How to build a Telescope Dome and Sub-Building

This video documents the complete construction of a 16-feet (5 m) Ash Dome, including the Sub-Building. It was built over an 11-day period, mainly by two people, with extra help at times. Footage is mostly time-lapse with some drone footage and still images mixed in.
ATLAS Project Homepage: fallingstar.co...
South African Astronomical Observatory: www.saao.ac.za/
Ash-Dome Homepage: ashdome.com/
Eyethu Alpha Civils : alphacivil.co.z...

[@chantalfourierealestatepho4585]

Well done Willie & Nic for overcoming constant battles with the wind, for improvising when instructions weren't very clear and for documenting the whole process for us to appreciate.

[@MarkSeibold]

A great video documenting all of your fine construction work on the dome, and I enjoyed your narration throughout. It reminds me a lot of watching our home being built that I designed and helped to work on with my wife and daughter and I, 33 years ago. You're fine construction work here on the dome shows that with a little perseverance and help from others, things can positively get done as planned. The deterrent of the wind coming up at times also reminds me where we built our home in the Columbia River Gorge east of Portland Oregon, as East winds there will gust very high at times. But after wind storms subside the night sky is beautiful and dead still atmosphere as really beautiful, a nearly official dark sky site that I had for 20 years in that home. After watching your entire video now, it really inspires me to go design another home and build again! Thanks for posting this Willie.

[@kensmith9235]

Thanks Willie - this is fantastic! Great for our Chilean colleagues! Looking forward to getting the telescope itself installed in the dome!

[@benbeer]

Dankie Willie het dit baie geniet.

[@juandavidbarrada]

What a great video! That would be like a dream come true for me! Enjoy guys!!!

[@SterremanWillie]

Thanks Juan. Glad you enjoyed my video! We are heading up there again shortly to finished the job. Perhaps I'll make another video then, but not as eventful as last time.

[@joshmyer9]

Oh man, learning how to do framing on a circular wall, in significant wind, with a two man team and no local expert to train you? That's pretty impressive, speaking as someone who learned how to do it from experts, on small, square walls, indoors. The results look great, and the process was interesting to see. Thanks for sharing, and RIP to your second camera.

[@bowlweevil4161]

a pneumatic nail gun would have saved you a lot of time

[@nataliejones7430]

Fantastic! Great job guys.

[@asnaroscience]

Wooooow this is so amazing!!!!! I didn't know that the domes are made of wood😲 I am happy to know you and the members of the observatory are fine under this pandemic. Thank you for sharing this hyper interesting video. Great work Willie! (Mayuko)

[@crosisofborg5524]

Pandemic 🤣 🤦‍♂️

[@SpaceFactsWax]

Thanks for uploading. I got the opportunity to witness a rocket launch in 2018. Memorable experience. I shared a pretty cool montage of the journey to my channel.

[@the5-starreview871]

I thank you sir. I am building my own Observatory.

[@SterremanWillie]

Great, good luck with the build. Don't forget to capture it on video!

[@psuaero100]

Amazing video and great looking observatory.

[@asb408]

Thank you for the video. I have used the data from this telescope in two research papers obtained directly from the ATLAS website, but I have no idea of the hard work involved in building this facility.

[@SterremanWillie]

Wow! Great to hear! It was a hard work, but very rewarding! Wonderful team to have worked with. Make sure you also watch the other video when we installed the telescope.

[@jankotze1959]

Great video Willie, congratulations for erecting the building and Dome, nice video, You mentioned the Pier, is that part of the floor and foundation or is the Pier a stand-alone part of the the structure

[@jotaqu755]

Very good work!!! Greetings from Argentina.

[@SterremanWillie]

Great, thanks! Nice to hear from someone from South America.

[@jotaqu755]

@@SterremanWillie I am a civil engineer and I work in construction, but I love astronomy. My dream is to build a dome for my telescope when I retire from my job. Good skies in the southern hemisphere. Sutherland and Buenos Aires are less than one degree south latitude. Greetings from 34°35′59″ S!!!!

[@SterremanWillie]

@@jotaqu755 wonderful! So we can see the same sky! It will great to see your end result. Clear skies!

[@troyfrei2962]

Great video!!! Please add more videos, Please keep us KZbinrs update on your Telescope Images!!

[@ianglass8156]

Fascinating!

[@risby2]

Good information, thanks

[@com64able]

Super cool, and super hard work

[@ManishFrenchStudio]

Wow dear, knowledge video 💖💖💖,🙏 thank you 😊❤️ for sharing 🎁🎁🎁🎁🎉🎉🎉

[@klebercabral4823]

Good Job!!! Where could i get an observatory like that???

[@SterremanWillie]

Thanks. Speak to "Ash Dome", they supplied both the dome and sub-building.

[@DeepakSingh-mb9be]

Love this can u share the photos of universe that is taken by this inside telescope

[@SterremanWillie]

Good the hear you liked the video. The images produced by the telescope is rather boring, since it more science data. See atlas.fallingstar.com/ for more info.

[@MrGundawindy]

I love that you named the 2 long planks after the helpers that didn't help. 😂😂😂😂😂😂 I may have missed the xplanation, butwhy does the walkway not align with the doorway?

[@ProfSimonHolland]

excelent.

[@johntrueblue]

wish i could have a dome like this in my backyard. I did notice when putting the door up, its slightly of center to the concrete walk way...lol

[@SterremanWillie]

Indeed, any amateur's dream. Yes, the offset ramp puzzled lots of viewers. I do mention the reason in passing, but the story is that they day after the slab was cast, they realised the door must rotate slightly to clear the upper floor support. The pad was subsequently extended.

[@abbasjafri5948]

Nice work.

[@SterremanWillie]

Thanks.

[@verotsering3476]

AMAZING!!

[@EricBarger]

What is the inside diameter of the building?

[@johanleroux1085]

Wow!

[@esutton493]

You obviously didn't take into account where the walkway was poured for the door. I would think that it would've been pretty important to get the door centered on the walkway, but evidently not too important.

[@SterremanWillie]

One day after the pad (and ramp) was poured, it was discovered that the door must rotate since there was a clash between the door and one of the pillars supporting the mezzanine floor. I do mention this in the video (from minute 3:24) and the ramp was subsequently widened. So not too important since it could be easily fixed yes.

[@konstantinparchevsky2031]

Did you isolate the pier from the foundation of the building?

[@SterremanWillie]

We normally isolate the piers, but not in this case. I queried this, but the client said it is not necessary because the telescope has a very wide field of view (5.5 x 5.5 degrees), meaning any vibration will not be visible. So far we had no trouble, even in high winds.

[@srpheavyindustries888]

The door isn't aligned with the walk. All that work and laying things out and you didn't notice the door wasn't lined up with the walkway? That's a shame. The rest looks pretty good.

[@SterremanWillie]

Thanks. If you listened to the narration, you will hear what the problem was. In my follow-up video you will see how we fixed it.

[@srpheavyindustries888]

@@SterremanWillieah I think I missed it because I had trouble understanding you. I still don’t understand why you couldn’t shift the door opening over. It’s just studs and a round building. But very interesting video and quite fun to observe it being constructed by hand and so few people.

[@SterremanWillie]

@@srpheavyindustries888 It was an interesting set of events. The owners oof the dome realised the day when the concrete work was done, that one of the supports for the top floor falla accross the doorway, but due to the 12 hour time difference between Hawaii and South Africa, the message got delayed. It was also a few days before Covid deep lockdown. But was easily solved in the end.

[@ropeaccessinspection9472]

Is mal oor die video