One to make you drool

[TrevorW]

http://www.ultimateprivateobservatory.com/

:thumbsup:

[BerrieK]

DROOL DROOL. I'm still wiping it up.

What a fantastic setup. Very clever. Its pretty cool how the down pipes just go back together when the roof is closed again. And the pneumatic catwalk. Cool. (funny how cool rhymes with drool).

Thanks for the link Trevor.

Kerrie

[TrevorW]

It cost him $250000 US to build

[AlexN]

All that for a meade SCT and a 6" tak on an Alt-az mount? haha...

Looks awesome, but seriously... I reckon spend $200000 USD on gear and 50k max on housing it.. a 4m home dome would have done nicely.. :P

[Bassnut]

Hes an odd bod, if it did cost him $250000 to build, it was what, 10 times more than the scope?, at least. The 16" Meade is great (well, for visual anyway), but makes you wonder if hes into observatorys more than astronomy. A PME and perhaps an RCOS wouldve been a (relatively) small additional cost, and a lot better astronomy. Ahh, horses for courses, who has the right to say otherwise, he ?.

[Bassnut]

oops, exactly Alex.

[Jules76]

What's with the introduction by Colonel Sanders? :lol: Given up on the chickens and decided to dabble in astronomy?

That's pretty cool.

[Lester]

Good on him.

[Peter Ward]

:lol: Think I'll stick with what I've got.....but could be tempted to go to a *real* 16" RC if there was a buyer in Oz for my 14.25 ;)

[AlexN]

I'll take it if you'll sell it for $14.25 :P even $1425.00... any more and you'd really be stretching my budget!

[Paul Haese]

as opposed to what Peter?:P

I have to agree, massive engineering but all that for a alt az setup. Such a shame. The structure is sublime.

[IvanTheTerrible]

16" Ritchey- Chretien LX200 not SCT

[Bassnut]

The Meade 16" LX200R or ACF is what he means by "Ritchey-Chretien", not quite what you might think, or what the legal system in the US decided was an appropriate description.

[AlexN]

Meade dont make Ritchey Chretien telescopes. they are a modified SCT. Yes they out perform the average SCT, but they are an SCT nonetheless.. This is however, a discussion for a different thread.....

[Paul Haese]

Have to agree, Meade does not nor has ever made RC telescopes. A Ritchie Chretien has two hybolic surfaces, not just one. It is a 16" ACF only but still sitting an an alt azimuth mount.

[Bassnut]

Anyway, the Meade mount is more to the point, marginal at best.

[AlexN]

True Fred, even the 16" meade would be would do the trick given a nice mount.. MI750 equatorial forks, AP1200, PME... No matter which way you look at it.. If you've got quarter of a million U.S. dollars to spend, shell out 15k USD for a paramount and be done with it... honestly...

As you said earlier... it is his observatory, and who are we to tell him what he needs... :P

If it were my $250000 USD.. You'd be looking at a tin shed with a pulley operated roll off roof.. 2x AP1200GTO's, one holding a 14.25" RCOS + STL-11000, the other holding a Tak epsilon with STL-11000... fully loaded with all the gadgets one would need to be running 2 full imaging systems at the same time..

Oh life would be grand!

<end of semi off topic post>

[Omaroo]

You would expect an EM-3500 or similar sitting in there, wouldn't you.

[telecasterguru]

I hope he got council approval before he built it or they may make him pull it down.

Frank

[Bassnut]

An insane 24" RCOS and AP3600 (http://www.rcopticalsystems.com/mounts/3600gto.html) mount would fit into Alexes budget plan.

[AlexN]

True Fred... And who really wants the wide field setup anyways.. 24" + AP3600 would be real nice!

[Bassnut]

Gaud its frustrating, oh those with too much money and no.......... well brains. i could manage this Obs, for a minimal fee, and some imaging time, sheesh. And, I like it Alex, anti 16" wide field rubbish, My kind of dream :D:D:thumbsup:

[rider]

yes, but he's missing out on the best bit.

Wrestling scopes, mounts, eyepieces out side into the the light bloom from the house next door and the street light which is strateagically aimed at the white carport next door, whilst listening to the 7.2 2000wt stereo from the doof-doof-doof-doof boys down the street. Rigging up tarps to find a dark bit of backyard, 5 tries at a reasonable polar alignment.
Ok, now wipe off the dew, look up....

where did those clouds come from?

rider

[h0ughy]

LOL @ the arguement between Paul, Fred and Alex. Green eyes on the gear and indeed everyone is different. be happy with "cheaper" setup but able to go places to image eclipses and other stuff at a moments notice ;)

[Terry B]

How much would a research type 1m scope cost?
It would be a much better way to spend 1/4 mil USD.

[Zaps]

Many, if not most, Americans believe astronomy = telescope, or in this case = observatory. See Cloudy Nights for more proof. ;)

[micko]

That would have to add quite a bit to the cost of building it I'd say. it doubles as a tornado shelter. Actually that would be an awesome place to hide from a tornado. Imagine if your house got wrecked and you had to live in your observatory..

[Wavytone]

He said the sides are vinyl cladding on a steel frame, the cladding is designed to blow away in a tornado leaving the steel framed structure... probably the only way it could withstand an F5. I don't see how you could use that as a "tornado shelter", if not blown away you'd be speared or literally sliced and diced by airborne debris. There are photos showing things like 4x4 wooden posts driven like a toothpick through a car tyre, or what happens when a sheet of corrugated iron slices through large objects, never mind livestock or people. I wouldn't expect much of the scopes to survive either, with the cladding gone, the first decent object that hits will smash the optics. The mount should survive though.

The only place to be is in an underground cellar - I assume that is what he has underneath the slab. Presumably he would put the valuables including the optics down there if one is coming.

Having the slab and frame intact to re-clad afterwards is nevertheless a big start.

[leon]

It is a grand building. but i still love my humble roll away Observatory, ;) and fora 1/4 of a US Million, I 'm sure I could put some serious equipment in there. :whistle:

Leon :thumbsup:

[Paul Haese]

Wavytone, in the gallery you can find images of the construction. He has vinyl as an outer layer but there is steel plate welded to the super structure. The roof is very solid too. The vinyl will go but the structure will be pretty safe.

[Wavytone]

Hmmm... now that's more likely.

[netwolf]

Wow nice observatory but the Telescopes are not up to par with the observatory. I would think a 20"+ Keller Cassegrain would be awesome.
Like the one in this observatory, which is more humble but the telescopes do sure pack a far greater punch.

http://panther-observatory.com/

20" KC that can do F3 and F9. Thats my dream scope maybe a bit bigger.
Or even a CDK design 24"+ on a Fork EQ mount like the one Gamma has.

[TrevorW]

and let us not forget

http://www.stargazer-observatory.com/