Red Barn Observatory MPC/IAU H68
Established 2006
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The Observatory
Plans for the observatory originally started in 2002 with only a basic idea of what would be needed for proper operations. A well built, sound building would be needed to withstand any strong storms that would pass through (and they regularly do) and sturdy enough to last for many years. So, when I built the observatory, it was constructed as well as any house or home. After lots of thinking, I decided to make the largest part of the building 16' x 20' and the telescope area would be 8' x 8'. This would allow plenty of room for other storage, and enough room to install a 20 inch telescope (someday).
For the floor, I decided to go with concrete instead of wood for its durability and sturdiness. The first step was to level the ground and prepare it so the concrete will be perfectly level, and I wanted it thick. The entire area was hand dug by shovel to remove the soft topsoil. After I removed all of the topsoil, it was filled back in with hard, red clay and was constantly watered for several days to allow it to become soaked. Once it dried, the clay would nearly become like concrete itself. This would assure a solid pad for the concrete to sit on, with virtually no movement of the ground underneath. A wooden "concrete form" was installed with enough height to allow the concrete to be 6 inches thick, and a vapor barrier was installed to prevent the concrete from "sweating" during rainy days. Just for the heck of it, I dug a trench around the entire perimeter 12 inches thick by 12 inches deep and the 8' x 8' area where the scope sits was dug to nearly 12" thick. With the current 0.3m SCT mounted on its factory tripod there are NO noticeable vibrations in the images. If the floor was made of wood, then a concrete pad or pier would have been installed in the scope area.
The walls were framed and constructed with 2x4 studs just as in a house, except they were all screwed in place instead of nailed. I'm a firm believer in screws. Before the concrete dried, I placed in 3/4 inch bolts to dry-in with the concrete. This is how I tied the walls down. Once a wall was built, I measured the bolts in the concrete and drilled holes in the bottom plate of the wall for the bolts to slide through-then the washers and nuts were tightened to form a "strong as steel" wall. After the walls were up, the framing for the roof was next. It too was built out of 2x4s but since they were placed every 16 inches (like the walls) it would be good and strong. To further strengthen the roof, I made a 8" beam and ran it down the center length of the entire building. It was made out of plywood sandwiched and glued between 2x6s (very strong). Of course I needed help installing this since it weighed a couple hundred pounds. After all of the ceiling and roof boards were installed, I "stripped" the roof with 1x4s since I was planning to install a metal roof.
After the walls and roof were framed, it was time to seal up the outside. This was done with water-proof 3/4 inch plywood. I decided that it would last longer than anything else (other than brick or metal) but it would have to be painted ever so often-I don't mind. Because I took my time with the framework of the building, the installation of the plywood was easy. It formed tight, well sealed barrier that should last for many years. To add to the looks and strength of the outside walls, I added pressure treated "rough cut" 1" x 8" boards every 16". It gave the building that old-time barn look that I was wanting. Of all the observatories I've seen on the Internet, I haven't saw one that was designed with an antique look. It's surely different.
The tough part was the retractable roof. I didn't want it to be a roll-off design because, well I guess I wanted to be different. So I built a roll-in design. It's controlled by a Craftsman heavy duty garage door opener and works fairly well. When opening and closing the roof, I have to manually assist it to keep from overloading the motor of the garage door opener.
Observing Room #1
The Observing Room #1 is located on the west side of the observatory and currently contains a 0.30-meter Meade LX200 GPS. This room measures 8' x 8' and is the primary observing room of the observatory. Once the roof has been retracted in this room, the walls are capable of folding in to allow a wider view of the sky. The advantage of this room is its very good view of the western sky and allows for good comet hunting just after sunset. The disadvantage of this room is that the eastern skies are blocked due to the obstruction of the main building. So, only half of the sky is visible from this room - which is enough to keep me busy every night.
Observing Room #2
The Observing Room #2 is planned to contain a larger telescope and will be located on the eastern wall of the observatory. It's design will allow the telescope to actually be slightly higher than the primary building and will be able to image most of the sky. I originally planned to install a dome on the Observing Room #2 but have decided to install a roll off roof to eliminate the dome controls. A simple roll off roof will work better than the dome and will be satisfactory.
Construction Pictures:
June 20, 2007 - These pictures show the foundation for the scope pier mount that is to be installed in the Observing Room #2. It took 640 lbs of concrete and measures approximately 30" x 30" x 30". Once the foundation cures well, the pier mount itself will be 24" x 27" and approximately 6 to 7 feet high to allow the scope to be installed in the 2nd floor of the new room.
Finally, I have a little free time and began construction of the pier. August 30, 2007 The outer walls of the pier will be constructed of standard brick, then the inside will be filled with solid concrete - wire reinforced. Once finished, stucco will be applied to the outer walls of the pier and it will then be sealed and painted. As of September 3, 2007, the pier is up to approximately 65" and is very heavy. The room has been laid out and is ready for the wood floor to be installed. The pier weighs in between 1 & 1.5 tons.
Computer Control Room
Anyone who spends a few hours fighting swarms of mosquitoes or try to do any observing in sub freezing temperatures, quickly learn that they need a warmer spot to do their observing (if using CCD). The Computer Control Room is located on the eastern side of the building and contains some of the computers and controls for the telescope and camera. It contains a cool air conditioner as well as 2 small "space heaters" that warms the room nicely. The room measures 5' x 15' and is large enough to allow 3 to 4 people plenty of room for working. Since a high-speed network connection has been added to the observatory the Computer Control Room normally operated solo. The telescope and CCD is operated from the main computer inside my home. The photo's below show some of the construction as well as a finished room.
Copyright © 2010 The Cometary Space Web of Steve E. Farmer Jr.
Last modified 08/31/2010 02:35 PM -0700
This web site has been active since March 1, 2006
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