My Location - 2025 - Whispering Skies Observatory
Posted May 7, 2025
May 2025 UPDATE!
I have now moved and built my long sought for observatory!
As many of you know, I have documented my efforts in the Observatory Section of this website. The entire history of the observatory can be seen there. From motivations, the search for land, the big move, the design of the observatory, excavation, construction, and completion can be seen here:
Some Facts About Whispering Skies Observatory
Located south of Rochester, N.Y., USA
Whispering Skies Observatory is a 16’ x 20’ Roll-Off-Roof Observatory.
It is based on a Pole Barn design using Engineered Perma-Columns
It has four custom steel piers in their own foundations, isolated from the building
It has a poured slab floor
The east, west, and south wall headers, as well as the roof outriggers, use 4” x 4” x 1/4” steel channel columns to ensure a Roof track system that will not warp or twist over time.
The roof uses V-Track and V-Wheels on the West side and Flat Track and Flat wheels on the East side.
A SkyRoof Motor and Control system by Interactive Astronomy powers the roof.
A SkyAlert Weather system, also by Interactive Astronomy, has been installed. This works with the SkyRoof System.
100-amp electrical service was brought in 180’ from the house, as were several redundant Ethernet lines.
The Ethernet Lines act as a hardwired backhaul network for the Mesh Router mounted in the observatory.
Power has been run to:
each steel pier
to outlets on each wall
to the roof drive system
to switched outlets that power the building's white and red lights.
Several 4-gang outlets on the north wall to support computer and tool use
An outside outlet
The two windows on the south wall are strictly for looks! The wall can be seen from the main house, and the desire was for the building to look like a country cottage rather than some industrial facility. These windows have blackout curtains. In the summer, fans are put in these windows to assist in observatory cool down.
The view of the Observatory with the roof retracted - taken by a drone.
The completed observatory - before shutters were added, the painting done, and the lawn re-done
A ground-level view of the roof retracted.
The southern face. The blue tape marks where the shutters will go.
Another drone view.
The roof retracted and looking south over the four telescope piers.
The Roof closed - interior view.