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 Table Rock Observatory
 
fellrider
post Nov 9 2006, 11:17 PM
Post #1


Interstellar Medium
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Joined: 5-June 06
Posts: 38
From: Black Forest, CO, USA



While I'm building a wholey unremarkable observatory with my Explora-Dome, I thought I'd add it to the AstroSkies collection.

The dome was delivered around 5pm 10/25, 12 hours ahead of schedule to try to beat a snow storm. This was the scene the next day:



I had been wondering how I was going to move the dome the 200 yards from where John dropped it off to its permanent site by myself, but watching my daughter slide in her plastic sled across the snow solved that problem...



I used 2x6s for the frame and flooring joists. There are 4x4 posts into concrete on the corners and the center of each side.



I used 3/4" OSB for the floor. Don't look close enough at the picture to notice the "this side down" labels I didn't see until after installing... :oops:



How high do the walls need to be to make the observatory reasonably comfortable for a 48" long, 10" diameter newtonian 'scope on a GEM mount? Damned it I know, so I decided to just test out a couple different heights. I can also say I watched Mercury transit across the Sun in my new observatory now :wink:

-Bruce
Black Forest, Colorado
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Posts in this topic
fellrider   Table Rock Observatory   Nov 9 2006, 11:17 PM
admin   Thanks For Sharing!!!! Great Pics :wink:   Nov 10 2006, 08:36 AM
Starchaser   Looks great so far Bruce, use these few warm days ...   Nov 10 2006, 09:05 AM
327Bob   Hey....why worry about how high you want the walls...   Nov 10 2006, 05:46 PM
Futzman   Re: Table Rock Observatory   Nov 10 2006, 10:51 PM
Richard B. Drumm   Bruce: You look to have an Atlas mount on your sc...   Nov 11 2006, 08:11 AM
SteveDurham   Hi Rich....I like the idea of the observatory bein...   Nov 11 2006, 08:46 AM
fellrider   Bruce: You look to have an Atlas mount on your sc...   Nov 11 2006, 11:45 AM
Ron Walker   Bruce, In the first picture with the snow, did ...   Nov 11 2006, 12:38 PM
Richard B. Drumm   Bruce: Ah, I see now. With your scope 8" low...   Nov 11 2006, 02:35 PM
327Bob   Bruce: Ah, I see now. With your scope 8" low...   Nov 11 2006, 03:48 PM
fellrider   Bruce, In the first picture with the snow, did ...   Nov 11 2006, 03:53 PM
Ron Walker   That's really interesting. Not only does the ED p...   Nov 11 2006, 04:14 PM
fellrider   http://img297.imageshack.us/img297/2186/dscn0187wo...   Nov 13 2006, 09:16 PM
SteveDurham   THAT looks like it will be an extremely remarkable...   Nov 13 2006, 10:01 PM
Rick Needham   I agree with what Steve has said...it looks great ...   Nov 14 2006, 12:03 AM
Jim Scott   Hobbit doors   Nov 14 2006, 03:24 AM
fellrider   The high gust was actually 57MPH, pretty good fore...   Nov 14 2006, 07:52 PM
fellrider   I don't really want a transition that is 10" ...   Nov 18 2006, 10:16 AM
fellrider   Built the two circular transition rings. Used Ric...   Nov 19 2006, 08:36 PM
fellrider   The galvanized pipe has thick walls and could hold...   Nov 19 2006, 08:42 PM
Jim Scott   Interesting approach   Nov 21 2006, 03:20 AM
Jim Scott   Dome door   Nov 21 2006, 03:51 AM
fellrider   Maybe I'll paint mine green :!:   Nov 21 2006, 09:30 PM
fellrider   Finished welding the metal frame and the 115v wiri...   Nov 24 2006, 05:26 PM
fellrider   The wind chill today ranged from 20F to a high of ...   Nov 24 2006, 05:29 PM
SteveDurham   I LIKE it!! and you are going to enjoy it when th...   Nov 24 2006, 06:42 PM
admin   This has to be the most affortable and well design...   Nov 24 2006, 07:13 PM
Jim Scott   Lookin good   Nov 24 2006, 07:26 PM
Rick Needham   Looks GREAT fellrider! Keep pushin' on! :D Cool lo...   Nov 24 2006, 09:26 PM
NeoDinian   Re: Lookin good   Nov 24 2006, 10:23 PM
fellrider   This has to be the most affortable and well design...   Nov 25 2006, 06:45 PM
fellrider   Moved ring to the observatory. Cut out OSB roof t...   Nov 26 2006, 07:07 PM
Richard B. Drumm   Dang good idea, having the screws melt their way i...   Nov 26 2006, 08:11 PM
fellrider   After two weeks of snow and temps in the single di...   Dec 10 2006, 06:07 PM
Richard B. Drumm   Nice job, Fellrider! Way to go! I wonder just how...   Dec 10 2006, 08:31 PM
Rick Needham   WoooHooo!!! Looks GREAT fellrider!!!! :D   Dec 10 2006, 11:10 PM
SometimesKen   Very cool !! Congrats on your "Domed...   Dec 11 2006, 07:03 PM
327Bob   Nice Job Fellrider... much better looking with r...   Dec 12 2006, 05:15 AM
Richard B. Drumm   Fell: Have you given any thought to weathersealin...   Dec 12 2006, 08:39 AM
fellrider   Nice Job Fellrider... much better looking with r...   Dec 12 2006, 11:04 PM
fellrider   Fell: Have you given any thought to weathersealin...   Dec 12 2006, 11:10 PM
fellrider   I finished the wiring today. http://img222.images...   Dec 12 2006, 11:32 PM
Richard B. Drumm   Nice looking scope, Fell! :lol: Even better loo...   Dec 13 2006, 05:25 PM
scootmyster   Looking good   Dec 13 2006, 07:27 PM
Mark Cislo   Very nice job! and WOW; what a backyard view! Cong...   Dec 13 2006, 07:36 PM
fellrider   Re: Looking good   Dec 13 2006, 09:06 PM
fellrider   Nice looking scope, Fell! :lol: Even better loo...   Dec 13 2006, 09:18 PM
Richard B. Drumm   I do not have the GOTO version, just the older mod...   Dec 13 2006, 10:16 PM
NeoDinian   Now THATS a worthwhile mod.. :) Much better t...   Dec 13 2006, 10:32 PM
327Bob   Rich.... That idea is fantastic... My small ref...   Dec 14 2006, 01:53 AM
Richard B. Drumm   I can't take any credit for the design, it's all E...   Dec 14 2006, 11:49 AM
E.Tetzlaff   Looks nice Rich, I was looking to do something wit...   Dec 15 2006, 08:45 AM
fellrider   Put the trim on the edges (it's metal roof edging ...   Dec 20 2006, 02:48 PM
fellrider   Blizzard test not very successful   Dec 20 2006, 03:05 PM
327Bob   That was from 40 MPH winds .. ? I would expec...   Dec 20 2006, 04:49 PM
Richard B. Drumm   Fell: Looks like the wind-blown snot (this time I...   Dec 20 2006, 06:37 PM
Ron Walker   That's unbelievable. Especially at the house! I'...   Dec 20 2006, 06:56 PM
fellrider   That was from 40 MPH winds .. ? I would expec...   Dec 20 2006, 08:43 PM
fellrider   Fell: Looks like the wind-blown snot (this time I...   Dec 20 2006, 08:45 PM
E.Tetzlaff   WOW The snow around the shutter worries me with m...   Dec 21 2006, 10:06 AM
rsbfoto   Hi, Reading about the problem of snow geting in...   Dec 21 2006, 10:26 AM
fellrider   I'm not sure about that. Rain isn't nearly as f...   Dec 21 2006, 12:29 PM
327Bob   For everyones Info... I never unsubscribed t...   Dec 22 2006, 06:44 AM
fellrider   For everyones Info... Just a quick read at 7 Am...   Dec 22 2006, 09:13 PM
fellrider   Well the storm ended last night. Sunny and much w...   Dec 22 2006, 09:42 PM
fellrider   Ok, in the week between the last snow storm and th...   Dec 30 2006, 11:32 PM
fellrider   Installed the computer today. The computer is mad...   Dec 30 2006, 11:35 PM
E.Tetzlaff   Just a thought, but looking at the dome oppening I...   Jan 2 2007, 08:26 AM
fellrider   I hadn't considered something that you just instal...   Jan 2 2007, 07:18 PM
E.Tetzlaff   Yes, I was also looking at different weather strip...   Jan 3 2007, 09:15 AM
fellrider   This is my current solution to keep snow from comi...   Jan 29 2007, 12:37 AM
Richard B. Drumm   Bruce/fellrider: Now that's what I call using the...   Jan 29 2007, 08:19 AM
327Bob   The Pipe Insulation is exactly what I have been us...   Jan 29 2007, 10:12 AM
NeoDinian   That was a thought I had a while back for insulati...   Jan 29 2007, 10:24 AM
dbeckstrom   Has anyone ever came across a source for something...   Jan 29 2007, 10:32 AM
fellrider   Five month update: - Flat roof/isomeric roof bru...   May 12 2007, 09:29 PM
Richard B. Drumm   Fellrider! Welcome back, long time no sneeze...   May 12 2007, 11:07 PM
Ron Walker   This is my current solution to keep snow from comi...   May 13 2007, 09:04 AM
fellrider   Just a four year update... Dome is still doing fi...   Dec 5 2009, 09:19 PM

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