My interest in astronomy dates back to the time when I, as a third-grader, got a copy of Fred Hoyle's Frontiers of Astronomy. I read it over and over, practically memorizing it, fascinated by the idea that we could actually figure out what was going on inside an object that was just a tiny pinpoint of white light.
It wasn't too long after that that I got a small telescope; later, as a high-school freshman, I got a larger telescope. It wasn't too long after that that I wanted an observatory so I wouldn't have to lug the thing in and out of the house!
Lo these many years later, the time for an observatory has come. After a protracted search of the numerous places in the southwest desert that qualify as near, at, or in the middle of nowhere (so the sky will be nice and dark at night, that's why), but still within shouting distance of utility service, land has been procured. What follows is the chronicle of the transformation of 40 acres of high desert into my vision of astronomical nirvana.
So, like Dorothy, we begin by putting one foot in front of another as we follow the treacherous road to The Emerald City (or at least an observatory with electricity and indoor plumbing :-).
FLASH! (3/17/00): Ten months on the waiting list has finally paid off - I've been allowed to place an order for an Astro-Physics 1200GTO mount. Delivery time is sometime this fall; unfortunately, the observatory will be nowhere near completion when it arrives.
FLASH! (07/26/00): An order was placed today for a 400mm (16") Astro Optik LOMO Hypergraph, which will be the main imaging instrument at the observatory. Delivery time is 10 - 12 months; at the current rate, the observatory will not be ready when the telescope gets here.
FLASH! (08/24/00): I placed the winning bid on Astromart (a used astronomy equipment forum) for a slightly used Software Bisque Paramount GT-1100B mount. This will be the mount for the second pier in the observatory. Now if I only had a telescope ...
FLASH! (11/29/00): The Astro-Physics 1200GTO mount I ordered 'way back on March 17 has finally arrived! Somehow, it looks out of place sitting on the floor in the library - I sure hope this observatory gets done soon!
At long last, the observatory has a place to put telescopes! On Thursday, May 10, we poured the footings for the telescope piers and embedded the pier base plates in the concrete. These plates are an inch thick and 30" square; placing them was a delicate job with a front-end loader, chains, and (rather cleverly, I thought :-) battery carrying straps. Compare this to:
(Yeah, there are clouds in a lot of these photos - it worries me some :-)
It's difficult to make out from this photograph, but each base plate is held into the concrete by a dozen 1" diameter by 10" long L-shaped anchor bolts arranged in a regular pattern around the periphery of the plate. Toward the center of the plate are 8 holes threaded for 3/4" cap bolts, arranged in a 15" diameter circle. The cap bolts will fasten the telescope piers to the base plates.
Here's another simple but clever idea (I can't take credit for this one): to keep the concrete from intruding into the cap bolt holes, we placed small squares of good ol' duct tape over each hole on the bottom side of the plates before dropping them into place.
Behind the pier footings you can see the stairwell leading down into the basement. There are no stairs yet, and the stairwell is 12' deep, so access is restricted to those willing to climb down an extension ladder. The wall height is very nearly the final height of the foundation; we will be pouring a concrete cap on top of the blocks to provide a smooth and level surface for the building and the roll-off support columns.
The basement is now buried; all that is visible are the seven block pillars in the background that will help support the roof in its rolled-off position. As you might imagine, the basement now stays quite cool; it'll be interesting to see what temperature it holds during the hottest days of summer.
Next up: pouring the telescope piers
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Terry R. Friedrichsen
terry@venus.sunquest.com
