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Clair Observatory is a wooden shed construction 6' 6" x 6' 6" , with a
roll-off roof. It is located in the back garden of our home which lies around 12 miles north of Aberdeen. The site has good sky
access. The minimum viewable
altitude (around 20 deg) is limited by the observatory walls. The site
suffers only minor local light pollution
The observatory has been built using the same shed and pier that were used for my two previous observatories (Kingcup Observatory and Hilltop Observatory). The observatory was designed to be capable of moving, the only thing that doesn't move is the concrete pier base. ! Photo : Clair Observatory (roof open) |
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My LX200 telescope is mounted
on a permanent 7" diameter metal pier, bolted to a concrete base.
Photo : Observatory Interior with LX200 Telescope / CCD Camera and equipment (larger view) |
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The observatory takes only around 5-10 minutes to open and get the telescope setup up ready for observing. Closing the observatory takes no more than 5 minutes. The observatory has ample room for storing the LX200's case/tripod if necessary and has sufficient room to take 1 visitor. Both of these times are a significant improvement on the original time it took to setup (30 mins) / setdown (15 mins) in the days before I built the observatory (pre 1998), when I had to carry the tripod & wedge outdoors, carry the telescope outdoors, set in on the wedge, carry the accessories outdoors, align & level tripod, align telescope etc. Photo : Moon above Clair Observatory (2005-01-25) |
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The roll-off roof was originally constructed with sets of wheels along each side of the roof. These ran along rails mounted on the top of each sidewall of the observatory and allowed the roof to be rolled-off/on. Whilst the design originally worked well, there were increasing problems with it during 2004-2005, whereby some wheels would occasionally loosen and twist, causing the roof to jam when shutting (not the most desirable event when you're tired and cold). In June 2005 remedial work was carried out to relocate the wheels into positions on the top of each sidewall, thus allowing the roof to easily roll off/on, using the sides of the roof as rails. Photo : New Wheel/Rail Design (Jun 2005)
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The observatory uses the same sliding roof shed and telescope pier used for Hilltop Observatory (please refer to Design and Construction of Hilltop Observatory)
Key Dates :
2004-02-05 : First Light
2004-01-24 : Observatory erected
2004-01-11 : Pier base constructed
2003-12-05 : Site cleared and levelled
2003-08-28 : Position for observatory within garden of new home chosen
2003-08-25 : Kingcup Observatory dismantled in preparation for moving.
The following picture shows the observatory base and pier
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My roll-off roof observatory which was relocated to Dorset, England in 2000. Landscaping of our new garden and other house & garden priorities delayed the observatory's re-erection. However the telescope was finally installed in the new observatory on 2001-06-10.
Originally called the 'New' Observatory, the observatory was later renamed the 'Kingcup Observatory'. The observatory was later moved back to a new site in Scotland (the Clair Observatory)
The KingCup observatory was built using the same shed and pier that were used for my previous observatory (Hilltop Observatory), which were dismantled from its NE Scotland site in March 2000. The observatory was designed to be capable of moving, the only thing that doesn't move is the concrete pier base. !
The Kingcup observatory was located in the back garden of our home which then lay at the edge of a Poole in Dorset, England. The site had a somewhat limited but nevertheless reasonable sky access. The minimum viewable altitude using the telescope in the observatory are 20 deg to S, W & N, 40 deg to E (so unfortunately I couldn't see Mars in 2001 opposition). The site unfortunately suffered light pollution from a i) overlooking streetlight and local lights and ii) nearby towns of Poole and Bournemouth.
Myself (right) with work colleagues, Emeka, Marcus and Andy,
who helped me erect the observatory at the Kingcup site
The following new features were incorporated into the Kingcup Observatory :
Computer desk area
RS-232 cable link between computer and telescope (runs under observatory floor and up pier)
Cat 5 LAN cable connection between observatory and house
low voltage cables carrying certain equipment power from transformers in house.
a junction box
LX200 power cable running under observatory floor and up the pier
outside power
(a light blocking screen to shield off light from nearby street light, was designed but never built)
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The Kingcup observatory used the same sliding roof shed and telescope pier used for previous Hilltop Observatory. (please refer to Design and Construction of Hilltop Observatory). Key Dates associated with the construction are listed below:
2003-08-25: Observatory dismantled in preparation for move to NE Scotland.
2001-07-14: Observatory networked to house computer permitting Remote Control operation.
2001-06-10: First light for new observatory.
2001-06-10: Observatory interior prepared. Electrical tie-ins made. Telescope installed and tested. First light for new observatory.
2001-06-06: Shed has been erected with help of 3 friends from work.
2001-05-21 : Pier base has been been constructed and pier fitted.
2001-05-06 : Site has been cleared and levelled. Alignment of pier bolt holes with celestrial pole has been carried out.
The following pictures show the observatory being reconstructed at the Kingcup site ::
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Hilltop Observatory was operational from October 1998 until March 2000 when it was dismantled in preparation
for a house move to Dorset England. The observatory was located in my back garden which lies in
a village of Westhill in NE Scotland.
Hilltop Observatory : Latitude 59° 09' N ; Longitude
02° 17' W ; Elevation 50m above MSL
The observatory was initial erection of my roll-off roof shed observatory - a wooden shed construction 6' 6" x 6' 6" , with a roll-off roof, in which my LX200 telescope was mounted on a permanent 7" diameter metal pier, bolted to a concrete base. The Hilltop observatory did not have any power sockets and instead I ran an 18v lead out to the observatory from my garage at the start of each observing session.
The site suffered moderate, but not overwhelming amount of light pollution. Light Pollution was worst when clouds were about, but I normally observed when skies were completely clear.
The following features were incorporated into the Hilltop Observatory :
stool, adjustable table
wall clock, wall thermometer
cupboard for telescope accessories
battery operated light.
Since I was using a 18v lead from the house/garage out to the telescope I made a reel for holding the wire when not in use and for reeling it in quickly when packing away. [ In the Kingcup and Clair Observatories I installed power leads ]
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LX200 in observatory |
Transformer, Reel for 18v lead |
The Hilltop Observatory made a significant difference to my observing experience. Because it took only around 10 minutes to open and setup up ready for observing. and just 5 minutes to close down at the end of a session, it meant it so match easier and pleasurable to use my telescope. Before the observatory / permanent pier, it used to take around 30 minutes to setup the scope and around 15 minutes to pack away at the end. (carry the tripod & wedge outdoors, carry the telescope outdoors, set in on the wedge, carry the accessories outdoors, align & level tripod, align telescope etc.)
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Opening & Closing the Observatory (Click on following links in Sequence to see)
3) Push back the
roll-off roof |
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The Hilltop Observatory was designed and built the observatory in August/October 1998 .
The design of the observatory and it construction is detailed in the following
page : Design and Construction
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| This Web Page: | Observatory |
| Last Updated : | 2006-09-13 |
| Site Owner : | David Richards |
| Home Page : | David's Astronomy Web Site |
