| CCD
Imaging for Astrophotography Gallery of the Night Sky Clusters Nebulae Galaxies Solar System Messier Marathon Locations & Instruments Mt. Princeton Observatory Desert Star Observatory U2k Remote Control |
| CCD
Imaging for Astrophotography Gallery of the Night Sky Clusters Nebulae Galaxies Solar System Messier Marathon Locations & Instruments Mt. Princeton Observatory Desert Star Observatory U2k Remote Control |
Summer, 2002, I built a new home for my Celestron 14" Schmidt-Cassegrain. "Mt. Princeton Observatory" is located on a wide open and dark 35 acres at 8,450 feet elevation. It is situated at the foot of its namesake, 14,197-foot Mt. Princeton in Buena Vista, Colorado. Yes, the awesome land mass to the southwest does cause objects to set a little earlier than they might otherwise, but it is not a serious problem. The absence of light pollution and the otherwise 360-degree views makes this a dream location for some serious viewing and imaging.
The observatory is a modified roll-off roof design. It is modified in the sense that the roof and the complete sidewalls roll back over a stationary control room. This eliminates the need for a superstructure to hold the roof when it is in the rolled back position.
Design & Construction |
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Most of the framing sections were built in my garage-workshop. The completed sections were then hauled out to the pad about 100 yards from the house. |
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The entire structure was erected on a 13' x 21' x 6" thick concrete pad. This flies in the face of the concept that the telescope pier should be on a foundation that is isolated from the rest of the observatory floor. But for simplicity of construction, I wanted the entire movable section to roll right on the concrete pad, so I went with it. It has since proven to be a quite stable base for the pier. Here, my wife rests on the pad in anticipation of the construction which is about to commence. |
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The framing sections for the fixed structure were bolted directly to the concrete pad. The onboard generator of the motorhome in the background was used as a temporary power source for operating tools. Power was later run to the observatory.
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Next, the stationary walls of the observatory and control room were enclosed. The observatory is oriented due north-south. The totally enclosed control room is on the north end. Four-foot high walls surround the telescope enclosure to the south. |
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Six wheels were mounted to the bottom of each of the rolling side wall sections. The side wall frame was then positioned on the pad outside the stationary walls. |
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Rafters were added, and the rolling superstructure covering the telescope room was now operational. |
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Apply walls and a roof to the rolling section, and we are almost there.
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Ideally, I would have had a sloped roof but I went with a flat one for two reasons.
The roof was covered with a white rubberized material designed for waterproofing RVs. This material went on easily, and to date, there have been no problems with roof leakage. |
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A hinged drop panel was added to the south side. When folded up, it closes the structure up tight. But dropped down, it allows a south view down to the horizon. |
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 Closed |
 Rolled Back |
 Rolled back Control Room in background |
 Inside - roof rolled back |
 Inside - roof covered |
 View from the Control Room |
Thanks go to my wife, Leigh, and my brother, Don, who spent a considerable amount of their spare time this summer helping me with this project.
| Gallery of the Night Sky: | Clusters · Nebulae · Galaxies · Solar System · Messier Marathon |
| Locations & Instruments: | Mt. Princeton Observatory ·
Desert Star Observatory Remote Control · Camping & Astronomy |
Arizona Sky - astronomy astronomical celestial CCD imaging photography - Celestron telescope - Starizona
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