Observatory

Installed 2010

Once I started Deep Sky Imaging it became very obvious that it was a lot of work and time to set up and I was constantly trying to think of ways I could leave the majority of the telescope set up. There is nothing more frustrating than doing all that work, just getting it all nicely balanced and ready to start imaging when the clouds roll in. Soul destroying. At that time I was setting up on the patio and trailing my cables through the window so I could sit in the conservatory in the warm.

I managed to get permission from my very easy going other half to have an observatory and then spent a few weeks trying to decide where the best place was to put it.

Viewed from the house February 2010

It will be tucked behind the shed on the left. As you can see there are a lot of tall trees at the end of my garden, so the observatory cannot be down that end. Having it half way down the garden also opens up a lot of the sky behind the house which I currently can’t use when I have the telescope on the patio.

Decking Frame

Decking complete

2’ x 2’ x 3’ deep hole.Took ½ day of heavy digging with the help of a very long tool.Very difficult once we hit clay!!Dirt spread around the garden, and some clay, the rest of the clay will have to be got rid of at a later date

Bolt Template (the bolts will be sunk into the concrete)

Bolts sticking out of the concrete

Pier in place attached to the bolts. 9.6.2010

(I had collected the pier in April at Kelling Heath)

POD has finally arrived in England but not delivered yet.

The POD finally arrives 22.6.2010

Assembling the domes and waiting for the sealant to dry.

POD complete

POD Open

Drinking a toast to the completion of 2 hard days work on the hottest day of the year

Living in the POD

Sadly this is my view of the SW sky, many trees - this is taken from an upstairs window, so the trees are even higher from ground level

2013

Whilst I love many aspects of the POD, it does have a drawback.

That is the problem of the dome getting in the way of objects as they pass overhead or close to the Zenith.

Coming up to 3 1/2 years with the POD I am now investigating installing a POD Zenith table PZT.

I have resisted this up until now because of the complexity of construction, and the fact that I doubted my own ability to move the dome on and off in the dark and had visions of the dome tumbling onto the lawn in the early hours of the morning!!!

However I feel I cannot live with this any more and so with the help of our friend Ian (a retired Engineer), I have started to construct a DIY PZT. (POD Zenith Table)/ I chose to go down the DIY route rather than the supplied version by the POD people, because of the difficulty of fitting the table on due to the narrow space between the fence next door and the POD and the gap between the POD bay and the shed which can only be passed standing and sideways. With a complete table on top we would not be able to get in to screw the table underneath and so constructing it in bits makes this possible so I can have the PZT on the North East side which is partially obscured by houses anyway.

Monday 23rd September 2013

The first thing that had to be done was to swap the position of the door with one of the wall sections, otherwise the door would be underneath the PZT.I was not looking forward to doing this as the POD is stuck down fast with Lexel, but we managed to do it with the aid of a shovel instead of a crowbar (which Ian forgot to bring). I will need to renew the Lexel on that side of the POD.

Ian spent some time working out the list of materials we needed and then we went to the local timberyard to buy them.

While Ian did some sawing I got stuck in digging up the stepping stones which were now in the wrong place, and relaying them to the new door position.

The plans - main supports

Colour coding: Black = Uprights which I think are 3 x 2" Yellow = horizontal supportsN.B. Horizontal support over the Bay will be decking which being wider will allow support from both directions.

The "table top"

..will be constructed a bit at a time because of the access & space problem at A and B as described above.colour coding:Pink = Ply varnished with yacht varnish.Blue = alternate decking and a space (to allow rain to run off. Here you can see the reason for the wider middle support to take both the decking and the ply.

I spent the following day re-laying the stepping stones, why oh why did I buy ex-council paving stones, they are about 3" thick and very heavy!!!!

A couple of photos demonstrating the tight space we have to work in, and why we have had to go down the DIY route and not use the kit supplied by SkyPOD where we would find it impossible to get in to screw the table to brackets etc.

Frame in position, though for the above reasons, some of this is only temporarily in place to get measurements etc and will be removed and put back again at the appropriate moment.

Original bracket

Replacement bracket

Original dome bracket. SKYPOD have made an adaptation to this so you can slide the dome off. Luckily I didn't have to wait for these to come over from Canada as Altair Astro had some demo ones in stock

Quick release bracket and original bracket now combined

Cutting out the ply which had to be drawn out with a plumb line

First section of ply in position.

This will now have to be rubbed down at the edges and then treated with several layers of Yacht varnish.

Carole did the varnishing

Saturday 11th October 2013

Although this is pre-treated timber made for decking (except the ply) I decided as I would never be able to get at the Shed/Fence corner once the table top is fitted that it would be a good idea to give the timber and decking a weather-proofing treatment before the table goes on top.

As Ian has now fitted the frame on this was easier said than done, so I had to climb over the POD walls via a chair and onto a step ladder (between the horizontals) and do the necessary without getting the WP treatment all over my clothes.

I'll try to do the decking on the underside before Ian fixes it on.

The Ply will have several coats of Yacht varnish and can't be fitted until this has been done.

Wednesday 16th October (Carole was away)

The POD Zenith table is virtually finished. Just a few tweaks, but it works. and enables me to reach the Zenith. Just need to fit a couple of ramps to make getting the domes on/off at the sides a bit easier. There are 3 strips of slippery plastic fitted onto the table for the dome to slide on (and not wear out the varnish).

The dome slid back by about 2'6"/3'. As you can see the dome is still in the way towards the NE, but I never image over that way anyway, partly because the houses are in the way and lack of objects to image in that direction. Objects mostly rise from behind that loft extension, so I'll be able to see the objects right through until they set or disappear behind a tree in the West. The dome can also be swivelled slightly on the table.

Hooray, I can finally see the Zenith!

Need to practice getting it on and off a few times before I dare try it in the dark.

The dome slid back by about 2'6"/3'.

Modification in 2025

Getting older, I was finding the weight of the Dome getting too heavy to lift on opening only. cloosing is not a problem because all the weight is on the oppoiste side.

So after some discussion on both the SkyPOD forum and SGL I found a solution, a counterweight. This took some thinking out, but first I had to find a strap.

Modification in 2025

I didn't want to remove the bolt from the top of the dome, as didn't want to risk it getting out of alignment and then not be able to get the bolt back again, or worse still break the sealant, so I made a slot on the strap where there was a piece of plastic/leather. retracted the bolt enough to squeeze the strap over like a button and button hole.

NB: This photo is with the dome open, so I could work on the apex bolt when is was down and not on the ceiling.

I passed the strap through the dome bracket on the inner side of the spindle so it wouldn't fall out the back.

Prior to doing all this I had stitched a slot in the oposite end of the strap to allow a tent peg to pass through it. The strap passes through the counterweight folded lengthwise, and then the tent peg slotted in once it is through.

With the dome closed, and looking at the strap from the opposite side of the POD.

With the dome closed.

With the dome open.

The counterweight is then returned to the imaging rig as it is needed to alance the rig. the end of the loose strap is then threaded into he ring on the dome (top right of photo).

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