zenith to speed water runoff and possibly favor more accessible parts of the sky. I have a tree I need to work around so pointing a bit south helps all around. I used a 3M glass adhesive to seal the window against the frame. Pretty easy. I've also coated the glass (after sealing) with a product called RainX for car windshields. It helps water bead up and run off the glass. It also helps minimize water spotting. I plan to use the flat plate this fall and see how it performs through our usually cold winter. Based on early results, I expect I won't be using domes in future. -Larry PS: I also tried to let my camera lens remain exposed to the elements. I used a duplicate lens like the one I use today from Alibaba Express. Was a cheap lense but pretty good quality. Unfortunately, about 3 months into the test, the lens began to craze and fog. I don't know what was causing it but it appears that - perhaps -- an AR coating on the front lens was deteriorating? I was unable to remove the fog having tried soap/water solution, IPA and eventually Acetone. I had to replace the lens. If yours doesn't have coatings and is made from solid glass it might work OK. If coatings or laminated lenses are involved I doubt it will last long. Make sure you have a spare in case things don't go well. Oh, and my lens was really hard to focus once I sealed it to the camera housing to keep water out. |
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What do you think about watch glasses, the curved ones? |
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Yes, I’ll add photos in the next few days. I’m also happy to add the corresponding 3D model files for the camera cap and window frame if they’d be useful to you. Larry Sent from Larry's iPhoneOn Oct 10, 2025, at 21:32, David Bainbridge ***@***.***> wrote:
I also thought of flat plate but was worried about the distortions and how to mount it (which you solved with the glass adhesive). Do you have picture of your setup with the flat glass?
Two of the places I contacted about making glass domes simply said they didn't have time.
For tonight I took the acrylic dome off since it will be clear and I have a dew heater around the lens to prevent and frost/condensation. Will be interesting to see the difference with the moon especially. Without moon looks really nice (except I have few specs of something which appears might be on the sensor itself). Moon is starting to rise in top right corner.
ccd1_20251010_201540.jpg (view on web)
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DavidThanks for the suggestions. I didn’t look at Edmund Scientific. I’ll see if they have a data sheet on the AR coatings—would be great if they were durable enough for outdoor exposure. Based on my knowledge of such coatings on my telescope and eyepieces in particular, I doubt they’ll have a coating that will survive the weather. For example, I ruined one of my best eyepieces by letting folks simply look through my scope at a star party. I didn’t know—so didn’t warn folks—that simple human tears and/or dew would quickly erode the AR coating. I guess I should have cleaned and dried them completely before putting them in their case. Tried to have it repaired but ultimately the damaged lens had to be trashed. Still—technology moves on. Hopefully they’ll have suggestions. If you’re able to find something that’s workable I’d be very interested. Regarding the square vs round window, my experience so far is that both should perform identically from perspective of optics and rain/water runoff. I seat the glass just ~1/2 its thickness into the housing. This mounting provides no obstacles to water runoff. However, as you mentioned heavy snow could be a challenge. Last winter here in Virginia was mild so my worst snow on one night was only about 8”. At the time I was using a 4” dome and even it was covered. Fortunately, the camera heater and sunlight were able to melt it clear in under two days. If in an area prone to cold temps and heavy snow you’d likely benefit from higher powered heaters to serve as a snow melt and defroster such as used on car windshields. Flat or domed I think my camera will struggle with snow without a good heater. To defrost, I made a 10W dew heater from nichrome wire and ceramic insulators. Works pretty well so far. Has enough power to slowly melt snow. Colder climate might need more power. I added a 10mm fan to force warm air against the inside of the window/dome. This seems to speed melt as well as clearing water droplets. I once saw a friends cloud camera with a small electric air knife/blower he could remotely activate to help clear snow off the dome. It blew off the worst of the snow, and the heaters do the rest. Was pretty effective. The cloud sensor was a smaller device than most allsky cameras seem to be but the concept should work. Perhaps Aaron could incorporate control of such a device? It might also be possible to simply activate it with the your existing heater system—no extra control needed. There are several very small (30 in^3 sized), powerful air jets available on Amzn. Would be easy to modify one for this purpose. Just a thought. LarrySent from Larry's iPhoneOn Oct 28, 2025, at 11:41, David Bainbridge ***@***.***> wrote:
Something like this would be really interesting with the anti-reflection coating. Not sure about weather resistance of the coating and if it is thick enough for some hail resistance.
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https://www.dewcontrol.com/browse/cat3099126_4337325.aspx I like these. they do turn slightly "yellow" nut not really noticeable more than a typical headlight. I've never had one crack or spider. they usually get here pretty quick. for $78 i was able to get two shipped from UK to USA |
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I’ve been checking out various domes as well as using flat plate glass. The best, inexpensive dome I’ve found is the 4” diameter OwlCat replacement dome available on Amzn. This one is acrylic so will yellow on sun over time. My oldest is 18-mo, outside continuously& still good. I’m hearing from other polycarbonate is better but I can’t find one without manufacturing defects. |
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I have been using watch glass for the past few months. Does not scratch, crack or blemish. Been through heavy rain snow and sleet freezing rain and hail. Comes in 70 100 150mm and 10 per pack for less than 20 dollars. From Amazon |
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I'm using that 100mm watch glass on my newest build. I haven't put it outside yet but it may be the best compromise between a dome and a flat plate. It's just curved enough to repel rain but not enough to cause reflections. My last build was domeless on a RPi HQ and it worked beautifully. No problems with it outside for over a year. But the new build has a ZWO ASI676MC and I didn't want to risk this more expensive camera/lens domeless. We'll see how it goes. |
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Sounds great, make sure to silicon it good I did mine from the edge of the
glass to the hole about an inch wide. It has been in all kinds of weather
from heavy rain , hail, freezing rain, snow, what ever nature has thrown at
it so far and dry inside.. I use a zwo camera as well but the lens on it is
not water proof.
Dan Copeland
Hamilton On Canada
…On Thu, Feb 19, 2026, 10:41 a.m. wjschmitt ***@***.***> wrote:
I'm using that 100mm watch glass on my newest build. I haven't put it
outside yet but it may be the best compromise between a dome and a flat
plate. It's just curved enough to repel rain but not enough to cause
reflections. My last build was domeless on a RPi HQ and it worked
beautifully. No problems with it outside for over a year. But the new build
has a ZWO ASI676MC and I didn't want to risk this more expensive
camera/lens domeless. We'll see how it goes.
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I 3d-printed a cap for the camera that attaches on top of my case. It has a small lip on top for the watch glass. I used silicon to seal it. Not too neat but it should be waterproof. |
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The watch glass is a good idea. Right now I’m still alternating between flat plate and traditional dome but there’s such a lot of distortion in all domes I’ve tried. I think I’m done with domes. A flat plate is crystal clear from edge to edge with fewer reflections/glare issues than a dome; especially when outside lights are present. Downside is flat plat sacrifices a few degrees fov—but less degradation than I expected. The watch glass should be the best of both worlds. I’ll try one on my newest cam. If you have access, polyurethane windshield sealant makes a really tight/durable seal. Once cured it’s impossible to remove the glass. I think you can get it on Amzn. Just be careful from the fumes. LarrySent from Larry's iPhoneOn Feb 19, 2026, at 17:21, wjschmitt ***@***.***> wrote:
I 3d-printed a cap for the camera that attaches on top of my case. It has a small lip on top for the watch glass. I used silicon to seal it. Not too neat but it should be waterproof.
20260219_171513.jpg (view on web)
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Dan Copeland
Hamilton On Canada
…On Thu, Feb 26, 2026 at 12:04 AM AlaskanAstro ***@***.***> wrote:
Do you have any image examples of how things look? I'm very curious how
the edges look. Might try this idea.
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I just finished my new build. Domeless with ASI676MC. I found that the watch glass still had reflections. I'm convinced that no dome is the way to go. The ASI lenses are a little more expensive but also better made than the HQ lenses, so they should last longer without a dome. So far, so good. I made another 3d-printed camera/lens adapter to the case top to seal everything up. On this build, I also added a heat pipe and sink for the camera, as it gets kind of hot during the day. |
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Yes dome less is the way to go, it finding a good water proof lens or none
defective glass as used in photo mounts.
Dan Copeland
Hamilton On Canada
…On Tue, Mar 24, 2026, 9:38 a.m. wjschmitt ***@***.***> wrote:
I just finished my new build. Domeless with ASI676MC. I found that the
watch glass still had reflections. I'm convinced that no dome is the way to
go. The ASI lenses are a little more expensive but also better made than
the HQ lenses, so they should last longer without a dome. So far, so good.
I made another 3d-printed camera/lens adapter to the case top to seal
everything up. On this build, I also added a heat pipe and sink for the
camera, as it gets kind of hot during the day.
20260323_134946.jpg (view on web)
<https://github.com/user-attachments/assets/ebda6166-9409-4358-8af2-8333a5383f39>
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Look at these AR coated lenses
https://a.co/d/06hLRRHK
Dan Copeland
Hamilton On Canada
…On Tue, Mar 24, 2026, 9:38 a.m. wjschmitt ***@***.***> wrote:
I just finished my new build. Domeless with ASI676MC. I found that the
watch glass still had reflections. I'm convinced that no dome is the way to
go. The ASI lenses are a little more expensive but also better made than
the HQ lenses, so they should last longer without a dome. So far, so good.
I made another 3d-printed camera/lens adapter to the case top to seal
everything up. On this build, I also added a heat pipe and sink for the
camera, as it gets kind of hot during the day.
20260323_134946.jpg (view on web)
<https://github.com/user-attachments/assets/ebda6166-9409-4358-8af2-8333a5383f39>
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I’ve purchased several really good quality lenses from Commonlands in San Diego CA. Fast delivery and outstanding build quality. Prices for lenses I bought ranged from $75 to $300. They also do low rate custom work. Might be worth checking with them. Sent from Larry's iPhoneOn Mar 24, 2026, at 11:17, cdvideo2 ***@***.***> wrote:
Look at these AR coated lenses
https://a.co/d/06hLRRHK
Dan Copeland
Hamilton On Canada
On Tue, Mar 24, 2026, 9:38 a.m. wjschmitt ***@***.***> wrote:
I just finished my new build. Domeless with ASI676MC. I found that the
watch glass still had reflections. I'm convinced that no dome is the way to
go. The ASI lenses are a little more expensive but also better made than
the HQ lenses, so they should last longer without a dome. So far, so good.
I made another 3d-printed camera/lens adapter to the case top to seal
everything up. On this build, I also added a heat pipe and sink for the
camera, as it gets kind of hot during the day.
20260323_134946.jpg (view on web)
<https://github.com/user-attachments/assets/ebda6166-9409-4358-8af2-8333a5383f39>
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Watch crystal with Anti reflective coating sealed in with silicone sealant
Dan Copeland
Hamilton On Canada
…On Tue, Mar 24, 2026, 8:17 p.m. ldb20151 ***@***.***> wrote:
I’ve purchased several really good quality lenses from Commonlands in San
Diego CA. Fast delivery and outstanding build quality. Prices for lenses I
bought ranged from $75 to $300. They also do low rate custom work. Might
be worth checking with them. Sent from Larry's iPhoneOn Mar 24, 2026, at
11:17, cdvideo2 ***@***.***> wrote:
Look at these AR coated lenses
https://a.co/d/06hLRRHK
Dan Copeland
Hamilton On Canada
On Tue, Mar 24, 2026, 9:38 a.m. wjschmitt ***@***.***> wrote:
> I just finished my new build. Domeless with ASI676MC. I found that the
> watch glass still had reflections. I'm convinced that no dome is the way
to
> go. The ASI lenses are a little more expensive but also better made than
> the HQ lenses, so they should last longer without a dome. So far, so
good.
> I made another 3d-printed camera/lens adapter to the case top to seal
> everything up. On this build, I also added a heat pipe and sink for the
> camera, as it gets kind of hot during the day.
>
> 20260323_134946.jpg (view on web)
> <
https://github.com/user-attachments/assets/ebda6166-9409-4358-8af2-8333a5383f39>
>
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Are there any high quality domes that have good optical properties and last more than a year? The acrylic domes I have used start getting stress cracks over time and have to replace them basically every year. Would be ideal if we actually had access to glass domes with a lip. Is there any better options?
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