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 a star, 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!
The siding is nearly completely installed in this image (actually, by now the remainder of the siding should be in place), so the building is essentially complete! (Well, OK, there's no floor inside the building yet, but we'll get to it ...)
Putting up all of this reflective white siding in the sun, summer heat, and elevated humidity of the monsoon season was a tough job. I am at once relieved and embarrassed to report that I was not one of the guys up on the roof, where the job was really brutal.
But it's almost done! And it looks really nice! We have some difficulties to resolve yet with the rolloff roof, but the problems are minor and we will find solutions.
Compare this to:
After a promising beginning, the roof is turning out to be quite difficult to roll. This is bad news, because it means I can't move it by hand and it will be difficult to engineer a strong-enough motorized drive mechanism. We'll have to do some work on this - the roof cannot remain this difficult to move.
We're also having some difficulty with the eave trim catching against the side panels when the roof rolls. The metal is just not stiff enough to hold its shape. We'll probably have to back it with something stiff, smooth, and joint-free to allow it to slip along the siding.
What remains now is installing the observing-level floor, putting stairs and railing in the stairwell, and doing the final dirt work around the site. When we know how difficult the roof will be to move in the end, we'll be able to design a motorized system to roll it.
The Bunker Ranch Observatory owes its name to my builder. He tells everybody who asks that he's building a bunker, in reference to the buried basement. A while ago, he presented me with a sign dubbing this site the "Bunker Ranch". So it seemed most fitting to name the facility the "Bunker Ranch Observatory".
Next up: exterior finishing touches
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Terry R. Friedrichsen
terry@venus.sunquest.com