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Taking Shape |
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2" by 2" upright corner posts were screwed into place to which the completed wall frames would be attached at a later stage. 3/4" thick shuttering was then laid down for the floor. A solid concrete base was decided against so as to help reduce air currents during the summer months (at least that's the theory!). |
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| Careful consideration was given to the height of the pier above the observatory floor. This needed to be tall enough so that the telescope tube would not hit the floor, but low enough to ensure that the eyepiece would not be placed too high for access when the telescope was near the vertical. The height also needed to allow enough clearance to close the roof by swinging the Dec axis and tube assembly into the horizontal position. A height of 19.5" (approximately 50cm) was finally decided upon. |  Paul Thomsett (right) helps with the concreting of the pier.
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A close up of the pier embedded in its 3ft ball of concrete. Notice the removable hatch in the floor so that I can gain access to the base of the pier should I ever need to do so.
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The pier itself consists of a metal pipe with a 'cup' of the correct diameter to enable the equatorial head to be attached. A thick plastic outer collar was then filled with concrete to produce a totally stable arrangement. Notice that the collar is offset to the north. This was needed to ensure that motor and worm-wheel housing on the Polar axis would not hit the pier when the equatorial mount was adjusted to the correct latitude of 51 degrees North. | ||
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The frame of the four walls are constructed from 2"x2" pressure treated timber. Four feet was deemed to the be ideal height for the walls to allow the telescope access down to the local horizon, particularly for the southern view. In addition the wide door, which is asymmetrically split into two sections, could also be left open to allow total freedom to this region of the sky. Tongue and groove was chosen as the cladding in preference to shiplap. Although somewhat more expensive I felt the overall appearance of the observatory would be enhanced as would the overall quality of the construction. It was not my intention to skimp on materials.
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