Gday - I see a bit earlier that Mr Peter M was talking about Leyburn and observatories (not that you should believe a word he says
- but what the heck) he did convince me to put a warm room in my observatory at Leyburn. I have been there for the last 3 nights and it was minus 1 on Friday early morning (cold for a Gold Coast sook) - I was sitting in my control room in a T Shirt. It is a 5 x 3 metre framed shed with a 3 x 3 metre roof section that rolls off and leaves a smallish (1.7m x 3 m) room for a control / warm room. Walls and ceiling are fully insulated and I have found just having the computers and electronics running in there - the room stays comfortably warm - no need for the gas heater yet but that will change next month I am sure. The insulation also allows me to have Led Zepplin playing at dB levels that will make your ears bleed without annoying anyone else.
My advice is that an observatory should be a place you want to be in - not a cold miserable place you cant wait to get out of - I use this latest observatory 10 times as much as I used my last home observatory. It costs a couple of extra bucks but I think it is a great investment.
Someone asked about obs images efore - I dont have any of Petes but have included a couple of mine for ideas - best advice from Pete I ever got (Even supernova hunters have good ideas sometimes - I'm going to cop hell for this aren't I PM
)
I agree with Pete - please feel welcome to come bush as see us sometime
MB