RIP Sirius Observatories

[stefang (Stefan)]

ScopeDome make great kit. And Steven is a great guy to deal with.
stefan

[g__day (Matthew)]

Sad news - love my 2.3m Sirius dome which I had automated for rotation. Work has been hectic and I haven't done any astronomy for months - but it is great knowing everything is set up and it would only take minutes to be active and imaging again.

Sirius where a great company - very sad to see them close their doors

[OwenSirius (Owen Ogden)]

Hi everyone, I'd like to announce that Sirius Observatories are back. I have been working with Colin at Astrodomes and was taking over his business when we read this very forum post. We went down to see John and Joe to find out if there was enough market for us to carry on. John and Joe gave us some great advice and mentioned that the moulds were for sale.

I mulled it over but didn't want the financial risk. When an Australian buyer couldn't be found and it looked like they might be sold over seas I managed to convince my wife to allow us to take the risk.

We're working with a very talented composite technician to make sure that the observatories are built to the same quality and specification as Joe and John had been.

So we are up and running now and the new website is over at http://siriusdomes.com siriusdomes.com

We're also manufacturing the Astrodomes and happy to talk to people about these if they would like any more information. www.astrodomes.com

Hope to see some of you at AstroFest this weekend.

[RickS (Rick)]

That's great news. Congrats, Owen! I'll say hello at Astrofest

[Ausrock (Chris)]

Good to see these domes will continue to be available.

Having worked in a bespoke composites company for (at least) the last nine years, I briefly considered the possibility of attempting to acquire the moulds but the reality of my work commitments dictated I just wouldn't have the time to commit to do justice to the product.

[graham.hobart (Graham stevens)]

that's good news. Anyone have any idea roughly how much a home model full kit is (without the electronics?)
G

[g__day (Matthew)]

Great news - welcome back! Will you still sell the dome rotation and shutter kits? I bought the dome rotation a while back but didn't get the shutter kit for a 2.3m observatory before they closed their doors. Now maybe I will get a second chance?

[Peter Ward]

I spoke with Owen prior to flying out to the USA (eclipse) and was delighted to hear the guys at Sirius were also helping with the handover. Its a great product and I sincerely hope the amateur community give it the support it deserves.

[AstroJunk (Jonathan)]

I have a fully automated 2.3m dome and it has been very good. However, it was designed in the day when an 8" SCT was massive and the need for guide-scopes were beyond the amateur.

The dome opening needs to be seriously widened to make it competitive these days. I spoke to the original owners about this and they were not interested. They went bust - quelle surprise!

Another story of a great Aussie company failing to invest in it's product. I really hope the new owner (OwenSirius) re-invigorates the brand. I'm away on travels for a few months, but I'll invite you (Owen) to my observatory and give you some tips for consideration when I get back to Brisbane in the new year