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!
In the foreground, you see the subfloor slab for the observatory building. The block rectangle behind it is the stairwell leading down to the basement. Interrupting the slab are the two telescope footings topped with the base plates to which the piers will be attached.
Behind the stairwell you can see the footings for the columns which will support the roof when it is rolled off. The forms are in place and the concrete caps have been poured, into which we set the anchor bolts. Doing it this way gives us a smooth surface on which to set the columns and allows us to easily bring all the footings to the exact correct height. We left the form boards in place after pouring the concrete to allow it to cure a bit more slowly.
Compare this to:
Notice the clear blue sky!
All of the anchor bolts for the building are encased in concrete now, which means their locations are rather permanent. An order has been placed for the observatory building's steel skeleton, so it's time to get going on the siding.
The slab you see here is the subfloor of the observatory; its function is mainly to serve as a footing for the steel frame of the building, but it also serves as a rodent barrier. It is actually nearly two feet below the final ground level, which will help keep it cool and reduce any thermal effects. Block walls will be built between the steel columns to bring the remainder of the foundation to final height.
The really big news is that the observatory has finally found a name. My builder tells everybody who asks that he's building a bunker, in reference to the buried basement. The other day, he presented me with a sign dubbing this site the "Bunker Ranch". So it seems most fitting to name the facility the "Bunker Ranch Observatory".
Next up: raising the steel
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Terry R. Friedrichsen
terry@venus.sunquest.com