Tag observatory

Trials were trying

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Crater Tycho is featured here, its web of light-colored ejecta radiating in all directions. Celestron C11 telescope with ZWO ASI 294MC Pro camera.

Taking advantage of what seem to be rare clear skies, last night (September 1, 2023) I ran first light trials on the Celestron C11 I was given, in combination with my ZWO ASI color astronomy camera. The telescope, with its decent aperture and long focal length, may become the primary observatory instrument. The results were largely disappointing with no good deep sky results, terrible results from Saturn, and not-so-good images of Jupiter. Even Earth’s Moon, usually an easy target, was barely in focus. It didn’t occur to me to use my Bahtinov mask focus aid — my gear is spread across two buildings and three or four locations! Once built, the observatory should help with organization. I hope to try again this coming week when mild, clear nights are forecast and I hope it is only a matter of technique and not an optical issue.

On the positive side, polar alignment was excellent as was goto control alignment so telescope sky tracking was very good during my efforts — until something caused an unexpected reboot of the telescope controller. I don’t know if dew short circuited a connector or if the connector pulled loose from the handbox but it was disconcerting!

The images shown here are simply interesting to look at, though not the quality I’d normally want to show. The first is youngish Crater Tycho showing off its extensive web of ejecta rays. The second picture includes several lunar “seas” including the “C” shaped Sea of Crisis. Two craters are seen near the left edge of the circle; the lower of those craters is named Picard. No, Star Trekkers, not THAT Picard. Still, a fun fact.

Several lunar seas are shown in this image with the Sea of Crisis, the C-shaped feature, on the right. Within the Sea of Crisis are seen two small dots and the lower of the two is Crater Picard. Celestron C11 telecope with ZWO ASI 294MC Pro camera.

Landscape base design

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A local landscaping company was contacted to design and quote on a “hardscape” base for the Sirius observatory dome structure. The thinking here is that, since the site is a residential lot, a potential future buyer may or may not want an observatory. Some day, when the property is put up for sale, the observatory structure could be optionally sold and removed, leaving a nice patio feature with a center spot for a table or fire feature for the new owner. In the mean time, the landscaping will make the observatory even more attractive and provide a solid base. We’ll be meeting with the designer soon for some Q&A and tweaks to the design

Observatory Ordered

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A Sirius 7.5-foot observatory configured in the same way as our on-order structure. The base, however, is expected to be much larger. Photo via the manufactuerer

We started the month of August out by {finally} placing our order for a Sirius 7.5-foot observatory. The fiberglass structure will arrive in kit form, to be assembled on-site. We should be able to do most of the work ourselves but may need to hire muscle to lift the dome into place! In the meantime, I’m looking to contract with a landscaper to prepare the build site. We’ve something unique in mind — a hardscape patio, of sorts, that will form a base for the observatory. If and when the observatory eventually needs to be removed, the remaining base will be a paver-style patio with the telescope’s pier foundation serving as mounting point for a fire feature or table! We think it’s pretty clever. We also think it will be expensive. We’ll see what we can actually do!

Work has begun

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An electrician works on the conduit run from the house to the shed. The metal conduit runs through a trench dug for that purpose.

UPDATE: On July 31 we received the approved Building Permit which gives us the go-ahead on the project. The observatory kit — it’s delivered as a ready-to-assemble set of parts — will be ordered ASAP. The purchase had to wait until the permit was issued since the purchase price is not refundable and what would have happened if the city said no???

Last week we had professional electricians run power to the shed where a warm room / control room will be set up for the observatory. For burial of the metal conduit, they dug a much wider trench than I expected and I’ll be cleaning up the earthen scar this coming week. I’ll be framing out a space within the shed for the actual control room which will be wired for electrical service.

The Building Permit Application was filed with the city last Friday — surely unique in the history of this town — so we’ll see how it goes! If the permit is approved, we’ll launch into acquisition of the observatory and preparation of the site for the structure. If the permit is denied, I’ll probably set up an open-air pier for the telescopes and run them from the control room. I expect they’ll approve it — you ought to see what people put in their back yards!

The conduit, before burial, and the shed. The end of the building with the window will be partitioned for use as the warm room / control room. The solar panel on the rooftop currently supplies weather station equipment and is, surprisingly, barely adequate to the task.