Wouter D'hoye
sage
Reged: 06/27/03
Posts: 370
Loc: Belgium
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Hi folks,
I recently bough myself a house with a nice garden. But what's an astronomers' garden without an observatory???
So which would be the best way to do things?  I was thinking of constructing a roll off roof observatory about two by two meters in size. The observatory will house my 4" apo on the G11 mount.
Many thanks,
Wouter.
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4" f/8.8 Vixen Fluorite on GP-DX
SBIG ST-7 + CFW8a + Baader CLRGB-filters
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Anonymous
Unregistered
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A very common regret is making things too small. 2m x 2m sounds pretty small to me.
The drawback of a rolloff is it takes twice as much space, only half of which is usable. If you went with a dome you could go 3m x 3m and still take about the same overall space.
Michael
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ScottAz
Fleet Navigator
Reged: 02/06/05
Posts: 1143
Loc: Millington, TN
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I have to agree with Michael, and recommend a 3x3 meter dome. When we planned our observatory, we actually had a student gaze at the horizon and pace around in a full 360 degree circle. We marked her path and added a bit of elbow room all around.
For more info, check: http://www.cloudynights.com/observatories/stargate.html
 Clear skies!
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Scott Azmus
SV80BV, NexStar 11, & 18" Obsession 
Many Views Yield Truth
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Wouter D'hoye
sage
Reged: 06/27/03
Posts: 370
Loc: Belgium
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The dome observatory certainly has it's advantages but it has some disadavntages too. For example seeing. since there is only one opening all warm air from inside needs to get out through the observing slit. This causes turbulence. Even the "heat" produced by the observer can deteriorate seeing. It also lacks's the sense of being under the sky. And I don't know how my neighbours would feel about a dome in my garden. A roll-off roof observatory looks quite similar to a regular garden shed exept for the rails where the roof rolls on. The domed observatory has some advantages too. One very impourtant one is dew. Since the structure is rather closed less dew will get inside.
Anyway I will keep a dome in mind too.
By the way I read your article Scott. You and your students did a great job. Congrats!!
Best regards,
Wouter.
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4" f/8.8 Vixen Fluorite on GP-DX
SBIG ST-7 + CFW8a + Baader CLRGB-filters
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ScottAz
Fleet Navigator
Reged: 02/06/05
Posts: 1143
Loc: Millington, TN
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Merci, Wouter!  And I agree with your comments about wanting to have the whole dome open to the sky. As much as I do like a dome, it can seem somewhat confining. In fact, my next observatory (for an Obsession) will almost certainly be a roll-off roof. As for cool-down, we added two windows that help the equilibration process.
As for your neighbors, no matter what type building you decide upon, invite them over for a walk through of your intentions and later for the observatory's first light party and they'lll love you for it!
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Scott Azmus
SV80BV, NexStar 11, & 18" Obsession
Many Views Yield Truth
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kiwisailor
Pooh-Bah
Reged: 01/07/04
Posts: 1110
Loc: Lyttelton, New Zealand
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Scott  great job, did you use the "butt hinge" trick to secure the ribs of the dome?
And now I've reread the story, I see you did 
Steve
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Don't wait until tomorrow, start procrastinating today!
Sky-Watcher 8" F5 Newt
Mmmm Moonlite CR2
Edited by kiwisailor (02/22/05 12:39 AM)
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Wouter D'hoye
sage
Reged: 06/27/03
Posts: 370
Loc: Belgium
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You have some good point there Scott. Maybe I should make two designs and decide which is best when I have a complete view on the difficultis of building the observatory and total cost. If possible could you send me some construction details, in a PM if needed? I would be very thankful for it.
Best regards,
Wouter.
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4" f/8.8 Vixen Fluorite on GP-DX
SBIG ST-7 + CFW8a + Baader CLRGB-filters
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edwincjones
Post Laureate
Reged: 04/10/04
Posts: 4432
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I have a 12'x12' rolloff. I considered a 12' dome but those 4 corners sure are nice for storage. DO NOT make it too small, you may upgrade equiptment in the future.
Ed Jones
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n w arkansas
Binocular, Solar, General Amateur Astronomy
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Todd
Pooh-Bah
Reged: 02/23/04
Posts: 1381
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2m x2m does seem pretty tight. Set your mount and scope up and see how much space you really need around it.
I've got the pier for my G-11 about 29" (IIRC) from my south wall. There is just enough room to aim at a target due north but it's tight.
Don't forget to take into consideration the height of your walls. Obviously how far you can see towards the horizon depends on your specific location, but a 2m x 2m observatory might not allow you to see low on any of the horizons unless you have low walls.
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Wouter D'hoye
sage
Reged: 06/27/03
Posts: 370
Loc: Belgium
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Indeed 2m by 2m might be somewhat small. I've set up my scope in the lmiving room and drew the outline of my observatory on the floor. 2.5 by 2.5 however will be more than sufficient. Wall height will be approximately 2m or maybe somewhat less. It has no sense to get very low in the sky due to light pollution and humidity in my region.
Best regards,
Wouter.
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4" f/8.8 Vixen Fluorite on GP-DX
SBIG ST-7 + CFW8a + Baader CLRGB-filters
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Anonymous
Unregistered
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Roll-offs and domes both have advantages and disadvantages, of course. A key question is: how will it be used? I almost never use mine visually. I get things clicking away with my CCD and then go in the warming house and surf the net.  I have done visually observing in the past but it is not what I would optimize for.
The advantages of a dome (which I am familiar with moreso than the advantages of a roll-off) are:
1. Less dew.
2. Less wind.
3. Less scattered light.
4. Less bugs.
5. Smaller footprint.
Here are photos of my observatory.
Cheers,
Michael
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Wouter D'hoye
sage
Reged: 06/27/03
Posts: 370
Loc: Belgium
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I see you use a home dome, Michael. I think that is no option to me due to the cost of such a thing in Europe. So a very impourtant issue for me also is cost and difficulty to construct. (I'm still not turning my back to a dome)
Best regards,
Wouter.
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4" f/8.8 Vixen Fluorite on GP-DX
SBIG ST-7 + CFW8a + Baader CLRGB-filters
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JAT Observatory
Space Freak
Reged: 02/20/05
Posts: 5665
Loc: Eastern PA
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What about a Sirius dome. I know they have a supplier in the UK. I love mine.
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-Marcus
The problem with free speech is even the stupid have a voice.
http://jatobservatory.org
12" LX200R on a Paramount ME
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Wouter D'hoye
sage
Reged: 06/27/03
Posts: 370
Loc: Belgium
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Those domes look quite nice but aren't prefab domes very expensive?
Best regards,
Wouter.
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4" f/8.8 Vixen Fluorite on GP-DX
SBIG ST-7 + CFW8a + Baader CLRGB-filters
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Scott Horstman
Vendor- Backyard Observatories
Reged: 03/11/04
Posts: 4850
Loc: Island of Misfit Toys
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Hi Wouter. You can expect to pay nearly twice the amount for a dome compared to a roll-off. And there are pros and cons to either design. It's a matter of preference. You could compare some pricing at Backyard Observatories. I'm guessing the price differences would be similar in Europe. Whatever you decide on the main thing is you're equipment will be there waiting for you whenever you can go out.
Good luck'
Scott. www.backyardobservatories.com
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Scott.
My Gallery
12.5" f/8 EQ w/Byers gears
178ED/LXD750
102ED
100mm f/13 Carton refractor
PST
DSI, ST7
www.backyardobservatories.com
www.m1OASYS.com
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ScottAz
Fleet Navigator
Reged: 02/06/05
Posts: 1143
Loc: Millington, TN
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Hi Wouter,
Just shot you a PM (I think?)  with some details as to the Stargate Observatory's construction. If you don't get it (and for all others) I've added a very similar note to the Articles forum under Stargate Observatory.
Most importantly for those considering either a dome or roll off, I found the following links extremely helpful as we considered our options.
- Jim Pennington (a roll-off design): http://www.geocities.com/CapeCanaveral/Lab/6529/observtext1.html
- Michael Cook (a dome design with MANY helpful drawings): http://members.rogers.com/michaeljcook/obsnotes.html
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Scott Azmus
SV80BV, NexStar 11, & 18" Obsession
Many Views Yield Truth
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