My Observatory Quest
After setting up in the driveway for each night of Astrophotography, I am now out to buy land and build my first (and likely last) Observatory. Follow my efforts in this endeavor here!
Naming Your Observatory
i finally have a name for my Observatory! Coming up with it was much more complicated than I thought it would be. This post explores when into that effort!
Observatory Update: Powering Up the Observatory!
It may be Winter and snowing, but that did not stop the electrical installation for my Observatory Project!
This post covers electrical planning, running power from the house to the observatory, and then the finished installation of electrical service in the building.
Observatory Update: Roughing In the Electric and Pouring the Slab Floor!
This post discusses pouring the concrete slab we will use as the floor.
Before it can be poured, we have to know what we want for electrical service so we can plan under-slab conduits.
Then, the other prep for the pour is done, and finally, the concrete flows!
Observatory Update: Building the Structure!
To supplement the two videos I have posted on this phase of construction, this blog post will cover the same information with some greater depth and additional background information.
Observatory Update: Laying the Foundation!
Construction on the Observatory project have begun in earnest and the first phase is laying the foundation.
Observatory Update: Custom Telescope Piers Part 3 - Painted and Complete!
The Piers have come back from the painters and are now complete. This short blog post will review the final results!
Observatory Project: Breaking Ground! Excavation Complete!
We have finally broken ground on the observatory project, and the excavation work is now complete!
This post is a companion article to the video I posted on my YouTube channel. Two days of work have been compressed into a few short minutes so you can see how the work progressed!
Observatory Project: A Final Update Before We Break Ground!
This is my last status report before construction commences on the observatory!
We have made progress on the final stamped plans, the building permit, and hardware acquisition, and I wanted to report on that!
Observatory Project: Opening The Roof!
Now I need to plan for a way to move the roof on the observatory. After getting several recommendation, I decided to go with the SkyRoof System. Working with Jim Collins of IAA, I placed my order and plannned out how it would be installed for my application!
Observatory Project: Final Roof Track System Hardware Selection
After a bit more research, my Roof Hardware choice changed once again. But these choicesare final as I ordered them and now have them on hand. This post updates where things stand with the hardware and reviews the final choices!
Observatory Project: Designing Custom Steel Piers - Part 2 - Cutting Parts With a 4000-watt CO2 Laser!
This is the second part of a series of posts covering the design of some custom steel piers for my observatory. This first post covers the concept and design behind the piers I am building. This post covers the cutting of the parts from plate steel using a 4000 watt CO2 laser!
Observatory Project: Designing Custom Steel Piers - Part I
This is the the first part of a series of posts covering the design of some custom steel piers for my observatory. This first post covers the concept and design behind the peirs I am building.
Observatory Project: Galvanic Corrosion and a Change in Track Selection!
In a recent post I shared some initial hardware selections for the roof track section of my observatory, Since then, I have done some more investigation into Galvanic Corrosion and decided to make some changes. This post will update things! . ,
Observatory Update: Designing the Roll-Off-Roof Track System!
In this post we will do a deeper drive into the design of the Roof Tracking system. This involves the design, hardware selection, roof control system sourcing, and lockdown designs. ,
The Move is Complete, Now Pivoting to the Observatory Project!
Move complete! Old house sold! It's time to pivot towards the Observatory Project. Here, I outline the Initial steps I am taking and review some preliminary hardware choices…
An Observatory Project Update: Success! We Just Bought A Property and Will Be Moving!
After two years of searching, we just bought a new house with a location in the backyard that will support my observatory! We can finally move forward with the project!
An Observatory Project Update - One Year In
There has been no updates on my observatory project for over a year. During that time we have been engaged on a search for Land to build a house and an observatory - but in this tough market we have not found the right place yet! Even so, I thought it was time for an update on the search and my effort to design the observatory I would like to build!
Goals for my Observatory Project
My current project is to buy land, and build my personal Astrophotographic Observatory on it so that I no longer have to set up 3 scopes in the driveway each night! This is the first of several posts that will chronicle the planning and development of this observatory!