New Forest Observatory

The New Forest Observatory

The above photo shows my dome observatory in the New Forest, Hampshire, U.K. A concrete pillar foundation was first poured - this measures 4 feet deep with a 2 foot by 2 foot square cross-section - it seems to be amply stable for the 11 inch Nexstar GPS scope. Next, a wooden decking was built around the pillar support. I had a cylindrical pillar made by a local firm - it is entirely fabricated in aluminium, relatively lightweight, and very stable. Finally - a pre-built Zenith 7 foot observatory was placed on the decking and bolted down. The 7 foot observatory easily houses the Nexstar 11 GPS scope with dewshield attached - and two people can occupy the observatory at the same time.

Pluses and minuses:

Up until building the observatory I had used the scope on a tripod on the patio just outside the back-door of the house. This was extremely convenient for observing (just point and look) but very inconvenient for carrying the setup in and out of doors (I think I've been very lucky not to have dropped the gear in the last two years!).
I had two worries about moving into an observatory: One; would the GPS work through the fibre-glass? It certainly doesn't pick up the satellites from indoors. Answer; it works just fine. Second worry; would manually rotating the dome take all the fun out of observing? Answer; it's much less of a pain than you might imagine, the excellent Zenith design means the dome moves very easily. Also, it does tend to make you look just a little longer at whatever object you pick, rather than flitting around, and I think this is a very positive outcome.
I cannot give the Zenith dome a high enough recommendation. The price is excellent, and a great deal of thought has clearly gone into the design. It only takes seconds to get the kit ready for observing, and with the terrible rain we have had recently, I can vouch that the observatory is completely waterproof! I have fitted underfelt and carpet on the floor (my excuse is that it will protect dropped lenses, actual truth is that it makes it so comfortable I can stay out all night).
If you have any worries about buying and using a pre-built dome observatory, my personal experience is that it is probably the easiest and best way to go if you can afford it - and I did spend two years looking at all the possible alternatives, as well as creating many designs of my own.
Nearly forgot the minus point! When you're using the scope on a tripod in the big outdoors, the buzz from the Celestron's control (the bee in a can) is pretty unobtrusive. When you're in an acoustic dome, on a quiet night, it really gets on your nerves!!!!!
In January 2005 I managed to eradicate the one minus point! I upgraded the motor drives from version 30.30 to version 40.40 (download available from the Celestron site). Amongst the many benefits of the upgrade was that the telescope tracking is now entirely silent - HOORAY!

What's next?

The original Alt-Az setup was converted to an Equatorial mount early in 2005, and I have been imaging deep-sky objects since mid-November 2004.

While imaging Merope in the Pleiades (Winter 2005)I also bagged a minor planet, 162 Laurentia, which was a first for me.

Astrophotography has to be the most rewarding hobby I have had to date - I discover something new (for me at least) in every imaging session.

I now use a Takahashi Sky 90 refractor for wide field imaging, together with the massive MX25C CCD from Starlight Xpress to push the massive field of view up even further. This combination gives one-shot high-resolution colour images of the deep-sky at a massive 3.33 x 2.22 degrees field of view.

Check out "The CCD revolution in Astronomy" link below to see some of the amazing images the Tak and M25C have achieved.

Some Links

New Forest Observatory
The CCD Revolution in Astronomy
Greg Parker Astrophotographer