Man Builds Observatory

Time lapse of construction and some images taken with the telescope.

[@scorpianspirit5124]

This is undoubtedly one of the nicest amateur observatory builds I have ever seen. A round structure is so much more organic than building a square. Really well done indeed. This has given me inspiration for a future observatory of my own. And your images at the end of the video were spectacular ! I have just subscribed after seeing this video. Cheers from the high desert of Utah !

[@donstronomy7606]

Very kind of you, thank you! Despite the challenges of this design, it was always a dream of mine to have a round shape traditional observatory. It can also get very windy up here and this is another reason I went for a closed roof design. Nice to hear feedback on my images. I don't get that much. Thanks for subscribing, it really helps a lot. CS Don

[@acerimmeh]

Thanks for sharing. You did an awesome job mate. I like how you incorporated stones from the land into the structure, it would keep cost down, looks good and it goes great with landscape. You have a great place for the hobby too.

[@donstronomy7606]

Sorry acerimmeh, Thank you and sorry for such a late reply. I must have missed your comment. I too like how it blends in, thanks for noticing. Don

[@Ishikawa01]

@@donstronomy7606 Might be a dumb question from me but how is it earthed if the lightning hits the structure? And if it's not, won't everything in there fry? I'm asking because I see a lot of metal :)

[@oliphauntsneverlie6227]

You inspire me sir! And I envy your southern Australian skies!

[@donstronomy7606]

You are very kind. Thankyou. CS Don

[@flyboyu777]

Your observatory reminds me of the old and defunct one at the Prude Ranch (home of the Texas Star Party).

[@donstronomy7606]

I went searching online to see if I could find some images of the observatory with no luck. I would love to see a picture of it, if you ever come across one. CS Don

[@lukeinkson]

Epic 👍 I was looking at options to build a dome in my backyard and the headache that goes with the curved surfaces, but clearly a flat top works just fine!

[@donstronomy7606]

Hi Luke, I struggled with the build design as well. This was more simple to build and works very well. Thanks for the like👍

[@febsat]

Exceptional build! As a former contractor I was intrigued with your use of the rotating arm to layout and hold the wall studs in position for concrete placement. I am curious about the extended bolts holding the mount to the pier. Most technical articles I have read advise to keep those bolts as short as possible, to reduce potential mount movement. Does it perform well. Beautiful observatory!

[@donstronomy7606]

Hi febsat, Thanks' for the nice comments. You are correct, those bolts should be shorter. I have allowed for a larger mount in the future, so need a little extra height for low objects with my current mount. It seems to work fine. The last three images at the end of the video show images at 2350mm focal length and 5 minute exposure times. The stars are not to bad. Cheers

[@febsat]

@@donstronomy7606 Great to hear you are getting good results.

[@p.a.c.k1728]

"Is Don, is good" Amazing to see how your place has grown over the years. Super impressed by your skill set Donwaldo. (And the speedy photobombs from the dog made me grin)

[@donstronomy7606]

Thanks Nik, Got inspired to do do a time lapse after watching countless videos of other people building theirs. Yes the place has changed a little since you were here last. 25 years and still building LOL. I'm now doing maintenance to some parts and I haven't finished building yet.

[@That_Bender]

Holy smokes... The images at the end prove it was worth it. Wow...

[@donstronomy7606]

Thanks' Matthew.

[@davidaylsworth8964]

Nice build! I like the design you brought together for this observatory. Great images too.

[@donstronomy7606]

Thanks' David, much appreciated. CS

[@dankahraman354]

I will show your video to my contractor. Purchased an IStar 8.7" f/15 achromat+cell which was forwarded to Parallax Instruments for the OTA build...I am thinking maybe a 12' or 13' diameter round observatory. Thinking of weights on the OTA to equalize fore and aft tube weight. Strictly for lunar and planetary imaging and or observing. Using an old technology GEM (non goto). Setting circles were printed on paper, laminated, then sent to Parallax for the machined parts to which were affixed . Pointers are made of brass. I do like your observatory. Very clever. Your images aren't too shabby either.

[@donstronomy7606]

Wow, is that 8.7 inch refractor. That would be a big heavy scope. You would need a 4 meter observatory. That would be 3260mm of focal length. I take it that it's purely for visual observing?

[@dankahraman354]

I would be interested in anything you post. Incredible talent just like my contractor friend.

[@stephenhenderson3079]

Super impressive. Thanks for sharing!!

[@donstronomy7606]

Thanks' for watching Stephen.

[@lapisredux]

finally someone with the sense to use a jigsaw instead of a router for cutting curves......and doing away with the very heavy dome...very good options.

[@donstronomy7606]

Lol! Thank you. It does eliminate a lot of weight. Cheers Don

[@impatientastronomer4522]

This is stunning! Thanks for sharing the video…❤

[@donstronomy7606]

My pleasure 😊

[@nbw555]

Beautiful mate looks stunning, DSO images are amazing too

[@donstronomy7606]

Thank you Neil, much appreciated. Thanks for watching to the end.

[@Capitaine.Albator]

Beautiful 🤩 never saw a design like this👍🏻✌🏻🇨🇦

[@donstronomy7606]

Thank you Albator, I'm happy with the design

[@jackelrdhdhd4534]

Don EXCELLENT !! Thank You for sharing

[@donstronomy7606]

Your welcome.

[@ManishFrenchStudio]

Lovely 💖 beautiful thank you for sharing, clear sky 💓

[@donstronomy7606]

Thank you Manish. clear skies to you too.

[@scottrk4930]

Very impressive ! That looked like an awful lot of concrete to be mixed in such small quantities . Luv the Jig/Tool you made to run off the pier and circle the area for mounting the walls . Got to remember that one . Excellent images at the end as well . Cheers/SRK

[@donstronomy7606]

Thanks' Scott, The hardest was the concrete for the pier as it took about 10 mixes on my tiny mixer. As for the stonework a little goes a long way as you dont want it to go off before you finish mortaring the stones. As for the Jig, I will always try to find an easy sollution Lol. Thanks for liking the images and watching to the end. Clear skies Don

[@seanmolony-redstickastro238]

Nicely Done! Hats Off

[@donstronomy7606]

Thank you Sean.

[@billmurphypenguins3774]

Good effort, nice images too

[@donstronomy7606]

Many thanks

[@rundmk00]

Living the dream congrats mate 🔭🤩

[@donstronomy7606]

Thank you very much

[@harryiii3361]

im assuming you're a fellow aussie from the globular cluster at the end there and the gumtrees in the background. this is an awesome project would love to do something like this one day when i own my own place. im still stuck on a cheap star tracker for now (but its still a lot of fun)

[@donstronomy7606]

Hi Harry, Nothing wrong with the star tracker, still use one myself regularly. Yes, I am a fellow aussie. Hope you will get your own property and observatory one day. It took me fifty two years, so I hope it's not as long for you. CS Don

[@boyankassabov6974]

This is amazing! I really admire your spirit...and skills :D

[@donstronomy7606]

Thank you for the nice comments Boyan.

[@miketronix]

Nice build! Great achievement 🎉

[@donstronomy7606]

That's very kind of you, thank you. Don

[@chrisreid1093]

Superb job mate.

[@donstronomy7606]

Thanks Chris, we can do anything off grid yeah! I would love to come and visit your abode one day soon. Hope all is going well with you and Glenys. take care.

[@Rurutu1]

Bravo ! Beau travail !

[@donstronomy7606]

Thank you, much appreciated

[@knightclan4]

Great pictures

[@donstronomy7606]

Thank you Rick

[@edappi8172]

Hello Don, I built a 3m dome the year before you did in the centre of Bx, I was going to try and contact you to offer ( if you wanted to borrow it ) a Ocal collimator. Your build is impressive, I liked the way you used your pier as a set out tool! I went with a dome as I saw lots of ROR ones that leaked, mine is basically Aluminum for the dome and steel for the supporting cylinder, the timber dome builders also seemed to struggle with the concept of how to build and waterproof, all the dome panels on mine are sealed with non setting mastic and have a metal overlap, it hasn't leaked in any weather we have had, even those storms last week. I am having trouble with my Hyperstar and would appreciate a trip out to see your setup or would be happy to show you my dome, I'm on IIS as appiice, best regards Ed

[@donstronomy7606]

Hi Ed, nice to hear from a local astrophotographer. Not too many of us about. I have leaking issues with my roof also, not to bad considering it's a flat roof. I just keep a BBQ cover over the rig just in case. I will eventually change my rooftop design one day when I make it completely remote. I just looked up the Ocal collimator, they look impressive. Your drone looks amazing, did you buid it yourself? very impressive. It would make great footage of my observatory to add to a new intro video one day. Lol! I will join IIS and send you my contact details Cheers Don

[@edappi8172]

@@donstronomy7606 Hello Don, I have some ideas for a cheap, simple to do dome, using trapezoids, my dome had gores that were / are a difficult shape to do in a home workshop, anyway if interested I can let you know what I was thinking. thanks for joining IIS. BTW, I am having a focus problem with the Ocal, I'm going to try it on the bum of the C11, Ed

[@myskies]

Very cool observatory 👍

[@donstronomy7606]

Thank you ☺️

[@knightclan4]

I look forward to getting an observeratory someday. Thanks for sharing your knowledge.

[@donstronomy7606]

Thank you Rick, I hope it helps one day.

[@shakyamohanty5798]

It's always my dream to build an observatory. You did it amazing Sir. ♥from India

[@donstronomy7606]

Thank you very much Shakya, I hope you get to fulfil that dream.

[@shakyamohanty5798]

@@donstronomy7606 I will definitely Sir.

[@gregmckay666]

How do you manage rainwater on the flat roof?

[@donstronomy7606]

Hi Greg, It's generally pretty good as there is sufficient flashing around the shutter to stop water getting in. If there is a strong storm with high winds, there is a small amount of water that manage to bounce up over the flashing and get in. I have my telescope protected inside with large vinyl barbeque cover that stops any moisture if it does breach the flashing. So far it has not been a big issue for me. I hope to do an observatory tour video soon which will show some more detail.

[@dankahraman354]

I would have liked to have seen the top of the observatory...how does the opening work? What was the cost of materials?

[@donstronomy7606]

I managed the build for around $2.6 - 2.7k Australian dollars. I hope to do a follow up video soon on the rotation and the hatch opening. The hatch basically slides on small flat nylon rollers. The dome rotates on 12 rubber wheels. I hope to motorize it one day. That will be another video.

[@dankahraman354]

@@donstronomy7606 Thanks Don. I certainly will keep you under watch. Lots of talent for a super hobby!

[@williamsouthall1048]

Would love to see more of your track system you came up with

[@donstronomy7606]

Hi William, hope to do an upgrade / maintenance on it in the near future. Sounds like a video to me.

[@williamsouthall1048]

@@donstronomy7606 that would be a great video! I would definitely tune in! Thanks for your Reply!

[@johnlarsen8527]

Amazing Donald!

[@donstronomy7606]

Cheers John, it's been something that I have wanted to document for a while now. I've left it on the shelf for a while. I started the build pre covid and finished it at the start of lockdown. It would be nice to have you and Sharon over some time. We should tee it up with bro and Kitty one weekend. Take care

[@johnlarsen8527]

@@donstronomy7606 Sounds good Don. It'll be great to check out your place again. I'll speak to Shayne...

[@Rita-Avila1982]

Don,it's very Impressive you've made(build)

[@donstronomy7606]

Thank you Avila.

[@denniswatson5066]

Well done 👍

[@Deustoman]

Hi @donstronomy7606 - Pretty awesome build! Congratulations for that!.... Did you design this yourself or did you work on pre-exisiting design? I would be very interested in building something similar... Are there any blue print available that you could share? Thank you!

[@donstronomy7606]

Hi Deustoman, The design is my own. I don't really have any blue prints. It's a 3 metre diameter observatory. All uprights are metal wall studs cemented into the ground. Approximately 600mm apart. Placed the door frame first then divided the remaining circumference by 12, I think? that gave me the spacing between uprights. I used the pier as the centre of a compass with levels to keep it all straight and circular and to align the uprights. I used aluminium strips about 1.5mm think and 75mm wide to join all studs top middle bottom rails inside and out. Easy to bend into shape. Then the walls screwed to this. The rollers for the roof bolt between the two top rails and are adjusted to position with nuts either side of the coasters with some 3/8 metal threaded rod. Hope to get a web site up and running in the near future. I will have better details on the observatory build as it has been popular. I will post link in my video descriptions when I have the website constructed. Cheers Don

[@Deustoman]

@@donstronomy7606 . Hi... Thank you very much for your reply and for the guidelines... I will definitely consider this as it looks relatively simple to build but very functional at the same time. I am just wondering about the thermal insulation, thermal footprint of the structure... Have you experienced any issues there?

[@pedromamoruhirose2942]

Nice! Hirose from Japan!

[@donstronomy7606]

Thank you very much Hirose

[@bobanderson413]

Nice work. Puts my effort to shame. Great photos,too.

[@donstronomy7606]

Thank you Bob.

[@dankahraman354]

very talented man

[@donstronomy7606]

Thank you very much Dan.

[@John-fy7hx]

Man do good job👍🏻

[@donstronomy7606]

Thank you John

[@andygaras]

nice build

[@donstronomy7606]

Thank you Andy, glad you liked it.

[@user-ju4yf3xb7z]

Super

[@donstronomy7606]

Thanks

[@russellhahn217]

Is that colour woodland grey?

[@donstronomy7606]

Basalt! I like it! It's the same color as the shed, I wish the color was available when I started building the house. lets catch up for a drink, hope to be down in Sydney sometime soon. Take care

[@russellhahn217]

......and that observatory is really something mate. 👏

[@Filbertdog]

Reminds me of Ned Kelly’s helmet, was it an influence? It looks fantastic Don l’m looking at doing something similar now I’ve seen this anyway, inspirational!😢

[@tadster3682]

The man I always wanted to be

[@donstronomy7606]

LOL! Believe me, if I could have afforded to have someone else build it, I would have.

[@bonairecloudynightsobserva2297]

Wau

[@aireneavila6470]

Nice build! Don watch your video and subscribes(from Philippines)

[@donstronomy7606]

Hello Airene. Thank you for watching and subscribing. It's been 14 years since we visited the Philippines, Hopefully we can visit sometime in the future.