Brightsky Observatory III

[Astroman]

Hi all
Well this is going to be my third and final attempt at building this observatory. First one was a 2.3m dome, which I did build and then sold. Obs 2 never really got started, as the hole I dug for it ended up being used for the kids pet Rabbit, so now moving the plan to a different position.

The Obs will be roll off roof design, 2m (w) x 2m (l) x 1.6m (h). The pier will be 1m x 300mm reinforced concrete tube. The Pier base is currently 700mm x 700mm x 600mm but over the next week or so should increase to 800mm^3.

The Obs will only house the scopes and mount and won't be used for me, as I'll be in the big shed, where it's a little warmer...

Anyway here is a pic of the progress, more pics to come as I do them... I lent my post hole digger to someone so have to claim that back before going onto the next step, the 4 main posts.

Oh and another pic of what happens when you lose your footing near a big hole :D

[allan gould]

Now thats an optomistic name for an observatory - hope you have many happy hours in it.

[strongmanmike]

Geez lucky you didn't fall onto that stake behind you :eyepop:

Lookin good...I'm jealous :mad2:

Mike :thumbsup:

[mozzie]

jesus astroman looks like your drunk :lol::lol: and falling all over the place,looks good mate.dont let the misses or kids talk you into using that slab for anything else but a rolloff.:thumbsup::thumbsup:well done!!!!!

[Astroman]

Name was chosen because of location, very bright skies unfortunately. Thanks I hope not too many, the main control room will be in the big shed behind it.



I thought about this after I saw it, was pretty close...



I have moved this thing too many times, it's now time to settle down, it also means I have to buy new gear for it as I sold the mount, but will build this up to a fully working obs. Drunk, LOL... wish I was sometimes.

[Astroman]

Okay here are a couple of new pics,
First up is my 4yo Son helping out with the pier dig.
click to enlarge...
http://i363.photobucket.com/albums/oo73/AstromanSID/Observatory/obs1-001.jpg (http://s363.photobucket.com/albums/oo73/AstromanSID/Observatory/obs1-001.jpg)

and here is the current progress, Mainly digging out pier hole now, I am now at 700mm below ground level, about 200mm to go.
Click to enlarge.
http://i363.photobucket.com/albums/oo73/AstromanSID/Observatory/obs1-002.jpg (http://s363.photobucket.com/albums/oo73/AstromanSID/Observatory/obs1-002.jpg)

[ChrisM]

Good luck with the project.

Looking forward to more pics as construction continues.

Chris

[Astroman]

Here is a quick plan done with google sketchup, still a few things to add to it yet, like a way to hold down the roof. I was going with side rails but this will be easier with the materials I have available.

[mozzie]

looking real good andrew!!!

[ballaratdragons]

I didn't think you could go for too long without another obs :thumbsup:

Looking good Andrew :)

[Astroman]

Thanks guys..

Okay a little update, I now have the Tube for the Pier at home now, so I took the shot below to see how it looks, it's still 300mm too long at the time of this pic, so I will have to dig down another 300mm, which should be easy now it has rained. Still need to make the Base plate for the Mount and finish off the threaded bars which will go into the cement..

So hopefully it doesn't rain too much, as I'll be digging the holes for the 5 vertical uprights, which make the 4 corners and the upright for the door.

[Astroman]

Another quick update :) I have dug the 4 main post holes and am ready to align them and cement them in at their correct positions. Still working out how to do this :D Each hole is 530mm deep. Should secure it enough I think...

[Astroman]

Okay last pic of today's work. lined up the two uprights, closest to the cubby house, these will act as the main uprights where everything comes off, including the door (which has already been manufactured, so they have to be pretty close. These are now ready to accept concrete, which will hold them in place... Will do this later this week... The height of them will be 1500mm all the way around, which gives me about 50mm from the height of the ground, perfect for when I put cement inside it. The Pier is now at a height of 950mm, which is perfect! There is a 950mm hole below it..

[allan gould]

Looking good so far. Hope all goes well from here on in.

[Astroman]

Not much done this last week, except I made up the pier base plate bolts and poles. Here are a couple of pics... The threaded rod is 3/4" and the J-Poles are 25mm solid... Should hold...

[Astroman]

First pole has been cemented in.... I wanted this one to the the main pole which every other pole worked from, so this one was critical to get perfectly straight... Worked out perfectly with a 30kg bag of speed concrete.... I was a little worried about the water requirements for the 30kg bag, but it worked out perfect... :) 4 more to go now...

[Astroman]

Okay another update, Not much has been done physically to the observatory, but I have been in the planning stages of doing the roof and rollers, also gathering money together for the concreting. So no pics of that :D

Also working on a dew heater for my Camera/scopes.

[Astroman]

OKay another update..

As Christmas is only less than a week away I havent spent a great deal of time on the Obs, but I can see it being finished early in 2011...

Concreted all 4 posts in now, so at least that is done, managed to squeeze it in to 3mm off square, I am happy with that. Should see my shed, thats heaps further out, and that was professionally built...

Anyway, hit a small snag on one of the holes, where I misjudged it and it was too far out, so I had to dig a bit out so the concrete had enough to go around the pole. Worked out well...

Also trial fitted the door which fitted perfectly, so now I can dig out the final hole, which will be used to secure the door when closed.

Dew straps for my 80mm scope and 17-40mm f4L Lens are completed along with my Dew Heater controller. So that project is now closed, I can work on the obs more..

http://i363.photobucket.com/albums/oo73/AstromanSID/Observatory/stuff-004.jpg

http://i363.photobucket.com/albums/oo73/AstromanSID/Observatory/stuff-003.jpg

[Astroman]

Final hole dug out and awaiting concrete, might have to do that after the Christmas rush... Got a couple of mates coming around before new years to do the welding for me.

[Astroman]

Okay finished the last pole off and added the door. I did this together so I could get the pole in the right position for the door, which was previously made. After all this had finished drying, I will get started on the structural part of the Observatory, which will require my mates to come around and help me weld it up.

[Astroman]

Did some more work on the Observatory today, also took some pictures of the progress, but I accidentaly deleted them off my camera before putting them on the computer... oops...

So here is a 30s exposure I did of the Framework of the Observatory as it is now...

http://i363.photobucket.com/albums/oo73/AstromanSID/Observatory/observatory-004.jpg

[Astroman]

Okay I was able to recover some of the lost files..

[Astroman]

The Observatory almost has a roof now and it works. Only the frame of it up so far, checking the distances between wheels etc.... Runs smooth in 99% of it's travel, a couple of little bumps here and there, where it goes off track a little, but this will be corrected once I get the side rollers on to keep it on track.

Here is a short animation of the roof opening and closing...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=av4Z67rj28g

[Astroman]

Apparently everyone in the area thought it was great I finally had some sort of roof on, they even celebrated by letting off a few fireworks and yelling with joy...

[bluescope]

My split roll off roof is held on by padlocks .... 4 per roof side and one each end .... so 10 all up ..... I'll see if I can find a photo of the setup .... I passed it on to another member last year. Where I live (on top of a hill) I get very strong easterly winds and I haven't had any problems .... with the padlock idea the roof can be locked down open or closed.

Cheers .... I'll look for photos if you want me to. :thumbsup:

[zipdrive]

Looking good! can't wait to see it complete:thumbsup:

It also looks like a missile launch platform with the dish on top:D I like..

[Astroman]

Thanks for the info Steve, I'll be interested in the pics, sounds like it's quite secure. We would be lucky to get a couple of days of really strong winds, but in winter we get some pretty nast fronts sometimes so better to be safe I think..



Thanks, I can't wait either :D Actually yes I can, because I still have to save to get the concrete in the hole and pier.

You not the first to mention this, one of my mates keeps asking me when the missiles will be launched :D

[bluescope]

Here are a couple of pics of the padlock setup .... you would have to adapt it to your observatory as you have all steel frame and different tracks to me .... you may just need to use latch fittings as I have used for the ends. I used off the shelf parts from Bunnings that could be assembled and disassembled as I knew I would be moving house soon after I built it. There are other photos of the observatory on my picasaweb site .... the link is in my signature.
I hope this helps.

Cheers :thumbsup:

[Astroman]

Thanks for the info Steve, some helpful shots.

[Astroman]

Okay, did a bit more today, got cooked doing it, but all worth it in the end.

Managed to make half the roof up and plan out the next stage for that, also added some reinforcement gussets to the inside of the observatory to prevent twisting. Also panelled up the sides. Will be getting the flashings made and add them in the next couple of days, so that should look good and prevent water coming in. Still a few problems with the roof but not major and certainly doesn't prevent the thing from opening.

[Exfso]

Coming along very nicely Andrew..:thumbsup:

[Tandum]

Those steel walls go up quick don't they. I'm still nursing small cuts on both hands from doing mine. Took a day to notice them.

[Astroman]

working with this stuff all day, I don't notice the cuts anymore, so one thing to be thankful for. Yes the walls went uo reasonably quick and was good to have some help. Going to be putting the flashings on today, so will post images up after that is done...

[Astroman]

Okay bit more done today, added the flashings to the corners and added the inner roofing panels. Also added a bit to the front to flush the front of the roof with the bottom bit. I am slowly getting the hang of Arc welding with this project. Rollers are still running a little rough, but I have an idea on fixing this, I was going to add side rollers but unfortunately the sides of the c section were not flat so I had to resort to other means.. Stay tuned more thinking on the way...

[Astroman]

Tested the roofing panels today for fit, also the capping.

[Astroman]

Hey not a great deal done due to time and money, but I was photographed working on the Observatory with a mate of mine.. Thought it would be interesting..

[Astroman]

Here is the latest pic with roof almost completed. Not a great deal of work done, but I am in no rush at this stage. Best to get things right as I do them.

[Astroman]

A little bit done since the last post, I have made the reo for the pier hole and that is almost ready to be concreted in. Also got the end Capping made up for the northern side of the Observatory, but unfortunately the capping did not match the drawings I made and as a result they were not right, so out with the tin snips and modified it to suit. I now need more flashings to make this look reasonable.

Slowly it is coming along, here is a couple of pics of the reo and the Capping...

[Astroman]

Here is a pic of the North End Observatory, with Capping finished... Just need to silicone some holes now.

http://i363.photobucket.com/albums/oo73/AstromanSID/Observatory/2011-08-19150235_filtered.jpg

[Astroman]

Okay a quick update since not much has happened... Ran into a few issues putting the big pier in so have decided to go with a smaller one. I will be ordering the concrete soon for the base, but in the mean time I will be prepping the base for it, adding rebar and boarding it up. Getting closer to finish now, although Still a few cosmetic things need to be done. I have made a Steel Pier for my HEQ5Pro which works great. I will be bolting this directly to the slab. Since I wont be inside the observatory while imaging, this will be quite stable.

[moonunit]

Really like the simplicity of this one, good job, am sorting through the ideas I find on the web for mine, just love the idea of a roll off roof.

[Astroman]

thanks, yes it is a simple design and works well at keeping the rain out.

[Astroman]

Hi guys,

Been a while since I had posted anything on this project. So here are a few images of the prep work in putting down some concrete and testing of the location of the pier etc.. Since I will not be in the observatory while imaging is taking place, I have decided to do a full slab, which will be around 100mm thick, maybe a little more. I thought while I am at it I will concrete the front of the Observatory also, which always seems to get very muddy when it rains. I am also going to remod my pier to make it a little stronger up top, possibly adding 15-20mm bolts to it for strength.

If all has gone to plan the concrete will be poured on Saturday morning, then I have to wait a bit more before putting the pier in... The Concreting will be done myself and a few friends, so hopefully it will turn out okay. If not, you wont see it in the dark :D

[astronobob]

Looking good Andrewtser, What happened to the big huge thick peir & tha huge hole for it etc in the other phots', sorry, i havent been watching for a while mate ?

[Astroman]

Yeah slight change of plans there Bob, it was a little too overkill, so since I will not be inside the Observatory during imaging, I am just going to use the large slab as the pier base...

[Astroman]

Slab has now been poured, only taken a few years LOL!

Had enough to do the front of the Observatory also...

It's not a professional job, but it will do the job :)

[Astroman]

Removed the forms and checked out where the pier would go, only to find out that with the mount attached it's about 100mm to high for the roof to close, now thats some bad planning on my part. :eyepop:

Good news is I have a welder mate coming tomorrow and we will modify the pier so it will all fit :) If not he may take it and do it at his house. We are also going to modify the door so I can at least lock it all up at night.

All this because I hadn't taken into account the height of the concrete... Live n Learn.... :thumbsup:

[Paul Haese]

Looks good Andrew, shame about the height of the pier but a shorter pier is better any way in the end. You can only usefully image from 34 degrees up off the horizon on any given night.

[Astroman]

Yeah, if I go another 200mm shorter I will need to learn to drift align properly LOL.. at least once it's all setup I only need to do this a few nights and it should be sweet..

[Paul Haese]

Contact Peter.M he knows about a program that will get you polar aligned in 5 minutes or so. No more drift aligning.

[Astroman]

yeah I got a program called EQAlign, a open source program (apparently) that does a quick align using two stars. Never used it properly, but looks pretty good.

[Paul Haese]

That might be it. I have seen Pete set up in 5 minutes before. Most it takes is 10 minutes from memory.

[Exfso]

Holy cow Paul have not done any astro in 2 yrs, I will need re-training:lol:

[Astroman]

LOL Pete.

[Paul Haese]

Not the same Peter.;) I know two or 4 or 5.:)

[Peter.M]

I use alignmaster, cost me about 20 bucks and its the best money I ever spent in this hobby. Having said that if I had my stuff set up permanently I guess the hassle of drift aligning would be less painful.

[Astroman]

Thanks Pete, I have heard of Alignmaster, I will try EQAlign on the Pier first see how we go.

[Exfso]

Hey Paul, I thought you meant me, now I know I haven't got the old timers disease as yet, but sure as hell could not remember that one. Thank God it was the other Peter M...:confused2:

[Astroman]

Pier has now been installed into the Observatory, now the fun begins of setting the mount and scopes up.... So My Observatory is almost complete, it's been a long road, many changes in design. I have to thank everyone who gave a little input as without it, I don't think it would have got as far as it did... Many times I wondered if I should continue, and many hours doubting myself. Now it's almost done, I am happy I did it. Only need to wire it into the sheds power supply and insulate the roof and bug proof it a little more.

No rain has made it's way in either :)

[Astroman]

Observatory is now pretty much complete. Still yet to run the cables into the Shed as a warm room, but for now I just leave the computer running and operate via Tablet. I have just purchased an 8" f/4 to go on the mount also and I must say it looks pretty good now. I am really happy with the performance of the mount and the refractor I had on it is now tucked away for widefield/portable work later on.. Pics show, 8" f/4 next to my 8" f/6, The refractor in the Observatory, and the Newt in the Observatory... C'mon sun go down....

[astronobob]

Its a long road Andrew, Glad you had some support as to finish it, but in the end, You have 'made it so' :P
Job well done and nothing Not to be proud of.
Looks like a real obs to me ;) :thumbsup:

[Astroman]

Thanks Bob, yep a very long road. but glad its done now.