TheSkySearchers

As my Granny would say, "I've been to three hog-killings and two county fairs, but I've never seen anything like this."

https://youtu.be/0vK-zwRAz5A

Clear Skies & Stay Safe

Interesting idea that probably took some effort to design. I wonder how much the roof section counterweights weigh.

Well done!

Really cool and efficient design!

Well, we have had dome observatories, the popular roll off roof observatories, but this new concept is really great. Thanks for finding and sharing this video with us John, and the best of regards.

Pretty neat

Very nice. May I suggest that this be moved to the "Home Observatories" section of TSS, to make it easier to find in the future? Thanks.

AntennaGuy wrote: ↑Fri Dec 18, 2020 12:21 am Very nice. May I suggest that this be moved to the "Home Observatories" section of TSS, to make it easier to find in the future? Thanks.

Good idea!

Moved as requested.

This is a similar idea to the one I have for my upcoming observatory build. My idea is, instead of the clamshell design, I want to use two roll-up garage doors. I want them to roll up onto two opposite sides of the observatory to get out of the way, and the whole thing looks very compact when it is open. I'm still working on finding the right roll-up garage doors and how they will attach at the apex to become weather tight.

Ideas?

Cheers,
JT

Great concept! Well done execution!!

Dave

pakarinen wrote: ↑Thu Dec 17, 2020 4:28 pm Interesting idea that probably took some effort to design. I wonder how much the roof section counterweights weigh.

From the picture, I'd guess about 30 kg (66 lb) a piece.
I assumed that the diameter is 40 cm (16") and thickness 10 cm (4").

Clearly observatories for visual and AP are built very differently. After folding all panels out there's almost nothing left! For AP you need the walls against wind and light. I suppose for visual it needs to be wide open? It has a nice low profile and looks sturdy enough to protect against the elements. The roof works nicely though I would add stops instead of that cable.

The holes in the tube are an interesting twist. Is that to save weight, and if it is mounted on a pier, why?

Quite interesting, there was a similar one like this featured in Astronomy Now I believe a few years ago.
If I remember right it was a bit taller than this.
A nice compact design though.

I have seen designs with a flip off roof, but never one that short in stature.

SkyHiker wrote: ↑Sun Sep 12, 2021 3:21 pm Clearly observatories for visual and AP are built very differently. After folding all panels out there's almost nothing left! For AP you need the walls against wind and light. I suppose for visual it needs to be wide open? It has a nice low profile and looks sturdy enough to protect against the elements. The roof works nicely though I would add stops instead of that cable.

The holes in the tube are an interesting twist. Is that to save weight, and if it is mounted on a pier, why?

Well us visual observers like shelter from wind (particularly in winter) and light. But we also like to have access to lower elevations at times, so there generally is some sort of compromise. Perhaps he lives somewhere that there is no ambient lighting hitting his location. I would suspect the most open end (where the door is) is toward the south since we don't need as much of an open look to the north at mid-northern lats.