>
> I'm pouring the deadman (a 3'x4'x3' 5000lb solid block of concrete in
> the ground) for my concrete pier this coming weekend and am still
> undecided on how to design the building which will house my 10" LX200....
>
> A roll off roof design would be simpler, cheaper and easier to build
> than a dome structure, but to have the roof move off to the North will
> force me to chop down some pretty beautiful cactus and I don't
> particularly like those rails and those stilts sticking out...

I built my observatory for under $1000 using a 'swing open' roof design.
This isn't suitable for large areas; each roof section on mine is about
5' x 4'. There's a small picture on my asto page:

http://www.duckpond.mv.com/astro.html

The advantages of this design are 1) no stilts or rails, 2) the amount of
open area can be controlled easily, and 3) the open roof section quite
effectivly blocks neighboring lights.

The disadvantages are 1) a bit more work opening and closing - I use a 2:1
pulley system, 2) you don't really want it open in windy conditions, and 3)
there is a small obscured wedge-shaped area to the north (in my setup) from
just below the celestial north pole to the horizion.

Each side of the roof is a single panel, hinged along the bottom. Each section
is made from fiberglass panels on a 2x4 frame stiffened with some sections
of 1" steel angle. The panels meet at the ridgeline. The north wall is
fixed and has strips that the closed roof rests on. THe south wall is the
same, except it is also hinged and will open out the the south for an
unobstructed view. I computed the various dimensions so that I could still
point to Polaris; my observing area is 5'x8', and I have an enclosed work
area of 3'x8' on the north end.

If you want any more details, let me know.

_______________________
| Bill Ezell |
| www.duckpond.mv.com |
-----------------------

The box said 'Win95, NT, or better', so I used Linux

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