Observatory water feature

[AstroJunk (Jonathan)]

How about this one?

My builder dug the trench for the power and network just a few hours before a thunderstorm passed over Brisbane. Nice moat don't you think. I'm considering a drawbridge...

[DavidU (Dave)]

Some gold fish, ducks & water lily's, it's a goer.

[Ric]

Thankfully your a bit too far south for the croc's to move in.

They would make a great security feature though.

[noswonky (Peter)]

Every observatory should have a moat - for obvious reasons.

[h0ughy (David)]

hope that water is not going into the observatory?? how about sharks in the moat

[astroron (Ron)]

It would look good with a fountain Jonathon

[issdaol (Phil)]

if you feed the water in through your scope tube under pressure it might make a good water cannon for fighting fires in your neighborhood

[AstroJunk (Jonathan)]

After todays rain its more like Noah's Ark than an observatory.

The good news is that I get to buy more telescopes as they have to go in two by two

[Alchemy (Clive)]

Looks like you have great outlook for the observatory, plenty of sky and not much civilization.

[AstroJunk (Jonathan)]

Originally Posted by Alchemy

Looks like you have great outlook for the observatory, plenty of sky and not much civilization.

Thanks, the horizon is very good, but unfortunately there are still too many people about for the sky to get darker than 5.5

I added a fountain to the moat earlier - I think the soft focus of my mobile phone really captures the romance

[lacad01 (Adam)]

Originally Posted by h0ughy

how about sharks in the moat

With laser beams
Nice looking obs by the way

[allan gould]

I thought you were just recycling the dew off the observatory.

[troypiggo (Troy)]

I'd try to keep that thing drained as much as possible to avoid excessive water soaking in to the observatory foundations and causing ground swell/movement. Can you syphon it out downhill?

[allan gould]

Troy has a point. When I put my power in I took it to the back end of the observatory ie lowest point and then took it up to the power inlet, so that any water channeling down hill where I had put in the coduiting would travel away from the observatory. Other water that would travel on the surface downhill was also diverted away using gravel beds and the flower bds around the observatory. This way the pier etc remain dry under the observatory and I hope a relatively constant state.
Just a thought.

[AstroJunk (Jonathan)]

Yes, I took the precaution of draining the ditch with a bilge pump I had - it took three hours at 4000 lt per hr!

[snowyskiesau]

Depending on what's used to fill the trench, it could continue to act as a drain.

It might be worth continuing it for a metre or so past the observatory so that any water it does channel, doesn't accumulate around the foundations or seep into the observatory itself.